It’s been a busy pub day for Tree Fall with Birdsong, besides writing the two previous posts about the official release online today, I mailed copies to Ann Fisher-Wirth, Jacqueline Trimble, and Claude Wilkinson with thanks for their kind words that grace its cover, and I made a stop at Friendly City Books to see Emily Liner and her staff. It was great to see books actually in a store and on the shelf.
We also talked about the book launch at Friendly City on June 5, and the store’s Poetry Book Club, where I’ll be featured on July 1, and how folks will be able to buy a personalized signed copy through the store — look for more news about a link to request this soon!
It’s so great to have a dedicated local bookstore who is willing to get behind authors and help them promote their work. I’d like support the store by funneling as many sales directly through them as possible, though sales through Bookshop.org can also benefit Friendly City or your local independent bookstore, and I’m excited to schedule readings at other stores around Mississippi, Iowa, and further afield, both to engage with readers in person and to support local stores, libraries, and schools. Anytime I can coordinate with a bookstore and a library, high school, community college, or university to organize a reading, I’ll be thrilled.
The other thing I’ve done today was spend more time than usual on social media, posting about what I’m doing, including a post on my Substack. The gratifying part of that has been reading the comments on some of my posts. The other gratifying part was seeing good news from other people, including our MFA students and faculty, and Friendly City Books, who recently announced they will hold a 2nd Annual Possum Town Book Festival on August 16, 2025, and liking, sharing, and reposting.
It’s been a busy day, and a very rewarding day.
Kendall Dunkelberg 