Happy Meet a Bookseller Monday! We’re proud to introduce you to Dartricia Rollins, bookseller at Charis Books and More.
How did you get into bookselling?
I just started showing up. I went to Charis as a curious customer and could not get enough of the place. After a while, they offered me a job!
What do you love most about being a bookseller?
What I love most about bookselling is honestly talking about books. I absolutely love talkative, book-loving customers.
What do you love most about your bookstore?
I love that my bookstore is unapologetically feminist and queer. We were feminists even when it was not cool. We center our customers first and foremost and we sell some of the most diverse books for both children and adults.
What are you listening to right now?
I am currently listening to Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James and it is fantastic! The narrator Dion Graham does a phenomenal job. In an interview, Marlon James says that his books should be read aloud and he was absolutely correct.
What audiobooks would you recommend or are among your favorites?
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James, The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, Getting Mother’s Body by Suzan-Lori Parks, and With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo.
Where / when do you listen to audiobooks?
I listen to audiobooks in the car on my commute to work. On my morning hikes with my dog Gambino. I also listen to my audiobooks during my Sunday cleaning and meal-prep.
What is your favorite thing about audiobooks through Libro.fm?
My favorite thing about audiobooks through Libro.fm is that I am able to support not only small business (Libro.fm and not Amazon) but my local, independent, feminist bookstore.
What do you do when you’re not selling books?
When I am not selling books I am reading them! I also spend a lot of time at art galleries, creating amazing shared playlists with my friends, and volunteering.