We arrived at Fair Trade Books, and my friend introduced me to Rick and Zoe, the owners, who warmly welcomed me. Rick surprised me by saying that they offer a free book to new visitors, and he asked me what book I would like. I was so touched that I was lost for words. Eventually, I mentioned several authors, and I also mentioned folklore.
Rick went to the shelves behind me and came out with a book titled "The Greenblatt Reader," edited by Michael Payne. With much gratitude, I told Rick that I remembered the name of Stephen Greenblatt from my graduate school days at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1980-86, in a course on comparative literature.
Rick shared with me the Fair Trade Books motto: "Books make great gifts." I was moved by that motto and told him that it reminded me of Ernest Hemingway's saying, "There is no friend as loyal as a book."
Let me say, finally, that Fair Trade Books had shared, on its Facebook page, the announcement of my Red Wing talk. I look forward to visiting it again, to explore its rich collection, buy some books, or maybe for an author event.
