Some alumnae of Bryn Mawr College run a used book store. It is located at 3241 P Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C. It is a non-profit operation and all of our stock is donated. We welcome donations of used books. We do not offer pick-up service. You have to bring them (or mail them) to us. But if you do, we sell them to a public that is always eager to buy more used books. The money we make goes to the College to support students doing internships.
My oldest niece, an alumna of Bryn Mawr, worked in their Cambridge, MA bookstore for several years after she graduated in 1995. I don't know if it is still there. She is now the Registrar at Cambridge College which caters mostly to "returning" or "non-traditional" students, people beyond the usual college student ages. They had a man in his 90s who graduated a few years ago.
There used to be several bookstores. I believe the one in Cambridge, MA is still going strong and then ours, The Lantern, in Georgetown. Love the idea of a non-traditional college for older students and the fact that man in his 90s was able to graduate. Congrats all around to everyone who made it possible, inc. your niece.
They have a very high percentage of women and minority students, too, including the old man, who was Black. Many of the degree programs can be done online.
I first heard PHC on a roadside in the cornfields of Iowa. It was 1981. A punctured radiator got me off the road and WOI-radio was the only station I could get waiting for a tow. I listened until the car battery died. I rarely missed a Saturday evening for the next three and a half decades.
To me, one of its great attractions was that, even in its rare allusions to contemporary strife, PHC rarely strayed from a decency and detachment that is still a marvel of writerly discipline, declining the easy temptation of cheap political humor. Today, Mr. Keillor, you make reference to a type of authoritarianism which is ill-defined but seems to me to point to dark forces on the right of the political spectrum. Please do not forget that it was a movement seeking justice for women, that began honorably but in many cases became a liberal crusade, while sadly morphing into its own dark authoritarianism that took you off the air, that goaded public radio into disavowing you, that even had Town Hall remove your picture from its hallowed lobby walls (whiffs of Stalin in Manhattan? Heaven forbid!) and undeniably left millions of listeners wondering where good intentions went so grimly wrong. It is not the force of authoritarianism from the right you should be worried about but its opposite. Of all writers I love and respect, you surely know the power of a well or poorly chosen word.
I appreciate your thoughts and of course the cause wasn't political at all but simply a shakedown attempt by two ex-employees that went bad, but I've moved on and found an odd freedom in being cancelled. I enjoy everything more, writing, performing, daily life, some of which has to do with being 80 --- "to love that well which thou must leave ere long" --- but much has to do with the loyalty of friends of the show. Life is good.
Wow! All this and not a word about the Big Lie, efforts to stoke anger over the supposedly impending Great Replacement, mounting threats of political violence, a complete lack of action to address mass shootings, the January 6th attack on the Capitol, etc., etc.--all courtesy of the so-called GOP. Then again, unless I am mistaken, your handle means "terrorist" (although I thought the spelling was brigatista) and your (so far silent) newsletter is "When the Revolution Comes," so why am I at all surprised?
First...Excuse me? Briggatte was my grandfather's surname. Terrorist? A hardware store owner in Terre Haute, Indiana, was the least likely of your GOP terrorist suspects. He was an immigrant Democrat, although that seems like a different world. How did you manage to conflate all of your fever dreams into my single, sympathetic observation about a social movement that eventually sucked a lot innocent people under, particularly Mr. Keillor; the void left behind from his "de-platforming" (as the young people say these days) has obviously not yet been filled by kind, gentle humor, your weird statement here being pretty good proof.
And for your information, "When the Revolution Comes" was an unproduced screenplay I wrote years ago, not some crazy manifesto. Oh and I still can't figure out what this Big Lie stuff is, but please don't try to explain it to me. Instead, perhaps you might concentrate your energies on editing your comments into more civil, coherent exchanges. Thank you, Dana. God bless.
My apologies, I was thrown off by the coincidence of brigatista meaning "terrorist," the "revolutionary" title of your forthcoming newsletter and your warning to Mr. Keillor about the forces of authoritarianism from the left. No fever dreams were involved! But as for the Big Lie, my dear Brigattista, you know very well what that is! You don't fool me one bit! Blessings to you as well!
No, Dana, my apologies. It does seem too coincidental, doesn't it? It's like dropping off a laptop at a computer repair shop and having it end up in the hands of the FBI? What are the odds?
Anyway, I did some checking for you. Brigattista (feminine, Italian) does not mean terrorist. I believe the reference in your reading comes from the Brigate Rosse, or "Red Brigades," a far-left Marxist terrorist group in Italy in the latter part of the twentieth century. If you're old enough, you might remember that among their many actions (including an estimated 14,000 acts of political violence) was the kidnapping and assassination of Aldo Moro, Italy's former prime minister and a leading Christian Democrat politician. Talk about your January 6 style Insurrection, Dana! No knuckle-dragging, benighted trespassers in that bunch; these people were serious. I shudder to think that writing an innocent comment to a beloved entertainer gets me lumped in with such bloodthirsty ideologues. To be (I believe) seen as a GOP'er with such associations is a shame. Maybe that's what led me to suggest the phrase fever dreams. Would it be better to change my nom de plume? How does Baader-Meinhof work?
And by the way, Dana, I was just ordered to update my profile on this site, so for safety's sake I deleted that old social media canard about revolutions and newsletters...these days, the authoritarianism that matters can be staring at us right through that little LCD screen. And Mr. Keillor, my apologies for this little dust-up. Perhaps it's the idle time in retirement.
Actually it's brigatista (no double t), masculine or feminine depending on the gender of the person in question. Masculine plural brigatisti, feminine plural brigatiste. Yes, though it's often translated as terrorist it literally means member of a brigade or squad. As for Hunter Biden's laptop, it's not surprising that someone claiming to be unaware of the Big Lie would go there next. Apologies, I do tend to respond to online apologists for right-wing authoritarianism/insurrection.
"Right-wing authoritarianism/insurrection." Really? You showed promise there for a while, even examining the nuances of another language. Not many on the left have the wherewithal. But I challenge you to explain authoritarianism to me. The Democrat-led Minnesota statehouse just passed a vote establishing a Bias Registry. Would that count as authoritarianism, or wise leadership? Here are possible hate triggers that would allow an official arm of the state to catalogue and track alleged "perpetrators":
"Writing an article claiming that Covid-19 is a Chinese bioweapon."
"Wearing a T-shirt that expresses love for Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling."
"Not using someone’s preferred pronouns."
"Posting a Bible verse online critical of homosexuality."
Are you comfortable with that? This Registry is what's considered a 'progressive' idea these days. You may be very comfortable with hissing at people who hold such views; are you comfortable with having them appear in front of a court or a commission? If you are comfortable with that, then we have very different ideas about who is the authoritarian. (And please, do not even bother with the "What about Florida?" equivalency? I beg my leftie friends to actually learn what's going on, but none of them can ever get past a Chuck Schumer/MSNBC caricature.)
I am formerly of the left (really, far left). I know both sides well. Here's how to make conservatives listen to you. Ask questions. Stop throwing around enormous terms like Nazi, Fascist, Racist, Authoritarian, Denier, Liar. Realize that almost all of them are sane and decent and good, and that the ones you hate have their equivalent on the left side of the ledger. Follow the Golden Rule. You seem smart enough to understand this. I wish there were more of your kind on your side of the aisle, but if there are they seem to be in hiding.
I know the left from the inside. Rather than an intellectual force to be reckoned with, it seems today more the unrepressed, petulant id of adolescence. It would be nice if some on the left proved me wrong, and you are certainly doing your best. Which makes you an outlier in the Garrison Keillor tribe.
[BTW, I listened faithfully to Mr. Keillor from his beginnings (I discovered him, literally, in a broken car in a cornfield in Iowa) to his departure from public radio...all that time America was going through significant political changes (as was I) and he managed to be the voice of a steady, detached hand. Like the home and family one hoped to return to after all the seeking and traveling was done. His career was brought down by large (enormous) forces of accidental authoritarianism (a cause that began righteously and like so many became a caricature of virtue). I believe we were all diminished by his downfall; he is reduced to posting his thoughts on this humble site, and it is a very, very small example of what happens when what some people think is a good idea (a Bias Registry! A Cancel Culture!) reaches its obvious conclusion.]
Back in the late 80’s an unfortunate sister was hospitalized in a diabetic coma and it was time for a last-time visit back to the city I’d escaped. My family was exhausted so I stayed with her that first night after my long drive.
I’d started reading Lake Wobegon Days, so to pass the night I picked up where I’d left off. I thought she might possibly hear me so I read out loud.
It’s a hilarious book, I couldn’t stifle my laughter. After a while I noticed she occasionally stirred. Then during the section describing “Hoppy and Bob” she woke up, laughing. We chatted the rest of the night. She was bright and happy when my family returned in the morning.
On one hand they were glad to see her awake and well. On the other hand, another sister was irritated that the whole family had worn themselves out for days in a vigil, yet the “prodigal son” had simply swooped in and brought her back from the brink overnight.
Thank you. I plan to go back and read that chapter if I can find a copy of the book. I'm sure it was the voice of her brother that brought her around. You're a good man.
Your right, of course, about old books and what should become of them.
All of the libraries, church book sales, etc, within easy driving distance no longer accept *any* donations, given that all of their basements, back rooms and spare closest are stacked to the ceiling with boxes of books that well-meaning patrons have left on their front steps. (Even the single local used bookshop that is still in business is in much the same situation.)
But, like you, I’m reaching the age where I can’t help but wonder what will happen to all these beloved friends once I’m done with them. (Not to mention the desire not to leave yet one more burden like this to be dealt with by my family.)
But what’s to be done? Now, I do fully understand that simply because many of these books have been very important to me throughout my life, that anyone else would likely (and no doubt correctly) toss them without a moments thought. But still, I have some categories/groups of books (do I dare call them “collections”?) that I can’t help but believe that someone —think “impoverished grad student” or “underfunded departmental library”— wouldn’t be glad to have them.
OTOH, there are a goodly number of what can only sensibly be called “junk books” (for example, all those once very-expensive, but now 20+ year old computer programming texts) that are, and always will be useless to anyone. (I’ve often imagined that, rather than going into a landfill that there’s the source material for an interesting “art project” here in the hands of someone more imaginative than I. Any ideas?)
The bottom line is that I can’t bear the image of a huge heap of book-boxes, filling a curbside dumpster in the rain. But what’s to be done?
I see from the list of events at the bottom of your page that you seem to be making a nice loop around us here in southern Vermont (Lexington, MA; Jaffrey, NH; Peekskill, NH [should this last perhaps read “Peekskill NY”?])
Sadly, it’s too late for my wife and I to get tickets, but I will say that this past weekend’s rains have really helped the spring budding-out and that I hope your travels will bring you close enough to get a chance to appreciate how much they are helping to ensure that the lower Green Mountains are worthy of their name
(P.S. If you have an interest in the best bowl of chili that you’re gonna find anywhere, give us a shout while you’re in the neighborhood.)
my local Barnes & Noble is phasing out music cds. will DVD's be next? everything is at our fingertips electronically. i'm not one to advocate slovenliness though. we need to engage with our discourse. complaints seem to be less when u are older. i am forty eight now. i have been following Garrison Keillor since college. i do fear death. i often wonder about the unknown. maybe i should notice the flowers grow more and smell the scent of coffee. life is fleeting now so live it without pretense.
Hopefully, books will follow the lead of vinyl records and someday will look around at the people and say, “hey, you all, we’re back!”
Best regards, Joe
Peekskill,? Keep them Limericks coming. If that's all you're interested in banging out, it couldn't be a bad legacy.
Some alumnae of Bryn Mawr College run a used book store. It is located at 3241 P Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C. It is a non-profit operation and all of our stock is donated. We welcome donations of used books. We do not offer pick-up service. You have to bring them (or mail them) to us. But if you do, we sell them to a public that is always eager to buy more used books. The money we make goes to the College to support students doing internships.
Thanks for the tip. I'll start next week.
What's the name of the bookshop?
The Lantern.
It's at the address I provided in Washington, D.C. at zip code 20007.
Website: https://lanternbookshop.org/
We'd be honored to take your used books off your hands if you can get them to us.
We are open Thursdays through Sundays, hours can be found on the website.
Many thanks for your interest.
My oldest niece, an alumna of Bryn Mawr, worked in their Cambridge, MA bookstore for several years after she graduated in 1995. I don't know if it is still there. She is now the Registrar at Cambridge College which caters mostly to "returning" or "non-traditional" students, people beyond the usual college student ages. They had a man in his 90s who graduated a few years ago.
There used to be several bookstores. I believe the one in Cambridge, MA is still going strong and then ours, The Lantern, in Georgetown. Love the idea of a non-traditional college for older students and the fact that man in his 90s was able to graduate. Congrats all around to everyone who made it possible, inc. your niece.
They have a very high percentage of women and minority students, too, including the old man, who was Black. Many of the degree programs can be done online.
I first heard PHC on a roadside in the cornfields of Iowa. It was 1981. A punctured radiator got me off the road and WOI-radio was the only station I could get waiting for a tow. I listened until the car battery died. I rarely missed a Saturday evening for the next three and a half decades.
To me, one of its great attractions was that, even in its rare allusions to contemporary strife, PHC rarely strayed from a decency and detachment that is still a marvel of writerly discipline, declining the easy temptation of cheap political humor. Today, Mr. Keillor, you make reference to a type of authoritarianism which is ill-defined but seems to me to point to dark forces on the right of the political spectrum. Please do not forget that it was a movement seeking justice for women, that began honorably but in many cases became a liberal crusade, while sadly morphing into its own dark authoritarianism that took you off the air, that goaded public radio into disavowing you, that even had Town Hall remove your picture from its hallowed lobby walls (whiffs of Stalin in Manhattan? Heaven forbid!) and undeniably left millions of listeners wondering where good intentions went so grimly wrong. It is not the force of authoritarianism from the right you should be worried about but its opposite. Of all writers I love and respect, you surely know the power of a well or poorly chosen word.
The condescending extreme left can do harm as well as the sanctimonious extreme right. Trust neither.
I appreciate your thoughts and of course the cause wasn't political at all but simply a shakedown attempt by two ex-employees that went bad, but I've moved on and found an odd freedom in being cancelled. I enjoy everything more, writing, performing, daily life, some of which has to do with being 80 --- "to love that well which thou must leave ere long" --- but much has to do with the loyalty of friends of the show. Life is good.
Wow! All this and not a word about the Big Lie, efforts to stoke anger over the supposedly impending Great Replacement, mounting threats of political violence, a complete lack of action to address mass shootings, the January 6th attack on the Capitol, etc., etc.--all courtesy of the so-called GOP. Then again, unless I am mistaken, your handle means "terrorist" (although I thought the spelling was brigatista) and your (so far silent) newsletter is "When the Revolution Comes," so why am I at all surprised?
Dear Dana:
First...Excuse me? Briggatte was my grandfather's surname. Terrorist? A hardware store owner in Terre Haute, Indiana, was the least likely of your GOP terrorist suspects. He was an immigrant Democrat, although that seems like a different world. How did you manage to conflate all of your fever dreams into my single, sympathetic observation about a social movement that eventually sucked a lot innocent people under, particularly Mr. Keillor; the void left behind from his "de-platforming" (as the young people say these days) has obviously not yet been filled by kind, gentle humor, your weird statement here being pretty good proof.
And for your information, "When the Revolution Comes" was an unproduced screenplay I wrote years ago, not some crazy manifesto. Oh and I still can't figure out what this Big Lie stuff is, but please don't try to explain it to me. Instead, perhaps you might concentrate your energies on editing your comments into more civil, coherent exchanges. Thank you, Dana. God bless.
My apologies, I was thrown off by the coincidence of brigatista meaning "terrorist," the "revolutionary" title of your forthcoming newsletter and your warning to Mr. Keillor about the forces of authoritarianism from the left. No fever dreams were involved! But as for the Big Lie, my dear Brigattista, you know very well what that is! You don't fool me one bit! Blessings to you as well!
No, Dana, my apologies. It does seem too coincidental, doesn't it? It's like dropping off a laptop at a computer repair shop and having it end up in the hands of the FBI? What are the odds?
Anyway, I did some checking for you. Brigattista (feminine, Italian) does not mean terrorist. I believe the reference in your reading comes from the Brigate Rosse, or "Red Brigades," a far-left Marxist terrorist group in Italy in the latter part of the twentieth century. If you're old enough, you might remember that among their many actions (including an estimated 14,000 acts of political violence) was the kidnapping and assassination of Aldo Moro, Italy's former prime minister and a leading Christian Democrat politician. Talk about your January 6 style Insurrection, Dana! No knuckle-dragging, benighted trespassers in that bunch; these people were serious. I shudder to think that writing an innocent comment to a beloved entertainer gets me lumped in with such bloodthirsty ideologues. To be (I believe) seen as a GOP'er with such associations is a shame. Maybe that's what led me to suggest the phrase fever dreams. Would it be better to change my nom de plume? How does Baader-Meinhof work?
And by the way, Dana, I was just ordered to update my profile on this site, so for safety's sake I deleted that old social media canard about revolutions and newsletters...these days, the authoritarianism that matters can be staring at us right through that little LCD screen. And Mr. Keillor, my apologies for this little dust-up. Perhaps it's the idle time in retirement.
Actually it's brigatista (no double t), masculine or feminine depending on the gender of the person in question. Masculine plural brigatisti, feminine plural brigatiste. Yes, though it's often translated as terrorist it literally means member of a brigade or squad. As for Hunter Biden's laptop, it's not surprising that someone claiming to be unaware of the Big Lie would go there next. Apologies, I do tend to respond to online apologists for right-wing authoritarianism/insurrection.
"Right-wing authoritarianism/insurrection." Really? You showed promise there for a while, even examining the nuances of another language. Not many on the left have the wherewithal. But I challenge you to explain authoritarianism to me. The Democrat-led Minnesota statehouse just passed a vote establishing a Bias Registry. Would that count as authoritarianism, or wise leadership? Here are possible hate triggers that would allow an official arm of the state to catalogue and track alleged "perpetrators":
"Writing an article claiming that Covid-19 is a Chinese bioweapon."
"Wearing a T-shirt that expresses love for Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling."
"Not using someone’s preferred pronouns."
"Posting a Bible verse online critical of homosexuality."
Are you comfortable with that? This Registry is what's considered a 'progressive' idea these days. You may be very comfortable with hissing at people who hold such views; are you comfortable with having them appear in front of a court or a commission? If you are comfortable with that, then we have very different ideas about who is the authoritarian. (And please, do not even bother with the "What about Florida?" equivalency? I beg my leftie friends to actually learn what's going on, but none of them can ever get past a Chuck Schumer/MSNBC caricature.)
I am formerly of the left (really, far left). I know both sides well. Here's how to make conservatives listen to you. Ask questions. Stop throwing around enormous terms like Nazi, Fascist, Racist, Authoritarian, Denier, Liar. Realize that almost all of them are sane and decent and good, and that the ones you hate have their equivalent on the left side of the ledger. Follow the Golden Rule. You seem smart enough to understand this. I wish there were more of your kind on your side of the aisle, but if there are they seem to be in hiding.
I know the left from the inside. Rather than an intellectual force to be reckoned with, it seems today more the unrepressed, petulant id of adolescence. It would be nice if some on the left proved me wrong, and you are certainly doing your best. Which makes you an outlier in the Garrison Keillor tribe.
[BTW, I listened faithfully to Mr. Keillor from his beginnings (I discovered him, literally, in a broken car in a cornfield in Iowa) to his departure from public radio...all that time America was going through significant political changes (as was I) and he managed to be the voice of a steady, detached hand. Like the home and family one hoped to return to after all the seeking and traveling was done. His career was brought down by large (enormous) forces of accidental authoritarianism (a cause that began righteously and like so many became a caricature of virtue). I believe we were all diminished by his downfall; he is reduced to posting his thoughts on this humble site, and it is a very, very small example of what happens when what some people think is a good idea (a Bias Registry! A Cancel Culture!) reaches its obvious conclusion.]
Back in the late 80’s an unfortunate sister was hospitalized in a diabetic coma and it was time for a last-time visit back to the city I’d escaped. My family was exhausted so I stayed with her that first night after my long drive.
I’d started reading Lake Wobegon Days, so to pass the night I picked up where I’d left off. I thought she might possibly hear me so I read out loud.
It’s a hilarious book, I couldn’t stifle my laughter. After a while I noticed she occasionally stirred. Then during the section describing “Hoppy and Bob” she woke up, laughing. We chatted the rest of the night. She was bright and happy when my family returned in the morning.
On one hand they were glad to see her awake and well. On the other hand, another sister was irritated that the whole family had worn themselves out for days in a vigil, yet the “prodigal son” had simply swooped in and brought her back from the brink overnight.
But it was the book.
Thanks
Thank you. I plan to go back and read that chapter if I can find a copy of the book. I'm sure it was the voice of her brother that brought her around. You're a good man.
What a wonderful story.
Your right, of course, about old books and what should become of them.
All of the libraries, church book sales, etc, within easy driving distance no longer accept *any* donations, given that all of their basements, back rooms and spare closest are stacked to the ceiling with boxes of books that well-meaning patrons have left on their front steps. (Even the single local used bookshop that is still in business is in much the same situation.)
But, like you, I’m reaching the age where I can’t help but wonder what will happen to all these beloved friends once I’m done with them. (Not to mention the desire not to leave yet one more burden like this to be dealt with by my family.)
But what’s to be done? Now, I do fully understand that simply because many of these books have been very important to me throughout my life, that anyone else would likely (and no doubt correctly) toss them without a moments thought. But still, I have some categories/groups of books (do I dare call them “collections”?) that I can’t help but believe that someone —think “impoverished grad student” or “underfunded departmental library”— wouldn’t be glad to have them.
OTOH, there are a goodly number of what can only sensibly be called “junk books” (for example, all those once very-expensive, but now 20+ year old computer programming texts) that are, and always will be useless to anyone. (I’ve often imagined that, rather than going into a landfill that there’s the source material for an interesting “art project” here in the hands of someone more imaginative than I. Any ideas?)
The bottom line is that I can’t bear the image of a huge heap of book-boxes, filling a curbside dumpster in the rain. But what’s to be done?
I see from the list of events at the bottom of your page that you seem to be making a nice loop around us here in southern Vermont (Lexington, MA; Jaffrey, NH; Peekskill, NH [should this last perhaps read “Peekskill NY”?])
Sadly, it’s too late for my wife and I to get tickets, but I will say that this past weekend’s rains have really helped the spring budding-out and that I hope your travels will bring you close enough to get a chance to appreciate how much they are helping to ensure that the lower Green Mountains are worthy of their name
(P.S. If you have an interest in the best bowl of chili that you’re gonna find anywhere, give us a shout while you’re in the neighborhood.)
That Peekskill NH should be Peekskill NY alright. I shall inquire about that chili.
We’ll have the accompanying grilled cheese and the chilled Dr Pepper at the ready.
my local Barnes & Noble is phasing out music cds. will DVD's be next? everything is at our fingertips electronically. i'm not one to advocate slovenliness though. we need to engage with our discourse. complaints seem to be less when u are older. i am forty eight now. i have been following Garrison Keillor since college. i do fear death. i often wonder about the unknown. maybe i should notice the flowers grow more and smell the scent of coffee. life is fleeting now so live it without pretense.
What an excellent goal for a writer--to write something useful, even indispensable!