I love to read, knit, hike, cook, swim, make tinctures, dance, paint with watercolors, and drink chai. I am a songwriter and a passionate lover of most things musical. I am new to Vermont and feel blessed that I get to spend time at Northshire Bookstore with all of you! 
Menakem's expert understanding of the human experience cannot be understated, particularly when it comes to conflict and violence. Guiding the reader on a path to uncover bodily held trauma, he works with the discomfort that arises, all while explaining how and why the pervasive racism in the United States is inherently held in a physical, subconscious, and, sometimes, overwhelming way. This book brought life changing lessons into my life that I use most days to practice clean pain and a grounded body. ~ Reviewed by Maya Bon
Emezi encapsulates a world of despair, luxury, loss, love, death, courage, and, almost conclusively, resilience. With ennobling honesty, they wind the reader into their innermost thoughts. This book is a journey through a tangle of life connections, spindly webs that threaten to collapse in on themselves as Emezi flirts with mortality. ~ Reviewed by Maya Bon
Smith spun me into her world in the early months of quarantine when life suddenly took an entirely new form. Asking deep questions like, "why do I write?" and answering them with daring, somewhat bleak honesty, this was just the right book for me to read as a creative struggling with similar questions. I feel a sense of gratitude that Smith allowed the reader to be in these moments with her, processing the chaos that ensued at the start of quarantine, honoring her truth that writing is, at its core, just something to do. ~ Reviewed by Maya Bon
This collection of essays, stories, poetry, and art is a burst of light, a breath of fresh air, a motivated step towards the future we all deserve. The perspectives shared by each contributor provided lessons and insights that I carry with me. Approaching the complexity of mass incarceration through the lens of the personal is a daunting task, but one which Kim expertly accomplished. ~ Reviewed by Maya Bon
Hval's miry, everchanging world encapsulates the struggles of unrequited love and unkempt decay. This magical realist novel sent me off and away into a surrealist depiction of desire and desolation. ~ Reviewed by Maya Bon
