Soulful reading

Downtown San Antonio church opens area’s newest bookstore

A new bookstore is now open at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 315 E. Pecan St.

Courtesy St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

Book lovers in San Antonio may want to consider St. Mark’s Episcopal Church as their next stop in their search of a book about poetry, social justice or spirituality in ecology.

On January 3, the downtown church formally opened a new bookstore on campus, offering numerous titles covering subjects that church representatives say could help to meet people’s spiritual, psychological, social, and literary interests.

A press release said St. Mark’s Bookstore features a plethora of works focused on social justice, poetry, the sacredness of the earth, Celtic theology, aging, grief and prayer. The new bookstore also has several titles from women authors, children’s classics, as well several fictional works, gifts, and Episcopal resources, including prayer books, hymnals, and Bibles.

In the release, bookstore manager Carla Pineda said aesthetics and content at St. Mark’s new bookstore recall a similar vibe at the former Viva! Bookstore, an independent shop that contained a popular, curated blend of spiritual and secular books on Broadway north of Alamo Heights from the early 1980s until its closure in 2016. Pineda and fellow former Viva! manager Elizabeth Cauthorn organized St. Mark’s Bookstore.

“This store continues the warm and welcoming feel of Viva!, from the book selection to the comfy chairs and caring staff. Reading material supports literary interests, spiritual needs, and religious learning of the St. Mark’s and wider community,” Pineda said in the release.

The bookstore has another category of particular interest — “Banned Books,” which lies within a display of photos of St. Mark’s parishioners and clergy holding their favorite banned book.

“We wanted to show that we recognize the power of books and reading to make a difference, to encourage critical thought and discussion. Banning a book shuts down an opportunity to grapple with ideas,” Cauthorn said.

Church officials said the new bookstore complements a 12-year old bookstore at St. Mark’s by continuing to offer spiritual guides such as Mary Earle and Philip Newell on Celtic Christianity, Walter Brueggemann on social justice, Abraham Heschel on wisdom, Brené Brown on relationships, C.S. Lewis on theology, Anne Lamott on creativity, Jane Goodall and Wendell Berry on the environment, the novels of Marilynn Robinson on faith, classic children's books on love, and a variety of Biblical commentators.

The church said the bookstore’s hours of operation are 1:30-4:30 pm weekdays, and 8:30-11:15 am on Sundays.

bookstore st. mark's episcopal church

BOUND TO HAPPEN

San Antonio poet books prestigious Texas literary award

Photo courtesy of Texas Book Festival.

Naomi Shihab Nye is this year's recipient of the Texas Writers Award.

Naomi Shihab Nye has built an enviable curriculum vitae throughout her literary career. She served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate for the U.S. Poetry Foundation and the poetry editor for The New York Times Magazine and the Texas Observer, before inspiring a new generation of voices as a writer-in-residence at Texas State University. Her work garnered lifetime achievement awards from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Arab American Museum, and the National Book Critics Circle.

The Palestinian-American poet and educator can now add another honor to the list. On October 1, the Texas Book Festival (TBF) named her the 2024 Texas Writer Award recipient. The prize, formerly the Bookend Award, recognizes writers who have profoundly impacted Texas literature.

“Naomi Shihab Nye is not only a profoundly gifted and accomplished writer, but also a dedicated educator and cherished figure in the Texas literary community,” said TBF Literary Director Hannah Gabel via a release. “We’re thrilled to celebrate her remarkable body of work.”

Nye, a resident of San Antonio, is known for a genre-hopping bibliography that includes poetry, fiction, and children’s literature. Her best-known works include Everything Comes Next, The Tiny Journalist, Voices in the Air, Sitti’s Secrets, and Habibi. A native of Jerusalem who moved to Texas in 1967, Nye has frequently returned to her identity in her work.

As part of the Texas Writer Award, TBF will bestow Nye with an aptly Texas gift: a pair of custom handmade boots from El Paso’s Rocketbuster. Attendees will also get a chance to congratulate her first-hand during festival sessions for her two 2024 releases: an editorial work, I Know About a Thousand Things: The Writings of Ann Alejandro of Uvalde, Texas, and poetry collection Grace Notes.

This year’s festival takes place November 16-17, with signings, readings, and panels in and around the State Capitol. Admission is free, save for two ticketed appearances from headliners Matthew McConaughey and Malcolm Gladwell.

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