The co-owners of McQuixote Books and Coffee in Louisville’s Portland neighborhood always envisioned their shop as a place to promote a community's love of the literary arts.
“We had a lot of different ideas of what we wanted to do with the shop,” said co-owner Mickey Ball. “This just opened up that idea for a place for writers to share their work.”
This summer, Ball and co-owner Trevor Decuir moved the store into the warehouse space that they share with the Tim Faulkner Gallery. And now they are looking for authors to read at the shop.
The inaugural reading series now has a list of 10 dates filled with local and regional writers.
The co-owners said the response from residents has been positive. They hope an author series will bring in members of the Portland community.
Portland has become one of the city's most rapidly changing neighborhoods. Real estate developers are buying old buildings to renovate and artists, galleries, restaurants and creative class nonprofits are moving in. Meanwhile, some residents and community activists are concerned the historically working-class neighborhood is losing its character.
DeCuir anticipates that the scheduled readings will eventually lead to a year-long series of author events. He encourages local writers who are interested in participating to come into the shop.
Here's the scheduled readings:
Nov. 14: Harriet Michaels, Christian author
Nov. 15: Mist Baker, children’s author
Nov. 22: Eric F. James, biographer and author of “Jesse James, Soul Liberty: Behind the Family Wall of Stigma & Silence”
Dec. 5: Ron Whitehead, poet and musician
Dec. 6: The Juggernaut Jug Band and Michael L. Jones, author of “Louisville Jug Music: From Earl McDonald to National Jubilee”
December 12: “Malapropisms & Mondegreens,” a night of poetry and music featuring Sheri Wright, Yoshev Omed, Tyler Curth and edwin r. perry
