By Paul Bendix
About this blog: A 32-year resident of Menlo Park, I regularly make my way around downtown in a wheelchair. This gives me an unusual perspective on a town in which I have spent almost half of my life. I was educated at UC Berkeley, and permanentl...
(More)About this blog: A 32-year resident of Menlo Park, I regularly make my way around downtown in a wheelchair. This gives me an unusual perspective on a town in which I have spent almost half of my life. I was educated at UC Berkeley, and permanently injured there in a 1968 mugging. Half paralyzed at 21, it took me 11 years to find full-time work. A high-tech job drew me to the Peninsula in the early 1980s. After years as a high-tech marketing writer, I retired and published my own book, Dance Without Steps (Oliver Press, New York, 2012). Having long aspired to café society, I frequent Peet's on Santa Cruz Avenue. Rolling through our downtown, I reflect on my own life - which I have restarted several times. My wife died in 2009. I remarried in July, 2013.
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Menlo Park has happily moved from the 'rescue of Kepler's,' to supporting its next stage...call it 'revitalization' or even 'expansion.' What's expanding is the mission and scope of the redoubtable bookseller. A chat with Praveen Madan, Kepler's CEO, points in several positive directions.
First, book sales are up – 8%, from 2013 to 2014. The redesigned operation is working well. Public events under the new nonprofit Peninsula Arts and Letters are often packed or sold out -- and they showcase major cultural figures. To put this in perspective.... In recent days NPR and the BBC World Service interviewed Kazuo Ishiguro (author of Remains of the Day)...and Kepler's presents him
live on 2 April.
Kepler's is a community operation now. And if its new structure seems hard to define, that's because it is truly pioneering.
It's all about literacy – with mission creep. Think 'literacy' as a shared adventure. For some, it's learning to read or read better or read more enjoyably. For others, it's tackling classic literature...or global, multicultural fiction...the latest in economics or technology...whatever. Look at the book group shelves at Kepler's to get a sense of 'community reading in action.'
Kepler's CEO seemed happily harried the other day, so I kept our talk short. Still, I glanced at his posted favorite reads on my way out. The latter included my favorite Alice Munro...and I immediately decided Praveen must be an okay guy. Books are a way to connect. And the revitalized Kepler's is all about community and connection.
