We're starting to wonder if Island Books might actually be a front for a writers colony. From the bossman, to a couple of regular NWBL contributors, on down to the teenager on the staff, this crew can compose. This lit crit piece revolving around Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and Alif the Unseen is from Emma Page, the roster's self-described member of the “Harry Potter generation.” Here's an excerpt:
“It’s not easy, being a 19-year-old bookseller. I can’t remember a time when the book industry wasn’t on the brink of a potentially catastrophic restructuring, nor can I recall an era before the rise of the internet and ubiquitous cell-phone usage. I am constantly fighting to reconcile my generational ties to the digital age with my deep affection for the old-fashioned brick-and-mortar world of bookselling.”
See where this thought leads in “The Analog Kid,” as featured in the store journal, Message in a Bottle. And sign us up for a 
writing workshop at Island Books.
The author of Alif the Unseen, G. Willow Wilson, will appear at Elliott Bay Book Company on Monday evening to receive her 2013 Pacific Northwest Book Award for the book. Her sidekick will be Sherman Alexie, there to receive his PNBA award for Blasphemy.
