Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, February 26, 2020 9:17 AM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
The morning inventory team does a lot of the "behind the scenes" work of making sure each item gets to the right place in the store, so as part of that team I do things like shelve books, pull items for Internet orders, merchandise displays, and in general try to keep things organized and looking good.
Last book you loved:
The Archived by Victoria Schwab (who also wrote the fantastic Shades of Magic series) — it's heavily inspired by a Doctor Who episode, and even has a character based on David Tennant's Tenth Doctor.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A librarian! I love being around books, organizing them, and seeing the latest releases...
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Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, January 30, 2020 1:28 PM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
I'm a Used Book Buyer, which means I get to give a second life to books people are ready to part with. I’m also one of the people who run our graphic novel and manga sections, so I spend time ordering books, maintaining the sections, and curating displays. On top of both jobs, I'm also on the events team, and I am one of two people who order in vinyl for our store. Basically, I keep myself very busy!
Last book you loved:
My favorite book of last year was In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. I feel lucky that we're contemporaries and I get to read her work. I love reading about music and I'm currently reading...
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Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, December 10, 2019 9:27 AM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
I work at Powell’s PDX. I’m a jack-of-all-trades and I’m involved in every aspect of Powell’s PDX from top to bottom. My job is basically to help facilitate everyone else’s work at our PDX store, make sure our customers have a great experience, and to work with our team to ensure that we have a healthy and vibrant location with an interesting (sometimes surprising?) inventory.
Last book you loved:
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James. I love Jamaica, I love reading dialect, I love bleak, and I’m a huge Bob Marley fan ( Catch a Fire is also a remarkable read).
Where are you originally from?
Newcastle upon Tyne, England...
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Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, October 18, 2019 9:18 AM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
I’m a book curator! I’m part of the team that buys new books for all Powell’s locations. We look through catalogs of upcoming books and meet with publisher representatives to decide what should be on our shelves. I’m really passionate about books for kids and teens, so it’s exciting and rewarding being the buyer for young adult, middle grade, and some younger kids’ titles. I also have the fascinating challenge of ordering non-English titles for all ages.
Last book you loved:
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. It’s one that slipped through the cracks for me; I only just read it...
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Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, September 21, 2019 7:44 AM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
The Large Buy Department's job is to purchase large amounts of books in bulk from stores and personal collections all around the country. Then we dig through boxes and boxes of books and pull out the ones we can sell and get them into stores.
Last book you loved:
I just finished the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy by Cixin Liu and it's some of the best sci-fi I've ever read. I was blown away by his ideas about the implications of humanity heading into space, and how reasonable his extrapolations about the future felt.
Where are you originally from?
I'm originally from San Antonio, Texas...
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Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, August 15, 2019 9:38 AM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
I work with the store locations to round up every item ordered on Powells.com, as well as on our online partner marketplaces, and ship them from the warehouse to customers around the world.
Last book you loved:
Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer. I sat down to read this one night at about 50 pages in and got lost in it. I stayed up until nearly 4 a.m. because I just had to finish it.
Where are you originally from?
Green Bay, Wisconsin. I have been in the Pacific Northwest for 10 years now, and I have no intention of leaving.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A veterinarian or a landscape architect, but...
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Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, July 8, 2019 9:34 AM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
I’m a hiring and training coordinator at Powell’s City of Books, which means I get to spend much of my time at work talking with current and potential employees about positions that interest them, and then helping employees become comfortable and confident in their jobs.
Last book you loved:
I recently read A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley. This is his first book, and I was deeply moved by every story in the collection.
Where are you originally from?
I spent most of my life before moving to Portland bouncing between a few cities in Minnesota: Barnesville, Minneapolis, Moorhead, and St. Paul.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
My father and grandfather are/were Lutheran pastors...
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Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, June 13, 2019 10:28 AM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
I work with our inventory team to fulfill book orders that our customers place online, and to get books onto their designated shelves. My tasks vary from day to day and I get the pleasure of working with quite a few of the teams in our company to make sure customers get the right books into their hands.
Last book you loved:
We Were Witches by Ariel Gore might just be my new favorite book. I don't say that lightly. It's unlike anything else I've come across — it melds genre, the prose is unexpected and gorgeous. Chapter to chapter the story shape-shifts with fluidity, brimming with poetry, fairy tales, spells, college essays. Reading it was a wholly magical experience...
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Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, May 16, 2019 4:58 PM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
This is my favorite job I’ve ever had. As the Kids Level III, I would describe my job as “creating a more literate future.”
Last book you loved:
The Pisces by Melissa Broder and I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson.
Where are you originally from?
I grew up on Long Island, New York. I no longer have a thick LI accent, but I do miss real bagels.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer and a pop star.
What did you do before you came to Powell’s?
I was a bookseller for Barnes & Noble, and before that I edited reports for a company that...
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Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, April 19, 2019 9:30 AM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
I’m a matchmaker! I match people with the book they didn’t know they wanted. My focus is on literature and local authors. I also write reviews for shelf-talkers in the store and blurbs for the website.
Last book you loved:
Smoke City by Keith Rosson, Red Clocks by Leni Zumas, and Mammother by Zachary Schomburg (sorry, I can’t pick just one!).
Where are you originally from?
Born and bred in Portland.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Seriously, I’ve wanted to work at Powell’s since I was 12!...
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