It's official: Come see us at the Urbana Market at the Square!

Urbana's Market at the Square, our super awesome local farmer's market, has accepted us as a vendor this season!

The Market at the Square goes outdoors beginning on May 2. It is every Saturday, from 7 a.m. - noon. Come join us for 27 weeks of sun, joy and books! So. Many. Books.

Just like our first event at The Space, I am planning on partnering with A Buug Kid, run by the amazing local queer artist Emery Smith. At the Farmer's Market we're going to be offering some stuff cooperatively that I am really excited about:

We are going to be doing surprise date with a book packages, where you can choose new reads based on a short description. I have written descriptions for each book in the style of A03 summaries. If you aren't familiar with Archive of Our Own, I'm thrilled to introduce you to the world of fan-fiction.

But here's what you need to know. A03 summaries are so great because they tell you a lot about what you plan to read, so you can see if it's right for you: the genre, the pairings, the vibes, trigger warnings, etc. I am aiming to do the same with my packages.

Each book will be wrapped cutely in old newsprint from Illini Media Company, the non-profit media company running the Daily Illini, WPGU, etc., because we believe in re-use and want to cut down on paper waste! And tucked into the cute book package will be stickers, and/or a bookmark designed by a local artist. Emery is working on some beautiful art for these, or you may end up with some treats made by me, Sam!

I'm so excited to offer this fun book experience for you to treat yourself, a friend or a family member. They'll be at an affordable cost (tbd on that), and we want to hear from you if you like the book you end up with!

Okay, this post is getting long. So TL;DR, we will see you at the market, and thank you for supporting Carnation Bookhouse!