Books in beautiful on this beautiful night here in south florida. So we welcome you to our store. Most book stores dont open in a front yard . No, what we did is this building was built in the 20s for karl it is very old. Historic building. And the book shop runs around the courtyard cafe, and as you can see particular plenty of people who come and partake of this and we have in music on the weekends but we just think that flows beautifully with books. How many book event dos you do on a regular basis . On a yearly basis we do about 600 book epghts year. About 600 events often kids and adults and other kinds of things. But were a very, very active school. When did you open . I opened books about 35 years ago. Why . Because, you know, the story is basically i was a failed law student english major in college an i didnt want to give up u the dream of being part of a literary culture so one quick way of doing that was getting into the Book Business into book stores and i always loved book stores. When i was a kid i find myself in a bookstore more than i was in college. In law school. So just seemed unnatural. Like cable originally from miami beach believe it or not, and so you know when i moved back from where i was going to school, karl gave us didnt know very well but i explored it and a it was right before an independent book shop. Seems to be a booming town it is surrounded by miami. Yeah about five mile front seat airport. About 26 different little cities, miami beach, miami, hilia, miami itself so karl is one of those little cities and one of the most historic of all of the cities as well. Founded by a man named George Merrick and in the teens, in fact, more of a book that was published on his life by the university of florida. And or it is a gorgeous little city that has become a cultural sham within the miami community. Who is your audience . Or audience is just about everybody actually because of the uniqueness of the store we get people coming from all over. But the local audience is an audience just a couple of blocks away with is ridge area where in a Business District across the street is a wonderful art cinema as well. But what we like to think we draw them from everywhere actually. Youre actually involved in the book fair. What is jr. Involvement . One of the founders along with eduardo, i was a young kid, and had no idea of what had the future would bring and eduardo and other book sellers together and lets put on a book fair and he said greats. And we did, and miami at the time was in the early 80s. In the magazine had a store that says miement paradise law in a big question mark. I think what ed war with doe wanted to do was bring rights to miami in the book fair, and ive been to new york, book country and others, put together a whole Community Came together, it was a very Diverse Community at the time. Still is and we decided to kateer to diverseness. What is it today . A very is entry brant interesting city with so many different communities that are so different more than others yet tied together by its diversity. It revel it is in its diversity. What is happening Cultural Community is becoming really much more sophisticated. We have incredible writers here. Top men and women, and movie moonlight was a miami original more or less. So theres a lot happen hadding here. That wasnt happen hadding when i was a kid growing up in miami beach back in the 70s to early 60s. The festival started out with two day. Back almost 34 years ago and it fell a full week, and we have now probably close to 600 offers that have come over the week period of the book fair. And it really is something that miami is not really proud of is, big tent under which all of miami sits, and so its been something that i take a lot of pride in so does miami why has miami developed such a writers village . Weprobably spent two tore or the programs on that. You know miami started probably if you ask people about miami they would have told you about the mystery writers like charles throughout miami blues, even orlando hung out here, and you know [inaudible conversations] all of those guys, and then that all happened because miami was so strange. You know all of the strange murders that took place here. You know the cocaine cowboys. Couldnt make up something that didnt appear in the news a few days or few months later. But since that early, early plus of miami you then begin to find miami as a community becoming more rich allowing to live here. We have some like who won the kingsly prize, and he lives here in wright. You have a wonderful fiction writer living here. You have an incredible diverse Latin American Community people writing in spanish. And portuguese, so you do have the diversity of miami is what you made it to interesting. Couple of authors one of the authors we talk to on mendez from cuba, talked to one from haiti, all of those writers are so important to what makes up miami now. Well welcome to miami. This is booktv on cspan2, and for the next two hours were going to have a discussion about book and writing, what youre reading, what some of our guests are reading as well. Mitchell kaplan is poundser, owner of books and bookstore. Pef this location in gable. They have a location at the miami airport as well and where else . Were in lincoln road on south beach. Were in the beautiful [inaudible conversations] and then also in the performing arts center. Adrian and performing arts. We have a store there as well. And then weve opened up a new store, books and box and bikes a bookstore, bike shop. That is in lynwood which is our version of a little bit of brooklyn with, you know, incredible it is, it is. Well, were going to be having that interactive discussion on cspan live programs your chance to participate. Well put the phone numbers up a little bit later after we meet or ore guests so why dont we go on inside and well join our other guests as well. Let tom go in first because hes got the camera. So mimple el kaplan can an independent bookstore thrive and survive today . I think most definitely. Right now independent bookstores are come intog their own once again. I think last year there was Something Like 60, to 70 new book shops that have opened, and theres something for real spaces and what people do on internet. Theres certainly internet shopping that goes on but a sense of community thats created with with a real space like a book shop. Is this a Community Space go ahead and sit down. Oh, most definitely it is i think we are really about spaces. See folks that have joined us program in utah even more thani. What they are really doing is lets introduce you to mmfa program at Florida International university and author on its rights and mendez a an author, former journalist. Autumn menendez you have a book called in cuba i was a German Shepherd how do you come up with a title like that, and what does that mean . Not autobiographical. It was punch line to a joke that i heard when i was a reporter used to cover little havana, my first time at the harold. And it was a joke that a wonderful sculptor and i didnt know how to do it but it stayed with me and when i left journalism and began to write fiction i was going to write a story revolving around this joke 2378 lets stand before what is master of fine arts and how do you get into your program at fiu. Master of fine arts is degree that i would he hesitate to tell parents to send their daughter and sons to come to because the the parents probably want them to learn how to sell bonds. [laughter] do thing they can make sure can sell their children a lot of money and you dont become a writer to become rich and famous. What we do is offer the opportunity to those people who cant do anything else to take that talent. Thank you. To take that talent and bring it to the max to shape it into a into a way that will find that audience that that the person is looking for. And its a like all of the arts, many, many, many are called and very few are chosen, but the reason were there i think is to give those applicants and students that are admitted professional tools so that when they go out into that cold, cruel world, they really know whats required that is not a guarantee of success as we know, the arts are terribly competitive. But ours are very practical minded program not theoretical at all. You want to reach your audience. Let talk about what your audience is, lets talk about how you can take that talent that is already there and hone it to the professional level. I often liken it to a bunch of young men who have shown up have been drafted by the nfl, they show up at summer training kmp, an the coach says you know youre tremendously talented. Now lets talk about what it takes to operate at the professional level. Day one, all of those fresh faces looking at you, what do you tell them . Thing as originality. What they are really doing is theyre worried about going t be. Lets talk about how to shape that talent in a way that makes a connection . You know, everybody who come miss is very good at expression but i say you know babies are too. They just nobody wants to hear what they have to say. Youre very good at expressing yourself what were talking about is making that connection with the audience. How does that happen . What does it take . Autumn menendez when you sit. Town to write a book, whats the most difficult part for you . Well let me just say before that is you wouldnt know it by his use of the word but mys professor many, many year ago hes not to blame for anything. [laughter] but he was the only class that i took and it was undergraduate all needed encompass everything from soim very grateful to him, of course, for that. And then i have a book that i still carry which was a book that he used and i think still uses by anyways whats the hard est thing when i sit down to write . These days it is sitting down to write because i have a small child, and time has just gotten away from me unfortunately. Were showing this book. What is it about this book that works for you . Well, i have i brought three books and theyre all of poetry that have been very important to me throughout my life, and the first one was karl samburg well wind i think was first one and then early moon which my uncle Joni Martinez who is a poet mitch gave me as i was a child. I was i think i was six or seven when he gave me had the first one. This one dedicated in 1979 so i was nine, and it was a very it was just a beautiful i remember the fog comes in and it just a beautiful book and i think that what it did for me was that it demystified poetry were so afraid of poetry, and it just made it, you know, part of my language. And then there was this book that they introduced to me almost 30 years ago i suppose it is now. And [laughter] all of us here, and then another bosks one that i picked up here at books of books. When i was a columnist in miami harold and kind of having a rough ride i used to hang out here a lot, and i especially among poetry books for some reason and i picked up i think and picked up imitate it heavily. The notes of horace, which were translations by contemporary poet David Mcclatchy and their fantastic. Horace is a nice comfort. Why do you worry, the internet question with your finite mindss obvious questions i have for you, knowing your love of poetry. You are not a poet. I do incorporate poetry into writing . How does that influence youraltm writing . Sa im not sure it has come although some people would say that my writing is lyrical. But i think its just the love of the word and a sense of the rhythm, but also promote poetry strides forward, which is a sort of capturing and that is such a wonderful calling. Host Les Standiford committee of britain of fiction and nonfiction books. But youre not a poet either. Why do you treat poetry or bring poetry into a writing class . When i was in graduate school myself, the program at utah even more than 30 years ago, we were forced, even if they thought of ourselves as fiction writers, to take a class in the writing of poetry. I remember walking across the campus that january morning, could take a class with henry taylor who went on to win the National Book award in poetry and thinking wow, this is a good digit is that. After this class, i am out of here because my idea of poetrydt poetry i had no idea that modern poetry lies. But i went there and i discovered a whole new world. The fact is for the first career four years after i graduated, the only things that get published for poems. I was, for many years ait, practicing poet and enjoyed itde and came to understand i aint got a lift there after they say in essential moment that fiction writers are at the end of the story or at the end of the novel. Although we writers want to have the reader put down the peace and say yes, that is exactly right. That is what i was looking for. When i had the athletic the songwriters, they can get that in a page, in such a short period of time. Im working for a 20300 pages two or three years in the rain to get that hopefully at the end of the book. The words are so important to me, the language of every sentence, even if its not fiction is just as important to me as a line of poetry. Host recent nonfiction by Les Standiford. Who is Henry Flagler question what is his role . Is going to call the book the man who invented florida. Lo because before Henry Flagler, there wasnt much to florida. The largest city in the state was jacksonville with about 4000 people. A couple thousand people in tampa. If you drew a line from jacksonville to southwest about the middle of the state, that was as far as you could go. There was no boca raton, no miami. The key west, the most importanp city in the state are in a way was 20,000 people. You could also get there by boat. For a long time after flagler and came in the late 1980s, it remained that way. But he did an amazing thing after extending his railroad down the eastern seaboard of florida creating palm beach, who creating miami throughout dallas. And then someone came to him at the notion of extending the railroad over 153 miles of largely open water to key west. At the time he was 72 years old and all the money he ever needed. And still he said im going to do it. People said its impossible. The impossible could be done anh in doing so he staged that Little Island to close the american friends here in 1912. Post also is responsible for that traffic jam on 95. [laughter] guest no matter how many lame to key west and that there will never be us because people are fascinated going to the end of the american road if he was. Host Mitchell Kaplan, what are you reading . Well, interestingly ive been reading a book that many people know. There are two books ive been reading. When is the book by a tool for one day called even mortal. It is a book that if you havent read, you ought to read. Ma its really kind of amazing. Im dealing with in sickness in my own family and this has been very, very helpful in terms of aint how one deals with an elderly parent in the kind of things to look out for in the kinds of conversations to have been that sort of thing. So its been really good. And then, well shall all be ark solid kind of remarkable in its selection and essays that he wrote a book called books foror living. A series of books that have inspired him over the years. Ive been reading this to get a little bit of sustenance but the challenging times of next weeks. Host ana manon has come the same question. Rsations well, i just finished for the second time i really recommend books because i feel it so personal and i dont want to impose my taste on people. But its a really beautiful book and i love everything about it. Its of course voices about thef end of the soviet union and it covers the globe. And she talks to ordinary people about their struggles with the end of the soviet union. The voices she collects are astonishing. The fact that they are ordinarys people is something we aspire to as fiction writers. This is what we aspire to his people in a in how they rise to those occasions. Since the collection and maybe hundreds of these places. Im reading right now. Ct, im im not finished with it. Im only at number nine. Its more like a long essay on tierney. 20 lessons by Timothy Snyderme just came out. We were talking about the things he can do stories that you can put on the internet. Number nine where it admits it is the time to our language. Avoid pronouncing phrases about nonsense. Think of your own way of speaking on separate yourself from the internet read books. I will end it there. It is kind of its cure for most americans writer who is a czech writer and i just finished reading two love of solitude which is about books and love books give you. Its a quirky book. Its not anything that i think would be published here today because theres its a very sharp look. Its about a man who collects wastepaper and when he sees the books that he wants coming he takes them home and the artifice to collapse on him. Theres no real plot only knew through. Dishes the love of books and a beautiful little book i finished reading that she had once again the authors name . In the book name . Of too loud of solitude. Too loud of solitude. Professor stand up for it, what is on your list question art let me just preface with a couple of things. First of all, i want to second the idea or third video browsing in a bookstore that delay. There is no such thing the internet allows to buddy richig thinks they might not have on b otherwise. Theres no such thing as a pile of books on a table on the internet. You come into the nonfiction section and maybe youre looking for some thing and you cant fight me, but while youre looking for you see a dozen other books sound interesting. You pick them up, look at them. Maybe you could learn how to do this on the internet, but i never had. Its wonderful to browse. The second thing i want to say its about ian asked what youre reading, reading my studentagese manuscripts, since the pages. They multiply like a mudslide in california during the rainy season. Some of them thank god because i have graduates to vent, to an undergraduates are good. I also read many of the books people have come to know in this business. Sort of like following up on what anna said, ive gotten to the point where i just cant bring myself in public to say you should read this one because my other friend is listening and they are thinking listen [inaudible] im sneaking up on my answer. My lifelong friend and a wonderful writer who many of you now, james w. Hall. I wouldnt dream of missingho james w. Hall. I hope some of you feel the same way. A couple of books that ive been readi