The motto at Bookends & Beginnings is that books change minds. Since opening the store in 2014, owner Nina Barrett (Medill ’87) has believed that educational programming is the way to change minds and build community.
Barrett launched Bookends University, an author event program, in 2022 to do just that.
“I feel like we should be making the books come alive by teaching out of them and having classes where the books change your mind,” Barrett said.
Bookends & Beginnings held writing classes at its first location, but they eventually stopped due to space and staff limitations.
In 2022, local author Freda Love Smith approached Barrett about starting up the programming again — this time at Bookends & Beginnings’ new location at 1620 Orrington Ave.
Love Smith took over Bookends University, beginning with more consistent programming through virtual classes. About a year ago, Jeremy Wilson, a writer and teacher, became the new director.
Wilson said he is focused on getting people to come into the bookstore for classes and events. In the years following the pandemic, people can find any number of classes online, he said.
“I wanted to try to do something that’s not being done as much, and so I’ve tried to focus on ‘How can I get people in the store?’” Wilson said.
Wilson often reaches out to colleagues about teaching a class, and they will reach out to him with ideas, he said. Bookends University also hosts events in which authors with upcoming releases teach classes to promote their new books, he added.
Alicia Berneche and Kelly Wright — friends for almost a decade — regularly attend classes at Bookends University.
The two friends like to work on projects together, and in January, they made a resolution together to write more, Berneche said. The two have attended about 10 Bookends University classes and events.
“It’s so hard to carve that time out for myself to focus on something that doesn’t feel urgent,” Wright said. “So, scheduling that class gives it the urgency that it needs.”
Wright and Berneche both appreciate the community that Bookends University fosters. Berneche loves the diversity of programming, which ranges from prompt-guided writing classes to editing workshops.
It is often difficult to write in solitude, Wright said, so it helps to have an encouraging community that holds the writers accountable. She also enjoys seeing new people that “share a love” for writing in the classes, she added.
“It’s so great to be able to share that with people you’ve never met before,” Wright said.
Wright also appreciates the variety of instructors because they each approach writing differently, and attendees get to take what works for them from each instructor, Wright said.
Berneche echoed this sentiment.
“I think about writing in a totally different way with all of the different workshops we’ve done,” Berneche said. “I feel like I just have so many more tools.”
Not all of Bookends University’s programming revolves around writing, though. In fact, Wilson is hoping to expand the program to other classes based on community interest, he said.
For instance, Natalie Lev teaches a tarot card class at the bookstore as a part of Bookends University. She said she pitched her idea to the Bookends & Beginnings staff because she thought they would be receptive to it — and they were.
Lev teaches every two months and has taught three so far. Each class focuses on a specific tarot card and involves walking around the room and talking with other attendees.
“I always leave with an incredible amount of energy,” Lev said.
In October, Bookends University will host Halloween-themed classes, including an Oct. 9 lecture on Frankenstein and Dracula and an Oct. 28 writing workshop about horror storytelling.
As Bookends University continues to grow, Barrett said she hopes the program becomes even more robust and attracts more people.
“Bookstores are a very democratized form of knowledge that is available to anybody who wants to walk in and might be interested in pretty much everything,” Barrett said. “That’s who we want to be in the community, and I do feel like Bookends University is a very special way of expressing that.”
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