Main Street is getting back its vibe as restaurants serve outdoors and more people venture downtown, trusting masks and their newly developed instincts to keep a distance. But action behind the scenes never ceased, as merchants worked feverishly to do what they could to keep their businesses open.

Take the case of Judy Wheeler, owner since 1998 of Towne Center Books near the Pleasanton Arch. When we all went into quarantine in March, she never quavered in her belief that books are essential — and she would continue to provide them.

The doors were locked and employees were told to stay home, but Wheeler continued to work long and hard, transitioning from having an online presence to being an online-only store, complete with increased orders and arranging timely deliveries and pickups.

“Actually it’s pretty exhausting because there are so many more steps in doing things,” Wheeler said. “Fortunately our customers are fabulous. They’ve been supporting us from the get-go.”

She also noted that some folks right here in town finally discovered the bookstore who’d never noticed it before — and they continue with their support.

Deliveries have always been free for orders $20 or higher, but Wheeler started pickups outside. For a while, paper bags containing books lined the back entrance waiting for their respective customers — all on the honor system.

One large order did disappear after bags began to be left in front, on Main Street. Someone took the books and left a box of tea, which made Wheeler shake her head, wondering if the book-snatcher considered this a fair trade. Now customers who have preordered can knock on the door and get handed their books if they prefer not to enter.

Wheeler said she reopened a little later than the nearby restaurants, because she had to install Plexiglas and make the store easier to browse without too much touching. Plus the space had to recover from its sudden input of boxes to fill online orders and the maze of wires quickly installed to facilitate increased Internet usage.

“There was probably more danger in tripping over something than getting the virus,” Wheeler said. “It’s much better now. We had to reconfigure displays and still have an area to process books.”

Now there is hand sanitizer “everywhere” and signs remind everyone to be respectful of each other. But people are good about keeping their distance, Wheeler said, and she oversees the operation, knowing it is OK for a family to convene in the back and still let others in the front. She will make appointments for those hesitant about mingling.

Wheeler said she has loved the shop’s location at 555 Main St. near the Arch since she moved in. She has been in the book industry for 35-40 years, first working as a publisher’s rep and for a book distributor, so she knew when she bought the book store that it was a tough business.

“When I started thinking I wanted a store, I knew I wanted it downtown because nowhere else really made sense,” she recalled. “Now my location is actually even better because Pleasanton has become more vibrant each year. Inklings has helped a lot, and Starbucks has brought more people, too.”

And the Arch is a draw.

“Everybody who comes to town has to take a picture under the Arch, and for graduations and weddings and special occasions,” Wheeler said. “My daughter had a wedding picture taken under the Arch.”

She bought Towne Center Books with its name, which has resulted in some strange calls as people confuse the shop with the city and telephone for all kinds of help.

“We’ve had calls from someone who wanted a dog license, and not long ago someone called to say they’d locked their keys in their car,” she said with a laugh.

Now business is picking up and Wheeler is optimistic about the holiday season. She pointed out that most people prefer browsing in person rather than online, plus the staff can offer suggestions. Jigsaw puzzles — especially those with 1,000 pieces — are selling well, too, and other games.

“We’re good for sheltering in place — we can keep you busy,” she said.

And that’s essential.

Editor’s note: Dolores Fox Ciardelli is Tri-Valley Life editor for the Pleasanton Weekly. Her column, “Valley Views,” appears in the paper on the second and fourth Fridays of the month.

As COVID-19 ravages nations and the untimely demise of the National Book Committee (KBN), what has become of Indonesian titles in the global market?

With the London Book Fair canceled less than a week before its scheduled opening in March, all eyes are now on the Frankfurt Book Fair 2020, slated to run from Oct. 14 to 18.

The Frankfurter Buchmesse, as it’s called in German, touted as the largest book fair in the world, dates back to the 15th century when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press.

This year marks the 72nd edition of the fair, although it will be a scaled-down affair because of the pandemic and has been dubbed a “special edition”.

Originally, a physical presence would still be maintained on-site, while a majority of events taking place online on Oct. 17 as the “BOOKFEST Digital” that offers free access to anyone with an internet connection.

Frankfurter Buchmesse director Juergen Boos said in a webinar that it was “a very tough decision” to proceed with the physical fair, but that stakeholders viewed the fair as a “beacon of hope” that culture and the publishing industry would survive.

“So we decided to go ahead with it, all while knowing that a lot of people will not be able to travel. Some people might be afraid to attend such a public event,” Boos explained, adding that some of the larger publishing houses and international conglomerates had decided not to attend.

But all on-site exhibitions were canceled in September, as current travel restrictions have proved an impediment to the planned country stands. Quarantine requirements enforced on Oct. 1 have also made it unfeasible for both European visitors and exhibitors alike to travel to the fair.

Canada, the guest of honor for this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse, has postponed its presence until next year.

Indonesia, the 2015 guest of honor with the slogan “17,000 Islands of Imagination”, will not have a stand at this year’s fair, either. Even so, there is still hope for Indonesian titles.

Beyond books: Jakarta Content Week, organized by the Tujuhbelasribu Pulau Imaji Foundation in collaboration with the Frankfurt Book Fair, is set to run from Nov. 11 to 15 in Jakarta. (Courtesy of Tujuhbelasribu Pulau Imaji Foundation/-)

Laura Bangun Prinsloo, the chair of the nonprofit literary organization Tujuhbelasribu Pulau Imaji Foundation and former chair of the now defunct National Book Committee (KBN), told The Jakarta Post that most countries would be represented at the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2020 by their embassies.

“At the Education and Culture Ministry, back when the KBN was still around, we always worked closely with the [relevant] embassies in question for any event in a [host] country,” she recalled. “However, I don’t know whether our embassy will be willing to do the task without the KBN.”

The KBN, formed in early 2016 to curate Indonesian titles for international book fairs, was disbanded in February this year. The ministerial decree regulating it expired in December 2019 and was not renewed.

Laura said that while the KBN’s contributions were difficult to calculate, its activities during four years of operation had resulted in a significant amount of sales. With more than 1,500 titles sold to date, she noted that this was no small achievement for a Southeast Asian nation.

“However, it’s still tiny compared to South Korea or China with their consistent sales [figures], so we still have a long way to go. I don’t know whether our lack of presence at Frankfurt, both digital and physical, will work in favor of pushing Indonesian content,” she added, as Indonesia would not have a country stand at Frankfurt this year.

Making ties: Frankfurt Book Fair president Juergen Boos (left) and Tujuhbelasribu Pulau Imaji Foundation chairwoman Laura Bangun Prinsloo sign an agreement on their partnership for Jakarta Content Week in February this year in Jakarta. (Courtesy of Tujuhbelasribu Pulau Imaji Foundation/-)

Laura said that the Frankfurt fair was important for the Indonesian publishing industry, which was relatively new to the international scene.

“Every year, the [book sales] discussions start at [the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the London Book Fair] in March and April, but signing and closing the deals usually take place in Frankfurt, as most rights traders attend the Frankfurt Book Fair. Even if they were unable to attend London, they would always be at Frankfurt without fail, as it is the largest,” she said.

Even though BOOKFEST digital was free, Laura said that Indonesian publishers might not consider it a priority, as publishing agents and the KBN usually handled book rights trading.

“As Boos said earlier, [the event] is free of charge and anyone can attend, but I’m not sure that those who have never traded rights before would be willing or capable. Sometimes we have great content, but we don’t know how to sell it,” she said.

“Once the [BOOKFEST] platform goes live and is open to everyone, can you imagine the millions of books there? If [visitors] are unfamiliar with an agent or a publishing houses, they won’t take a look [at the titles], as there’s too much content available.”

Going global: One of the main purposes of book fairs is to trade rights for literary titles. Publishing agents and the National Book Committee (KBN) used to handle rights trading for Indonesian titles, but the KBN was disbanded in February 2020. (Courtesy of Tujuhbelasribu Pulau Imaji Foundation/-)

But Indonesian fare will be front and center during Jakarta Content Week from Nov. 11 to 15, organized by the Tujuhbelasribu Pulau Imaji Foundation in partnership with the Frankfurt Buchmesse, in Jakarta. The weeklong exhibition will highlight a variety of Indonesian content, from books to movies, even cosplay and culinary events.

“We thought that even without government support, we still have to move forward. We partnered with the Frankfurt Book Fair and convinced them to invest in Indonesia.

“In creating an event like Frankfurt for the Asia-Pacific region, we went with every possible reason that Jakarta is the place to host it,” Laura explained, citing the success of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair for Middle Eastern literature and the Cape Town Book Fair for African literature.

Expanding Jakarta Content Week to include more than just books was also intentional, with Laura noting that the publishing landscape had extended beyond print books and e-books.

“It’s such a cliché to say ‘content is king’, but that’s just how it is. We’re talking about selling stories in a variety of forms,” she said. (ste)

EMAIL [email protected] FOR
ZOOM INFO A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING.

Strike Debt Bay Area hosts a non-technical book group discussion monthly on new and radical economic thinking. Previous readings have included Doughnut Economics, Limits, Banking on the People, Capital and Its Discontents, How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century, and The Deficit Myth.

For our October discussion we will be reading the first two chapters of  ‘Revenge Capitalism: The Ghosts of Empire, the Demons of Capital, and the Settling of Unpayable Debts‘ by Max Haiven (You can order it from Pluto Press.)

For our November discussion we’ll be reading the third and fourth chapters, and for our December discussion we’ll read the final chapters and closing material.

Join us – all are welcome!

Capitalism is in a profound state of crisis. Beyond the mere dispassionate cruelty of ‘ordinary’ structural violence, it appears today as a global system bent on reckless economic revenge; its expression found in mass incarceration, climate chaos, unpayable debt, pharmaceutical violence and the relentless degradation of common life.

In Revenge Capitalism, Max Haiven argues that this economic vengeance helps us explain the culture and politics of revenge we see in society more broadly. Moving from the history of colonialism and its continuing effects today, he examines the opioid crisis in the US, the growth of ‘surplus populations’ worldwide and unpacks the central paradigm of unpayable debts – both as reparations owed, and as a methodology of oppression.

Revenge Capitalism offers no easy answers, but is a powerful call to the radical imagination.

Max Haiven is Research Chair in Culture, Media and Social Justice at Lakehead University, Canada. His books include Art after Money, Money after Art (Pluto, 2018), Crises of Imagination, Crises of Power (Zed Books, 2004), Cultures of Financialization (Palgrave MacMillan, 2014) and the Radical Imagination (Zed Books, 2014).

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MANDEVILLE, Manchester:

From a very tender age, 32-year-old Devene Sutherland learnt the art of fortifying her mind with wholesome content, speaking life into her circumstances and putting in the work, so the successes she seeks can be manifested.

Her brain is wired to see no task as too great, but as elements that can be broken down and managed.

Not only is Sutherland a high school teacher and university lecturer, she is also a single mother of two boys, business owner, a dance instructor, a debate coach, drama coach, a motivational/public speaker and a recent graduate of the St Mary University, where she received her master of science degree.

“I manage my schedules daily by starting and ending the day with prayer, which has become a habit and a part of my lifestyle, exercising proper time management, discipline, and being consistent to the point that sleep has never been my best friend. I usually have a planner to track my day-to-day progress and see what I could accomplish and what I couldn’t get done, and push hard to get it done,” she noted.

Never off the Clock

Anyone who knows the work of a teacher understands that one is never truly off the clock, but Sutherland says her passion and her choice was influenced by a need to help students reach their full potential.

“Although my mother was not a teacher by profession, her calm demeanour and approach was one reason I wanted to go into the teaching profession. I remember I was sitting in a math class one day, and I didn’t understand the lesson. Given my history of being aggressive, many of my teachers were not fond of me. The teacher said I would never amount to anything, and that day I decided to become a teacher to have a positive impact on children’s lives.”

“My love for my students goes beyond the realms of the classroom. One can achieve the best results from students by being kind, caring, empathic, and passionate. These are the key ingredients that I believe every great teacher should possess.”

But how does she truly manage all she has on her plate?

“It can be a rather difficult task to juggle being a mother of two very active boys, being a teacher from 8 a.m. to 2:40 p.m., and being a lecturer from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and trying to complete my thesis and completing orders. My business House of Deva Bandeau that specialises in hair accessories is known both locally and globally for its product durability and impeccable customer service. I consider myself extra blessed to have a stable and united family unit that comprises my mother, father, and brother.”

This family support, Sutherland says, is the reason for her very existence, as without it, she would have crumbled under pressure.

“Some nights I would cry as I was not able to pray with my children, help them with assignments, and tuck them into bed. Both of my parents, along with my brother, would help me these nights. I would ensure that I would stay up that said night to go through my son’s assignments and classwork thoroughly and wake him early in the mornings to make any necessary corrections. I am so blessed to have my mother help me with completing the orders. We work as a mother-and-daughter team. Had it not been for my mom, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Pressing On

As a human being, Sutherland said there were many times that she felt like giving up when the pressure consumed her, but she pressed on.

“There was one particular day, I broke down. I got wet in the rain and the only pair of shoes I had wearing every occasion for more than a year was soaked. I couldn’t afford to miss my tuition or my son’s tuition payment, so I sacrificed. As I was using the blow dryer to dry the shoes that night I cried out,” he said.

“My son said to me, ‘You are doing so good, Mommy. You can’t give up now’, and it dawned on me that I was doing an excellent job despite all I was doing.”

With a dream to opening her own literacy centre that will help children in and around her community become efficient readers and writers, Sutherland is also looking forward to writing her book and sharing her story of how she overcame the odds to living a happy life.

“… During my experience, many have done me wrong and hurt me. But, I realised if you do not love, you cannot forgive, and when you forgive someone, you can compromise, and the cycle begins again with love.”

[email protected]