Shelves and the City: All About the Whirlwind Weekend in the City of Angels
By: Raquel Green and Seth Betzler
A week after our return from Shelves and the City, we asked our fellow traveler attendees about their thoughts on our magical weekend. We shared a survey and asked those willing to share their honest opinions about our bookish adventure!
Shelves and the City was a brand trip sponsored by HarperCollins, specifically the William Morrow imprint which houses Avon, Epic Reads, & HarperVoyager. Bookish content creators were invited for either three or four days, based on alumni status of the event, to spend time in LA celebrating the work we do as content creators for the publisher. All we had to do was pack a bag and go. There were no requirements to post or create content, we just had fun as HarperCollins celebrated us. Days were spent lounging by the pool with a good book, exploring the city's many bookstores, among many other things, while nights were filled with dinners and parties that brought together the Harper staff, bookish creators, and authors.
Since we were in LA, we also volunteered at one of two places. First was at the Reparations Club, a woman-owned, Black-owned, queer-owned bookstore where the owner, Jazzy, is starting an initiative to rebuild the bookshelves of LA, one book at a time. We were able to select one book on Harper’s dime to kickstart this program. The second volunteer location was at the LA Food Bank where many bookish creators gathered to sort and package food going to those in need (you can donate here). Check out what some participants had to say about the event below!
What was your favorite part of the event?
Deanna (@fictional.deanna): “I loved the diversity and the volunteering! It was amazing to see so many different branches of the community brought together. And I think it was really cool to go into a community and give back to the community instead of just disrupting and taking.”
Rae (@raethereviewer): “I loved the alumni night and the welcome party most.”
Shelves and the City, Welcome!
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Were there any aspects of the event that you disliked or found disappointing?
Sarah (@sarahsbookstacks): “I was so charmed by being in Beverly Hills, but I wish the event was held in a city that has better public transit/is more walkable. There were cool spots in the area, but there was barely time to hit up more than one bookstore or spot outside of the immediate area of the hotel. I also didn’t love that half the group arrived Thursday and half on Friday. First time attendees were already so nervous and this certainly didn’t help!”
Kaley (@chronicallybookish): “I was sad we didn’t do a bookstore crawl all together like last year.”
Which activity, panel, or event had the biggest impact on you? Why?
Sera (@serareadthat): “The reparations bookstore visit. The owner was so nice and really spoke to us as influencers and understood the nuance and she was a breath of fresh air.”
Rachel (@rachelskyereads): “The last night party because we were all sleep deprived and the masks were OFF so we were our realest selves.”
Did you make any meaningful connections at the event? Tell us about your experience.
Sarah (@sarahsbookstacks): “I did! I got to meet many of my internet book pals in person for the first time, and that was such a gift. These are people that I’ve known through my phone screen for several years and now I know them even better. :’) virtual forehead kisses to all my friends!!”
Sera (@serareadthat): “YES! I met a creator named Khalilah and me and her and my friend Kenzi got really close and I’m so obsessed with them. I also got to reconnect with my friend Cielo who I’ve been having withdrawals from! I ALSO! got to spend some time with my friend Raquel. And we had the best uber ride I’ve ever had, gabbing with our driver about Asian dramas. Got to visit little Tokyo with her and be a tourist and nerd out on little knick knacks. Twas quite healing.”
Of the books you grabbed during the welcome party, which are you most excited to read?
Overwhelmingly, the response to this question mentioned Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Katabasis is a new standalone from R.F. Kuang that follows two academic rival students who descend into hell to rescue their recently deceased professor. The hype for this book cannot be understated and the mad dash many people made to get their hands on this book was completely warranted.
What’s one idea you’d love to see implemented at the next "Shelves and the City"?
Rae (@raethereviewer): “One huge group picture with everyone.”
Rachel (@rachelskyereads): “An activity where we get to speak to each other, kind of like speed-dating.”
Sera (@serareadthat): “More reading focused events, like a reading sprint pajama party or a book swap!”
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Do you feel like events like this are important? Why or why not?
Kaley (@chronicallybookish): “I think showing your love for your influencers, and especially those from marginalized identities, is incredibly important! Influencers do so much for the industry.”
Deanna (@fictional.deanna): “I think they are so important! There’s no way of talking about it without sounding biased (though I will say, I said this last year before being an attendee). But getting the opportunity to celebrate bookish creators and our community is such an incredible and vital thing that we often don’t get—especially if you’re a smaller and/or diverse account. Each of us has an impact on the bookish space and it’s nice that our impact is noticed.”
Shelves and the City, Los Angeles