Hi, my name is Mandy Jackson-Beverly, and I’m a bibliophile. And yes, that's Luna choosing a book from one of the bookcases in my study :)
In October 2020, I launched The Bookshop Podcast to support independent bookshops and authors published by small and medium presses to the big five.
Along the way, I’ve also interviewed specialists who work in areas I’m passionate about; our environment, education, and social justice. Recently I interviewed Abdulrazak Gurnah, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021, about his latest novel, After Lives, and our mutual love of vegetable gardening.
I had the pleasure of chatting with David Pepper, political activist, writer, and former Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, about what each of us can do to save democracy and the importance of supporting state journalists by buying local newspapers.
Every few weeks, I catch up with Stephanie Stillo at the Library of Congress, who takes us behind the scenes of the video series, From the Vaults!
Supporting the arts, creatives, and indie bookshops are vital, but I won’t lie; balancing my consultancy work, teaching, writing, and working on The Bookshop Podcast is tough. However, so far, I’ve managed to make it work.
Creating and maintaining a podcast takes time, from writing the script, researching guests, reading books, recording, editing, and producing each episode; it’s a ton of work. Financial costs involve monthly hosting fees, an executive assistant to handle emails, scheduling, and marketing, and a graphic designer who makes everything sparkle. All of the above is why I decided to create a Buy Me A Coffee page to help support my time and the costs associated with delivering professional weekly episodes you can enjoy.
I’m grateful for any donations, no matter how small, and to listeners who have donated previously, thank you! It means you appreciate the content I’m bringing you. And that keeps me going.
In gratitude,
Mandy
The Bookshop Podcast is written and produced by Mandy Jackson-Beverly
Theme Music provided by Brian Beverly
Executive Assistant to Mandy, Adrian Odtohan
Graphic Design by Frances Farala