Flew into town yesterday…read more I'm spending a whirlwind week sampling all of the many activities that this town offers. So....of course, the first thing I did was to empty my mailbox. Four copies of the Port Townsend Leader awaited; to be read, savored and (occasionally) torn apart whe I want to put an article in my dropfile. First things first. Had to plan Saturday so I checked through this week's events in the paper. Let's see... Drop by the library and return some books. (Remember folks, no fines in Port Townsend.) Pop by the Saturday morning Farmer's Market. Grab some seasonal veggies. Plan to go to Gallery Walk this evening, as its the frst Saturday of the month . Think about going to PT Shorts at the Key City Players theater. (First Saturday, once again.) And of course go to the Craft's Faire at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Perfect schedule. Wait!! What's this??? Two $10 passes to the Rose Theatre from the Leader??? Why??? I won them by entering the Film Festival contest sponsored by the Leader? You are joking...I never win anything in a contest. And yet, and yet....so tomorrow night I'm heading for a movie. In a town that really knows its movies. Thank you, Leader. Thanks for giving me all the info about my community. All the time. Even though I'm often miles away. Oh...and thanks for the tickets... This really *is* Dream City." And you are my kinda dream newspaper.

I was pleased with the Leader's handling a situation I was initially unhappy about. (Staff members…read morewere handling the guidelines VERY differently and my ad received short shrift because of it.) When I brought the issue to their attention, they volunteered to run it again, with the changes made, for free. Nice to have that kind of attention to the public in 2009!

Copper Canyon Press is a stone's throw from my Port Townsend house. Not that one would consider…read morethrowing stones at one of the world's best known "homes" for poetry publication. Far from it. I took the official tour of their building on Monday. The building itself is a small wooden structure, painted white as are all of the surrounding buildings in Fort Worden. Its very simplicity belies the important work that goes on here...last year, Copper Canyon published a Pulitzer prize winner, and its catalog boasts such well-known poets as Rabindranath Tagore, Hayden Carruth and Lucile Clifton. Did I mention that Kenneth Rexroth, Maxine Kumin and W. S. Merwin are also represented in its stable of poets? Hold it. You say some of these names are unfamiliar to you? You say that you love poetry but that you haven't yet heard of "Quote Poet Unquote" edited by the Irish writer Dennis O'Driscoll? Well...not to worry, Copper Canyon Press is not dependent upon the number of times it appears on the front page of the Enquirer. It is " a Non-Profit Publisher in the Service of Poetry". In other words, you can purchase books and poems from the press but you can also send them a contribution. (Consult with your tax person for information about the latter suggestion.) I walked around the office building, met volunteers who staff the "prize" department. I perused copies of Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda's nine volumes of poetry. I saw bilingual editions of poetry from various traditions. (Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Italian, Norwegian and Vietnamese are some of the languages represented.) And I picked up a free copy of the "Copper Canyon Reader" which has a sampling of poems from over thirty different people. I'd copy a poem or two into this review...but poets have enough trouble making a living without having Yelp reviewers steal their wares and post them for all to read. Suffice to say, if you like poems...you'll love this little Reader. Do yourself a favor. Give yourself a gift today. Buy a volume or two from Copper Canyon and just see how much better you feel about your world and your own existence. Seriously. Finished the tour, enjoyed chatting with a worker or two and then...ambled out into the mid-day sunshine of a Port Townsend February day. Walked home through a small military cemetery, passed through Blue Heron Middle School on my way up to the fairgrounds and over the hill toward home. And all the while, I was mumbling to myself a newly read stanza... "Poetry- thank goodness- is the animal that always escapes" (John Barr) Check www.coppercanyonpress.org You too, can have a similar experience.

How I love book stores! Let me count the ways... I found a book for myself, a book for my grandson…read more& John found a book too! I think Winnie the Pooh is going to stay at my house for when Riley visits! Two big rooms filed with books, books & more books. Clearly labeled sections made it easy to navigate. I even spotted John's favorite sections before he did & let him know- pssst- military history, history, American history... Here's your section. I wandered & found a cooking book & children's books. Happy purchases!

This bookstore has been a treat for me to visit. But I have been disappointed in this last year…read more When the store expanded it lost its uniqueness.. it doesn't smell like old books any longer. The main product seems to be remainders and the selection of used books has dwindled. William James has lost its uniqueness for me.

I LOVED this bookstore. So cute, and such a great selection! Whenever I travel, I like to get a…read morebook by a local author and/or based in a local setting and they had a wonderful local selection!! I picked up a book by the former owner of the store. I was also elated to see they had a little collection of Rebecca Solnit's work and I was able to snag one I didn't yet have. Would ABSOLUTELY come back someday if I ever find myself near again. Service was great. Wish I could've spent even more time and money in here lol

I had a "Blind date with a book" at Imprint Bookshop. A nice shop with a great selection of books…read moreincluding a local author section. The fun thing was what they called a Blind date with a book, a book wrapped in brown paper with a description of the book and setting. I am enjoying my first blind date now. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. I'll be back for another date...

Love this publication. I love the people in the Stanwood Camano area. And the shops, cafes and…read morebeauty

If you're ever in the local Camano/Stanwood area looking for events to join in on, look no further…read morethan the Crab Cracker. It's updated biweekly with the latest happenings and filled with local trivia and fun facts. While it might seem like a small community, it's active and always offers some fun activities, concerts, art shows, and other events. This little publication has saved my weekend on more than one occasion when my outdoor plans got rained out. Copies available in print at local area businesses or online at their website.

The only reason why I am giving this place a 5 star is because I think one of the nicest guys in…read morethe world works here. He is always smiling and looking jolly, or maybe he really likes the fact that I buy Mt. Dew. Either way, he is good people. Zipzap Zubidy Bop!

By far the best book shop i've ever been to! I love this little hidden gem of a store. The woman…read morewho helped us was extremely friendly and knew her inventory! I like to collect antique books, and was very pleased to find what they had to offer. Prices/condition of the books were pretty decent. I always tell my friends and family to check it out. Love the vibe of this place so much, I just want to bring a cozy blanket, coffee and sit in a corner all day.

This store seems to specialize in antiquarian technical books: medical, engineering, science, and…read moreso forth. This is exactly what I'm after, so it was a match made in heaven. If your taste is like mine, you will want to check out this store if you're ever in Port Townsend. It is a superb little spot that I could spend hours lost in. In addition to the technical books, it had a great selection of antiquarian books on other subjects. I spotted vintage children's books, classics, and poetry. There's a small selection of truly antiquarian books (prior to 1700) in Latin and Greek, as well. I need to go back to do quite a bit more digging around. The owner of the store is very pleasant to converse with. It's true that she prefers cash over credit cards, but as a small business I can't blame her at all. Credit card processing takes a big chunk of every transaction for the merchant.

We love to see a bookstore thriving!! This is so much more than just a bookstore (and adjoining…read morepaper/confectionery/novelty shop). Its a community hub! I recently moved to Bellingham and Village Books (and paper dreams) actually really swayed me to move here. Its a book palace, 3 stories of well organized selection. The front facing books are well chosen, and the used books are interspersed with the new books. There are quite a few staff picks sections, all of which are super interesting and worth looking over. Three days before Christmas 2025 I was there trying to pick out a horror book for a friend of mine. Horror is not my genre (more of a fantasy and literature gal myself), so I for sure needed guidance. The shop lady spent so much time reviewing the whole horror section with me . When we couldn't find the main book we decided on me buying, she spent the time looking everywhere for it. She enlisted the help of two additional staff members. When she was needed for another task, she made sure one of the other shop ladies had me covered. I ended up ordering the book, which came in a few days and they texted me when it arrived. Easy peasy! I will never forget that experince, especially as the store was jam packed with x-mas shoppers. Village books in fairhaven is the spot! My only note is that their bookclubs could be better. The bookclubs are during the day and don't have different genre selections (they are mostly nonfiction). There is a silent reading bookclub that I might try. They could be cultivating different types of communities (ie book clubs geared towards romantasy, sci-fi, literature, etc.), but maybe that will come with time.

I really wanted to love the store. I'm long time book lover and one who worked in the book…read moreindustry for over 20 years. This store seemingly has it all; great selection of books, both knew and used, lots of old wood, and a staff that seems knowledgeable if a little bit unhappy. The last part can explain why the vibe is just off. It just doesn't feel comfortable nor welcoming, and if I had to put my finger on the cause, I would say it is likely due to management. I witnessed firsthand how the store manager ignored customers in line waiting to pay because he was on the phone. You never ignore the customers who are right in front of you. I wish the store all the best, but I'm gonna take my book shopping business elsewhere.