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True Colors Bookstore Newsletter
This n That
I'm thrilled to announce that Lori Lake will be visiting us on August 7th. Pat Cronin and local authors Catherine Lundoff and Jessie Chandler will join her. Read down for details.
It seems as if it wasn't that long ago that I was complaining about ice on the inside of the store windows. Two weeks ago, at the beginning of this heat wave, the air conditioning died at the store. I would love to see some ice in here now! I'm afraid to get an estimate on the cost of repairs, since we're not making any money yet, but will try to get that done before our next event. In June my business computer crashed, and the store basement flooded during the downpour at the end of June. I hope a plague of locusts isn't next in line.
Special offer: Joan Armatrading concert, Thursday July 29th at Cedar Cultural Center
Call Arlana at AVA Special Events (612-408-6781), and get two tickets for the price of one! But you need to call by Tuesday, July 27th! So don't delay - call now!
Events at True Colors
Intuitive Palm Reader
JoAn Hall will be providing palm readings here twice monthly on Friday evenings. Jo will begin her readings at the store on Friday, July 9th at 7pm. You can call her for an appointment at 651-755-1539, email at joghall@comcast.net, or just stop in. The readings last 15-20 minutes and cost $25.
JoAn was raised in a suburb of Minneapolis, and began her journey with Palmistry when she was 14 years old, learning from another palmist. She spent the next 40 years reading the palms of family and friends, applying her growing knowledge with each read. Five years ago, JoAn began her psychic studies under the guidance of Echo Bodine in Minneapolis at The Center of Spiritual Development. Eventually it became clear that her readings brought in psychic information resulting in a more complete reading for the clients.
You're welcome to bring questions you'd like JoAn to answer psychically or via her guides. They can be discussed in the same reading. JoAn will be back in the store every other Friday as long as her schedule permits. Visit her website www.givemeahandpalmistry.com for additional information.
Astrology by Jane
We are now offering relationship readings in addition to individual
readings! They will be 40 minutes for $50 by appointment. The individual readings will still be available at
20 minutes for $20, however we now ask that you email Jane to make an appointment at
astrologybyjane@earthlink.net.
You will need to provide birth date, time and place. Please email Jane with questions. These are excellent rates for
astrology readings, which can be offered because office costs are not required.
Jane Dewing has been a professional astrologer in the Twin Cities for over 15 years. She studied for several years
with Judy Durum and believes that people's lives can be profoundly changed, as hers has, by a better
understanding of themselves through astrology.
Radical Feminist Discussion/Study Group, Tuesdays 5:30 to 7pm
This group is part of the Experimental College at the U of M. It is open to everyone, and there is no tuition.
Drummaking with renowned local artist Wayne Manthey
Reserve September 20th now! Wayne will lead a drummaking class here at the store. Enrollment is limited to 15 students. We'll provide more details shortly.
August 4th, Noon, Lesbian movie afternoon - viewer's choice
August 7th, 4pm, Love, Romance, Sex and Erotica!
Join four terrific authors to hear them read and discuss love, romance, sex, and erotica in today's lesbian novels.
They'll talk about the new erotica anthology, Women in Uniform, and their other individual works which
include fantasy, mystery, drama, and adventure.
Jessie Chandler grew up in Wisconsin and Minnesota and has been working on stories and novels for several years.
The first novel in her comedic series, The Bingo Barge Murder: A Shay O'Hanlon Mystery, will be released in
May 2011 by Midnight Ink. Jessie lives in Minneapolis where she and her wife are co-owners of a t-shirt printing company.
Jessie will also be familiar to many of you as the manager of True Colors.
Pat Cronin grew up in a family of cops, was a 9-1-1 dispatcher for 17 years, and recently retired as a paramedic/firefighter.
Now working in IT, Pat is the Goldie Award-winning co-editor of Blue Collar Lesbian Erotica and the author of the 2010
romance Souls' Rescue. With Verda Foster, she also co-edited the 2010 anthology, Women in Uniform: Medic & Soldiers &
Cops, Oh My! Pat was raised in Ohio but is soon to make a move to join her wife in Holland.
Lori L. Lake is the Goldie Award-winning author of Snow Moon Rising and the "Gun" series. She's
published six novels, two collections of short stories, and edited two anthologies including the Lammy Finalist,
The Milk of Human Kindness. Now located in Portland, Oregon, Lori is putting the finishing touches on a romance and working on the fourth "Gun" book, both for 2011 publication.
Catherine Lundoff is the two-time Goldie Award-winning author of Night's Kiss: Lesbian Erotica and Crave:
Tales of Lust, Love and Longing and editor of Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories. She is also
the co-editor, with JoSelle Vanderhooft, of Hellebore and Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic (forthcoming 2010 from
Drollerie Press). In her other lives, she's a professional computer geek and teaches writing classes at The Loft
Literary Center.
August 13th, 7pm, Women's Movie Night
We'll pick a movie at show time. Feel free to bring a beverage and/or snacks with you.
August 16th, 6:30 - 8:30, Women's Drumming Circle led by Harmony Green, from All About the Journey healing center.
We welcome all women who would like to get together and drum. No experience needed. Bring your drum, rattle, flute, etc
and we'll see what happens. We'll create vibrations together and send them out to the Universe in honor of Gaia and all
of those who live on, in and around Her.
Contact the store (612-821-9630) for more info, or call Harmony Green 612-354-2149 (www.allowharmony.com).
August 18th, Noon, Lesbian movie afternoon - viewer's choice
August 19th, 6:30 pm, Women's Study Group
A new reading/study group is forming to discuss Women's Rites, Women's Mysteries by Ruth Barrett. Please respect that the Dianic tradition as detailed in the book is intended for biological women only.
August 20th, 7 pm, Between Salon - Details to follow
August 24 at 6:30 pm, Lucy Rose Fischer, author of I'm New at Being Old
Award-winning author, artist and gerontologist, Lucy Rose Fischer, PhD, will do a presentation and book-signing of her
just-published book, I'm New at Being Old. A recent review described her book as " . . . a charming art book on
aging . . . each illustration in this book is fanciful, shining, and full of life. . . . "
(Amy Goetzman, MinnPost, April 26, 2010). Before launching her art career when she was almost 60, Fischer had a
distinguished career as a researcher and writer, specializing in the study of aging. She is a Fellow of the Gerontological
Society of America for "outstanding achievement and exemplary contributions to the field of aging." Her art has been shown
in over 50 exhibits and is on permanent display in public institutions and private collections. She and her art are
featured on the Twin Cities Public Television documentaries The Creative Power of Aging (2008) and Life Changing Art (2010). You can see examples of her artwork in "The Art of Aging" exhibit in the Cargill Gallery at Hennepin County Central Library, 400 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis (through Sept 5).
Book Clubs - join a club and receive 15% off on the book selection for the month.
The Buddhism book group meets on the third Saturday of each month, 11am-12:30pm.
The Buddhism book group will read and discuss books on contemporary non-dogmatic Buddhist commentaries and teachings from the
traditions of Shambhala, Tibetan, Zen and other Mahayana Buddhism traditions. We shall read books by authors such as Pema Chodron and Thich Nhat Hanh. Other authors and spiritual traditions will be explored as the group evolves. The main theme of the books we read is about the inherent human capacity to wake up and find joy and peace in daily lives. The group is open to people of all faith and belief systems.
"Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better.
It's about befriending who we are already. The ground of practice is you or me or whoever we are right now,
just as we are. That's the ground, that's what we study, that's what we come to know with tremendous curiosity
and interest." - Pema Chodron in The Wisdom of No Escape: and the path of loving-kindness.
"The Buddha said many times: My teaching is like a finger pointing to the moon. Do not mistake the finger for the moon." - Thich Nhat Hanh in The Heart of The Buddha's Teaching.
The books we shall be reading for August, September and October are:
August 21st: "Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life" - by Thich Nhat Hanh
September 18th: "The Heart of Understanding, Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra" - by Thich Nhat Hanh
October 16th: "Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion" - by Pema Chodron
The Lesbian Fiction Book Club will be discussing will be discussing
Safe Harbor by Radclyffe at their next meeting on July 28th at 6pm. Pick up a copy and join them!
New members are always welcome. The August book is Stranded by local author Blayne Cooper. Stranded won a Goldie this summer for Best Lesbian Romance. The September book will be Night's Kiss by local author Catherine Lundoff. This book also won a Goldie, for Best Lesbian Erotica.
Contact Jill at jillybeanmadsen@yahoo.com for details about the Eclectic Dykes bookclub.
The Nature Book Group: For meeting dates/time and a list of books, and any other information, contact Karolyn at 612 729 6748.
Register your book club and get in on the 15% savings on the book of the month!
As always, I love getting your feedback and comments about the newsletter or anything else!
True Colors Bookstore
4755 Chicago Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-821-9630
www.truecolorsbookstore.com
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An Introduction
Now that the figurative dust has settled, I guess it's time to introduce myself. My name is Ruta Skujins
and I bought Amazon bookstore at the end of July. I am very grateful to Barb Wieser and the other members
of the co-op who kept the store going all these years, and I assure you that the focus of the store is *not*
going to change. We are still a woman-oriented, feminist and lesbian bookstore, as well as a store that
caters to our neighborhood.
I am an editor at two lesbian publishing houses (Regal Crest and Intaglio) and also beta-read and do some
free-lance editing. I've had the joy and privilege of working with Lynn Ames, Carrie Carr, Jane Volbrecht,
Brenda Adcock, Nell Stark, Lori Lake, Vickie Stevenson, KE Lane, Rick Reed and many others. This past
summer I was honored to be asked to be one of the judges of the erotica category for the Golden Crown
Literary Awards (GCLS is an organization founded to support and promote lesbian literature). Almost
three years ago, I unmasked a plagiarist weeks before her book was to be released, which was a nerve-wracking
introduction to the publishing world.
Lesbian fiction is my passion, and when the opportunity to buy Amazon came up it was literally a dream come
true. I believe so strongly that the store still has an important role to play in our community that I drew
down my IRA to purchase the store. I so appreciate all the support I've received from everyone. The literary
community has been especially supportive, with many authors and one of my publishers, Regal Crest, donating
new books to restock the store.
The store is my second career. My first career was with Ecolab in St Paul, where I spent 34 years in a
variety of departments, ending as a business consultant in IT. Almost two years ago I broke my shoulder
in a bad motorcycle accident (a pickup made an illegal left turn in front of me), which ultimately led to
my taking early retirement from Ecolab, and left me in a position to buy the store.
I'm a biblioholic and voracious reader, and my personal library contains about 10,000 books. I recently
moved to a smaller house, and while I packed two PODS with over 100 cartons of books, some of my collection
has ended up in the used book section of the store. In addition to lesbian fiction, I enjoy history, mysteries,
and all types of fiction. I do have to say that one thing I didn't anticipate when I took over the store was that
I'd be surrounded by books but have no time to read!
I've taken writing classes at the Loft from Lori Lake and Ellen Hart. I was a history major at Carleton
College in Northfield, but have also taken classes in equine veterinary medicine (when I was younger I
exercised hunter-jumpers for a friend), Scandinavian mythology, military history, and the literature of
whaling and the social structures of whaling communities, especially concerning women. You could say I have
eclectic tastes.
Let's see - I live in South Minneapolis with my partner Joann, only 3.5 miles from the store - and don't
need to get on a freeway to get to work! I love to travel, especially to Key West and Sedona, but I also
enjoy the mountains. I wouldn't miss Women's Week in Provincetown - that's a fabulous experience! I'm a
photographer, and if you flip over your copy of In Deep Waters or Radclyffe's Lonely Hearts Club or Winds
of Fortune you'll see my name credited for the author photographs. Once life settles down at the store I
hope to have time to produce some of my note cards and matted photographs
I have two daughters, ages 23 and 24. I'm a first-generation American of Latvian descent, and English is
my second language. As mentioned above, I ride a motorcycle - a 1995 Yamaha Virago 535 - but haven't had
the opportunity to ride much this summer.
When you're in the store, stop and say hi. I'd like to meet each of you in person.
Ruta
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An Important Announcement
It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing that the store's name is changing. This is not a decision
I am making on a whim. Many of you will remember the lawsuit that Barb Wieser and the members of the cooperative
brought against Amazon.com. They sued the on-line store over the use of the name, and won. But the victory came
with a price, and it's now time to pay. One of the conditions of the settlement was that if the brick-and-mortar
store changed hands, rights to the name reverted to Amazon.com.
It's now time to say 'good-bye' to Amazon Bookstore Cooperative, a name that has been an icon for almost
40 years. True Colors Bookstore will carry on the legacy and traditions established so many years ago. The
name True Colors stands for many things, but the primary meaning in my mind is that of identity, and not
necessarily that of orientation. I've always been fascinated by maritime history, especially the 'age of
fighting sail'. In the days of sailing ships the only way to tell to what country a ship belonged was when
it showed its colors, or flag. So, True Colors is a place to be yourself, whatever that may be. We have
always been so much more than a bookstore, and still are. I want it to be a place of community, where
everyone is comfortable and always welcome. Come in, relax, chat, admire the artwork in the gallery, browse
our shelves (and, of course, buy!).
The focus of the store will not change. I am still committed to stocking the store with the most recent writings
on feminism and LGBT issues, as well as the biggest selection of lesbian fiction in the Upper Midwest. I will
find books that look at current events from a slightly different perspective, and provide a great selection of
current fiction and children's books. In the near future, I'll be introducing a new logo and new website with
many exciting features.
Please help me spread the word - we are indeed still open, and gaining strength with every day. I'd also ask that
you remember how you felt when you heard Amazon was closing, and the relief you may have felt when you heard we
were staying open after all. Now is not the time to be complacent and say, "good, they're still around!", and
assume all is right in the world. The only way the store can stay open is if you patronize it. I'll even mail
your books to you if you can't get over here!
I welcome your comments and suggestions. Don't hesitate to call (612-821-9630) or email
(ruta@truecolorsbookstore.com).
Ruta
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