Gratitude is always on our minds at Gramercy Books, not just on Thanksgiving. Our name is taken from the French, “Grand Merci,” translating to “Many Thanks!”
And, this month, we host an author whose eternal subject is gratitude, delight, and joy. His new book is Inciting Joy, and his 2015 poetry collection (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry) is called catalog of unabashed gratitude. Ross Gay returns to Columbus just after Thanksgiving, on November 29 at 7 pm. The enthusiasm to hear him in conversation with Hanif Aburraqib outgrew our bookstore space and our kind partners at King Arts Complex will host this event at the Nicholson Auditorium.
Ross Gay’s newest book of essays, Inciting Joy, arrives in an era when divisive voices take up so much air space. Here Gay offers us a vital alternative: What might be possible if we turn our attention to what brings us together, to what we love? Reading his essays in this essential collection is about finding hope, wisdom, compassion, support, community, inspiration, and love, all wrapped up in a vivid voice and lucid, lyrical prose. Gay calls joy a sanctuary and in Inciting Joy, he seeks to discover what incites joy and what it is that joy incites. The result is this wonderful gift he gives to all of us!
During this Thanksgiving month, I have an abundance of gratitude, beginning with the fact that my large extended family will finally gather on Turkey Day. I am also grateful that Gramercy Books has brought joy to this community—your frequent visits and feedback have been a source of pride and delight for all of us. I’m so thankful for the passion and knowledge each member of the Gramercy staff brings to the work we do as a team, behind the scenes and on the store floor: thank you John, Deb, Marcy, Katie, Nikki, Daniel, and Natalie! Our booksellers make it their business to know each of you as you stop by to browse and to share what new book might make your day. And aren’t we all so happy to have Wally as our bookstore mascot? Just petting him gives us joy!
On behalf of the Gramercy Books family, we are so grateful to you, fellow book lovers, who support us every day. We are grateful to be a refuge and gathering place for you, to support conversation and discourse, to provide you with inspiration and comfort, to build community, and to bring joy!
Happy Thanksgiving and big thanks! Grand Merci!
Written by Linda Kass
About the author: I began my career as a magazine writer and correspondent for regional and national publications and am now an assistant editor for Narrative, an online literary magazine. My debut novel, Tasa’s Song, was inspired by my mother’s early life in eastern Poland during the Second World War. My second historical novel, A Ritchie Boy, was inspired by my immigrant father's role as a military intelligence office in World War II. My third novel, Bessie, a fictional portrait of Bess Myerson's early life, will be released in September of 2023. I am also the proud owner of Gramercy Books, serving all of central Ohio!
Learn more about me on my personal website.
