Events at The Sparkle Bookstore

Celebrate with cake and coupons!

Cake is complimentary, and receive a coupon with your purchase for $5 off your next purchase.

We will close at 6pm today for a private event with our perks customers.

Thanks for being a part of our first year!

What does it mean to write your truth? How will future you feel about what you shared with the world today? How can you write about your identity without exploiting the parts of yourself that editors find timely –– or shrinking to fit a mold? Jacqueline LeKachman shares her strategies for writing and publishing personal essays that explore sexuality, ethnicity, gender, disability, family, and more. Learn to develop a narrative arc, select vivid scenes that show instead of telling, and consider other practical and craft-related questions before submitting for publication. If time allows, we will also discuss the editors and publications that might be seeking your work.

$10, register in advance on Eventbrite or pay at the door. You receive a $5 coupon for future retail purchases with your registration fee. Waivers available. Please arrive 10 minutes early if not pre-registered.

Register / respond at Eventbrite here.

Jacqueline LeKachman writes about family, sex, and other things that keep her up at night. Her personal and reported essays appear in The Washington Post, The Guardian, HuffPost, Women’s Health, Business Insider, Newsweek, Salon, Slate, and elsewhere. Connect with her at jacquelinelekachman.com.

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In a prompted, guided workshop participants will identify where their work falls in the publishing landscape, explore the different paths publication might take, and focus on what each individual envisions for themselves. Along the way, participants will learn what agents, editors, and publishers are and are not; how to avoid scams; and how to make informed choices on the publishing journey.

$10, register in advance on Eventbrite or pay at the door. You receive a $5 coupon for future retail purchases with your registration fee. Waivers available. Please arrive 10 minutes early to register.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Emilya Naymark is an author of crime fiction. Her novels include Hide in Place and Behind the Lie.

Join us for an evening of tabletop fun at Sparkle Bookstore, hosted by Banditos Gaming! Whether you're a seasoned gamer or a total beginner, you're welcome at the table. We’ll have a curated library of games available and folks on hand to teach rules, facilitate play, and match players with games that suit their interests. No experience necessary, just bring your curiosity and a willingness to play.

Viola Marek is a struggling real estate agent, and a vampire. But her biggest problem currently is that the house she needs to sell is haunted. The ghost haunting the mansion has been murdered, and until he can solve the mystery of how he died, he refuses to move on. Fox D’Mora is a medium, and though he is also most-definitely a shameless fraud, he isn’t entirely without his uses—seeing as he’s actually the godson of Death. Vi and Fox soon discover that the difference between a mysterious lost love and an annoying dead body isn’t nearly as distinct as they thought.

Join us!

Elf Ahearn grew up as the child of archaeologists and brings a deep awareness of history to her fiction. She publishes historical romance. This reading will feature two short works of historical fiction set on Nantucket Island, focusing on the intersecting lives of the Wampanoag tribe and pre-1900 white Americans and English colonists.

"Written in the Water" is a love story that takes place in October 1843 at the crossroads of the declining whaling industry, failing due to the near extinction of whales, and the decline of the Wampanoag population on Nantucket Island.

"Call the Unnatural Heroes" is based on the true story of Assassamough, a Nantucket Wampanoag who became an English translator and adopted the Christian name John Gibbs and was accused of speaking the name of Massasoit, the Wampanoag Nation sachem who helped the pilgrims survive at Plymouth Rock. Massasoit’s son Metacomet, known as King Philip, claims John Gibbsʻs life. He agrees to accept a ransom in exchange for Gibbs’ life, but when the English colonists cannot collect a large enough amount King Philip threatens blood and mayhem.

Books will be available for purchase.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Their forbidden love tore the world apart.
Now two broken gods might be the only ones able to heal it.

Haunted by his past and the evil forces he commanded, Noctis, once the God of Darkness, cannot forget Rada, the former Goddess of Light—and the queen who ruled at his brother’s side. Condemned to mortality, thought dead to the whole world, Noctis craves one last meeting …

Stripped of her magic and exiled for treason, Rada has built an idyllic new life on a farm at the edges of the realm. But her peace is shattered one stormy night when Noctis—the enemy who caused her downfall, the lover she betrayed in turn—appears at her door, wounded and desperate.

When a sinister attack reveals the powers of Chaos are stirring once more, Noctis’s dark past begins to unravel. As desire and duty entwine, Rada faces an impossible choice: Can she become the ally of the man who broke her heart to save everything she holds dear?

Inspired by Nordic mythology, this first book in a series follows star-crossed lovers, their fall from grace and their quest for redemption. Sizzling, tension-filled romance, high-stakes magical battles, and morally-grey characters make this the perfect read!

Buy a copy in-store at 15% discount, or through our affiliate link on Bookshop.org.

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 Generation Short Story Awards Anthology of Winners. The story captures the cases, the drama, and the lessons in archetypal living she learned as a teen working in her late father’s law office. "Echoes" preserves her father’s remarkable spirit and the gritty, colorful Hudson County, New Jersey, landscape of the 1970s, now lost to the ether of time.

Lorraine will read, take questions, and share a writing prompt designed to help those who attend preserve a key person, place, or moment from their own lives. Paper and pens to be provided by The Sparkle.

Tickets are $24 and include a copy of the book; you may pre-pay or reserve your spot and pay at the door. You may also visit the Eventbrite link below to pre-order a book to be delivered anywhere in the continental United States ($34).

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Lorraine Ash is the author of two memoirs, Life Touches Life: A Mother's Story of Stillbirth and Healing and Self and Soul: On Creating a Meaningful Life. Most recently, she edited the award-winning Corona City: Voices from an Epicenter, an anthology of first-person writings that chronicles life in New Jersey and New York when these two states were the nation's first COVID-19 epicenter. Lorraine lives in New Jersey.

Upon her mother’s death, Leisha Douglas inherited a box of scrapbooks bursting with yellowed press releases, newspaper articles, and fan letters about her grandmother’s life on stage--a life of stardom never discussed by Leisha’s family.

This treasure trove, combined with extensive research, forms the basis of Leisha’s historical fiction novel, Triple Threat: The Story of a 1920s Broadway Star, which she will discuss and read from in this one-hour event.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Leisha Douglas recently retired to pursue her first love, creative writing. Her stories and poems have appeared in many literary journals, including The Cortland Review, The Minetta Review, The Midwest Quarterly, Upstreet, The RavensPerch, and The Big Other. Her poetry has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and anthologized. Her poetry chapbook, Hand Fishing, was recently published by Moonstone Press. Sibylline Press published her 2026 historical novel, Triple Threat; The Story of 1920s Broadway Star. A full-length poetry collection was also selected as a finalist for The Two Sylvias Press’s 2026 Wilder Prize.

We Burned So Bright follows an older queer couple on an end-of-the-world road-trip.

The road stretched out before them. No other cars, just the headlights on the blacktop. Above, the cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky….

Husbands Don and Rodney have lived a good long life. Together they’ve experienced the highest highs of love and family, and lows so low that they felt like the end of the world.

Now, the world is ending for real. A wandering black hole is coming for Earth and in a month everything and everyone they’ve ever known will be gone.

Suddenly, after 40 years together, Don and Rodney are out of time. They’re in a race against the clock to make it from Maine to Washington State to take care of some unfinished business before it’s all over.

On the road they meet those who refuse to believe death is coming and those who rush to meet it. But there are also people living their final days as best they know how–impromptu weddings, bright burning bonfires, shared meals, new friends.

And as the black hole draws near, among ball lightning and under a cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky, Don and Rodney will look back on their lives and ask if their best was good enough.

Is it enough to burn bright if nothing comes from the ashes?

Buy a copy in-store at 15% discount, or through our affiliate link on Bookshop.org.

A reading and interactive writing workshop at Sparkle Bookstore exploring family stories, hidden histories, and the narratives we inherit—and reshape. Through a brief reading, guided prompts, and optional sharing, participants will be invited to write from memory, fragments, and imagination in a welcoming, community-centered space. Open to writers of all levels.

$10, register in advance at Eventbrite reserve your spot and pay at the door. You receive a $5 coupon for future retail purchases with your registration fee. Waivers available. Please arrive 10 minutes early if not preregistered.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Suzanne Uttaro Samuels is the author of the award-winning historical novel Seeds of the Pomegranate (Sibylline Press, 2025), winner of the Goethe Historical Fiction Award and finalist for the Somerset Book Award and Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards. Her fiction and essays appear in Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women, Feisty Deeds II: Batches and Brews, Petigru Review, and other literary journals. A former lawyer and professor, she writes the Substack Persephone’s Story and is currently working on her second historical novel, The Orphans' Wheel.

Explore and employ sensory images to strengthen your writing! We will write poetry about any subject, beginning with our senses. For example, we’ll cover our eyes and select “blindly” from items that Karen will provide. These simple sensory inspirations are for poets at all levels. We will have the option to share our poetry fresh off the page.

Karen’s poetry has appeared in the anthologies Gnomes and Ungnomes: Poems of Hidden Creatures (Writers' Loft Press) and Mindful Poetry Moments (The Well); and in Ad Libitum, the art and literary magazine published by Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She has offered writing workshops and readings at the Town of Pelham Public Library, Huguenot Children's Library, and Dobbs Ferry Public Library.

In this 90-minute workshop Laura will offer mindfulness exercises and guided meditations, each with a different focus. After each meditation we will write or draw. Bring yourself and a sense of curiosity. Bring a journal if you have one; paper, pencils, and crayons will also be provided. No meditation or writing experience necessary! This program is designed to be relaxing and accessible for all.

$10, register in advance on Eventbrite or reserve your spot and pay at the door. You receive a $5 coupon for future retail purchases with your registration fee. Waivers available. Please arrive 10 minutes early if not preregistered.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Laura's most recent collection, In My Mind I’m Eloquent, tells us she knows all about the difficulties of coaxing what’s inside of us to the outside. As a yoga teacher, she helps clients connect with themselves. And as a creative, she helps us get emotions out and express them through writing, drawing, or simply adding colors to the page. Laura has studied and written poetry her whole life and has an MFA from The City College Of New York. She’s been teaching yoga for close to a decade. She’s also an avid hiker, currently only about a dozen miles away from her years-long goal of hiking all 230+ miles of trails in Harriman State Park.

Sparkle Fiction Book Club will be meeting on August 20th at 6:00 pm to discuss Whistler by Ann Patchett.

Pick up a copy in-store at 15% discount, or buy a copy through our affiliate links at Bookshop.org or libro.fm (for audiobook lovers).

Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

Consider incorporating scientific ideas and images into your writing! Science can produce feelings of wonder or transcendence by emphasizing the vast scale of the natural world, or our deep connections to it -- for example, the idea that the atoms in our bodies were forged in stars that exploded before our planet formed. A scientific model can provide metaphors for our own personal life experiences -- for example, the collision of continents can become a way of thinking about falling in love. We will talk about where the matches and mismatches are, and how both can be useful in a poem. Choosing from a list of scientific models and surprising or striking scientific ideas, we will do a little research and then incorporate scientific imagery or use scientific models as framing devices or extended metaphor.

Bryan Roessel, science teacher and performance poet, is a founder of Rockland Poets. He has appeared in many places, including the Rockland Center for the Arts, West Nyack NY, 2026; the Family Meal Open Mic, Yonkers NY, 2024; and the White Plains Public Library Slam, White Plains NY, 2016; and has organized countless community poetry events.

Join us for our monthly fantasy book discussion - on the first Thursday of each month, we meet to talk about our latest pick! Except this month, we moved it to July 9th because of Independence Day!

At this meeting, we'll be reading our July book club pick, Wild Seed by Octavia Butler.

Doro knows no higher authority than himself. An ancient spirit with boundless powers, he possesses humans, killing without remorse as he jumps from body to body to sustain his own life. With a lonely eternity ahead of him, Doro breeds supernaturally gifted humans into empires that obey his every desire. He fears no one--until he meets Anyanwu.

Anyanwu is an entity like Doro and yet different. She can heal with a bite and transform her own body, mending injuries and reversing aging. She uses her powers to cure her neighbors and birth entire tribes, surrounding herself with kindred who both fear and respect her. No one poses a true threat to Anyanwu--until she meets Doro.

The moment Doro meets Anyanwu, he covets her; and from the villages of 17th-century Nigeria to 19th-century United States, their courtship becomes a power struggle that echoes through generations, irrevocably changing what it means to be human.

Email [email protected] to be added to the mailing list.

Wednesdays July 1, 15, and 29 at 5pm; future meetings TBA. Fiction and nonfiction welcome! Please come prepared to share your work, talk about your goals, and offer feedback and helpful discussion to others. Rebecca Watkins (memoir and creative nonfiction) and Donna Miele (fiction) will host. We look forward to meeting you!

- Bring around 1,000 words of your work for comment. We will read and comment during the meeting.
- You can either print out 5 copies of your work or email it to us at the store for printing.
- We will do generative writing for the first 15 minutes. Please bring your favorite writing implements. (Wifi is available if you need it.)
- We expect the meeting will to run 90 minutes.
- $10 per meeting, no advance registration. You receive a $5 coupon for future retail purchases with your registration fee. Waivers available. Please arrive 10 minutes early to register.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Join us on Sunday June 28 for an afternoon full of fun and festivity! We are hosting a mini vendor fair along with our neighbors at Catique Boutique, plus, of course...some local vendors!

Catique will have a table full of 'flea-less flea market' items.
Kiki's Corner will provide vintage 90s'/2k collectible items + kawaii/anime merch.
Robin Robinson, a local author, will be here to discuss his specialty - whiskey - and have copies of his book available, The History of Whiskey!
Steve Kelman will be playing bluegrass music to set the mood!
Weiss Workshop will set up shop, offering candles, 3d printed specialty items, and more!
Local bookbinder Manojit will be around to discuss his latest venture and sell some of his latest bound notebooks!
* We're hoping to have the Eat Graze Love Charcuterie food cart as well providing their best offerings! (Pending confirmation)

We're thrilled to have these local vendors all together on Sunday to share their items with you all! See you then

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Note that this event has been RECHEDULED to Thursday, June 25!

Please join us for our summer gathering!

- Please sign up at Eventbrite or arrive between 5 pm and 5:45 pm to sign up so that we can begin promptly. Please note that the readers list will not be "first come first served." We will use a randomizer to determine the list for the reading.
- We will feature up to 10 poets in 5-minute slots. Five minutes is about long enough to read 3 haikus or a single poem with 3 to 4 stanzas (but not long enough to read a canto from the Divine Comedy!).
- At sign up, we will also ask you to write down a single line introducing yourself and your work.
- Please respect the time slots! We would like everyone to have the opportunity to read without feeling rushed.

We look forward to your work!

Respond at Eventbrite here - please choose the reader or audience option.

For more than a decade, Mike Seliger has been hosting monthly story sharing events. After some informal discussion, the group evolves into a story circle, with a variety of stories, some personal, some traditional, some polished, some still in progress. The group is always supportive and friendly. Listeners, as well as tellers, always welcome. This month he brings his Sunday Story Circle to The Sparkle!

Mike is a writer, storyteller, coach, and self -described “Creative Communicator.” After years as its chairman, he is an advisory board member of The Healing Story Alliance and active member of NEST (Northeast Storytelling) and its social justice initiative.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Nitsan's father Saul was brilliant and adventurous. He could talk to anyone about anything and seemed to have a bright future. Then came the hospitalizations. The disappearances. . . . Nitsan and her sister grew up with a front-row seats to their father's struggle with the disease tearing their family apart. Told with unflinching honesty, Something's Up with Dad is a gripping memoir about the impossible reality of bipolar disorder and the toll it takes on the people who long to help their loved ones through it.

Nitsan Tal is a veterinarian, photographer, and film director. She grew up in Israel on a kibbutz and later moved to the United States. While practicing as a veterinarian in New York, she began taking classes in photography—a hobby she had enjoyed since her teens. One thing led to another, and in 2013, she directed her first documentary film: It Takes Balls. She has since directed three more documentaries. Something’s Up with Dad is her first book.

Books will be for sale at the event, or order from Bookshop here.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

*POSTPONED New date TBA*

Join authors Tee O’Fallon, Christina Treviño, and Emma Aiseman as they host this fantasy-themed, hands-on creative event for kids (ages 7+) and adults! Come dressed to paint and transform an ordinary wooden egg into a magical, bejeweled dragon egg. Eggs will take about 1 hour to create and dry -- plan to spend some time exploring The Sparkle and neighboring shops in charming Sparkill, New York.

$10 per person, includes all supplies. You receive a coupon for $5 off purchases of $25 or more with your registration! Preregistration appreciated, but not required.

Join us for our monthly book discussion - on the first Thursday of each month, we meet to talk about our latest pick!

Email [email protected] to be added to the mailing list.

The next fantasy book we'll be reading for our July & August book club meetings will be announced at this meeting.

Join us for a true open mic. Bring your acoustic instruments, prose, and poetry.

Please respond at Eventbrite or arrive between 5pm and 5:45 to sign up. We will use a randomizer to determine the order of performers, so no worries about "first come first served!"

Respond at Eventbrite here - choose the Reader or Audience option.

Join us for our first meeting! We're reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo.

Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root—that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly, everything seemed possible. Meticulously researched, emotionally stirring, and startlingly brave, Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a standout work of historical fiction that has taken the world by storm.

Paperbacks are backordered, but you can still grab the e-book at Bookshop.org.

Elf reads and signs her Regency romance The Baron of Bad Behavior. Sizzle!

As Lady Nerfertiti Albright--Snap, to anyone who doesn't want a punch in the smeller--prepares for her London come out, she encounters her childhood crush, the alluring Gareth Hart. Snap immediately decides she will marry him. Her family is horrified. So is her quarry.

Gareth Hart is a man with a reputation. He is a rake, a rogue, and a thief. He also has a history with Snap's family, and it's not a good one. Under the thumb of his nefarious uncle, Gareth doesn't need a problem like pretty Snap. His sights are set on escape via marriage to a rich widow.

But there's something irresistible about a girl who will climb out a window or onto a ship's bowsprit for you . . .

Elf Ahearn, in addition to writing gothic Regency Romance, is a recovering journalist. She also now tutors students and slavishly tends to every whim and fancy of her cats, Puck and Jilly. She is happily married to a knight in shining armor who is also fond of cats. They live in New York.

Books available in store or at Bookshop.org.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Join us for an evening of tabletop fun at The Sparkle Bookstore, hosted by Banditos Gaming!

Whether you're a seasoned gamer or a total beginner, you're welcome at the table. We’ll have a curated library of games available and folks on hand to teach rules, facilitate play, and match players with games that suit their interests. No experience necessary, just bring your curiosity and a willingness to play.

What is Banditos Gaming?

Banditos Gaming is a registered 501(c)(3) social and educational non-profit organization that promotes play, community development, and learning through games.

Banditos' Mission:
1. Promote the activity of PLAY through games.
2. Encourage COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT through play.
3. Advocate for LEARNING through gameplay.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Poets can only take a poem so far on their own. However seasoned and accomplished you are, at some point you need another pair of eyes and ears.

The purpose of this workshop is to share our poems and benefit from what others notice.

Bring one poem (one page long, please) that you've taken as far as you can on your own and be prepared to read it aloud. The feedback you will receive will focus on making the poem even stronger in communicating what you intend.

Please bring printed copies or send a file for printing to [email protected].

Juan Pablo Mobili, Poet Laureate of Rockland County, will lead the discussion.

$10, advance registration appreciated but not required. You receive $5 off a future purchase with your registration! Waivers available. Please arrive 10 minutes early to register.

Respond at Eventbrite here to reserve your spot or to pre-pay.

Rene Karabash's She Who Remains, translated by Izidora Angel, was shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize--although that's not the only reason to read it! This story of a woman battling gender stereotypes takes place not long ago nor far away--Albania, early 2000s. A tradition of patriarchal domination, which dates to the 1500s and crushes women's independence and power, has led to a social class of "sworn virgins" who are permitted to own property and earn money to support their families, just like men, provided they never engage in sexual or romantic partnerships. Bekija's decision to become a sworn virgin sets off "a bloody and heartbreaking chain of events that shatters a family and destroys a cherished relationship, but also reveals how trauma can lead to vital, if uncomfortable, truths."

We've ordered paperbacks for the store, but they are backordered. We recommend grabbing the ebook at this Bookshop link.

Rose's new book is Empowered to Heal: Your Body Knows the Way.

After more than three decades as a healer, immersed in a wide range modalities, Rose Fitzgerald discusses how, within our human design, the body plays a vital role in healing trauma and releasing stress. She shares practices from various disciplines that help reconnect us with our innate healing capacities, which can be practiced at home.

Through stories, metaphors, and concepts, Rose illuminates the journey of healing and shows that it is truly within reach.

Books available in store and on the day of the event.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Rose Fitzgerald holds a Bachelor's degree in Adult Fitness, a three-year certification in Shamanic Healing, and advanced training in body-based therapies. She is a Certified TRE® Instructor, Master Energy Medicine Yoga Teacher, Reiki Master, and Certified Massage Therapist. Through her gentle yet profound work, she helps others release past patterns, awaken vitality, and cultivate resilience, balance, and authentic living.

We celebrate the end of Poetry Month and a series of great workshops by poet Christine Potter with a reading and signing of her new book, Why I Don't Take Xanax. Join us!

Books will be available in store.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Christine Potter is the poetry editor of Eclectica Magazine, celebrating its 30th year online in 2026. She has taught writing and poetry in the Clarkstown schools. Her own poems have appeared in Rattle, The McNeese Review, ONE ART, Glimpse, Hole in the Head Review, The After Happy Hour Review, Sheila-Na-Gig, Confetti, and many other literary magazines. Her fourth full-length poetry collection, Why I Don't Take Xanax, was just released by Kelsay Books, and her new chapbook, Before The World Was on Fire, is on Bottlecap Press. She lives in Valley Cottage with her husband Ken and a very beautiful cat named Bella. Her house is haunted.

In honor of Poetry Month, we welcome Christine Potter for two mini workshops!

Okay, it’s evening, but spring is the morning of the year! This workshop looks at the aubade—the morning poem. Morning is an amazing time to write (your brain is all nice and clean from dreams and sleep), but writing about the morning in the evening can be just as good. We’ll look at aubades from Rumi, Billy Collins, and Mary Oliver, and you’ll go home with a new aubade all your own.

Bring a notebook and pen OR a laptop

$10, no advance registration. You receive a $5 coupon for future retail purchases with your registration fee! Waivers available. Please arrive 10 minutes early to register.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Christine Potter is the poetry editor of Eclectica Magazine, celebrating its 30th year online in 2026. She has taught writing and poetry in the Clarkstown schools. Her own poems have appeared in Rattle, The McNeese Review, ONE ART, Glimpse, Hole in the Head Review, The After Happy Hour Review, Sheila-Na-Gig, Confetti, and many other literary magazines. Her fourth full-length poetry collection, Why I Don't Take Xanax, was just released by Kelsay Books, and her new chapbook, Before The World Was on Fire, is on Bottlecap Press. She lives in Valley Cottage with her husband Ken and a very beautiful cat named Bella. Her house is haunted.

Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with us! Find the Golden Ticket from Libro.fm and win a year's worth of audiobooks for free!

-First 12 children's customers receive exclusive swag
-First 6 gardeners receive exclusive editions of new summer garden books
-Exclusive IBD totes while supplies last
-Exclusive IBD editions of bestsellers
-15% off select bestsellers from Simon & Schuster

Plus we're launching our membership program! Details here.

We will also welcome two local authors as staff members for a day! At 1pm, we welcome Michael Tubridy, author of An Irish Passion for Justice, and after 4pm, we welcome Chris Barish, author of Lionel Messi's World Cup Triumph. Let these wonderful friends of the store guide you to your next read!

Join us for our discussion of Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows.

Purchase the book in-store or at Bookshop.org (paperback and ebook available).

Get ready for El Camino del Destino, an unforgettable adventure with Tristan, Eliu, and Pete, three inseparable boys whose lives are a testament to courage and family strength! Journey with them from their dusty Texas hometown of La Grulla in 1948 as they become young migrant workers, traveling across the United States in their unique "canvas fort" trucks. Discover how tending the land and "familia" can turn every challenge into a meaningful adventure. For story lovers aged 5 and up!

In the spirit of the story and keeping in mind Earth Day later this month, children will get to plant their own "semillas" (seeds) in peat pots to take home and grow, just as the migrant families nurture the crops in the fields. We'll also share a refreshing treat!

Books available at Bookshop.org.or for purchase in store.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Christina Treviño is from Defiance, Ohio, and found her way to children's storytelling through a career in New York City's fashion world. She writes her cuentos from her perspective as a successful Latine to encourage young readers to dream big!

In honor of Poetry Month, we welcome Christine Potter for two mini workshops!

The best poetry surprises us, but we get so hung up trying to make things perfect that we get in our own way. How do you write a poem that nobody else could have written except for you? The answer is in your memories, your own truth. This workshop will look at the specific image and show you how to get it onto the page. We’ll write together. There may even be crayons involved.

Bring an open mind and let’s make it new!

Bring a notebook and pen OR a laptop.

$10, no advance registration. You receive a $5 coupon for future retail purchases with your registration fee! Waivers available. Please arrive 10 minutes early to register.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Christine Potter is the poetry editor of Eclectica Magazine, celebrating its 30th year online in 2026. She has taught writing and poetry in the Clarkstown schools. Her own poems have appeared in Rattle, The McNeese Review, ONE ART, Glimpse, Hole in the Head Review, The After Happy Hour Review, Sheila-Na-Gig, Confetti, and many other literary magazines. Her fourth full-length poetry collection, Why I Don't Take Xanax, was just released by Kelsay Books, and her new chapbook, Before The World Was on Fire, is on Bottlecap Press. She lives in Valley Cottage with her husband Ken and a very beautiful cat named Bella. Her house is haunted.

Grab an orange . . . but wait! We're going to write about it before we eat it. Join Miss Mary Mac for an afternoon of creative word play for young people! And you will take home a tiny notebook for continuing the word play of the day.

Creative Writing with Miss Mary Mac, in a gorgeous full-color graphic novel format, is designed to inspire and guide young people's creativity in a world that is sometimes less than encouraging.

Books available in store or at Bookshop.org.

Mary McInerney is a writer, educator, and lifelong advocate for student voice. Once a reluctant writer herself, discovering the joy of writing fueled her passion to reimagine how writing is taught. As a mother, teacher, and student of learning, she’s spent much of her life asking why so many young people feel shut out of writing—and how we can invite them in.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

The Women's Leadership Council of the Rockland Business Association comes to The Sparkle! We welcomes Tina Traster, editor of the Rockland County Business Journal, for a talk on the topic. Free and open to the public.

Founding a local media business is not for the faint of heart, and there are certainly additional challenges when you are a woman entrepreneur. Tina will take you back eight years ago to when she founded the RCBJ and tell you how this hyper-local news site has become one of the most important and trusted components in Rockland's media landscape.

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT

This month our fiction-lovers' book club will discuss The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, the sleeper novel that's become the buzz of the year thus far. This story about a woman who lives her life in letters--sending all but one--conveys the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.

Books are available for purchase at the store.

Harcover and e-book also available at Bookshop.org.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Meet author Laurel Peterson as we celebrate the release of her new book of poetry, The Sky Weeps with Us. Please arrive promptly at 5 for the reading.

Respond at Eventbrite here.

The reading will precede a Sparklers poetry workshop with Laurel. Sign up below or here!

Laurel S. Peterson’s poetry has been published in many literary journals. She has published two poetry chapbooks, That's the Way the Music Sounds (Finishing Line Press) and Talking to the Mirror (Last Automat Press) as well as two full-length poetry collections, Do You Expect Your Art to Answer? and Daughter of Sky (Futurecycle Press) and two mystery novels, Shadow Notes and The Fallen (Woodhall Press). Her latest release, The Sky Weeps with Us, is available at Finishing Line Press. She is a writing professor, serves on the Norwalk Public Library Board, and was Norwalk, Connecticut’s, Poet Laureate from April 2016 – April 2019. Find her at https://laurelspeterson.substack.com/ and at her website: https://www.laurelpeterson.com/.

Join us in the Snack Bar for some cozy (well, maybe sometimes slightly disturbing) winter vibes as Kathy reads and performs from her work in progress, Wheeltown.

Kathy Good is an author, illustrator, poet, musician, and spacehuman from Rockland County. She worked with Prince in the video for "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World."

Kathy will appear March 12, 19, and 26.

Join us in welcoming Michael Tubridy, who with Robert Polner is the author of An Irish Passion for Justice: The Life of Rebel New York Attorney Paul O'Dwyer.

Born in County Mayo, Ireland, O’Dwyer cut a principled and progressive path through New York City's political machinery and America's reactionary Cold War landscape. He maintained a consistent left-wing politics and defense of accused Communists in the labor movement, which exposed him to sharp criticism within and beyond the Irish-American community. Even so, his fierce beliefs, loyalty to his brother William, who was the city's mayor after World War II, and influence in Irish-American circles also inspired respect and support. Recognized by his gentle brogue and white pompadour, he drove the discussion on many difficult domestic and international causes and, finally, enlisted then-future president Bill Clinton to bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Michael is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Daily News, USA Today, The Irish Echo, Irish America, City and State NY, Vital City, L.A. Progressive, and The Recorder. A lifelong resident of Bergen County, NJ, he also frequently writes about Irish and Irish American history in his blog "A Boat Against the Current."

Respond at Eventbrite here.

Books will be available in store or online at Bookshop.org (hardcover and ebook available).

Join us for our discussion of Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind.

Purchase the book in-store or at Bookshop.org (paperback and ebook available).

When second grader Patsy Beth goes on a field trip to the school garden, she and her classmates are surprised and upset to find many animals no longer live there. With the help of their teacher, they come to understand vital connections in the natural environment -- and they decide to take action!

An interactive session to get us thinking about the natural world and how we can help it thrive. Reading, singing, talking, and modeling science concepts, children will be delighted with the antics of Patsy Beth and her little brother Jay and wonder what they'll get up to next! For book lovers 5 years old and up. All leave with discount coupons for a local plant nursery, so they too can help nature sing again.

Books will be in store in advance and on the day of the event.
You can also purchase through Bookshop.org.

Local author Kottie Christie-Blick won multiple awards as an elementary classroom teacher. They include an Outstanding Contribution Award from SOCES PTA (New York State), the Alexinia Baldwin Educator of the Year Award, and a Fulbright Distinguished Teacher Award from the U.S. State Department. She was a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. She knows how to talk with children.

We kick off our new fiction-lovers' book club with A Beast Slinks Toward Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang, debut family saga that moves through the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, the Cultural Revolution, and the present day to explore the effects of intergenerational trauma, the legacy of colonialism, and the inescapability of fate.

Paperback and ebook available at Bookshop.org.

Grab a snack and settle in! We welcome two great crime novelists to discuss Dawn M. Barclay's new book, Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover's Travel Guide to the Mid-Atlantic States.

$10, register in advance on Eventbrite or pay at the door. You receive a $5 coupon for future retail purchases with your registration fee. Waivers available. Please arrive 10 minutes early if not preregistered.

Buy Vacations Can Be Murder here or in store.

Rockland resident Dawn M. Barclay (who writes psychological/domestic/romantic suspense novels as D.M. Barr) has been writing in the travel field for decades, first as a travel trade journalist and later as a book author. Vacations Can Be Murder, her multi-volume true crime travel series with Level Best Books, is perfect for lovers of travel, true crime, the paranormal, and tombstone tourism, listing where you can go to get as close as you can to true crime while still breathing! The Mid-Atlantic volume covers crime in our own backyard. Barclay was also the recipient of the 2023 Lowell Thomas Gold Award as author of the autism travel bible, Traveling Different: Vacation Strategies for Parents of the Anxious, the Inflexible, and the Neurodiverse (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022).

Emilya Naymark was born in a country that no longer exists, escaped with her parents, lived in Italy for a bit, and ended up in New York, which promptly became a love and a muse. She studied art and was lucky enough to illustrate numerous publications before transitioning to the digital world. She has a particular fascination with psychological thrillers, crime, and suspense. She is the author of the crime/suspense novels Hide in Place and Behind the Lie.

In this beautiful volume, illustrated with rich color images throughout, award-winning spirits expert Robin Robinson skillfully chronicles the development of whiskey, highlighting a hundred exceptional milestones in its history. Starting in antiquity with the simple covered pot and alembic, proceeding through the middle ages as European monks distilled spirits for medicine, and following the evolution of whiskey and the whiskey trade through King Henry VIII of England, European colonization of the Americas, the Pacific, and Asia, and describing whiskey's refinements, corporatization, and marketing by today's global beverage conglomerates, The History of Whiskey tells it all.

Books available in advance, on Bookshop.org, and in store on the day of the event.

Robin Robinson is the author of The Complete Whiskey Course, a Whiskey Advocate Must-Read Book. He created the Whiskey Smackdown tasting series, taught at the Culinary Institute of America and Moonshine University, and lectures frequently. He lives in New Jersey.

Hosted by Bryan Roessel of Rockland Poets.

Please join us for our winter gathering!

~ Please arrive between 5 pm and 5:45 pm to sign up so that we can begin promptly. Please note that the readers list will not be "first come first served" (a big thank you to Bryan for this refinement). We will use a randomizer to determine the list for the reading.

~ We will feature up to 10 poets in 5-minute slots. Five minutes is about long enough to read 3 haikus or a single poem with 3 to 4 stanzas (but not long enough to read a canto from the Divine Comedy!).

~ At sign up, we will also ask you to write down a single line introducing yourself and your work. Our host will introduce you.

~ Please respect the time slots! We would like everyone to have the opportunity to read without feeling rushed.

We look forward to your work!

A sweet weekend continues with El Rancho Chocolaté -- the unique spelling should trigger your sense of adventure and mystery! Enjoy a hot cocoa and a great story. For story lovers aged 5 and up.

Step into the charming, dusty world of 1950s South Texas. Three inseparable sisters and their cousin discover an old, weathered family map. As their beloved Nana tells them a legendary cuento about a hidden treasure, the girls are convinced that the map will lead them to untold riches! As they follow the clues left by their ancestors, they discover that the greatest riches aren't gold or jewels, but the love, laughter, and unbreakable bonds of their familia.

Books will be available for purchase in store.

Christina Treviño is from Defiance, Ohio, and found her way to children's storytelling through a career in New York City's fashion world. She writes her cuentos from her perspective as a successful Latine to encourage young readers to dream big!

Stop by today and you'll be greeted by Tee O'Fallon from 2-4pm, Emma Aiseman from 3-5pm! Tee and Emma will introduce you to their favorites from our inventory as well as their own books.

You will also receive complimentary chocolate and a rose with your purchase.

On Friday we welcome Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah to hang out in our snack bar, chat, and sign a few books for you! Hope you can make it.

Nana is the author of Chain Gang All-Stars, which was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2023. He is a Guggenheim Fellow. His collection Friday Black won the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and he was a National Book Foundation "5 under 35" honoree.

Books available for purchase in store.

If you happen to be in Chestnut Ridge, please visit us at the Waldorf Early Childhood Association's annual meeting vendor fair! This gathering of vendors selling toys, clothes, books, and other retail for teachers and families features items made of natural materials and supporting Waldorf education. We will have a newly expanded collection of diverse early childhood treasures, which you can also shop on our Bookshop.org affiliate page..

Open to the public!

Dates:
Friday Feb 6, 3 to 6:30pm
Saturday Feb 7, 10:15am to 6:30pm

Location: Green Meadow Waldorf School Gym
307 Hungry Hollow Road
Chestnut Ridge, New York

POSTPONED to Sunday, February 1 at 1pm

Join award-winning children's book author Victoria Oltarsh for a reading from her middle-grade fantasy novel The Boy and the Secret of the Stars! In an interactive reading, children are invited to participate in the story with props and costumes that the author will provide -- or to just sit and listen, let the stars be in your eyes! Victoria has been affectionately called the "fairy godmother of storytelling" for the magical experience she brings to her readings.

Recommended for readers and lovers of stories and the stars aged 5 to 12.

Victoria is a professional drama and playwriting teacher and theatrical director. The Boy and the Secret of the Stars won the award for Children's Sci-Fi Fiction in the BookFest Book Awards 2025.

## Postponed!
Sorry, due to snow we have rescheduled to Saturday, January 31 at 3pm.

Mischling the thief races through time to defeat three trolls before the sun rises for the first time and turns the inhabitants of her city into stone . . . A scientist is on the run from assassins because her research in merging human intelligence with sentient AI is too dangerous . . . An aging veteran obtains a military weapon from his past: a VR robotic leopard, through which he rediscovers the consequences of the hunt . . . In the biggest heist in the history of the universe, a loser Trickster (and the girlfriend who is better than he deserves) sets out to violate every trope and expectation of action possible.

Discover the vast worlds and pocket universes of Michael Swanwick, the only author to win science fiction’s most prestigious award, the Hugo, five times in six years.

Michael Swanwick is one of the most acclaimed science fiction and fantasy short-story writers of his generation. In addition to the serial Hugos, he has won the British Science Fiction and World Fantasy Awards. Swanwick’s stories have appeared in original collections (Gravity’s Angels, Tales of Old Earth, and “Not So Much,” Said the Cat) and in anthologies and magazines including OMNI, Penthouse, Amazing, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and New Dimensions. His work has also been translated into more than ten languages. He lives in Pennsylvania.

Purchase books in advance here or in-store on the day of the event.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Meet Zoe and check out her new YA fantasy novel, Vie and the Bear Under the Tree!

After Lucia stumbles upon a magical tree and finds herself in hidden realm of odd but (mostly) well-meaning characters, she decides to stay. When she learns that a great evil threatens her new beloved home, she must choose whether to return to the safety of her home world or embark on a quest to find the realm's lost spirit, Vie, and hopefully save the world.

Zoe Greenberg is a high school student who has little idea what she's doing, but she's doing her best. She started writing Vie and the Bear Under the Tree when she was in 8th grade. Her favorite hobbies are writing to avoid math homework, playing video games to avoid math homework, and hiding with her pets Babycat, Wilfred, and Mr. C. to avoid math homework.

Purchase books in advance here or in-store on the day of the event.

Self-publication now involves a broad spectrum of possibilities. How does an indie author navigate the choices? Join Kenyatta Jones-Arietta and Tiera Rice, the team that produced Kenyatta's book Iron Love, for a discussion of the journey.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Kenyatta lives in New York with her husband of 25 years, Rudy, their two sons, their Great Dane Bruce, and a family that inspires every chapter.

Tiera Rice-Royo is an indie author, coach, and mentor based in Rockland County, NY. A proud wife and mama of three, she fills her days with writing, painting, and crafting intention-based candles. A U.S. Army veteran and cancer survivor, Tiera's journey has been shaped by resilience and a deep love for storytelling. Through her books, art, and coaching, she empowers others to reconnect with their voice, embrace their truth, and live with authenticity.

Meet Paul Hellman and check out his debut book, The Zone. Paul shares the history of his family to give readers the knowledge, inspiration, and courage to pursue entrepreneurial freedom.

Henry Jackson is a normal kid—until the morning he wakes up missing a toe. By nightfall, more of him has vanished, replaced by pale, blocky pixels. Something is pulling him into his favorite game, Bricker, and the longer he plays, the less of him remains.

Check out Michael's novel Brick by Brick for more!

Let Martin Cahill read to you from his fantasy debut. Nesi, a would-be acolyte, auditions to serve the Fox, the trickster deity in a pantheon of spirit animals. But the Fox's idea of an appropriate trial uproots Nesi from her own peaceful place and time, and asks her to risk life and limb for justice.

“If you love my worlds, you’re going to love Cahill’s: stunning imagination, daring premises, and deep character dives. A new author to watch.”
—N. K. Jemisin, author of the Broken Earth series

Martin Cahill has published short fiction in venues including Fireside, Reactor, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Shimmer, and Nightmare. Cahill’s stories “The Fifth Horseman” and “Godmeat” were respectively nominated for the Ignyte Award and included in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2019. He was also one of the writers on Batman: The Blind Cut and a contributor to Critical Role: Vox Machina – Stories Untold. Cahill lives in New York. Visit him on the web at https://martintcahill.wordpress.com/.

Free admission.

Purchase the book in advance or on the day of the event.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Join us as we welcome Barbara Viniar and celebrate the release of her new book, Little Bird.
**Please arrive promptly for the reading!

This historical novel traces the immigration of a Jewish girl from Russia to New York City in 1910, as her family seeks to save her from escalating violence. No longer her parents' dutiful and adored "little bird," she becomes dutiful wife to a wealthy cousin. When her husband's cruelty finally pushes her to risk leaving him, she parlays her embroidery skills into a job and self-reliance. But will daring to love again mean risking her independence again?

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Barbara Viniar started out in academia, teaching Women's Studies part time at the graduate and undergraduate levels and writing her doctoral dissertation on women's moral development in contemporary fiction. After retiring from her second college presidency, she turned to creative writing. A chance discovery about her grandmother compelled her to imagine the story that became Little Bird.

Early film star Zita Johann starred in the original movie The Mummy (1932) and in The Sin of Nora Moran (1933). After an illustrious film and Broadway career, Zita became an acting coach. Her acting techniques and her faith in the spiritual world had a major impact on the author, conjuring up ghosts of the past to pay a visit in one form or another.

This memoir involves Hollywood history, spiritualism, trust, theft, drama, and an ongoing pursuit for justice.

"Timing is everything."

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Join us in discussing the second half of V. E. Schwab's latest, lush work of thrills and mind-bending twists!

Purchase the book in-store or at Bookshop.org (hardcover and ebook available).

We look forward to bringing some sparkle to our friends at the Ramapo Senior Activity Center! We will have a selection of new and used fiction and nonfiction, some large print titles, puzzles, and coloring books. If you or a friend or loved one enjoys spending the day at the Center, we look forward to seeing you.

1 to 5 pm

We're bringing local crafters and vendors INSIDE this time!

We also look forward to featuring local vendors in our snack bar every weekend until Christmas.

In the final two weeks of the Vietnam War, Chase Manhattan Bank sent Ralph White, a 27-year-old bank officer working in Bangkok, to Saigon. His assignment: keep the Saigon branch open as long as possible. With the North Vietnamese Army approaching, the Chase Vietnamese employees faced dire consequences for having worked for Americans. Asked if he were leaving them behind, Ralph committed to getting all the 113 Chase Saigon employees and their families out of the country. Getting Out of Saigon is Ralph’s eyewitness account of this illegal effort as tension in the doomed city built to the breaking point.

Post-9/11, Ralph traded his corporate finance career for public service and writing. He founded and, for ten years, served as the president of the Columbia Fiction Foundry, a writing workshop for alumni of Columbia University. He currently serves as its chairman.

D. Z. Stone (No Past Tense, A Fairy Tale Unmasked) is an author and journalist whose non-fiction books focus on the Holocaust and its aftermath. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times and Newsday. She previously interviewed author Ralph White and wrote about him for The Foreign Service Journal. She resides in Sparkill.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Are you intrigued by this attractive, challenging game but a little daunted too? Please join us for what our family thinks is the best way to spend a cozy winter evening. No purchase necessary . . . but we hope you enjoy Wingspan so much you'll want to add every game in the series to your collection.

Play takes about 2 hours.

Join us as we welcome Anne Bryant, author of The Happy Servant, a story about a gifted young boy with a captivating vision in mind and the family that pools its talents to bring his original ideas to the world.

Anne Bryant is a composer, an arranger-orchestrator, and producer of songs and well-known themes and scores for television, advertising, and film, including The Transformers main theme, The JEM Main Theme and song score, My Little Pony and Friends, The Great Space Coaster, and more.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

We look forward to bringing some sparkle to our friends at the Ramapo Senior Activity Center! We will have a selection of new and used fiction and nonfiction, some large print titles, puzzles, and coloring books. If you or a friend or loved one enjoys spending the day at the Center, we look forward to seeing you.

We are pleased to welcome Jonathan Kruk and the publication of his new book, The Magical, Wonderful Bul Bul Bird!

When a lonely king sends his sons on a quest to find the magical, wonderful Bul Bul Bird, they mysteriously vanish, leaving their courageous sister to embark on a perilous journey to uncover the truth and restore joy to the kingdom.

In this enchanting, lyrical retelling of a timeless fairy tale, master storyteller Jonathan Kruk weaves a tale of courage, mystery, and wonder brought to life with lush, vintage-inspired illustrations that will captivate children and adults alike.

Jonathan Kruk is a master storyteller, and the official Storyteller of the Archdiocese of New York. He has eight award-winning recordings, and two previous books, Legends and Lore of Sleepy Hollow and the Hudson Valley, and Legends and Lore of the Hudson Highlands.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Join us for our discussion of V. E. Schwab's latest, lush work of thrills and mind-bending twists!

Purchase the book in-store or at Bookshop.org (hardcover and ebook available).

We’re partnering with D’Vine again and gathering for a community potluck! Purchase a cookbook at The Sparkle, choose a recipe for an appetizer or side dish, and bring your dish to share. Enjoy the bounty with a taste of wines selected by Joe Printz for your fall and winter table.

Choose from these suggestions or purchase any cookbook from The Sparkle. If you’ve purchased a cookbook through our Bookshop.org portal, your proof of purchase will be your ticket to the event.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Good Things by Saimin Nasrat, a new follow-up to the author's bestselling book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.

True North Cabin Cookbook, vol. 2, by Stephanie Hansen, an influencer who specializes in "the cozy months" of October through April.

Beyond Delicious Cookbook by Mary Ann Winkowski and David Powers. Author Winkowski is known as "The Ghost Whisperer" who has received these recipes from the departed, sometimes at the request of the living, sometimes at the insistence of those who have passed on as a remembrance to their loved ones.

Simple Meal Solutions for Insulin Resistance by Megan Koehn is the latest in the Simple Meals Solutions series, designed to incorporate healthy and delicious foods into the lives of people who live with chronic health conditions.

Hosted by I. Buenaventura, a poet, martial arts practitioner and teacher, and LGBTQ+ activist from New Jersey.

Please join us for our Fall gathering!

~ We will feature 8 poets in 5-minute slots. Five minutes is about long enough to read 3 haikus or a single poem with 3 to 4 stanzas (but not long enough to read a canto from the Divine Comedy!).

~ Please arrive a little before our start time to sign up so that we can begin promptly.

~ At sign up, we will also ask you to write down a single line introducing yourself and your work. Our host will introduce you.

~ Please respect the time slots! We would like everyone to have the opportunity to read without feeling rushed.

We look forward to your work!

We'll have a selection of children's books and gifts at the Fair, corner of Hungry Hollow Road and Chestnut Ridge Road in Chestnut Ridge, New York. The Fair features vendors of gifts and crafts; students will serve baked goods, hot and cold drinks, and grilled fare. Our Sparkill store will still be open.

Join us as we welcome Jenna Schroeder, author of the comic romp Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza: Case of the Missing Hat, the lovely Are Enchanted Forests Real, and her newest book, the seasonally perfect Let Go, Little Leaf!

A perfect Friday evening for children aged 5 and up.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Join us in welcoming Audrey Barbakoff as she reads from her new board book Mazel Toes, which celebrates generations of love for new babies with playful, Yiddish-inflected rhymes and sweet gestures for every part of the body, like a kiss on the keppie and a boop on the nose.

No purchase necessary.

Books will be available for purchase at the event, as well as in advance.

Respond on Eventbrite here.
~[

UPDATE:
Saturday October 11 & Sunday, October 12
1 to 5 pm

We adjusted the vendor fair to include Saturday, October 11, to accommodate for a chance of inclement weather on Sunday.

Join us in welcoming local crafters and vendors to our side yard, weather permitting!

Further details TBA. If you are interested in featuring your creations, please get in touch. Visit out About page for contact information. There is no fee to participate. Just good local vibes!

~ Catique Boutique will bring retro home decor

~ Weiss Workshop will bring fanciful beeswax candles, 3D printed art, and more

UPDATE:
Saturday October 11 & Sunday, October 12
1 to 5 pm

We adjusted the vendor fair to include Saturday, October 11, to accommodate for a chance of inclement weather on Sunday.

Join us in welcoming local crafters and vendors to our side yard, weather permitting!

Further details TBA. If you are interested in featuring your creations, please get in touch. Visit out About page for contact information. There is no fee to participate. Just good local vibes!

~ Catique Boutique will bring retro home decor

~ Weiss Workshop will bring fanciful beeswax candles, 3D printed art, and more

Join us for an introduction to bookbinding. Learn how books evolved to the styles we see today, how we make them, and about bookbinding in the digital age. Make your own mini-notebook using basic techniques. All materials will be provided for this introduction and are easy to obtain for our future projects; we suggest a fee of $5 to cover expenses.

Manojit is a Sparkle "early adopter" in our community. We're so glad he can share his expertise with us!

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Welcome to our second author meet-and-greet!

Full of memorable characters, poignance, and humor, Suzy's crime fiction captures American families immersed in relatable situations: economic downturns, inheritance squabbles, Covid trauma . . . and murder.

Please join us in welcoming her and celebrating the release of her latest novel, The Bequest.

Books will be available for purchase in advance and at the event.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Showing Up is:
~How readily we look into each other's eyes . . .
~How effectively our schools and workplaces function . . .
~How we build prosperous societies . . .
~How nations come together toward peace . . .
~And how our environment heals.

Want to hear more about how to truly show up more often and with greater ease?

Join us as we welcome award-winning author Marcy Axelrod in conversation with local entertainment artist Richard Skipper.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

Marcy has spent the past twenty-five years uncovering nature's model of how human beings are designed to thrive. Since 1999, her insights have helped individuals, teams, and some of the world's largest companies succeed.

Richard is an award-winning entertainer, storyteller, and legacy artist whose career spans more than 46 years. Through his platform Richard Skipper Celebrates and his website CallonDolly.com, he has interviewed thousands of artists and created tributes to icons like Carol Channing and Jerry Herman.

We're attending Suzanne's talk on her eagerly anticipated novel, Seeds of the Pomegranate. We have copies at the store too, but if you would like to meet Suzanne she will be signing books at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, New Jersey at 2pm. Books will be available at the event.

Nym, a healer in a kingdom on the brink of war, is commanded to resolve the cold crown prince's mysterious ailment, which no other healer has been able to do. Much as she longs to leave the cruel court's twisted ways and return to her family's apiary, she pursues the cure, also finding herself unexpectedly drawn to the prince.

A chat and Q&A with Jennifer Kaufman, author of Grandparenting on the Spectrum.

Jennifer Kaufman MSET, MAEd, brings a rare dual perspective to autism education and family support. As both the principal of EPIC School, a specialized school for students with autism, and the grandmother of a child on the autism spectrum, she bridges professional expertise with deeply personal experience. With over 20 years in special education and 15 years as a school principal, Jen has transformed her unique insights into practical guidance for families navigating the autism journey.

Books will be available for purchase in advance and at the event.

Respond on Eventbrite here.

We look forward to bringing some sparkle to our friends at the Ramapo Senior Activity Center! We will have a selection of new and used fiction and nonfiction, some large print titles, puzzles, and coloring books. If you or a friend or loved one enjoys spending the day at the Center, we look forward to seeing you.

Not all heroes are human! In honor of National Dog Day we are hosting Tee for a meet-and-greet featuring her K-9 Special Ops series, a 3-book collection of fast-paced action, heart-stopping suspense, and spicy romance -- with hunky dogs as well as hunky heroes.

Enter a raffle to benefit Carnival for Canines -- you might win tickets, a basket packed with doggie swag worth over $100, or a blingy pawprint necklace! And sneak a nibble of chocolate with us in the Sparkle Snack Bar. Drawing at 4pm.

Hosted by poet laureate of Rockland Juan Pablo Mobili.

We hope to make open mics a regular invitation to the poetry community! Please join us for our first gathering.

~ We will feature 8 poets in 5-minute slots. Five minutes is about long enough to read 3 haikus or a single poem with 3 to 4 stanzas (but not long enough to read a canto from the Divine Comedy!).

~ Please arrive a little before our start time to sign up so that we can begin promptly.

~ At sign up, we will also ask you to write down a single line introducing yourself and your work. Our host will introduce you.

~ Please respect the time slots! We would like everyone to have the opportunity to read without feeling rushed.

We look forward to your work!

We're pleased to partner with our neighbors The Grape D'Vine for our first books-and-wine community meet-and-greet!

D'Vine owner Joe Printz's super power is to suggest wine to pair with whatever food combinations you come up with -- and we hereby make him a "lit" wine expert too. He's studying a list of books from our inventory and pairing them with fun wines. Sample them along with snacks and hang out with us! Non-alcoholic sparkling will also be available.

The Flealess Flea Market will take place in the side yard at 642 Main Street, Sparkill, right next to The Sparkle. Catique is pulling out all the stops to support Care About the Strays and Feed the Ferals. All proceeds from the sale of unique and excellent condition thrift household items and clothes will benefit the kitties.

Bring catfood, bagged or canned, and kitty litter to help provide for fostered strays.

You can also buy a raffle ticket to support the cause . . . and for the chance to win $10,000.

The Sparkle will provide space (and probably our tent), will sell food and drinks, and will also donate part of our sales that day to benefit the cats.

Cozy up with local authors in our cafe space!