Karen Lillis has a pop up indie book shop full of titles, including some of her own. I love the model of the pop up, and the “small press roulette” offers. She is hardcore and she has been at it for a long time. I have my eye on “The Second Elizabeth”, her third novella. I read ‘Watch The Doors As They Close” and was amazed by the depth of her characters and their lush histories. (I will repost that review here, from 2012)
Karen also interviews writers and small press publishers, and having been on the answering end of her questions, I think her questions are thoughtful and attempt to bring forward some of the perspectives and relationships with the DIY ethic. We discussed, for example, my reluctance to consider my writing and articles on books as “reviews”. What IS a review? Who is qualified? Is everyone qualified? Is a review a subjective opinion, does it require examples, text, context, a degree?
I admire her discipline and honestly- wish we had more of her.
image via Culture Weekly
