When Kelly Andrew was growing up in Connecticut, she went to Brookline Booksmith many times to hear authors talk about their work when her family would visit Boston.
Now that she’s a best-selling novelist herself, she returns there to talk about her own work. She was at the Coolidge Corner mainstay Thursday night for a conversation about her new book, “I Am Made of Death,” a horror-romance tale featuring characters who are deaf.
“The first time I came to an event was as a reader,” said Andrew, who lost her hearing at age 4 but regained it through an implant at age 9. “It was a formative and prominent part of my journey.”
C.L. Herman, a fellow author, interviewed Andrews in front of dozens of people. A sign language interpreter stood next to the pair, translating what they said, as some audience members were deaf.
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The 64-year-old store is a major destination for best-selling authors and other celebrities. This month alone Brookline Booksmith will host young adult novelist John Green, journalist Omar El Akkad and nonfiction writer Laurie Woolever.
Comedian and actress Chelsea Handler talked about her new memoir, “I’ll Have What She’s Having,” before a crowd of hundreds at the store last week. Novelist and essayist Elinor Lipman was there Tuesday to talk about her new book, “Every Tom, Dick & Harry.”
Best-selling author Joseph Finder has been promoting his psychological thrillers at the bookstore since 1991. In late January, he had a conversation with Hank Phillipi Ryan, a fellow thriller writer, about his new book “The Oligarch’s Daughter.”
People enjoy hearing what authors have to say about their writing processes instead of just hearing them read aloud from their books, Finder said.
“They want to hear the story behind the story,” he said. “They want you to talk more than they want you to read.”
Brookline Booksmith customers are sophisticated and savvy, Finder said.
“One of the most engaged bookstores that I’ve been to,” Finder said. “I made a lot of sales that night alone.”
He has seen bigger audiences at other bookstores on his tours but rarely audiences as engaged.
Marshall and Judy Smith opened Brookline Booksmith at Coolidge Corner in 1961. They expanded in the 1970s, opening more than 70 Booksmith stores across the country. The chain didn’t last long. By the 1980s, the couple closed down the majority of the other stores. They held onto the neighboring Wellesley Booksmith before selling it in 2010.
The Smith family has remained at the helm of the store throughout its lifetime. Marshall died in May 2022, but Judy still serves on the board of directors.
In September 2022, the store added a wing. The author events, which had been held in the basement, have moved to the new space.
Lisa Gozashti, who began working at Brookline Booksmith in 1991 and became a co-owner 24 years later, said the store hosts a wide variety of events to engage with the diverse customer base.
“We try to have an oasis for an examined life,” she said. “People that are engaged in living in any capacity will walk into our space and find something that inspires them.”
Silas Winer, who has worked as the assistant director for events at the bookstore for two years, said the event is an opportunity for the community to come together to learn new things.
“These are the best hours of our lives,” he said.
This story is part of a partnership between Brookline.News and the Boston University Department of Journalism.