Hugo House Offers $5 “Industry Talks”

Richard Hugo House in Seattle is offering “Industry Talks” for exploring “the many professional paths within the world of writing, publishing, and literary production.” While Hugo’s classes are primarily focused on writers and writing skills, these talks examine careers in all aspects of the publishing and bookselling industry.

In June, pop-up bookstore owner Roxanne Guiney will talk about her experiences running Haunted Burrow Bookstore. A writer and editor, Guiney created a temporary bookstore, aided by a Seattle program supporting pop-up businesses to fill empty storefronts. At her store, Guiney hosted a wide variety of events catering to the readers and writers of horror, science fiction, and fantasy fiction over the past year. Haunted Burrow is scheduled to close its physical location on June 21, as reported in the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog.

Guiney’s talk on “Here for a Good Time, Not for a Long Time” will be held June 12, 6:30pm to 8:30pm, at Richard Hugo House’s Lapis Theater, 1634 11th Avenue. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in advance. For more information, see https://hugohouse.org/event/industry-talks-here-for-a-good-time-not-a-long-time-running-a-pop-up-bookstore_2026-06-12/.

PNBA Goes to Edmonds

In April, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) will hold its 2026 Spring Pop-up in Edmonds, Washington. Booksellers can expect information on new titles from authors and publisher reps. Experts will lead educational sessions.

All events take place at Edmonds’ Plaza Room, the Edmonds Library, and PNBA member co-host Edmonds Bookshop. A preliminary schedule and registration information can be found at https://www.pnba.org/spring-pop-up.html.

The 2026 Spring Pop-Up will take place April 14 and 15, 2026.

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Seattle Genre Bookstores Pop Up

Seattle’s list of independent bookstores grew in 2025, with the addition of two “pop-ups” devoted to genre fiction. Both Haunted Burrow Books on Capitol Hill and Lovestruck in Lake City opened this summer in temporary locations.

Haunted Burrow Books, 430 15th Ave E., specializes in horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and occult books. The temporary store is located near the Punk Rock Flea Market’s ongoing Quality Flea Center (aka the QFC slated for demolition) and should be there through the end of the year. Owner Roxanne Guiney is a member of the Northwest Editor’s Guild and Horror Writers of America. Along with selling new books, the shop offers “Blind Dates” with books wrapped up and sold with a bag of tea. The outer wrapping gives some clues as to the “tropes” of the story, such as “dark academia” or “vampires.” These surprise packages are also available online at https://hauntedburrowbooks.com/.

Lovestruck in Seattle at 12315 Lake City Way NE is a romance book store, open through October with the support of Seattle Restored. The Seattle Restored program works to place local entrepreneurs, pop-ups, and art installations in empty storefronts. McKenna Rain, the artist behind Palm Creative, has mixed her love of romance with her own products to stock Lovestruck. Her retail efforts can be seen at https://palmcreativeshop.com/. Fans of the pink store can also follow it on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lovestruckinseattle/ to find out about special events and drawings.

Bookstores On The Move in 2024

Where would indie writers and publishers be without indie bookstores? Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association recently announced the following moves and, sadly, one closure.

Tacoma will have a new bookstore in 2024: Grit City Books. Established online in 2023, the owners plan to open at 3116 Sixth Ave in the spring. Find out more about the owners and their plans in Shelf Awareness. PNBA also reported another new Tacoma member, the pop-up bookstore Lucky Duck Book Shop.

In Corvallis, Oregon, Grass Roots Books & Music will be moving to a new location in 2024. Established in 1971, the store offers a wide range of books and free shipping for online orders. Keep an eye on their website for updates at grassrootsbookstore.com.

Longtime Seattle bookstore East West Books & Gifts relocated to Edmonds at the end of 2023. Located at 110 Third Ave. N, East West continues to offer a full array of metaphysical books and related items. Once again, they are hosting a packed events calendar too. According to their website: “Edmonds is such a beautiful town with its welcoming people, making it a fantastic destination to visit. We are beyond grateful to be able to reopen East West in this amazing community!” Find out more at the website, still called eastwestseattle.org.

Also in Edmonds, the Neverending Bookshop closed with a party on December 17. Owner Annie Carl recently edited the anthology Soul Jar featuring 31 disabled authors exploring disability representation through horror, science fiction, and fantasy stories. Carl plans to focus on her writing career in 2024.