Black Bird Bookstore

We host a Poetry & Prose Open Mic at 7pm on the 2nd Wednesday of every month.

a case for book gifting + last event of the year

“It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”  
- Mother Teresa
"Does Santa give gift cards?"  
- my 13-year-old son
Dear Readers,
Gift shopping for a teen can often feel like you are just supporting a corporate coffee chain, a bubble tea franchise, or a questionable gaming interest rather than a lasting and meaningful loving act. Sadly, I have watched books drop off the wishlists of many a teen who used to voraciously consume so many of those thousand page multi- book series popular on the YA bookshelves. While there are many reasons this can happen (mostly the siren call of screens), I believe we can still gift teens a book without feeling like a total drag of a gift giver.
We can start by acknowledging that teens are basically adults who are better at tech than older adults x 10, and whose interests have a stronger emphasis on friends, right vs wrong, independence, and, yes, sex. 
For book gifting, keep in mind that this younger generation has only lived in a world where fast access to information on every topic imaginable and easy consumption of entertainment sits right in the palm of their hand. Therefore, a novel must go deep in a story with its characters (friends), world building (right vs wrong), and complex relationships (sex) to be of teen interest-- "the book was waaaay better than the movie" is what you are going for here. And informational books must be on a topic and come from a perspective that the teen is interested in (independence), not just some topic that you want to introduce them to. And wrap these gifts in a culture where books sit under the tree right next to those gift cards, are talked about as the original VR 'headset', and described as a great pairing with boba. 
Happy gifting! And thank you for shopping at small businesses this holiday season. 
Kathryn
Last Events of the Year
Book Signing
w/ George McCalman
Saturday Dec 16 // 12 - 3pm
George will be signing copies of his book Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen, with personalized inscriptions for all the folks on your holiday gifting list. Don't miss this one-of-kind gift opportunity. 
Ravens at Storytime
Saturday Dec 16th // 9:30am
Outer Sunset author Margaret Graf reads from her newest storybook The Adventures of Rob Raven, the story of an Ocean Beach raven facing the challenges of climate change. Storytime is free and open to all. 
Storytime 12/23: Families are welcome to gather in community in the backyard. No 'official' storytime. 
 
Storytime 12/30: Mimi & Friends help ring in the new year with songs, puppets and stories. 
SFFD Holiday Toy Drive
Thanks to all who have donated! The barrel is half full. SFFD is accepting donations of new and unwrapped toys and books. Black Bird is offering 20% off toys and books purchased here to be donated to the barrel.
Last day to donate to the red barrel at Black Bird is Sunday Dec 17th.