We’re going Behind the Book with Bookseller Jeannine A. Cook. Jeannine is the founder of Harriett’s Bookshop in Philadelphia, PA. With a dash of magic and a whole lot of imagination, Jeannine brings books to life and curates literary experiences for all.

On episode 53 of the Reed, Write, & Create podcast, we’re going Behind the Book with David Ruggles, founder of the first Black-owned bookstore in the United States. D. Ruggles Books set the precedent for Black-owned bookstores to become community spaces for freedom and liberation.

We’re going Behind the Book on the Reed, Write, & Create podcast with Sylvia Arthur, founder of the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora (LOATAD), a private library in Accra, Ghana. Learn how and why Sylvia decided to turn her personal library into a “shrine” to her literary ancestors, and open the doors to everyone.

The Reed, Write, & Create podcast is back for Season five, and we’re going behind the book to share the stories of people whose work depends on the free circulation of books in society. Our first guest is Emely Rumble, a bibliotherapist from the Bronx.