The Sparkle Bookstore - Blog & News

Discover the latest updates, insights, and stories from our bookstore

Jacqueline LeKachman: The Story That Scares You Is the One You Need to Write
July 12, 2026

On Saturday, July 18, at 3pm, Jacqueline LeKachman joins us for a workshop on selling personal essays to publications like Slate, The Guardian, and major newspapers like the Washington Post—without...

Suzanne Uttaro Samuels: How Incomplete the Historical Record
July 1, 2026

In August, Suzanne Uttaro Samuels brings her process for crafting historical fiction to The Sparkle. “Storylines & Bloodlines: Writing the Hidden Family Narrative,” funded by Poets & Writers throug...

Reading and Q&A with Lorraine Ash
June 6, 2026

Huge congratulations to Sparkle friend, memoirist extraordinaire, and award-winning author Lorraine Ash for her short memoir "Echoes of Summit Avenue," which appears in the collection 2026 Next Gen...

Something's Up with Dad . . . A Father's Disorder, A Daughter's Journey
June 2, 2026

Author Nitsan Tal brings a personal tale of a family coming to recognize a father's bipolar disorder and what they had to do to manage as the illness threatened to tear them apart. We conversed wit...

A Summer of Soccer, Starting with a New Graphic History by Chris Barish
May 26, 2026

Chris Barish is just about the nicest guy you can imagine, as well as a great storyteller who loves sports. He conceived of his new series, History’s Greatest Games, as a bridge between world event...

The Little Prose Writing Circle
May 13, 2026

rebeccadonna copy bcf17fa1 Rebecca Watkins (Field Guide to Forgiveness) and I had a chat recently about what we hope to bring to our prose writing circles, which begin on Wednesday, April 8 at 5pm,...

Rockland Poet Laureate Juan Pablo Mobili: Risking a Dent
April 28, 2026

Sparkle Bookstore owner Donna Miele has been fortunate to count Rockland Poet Laureate Juan Pablo Mobili as a friend through the county’s writing community for several years. He has also been a gre...

Firoozeh Dumas on Banned Books
April 21, 2026

Anticipating Independent Bookstore Day, we’re highlighting one big reason for shopping indie. Your local booksellers and libraries are at the front lines of amplifying books that have been banned. ...

Christina Treviño on Family and Why Write?
April 14, 2026

TrevinoCamino copy We caught up with author Christina Treviño as she prepared to bring El Camino del Destino to The Sparkle this Sunday. Admission is free, as for all our readings and signings, and...