It’s our 6th birthday and we’d like you all to come!
by Dawnell Smith
Six years feels like a remarkable milestone.
We’ve seen the worst of times, and we’ve had the best of times— like the many gatherings and events with unpredictable and transformative moments of supreme humanity and hilarity and light; like those day-in and day-out relationships and connections that make our hearts hum; like the spontaneous huddles that show us some love when things feel uncertain.
Much, much gratitude to all of you for sharing the Block space with us, and filling it with your dreams, thoughts, challenges, creative work, and laughter. We’re endlessly grateful to our community, and all the folks who keep reading, writing, playing, sharing, and coming by snow or shine, earthquake or pandemic.
6 for 6 book fest
We have so much to celebrate—like our new partner Emily (read on to learn more about her)—so this week we’re having a “6 for 6” party this week. Here’s how it works: We selected some of our favorite books from 2018 through 2023 and put them on the shelves for you to peruse and choose as your next best read. We’re taking 6 percent off any of these selected books, 10 percent off any six of them. If you buy one book from each year, it gets even sweeter—we’ll throw in a coffee or tea drink to help fuel your reading.
Six books for six years—goodness, we can’t wait until we turn 25!
This week we’ll also have our new Adults Only Irish Cream Latte on special for $6, a coffee with cupcake pairing for $6, and 6 percent off paninis all week. Our birthday is officially Jan. 16, but we’re carrying it on through the 21st.
A bear hug welcome to Emily
If you stop by, you might even run into our new business partner Emily Klopfer. Emily joined us in December and brings palpable energy to the team. She’s ferociously kind and direct, and absolutely committed to books and community. She was born and grew up in Anchorage and has always had an interest in books, theater, and the arts.
“I was always happiest in bookstores,” she said “and they were always safe spaces. I didn’t have to be anyone else but myself within one, and I could love whichever books I wanted to love.”
Emily went to college on the East Coast and worked in New York City for Bloomsbury Publishing and Books of Wonder. She always found herself in books, she said, and soon began to dream of having a bookstore.
Last summer, when visiting family and friends while still working in New York, she walked into The Writer’s Block and felt like she had stepped into a dream.
She, in turn, came to the Block as the partner we dreamed of—passionate, funny, knowledgeable, caring, and committed.
Dreams do come true.
Yes, dreams demand as much of us as they give, and for that we are humbled and ever grateful. It takes many people to lift a dream, after all, and we celebrate your many hands for giving The Block a lift.
Happy birthday to The Block!