Mason Engel on The Bookstour: Documentary

Calling all lovers of indie bookstores for a Miami Book Fair two-part event: A screening of a new literary documentary and a panel of the nation’s foremost independent booksellers!

In 2019, Mason Engel took a road trip around the country to 50 independent bookstores in 50 days. His goal: to promote his self-published novel, 2084. But his conversations with booksellers shifted his focus, and on a second trip, he brought a cameraperson along and asked booksellers a simple question: “Why should we shop indie?” The resulting documentary, The Bookstour, premiered on public TV earlier this year. After the screening, Engel will moderate a panel discussion among powerhouse booksellers from across America, including Mitchell Kaplan, owner of South Florida’s Books & Books; Donna Paz Kaufman, owner of Story & Song Bookstore Bistro, a bookstore café and arts venue in Amelia Island, Florida; and Janet Webster Jones, owner of Source Booksellers in Detroit.

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Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.