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Watchung Booksellers' community of writers and readers dive deep into what they do for the love of books.
Watchung Booksellers is located in the heart of Montclair, NJ, a literary beacon filled with writers, journalists, publishers, and avid readers. Each year we host hundreds of author events and every day the most interesting and dedicated readers walk through our doors. Their insights and enthusiasm have inspired us to share our conversations with book-lovers everywhere. We invite you to listen and be a part of our community!
Kathryn Counsell is the Director of Author Events at Watchung Booksellers. Born a Hoosier, she made her way to New York and eventually the burbs. She's lived in Montclair, NJ for over a decade and loves walking her pup Millie to the bookstore.
Marni Jessup was born and raised in San Diego, California and probably should've spent more time going to school than going to the beach. Nevertheless she developed a lifelong love of books and is an avid reader of fiction and nonfiction. Marni is a bookseller and serves on the board of directors for the Montclair Public Library Foundation. She is an expert Moonwalker, and also loves rolled tacos and cats.
Cleyvis Natera the author of Neruda on the Park, a New York Times Editors’ Choice in 2022. She was born in the Dominican Republic, migrated to the United States at ten years old, and grew up in New York City. She holds a BA from Skidmore College and an MFA from New York University. Her writing has won awards and fellowships from PEN America, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Kenyon Review’s Writers Workshops, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She lives with her husband and two young children in Montclair, New Jersey.
Dionne Ford is the author of Go Back and Get It: A Memoir of Race, Inheritance, and Intergenerational Healing. She is an NEA creative writing fellow and the co-editor of the anthology Slavery's Descendants: Shared Legacies of Race and Reconciliation. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Literary Hub, New Jersey Monthly, the Rumpus, and Ebony and won awards from the National Association of Black Journalists and the Newswomen's Club of New York. She holds a BA from Fordham University and an MFA from New York University. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey.
