HELLO FRIENDS

welcome to the local bookworm

About TLB

A brainchild of an identity-shy Gen Zer, The Local Bookworm is about creating a space for warm, organic connections. This space was inspired from a simple quote that embodies a worldview that inspires and challenges: 

  “Don’t ask me where I’m from, ask me where I’m local.” //  Tayie Selasie  

For people that have grown up part of the international community, lived abroad or are just interested in being citizens of the world, there is one question that can be impossible to answer: where are you from?

I prefer asking people where they’re local. Does away with all that superficiality and clichés and allows us to truly relate and bond with each other.

Books are the original local space–transcending time, language, culture and even law (looking at you, Madame Bovary!) to bring us together, foster relationship and encourage genuine connection. They are places that continually show us that there is more that brings us together than what separates us. With that same spirit, TLB is a place where we honor, discuss and recommend some of the only rare, treasured spaces where we can truly be one with ourselves and all our complexities…where the duality and multifaceted nature of people is celebrated, lauded and preciously preserved. 

The Local Bookworm is a place where we define ourselves, our worlds, our work and experiences beyond the logic of a singular identity. Here, we’re about prioritizing culture over country. We define our ourselves and our identities by the places, people and most importantly—the books—that have shaped our daily rituals, our relationships and the way we think about our experiences in this wild, wild world. Think of ourselves in front of a glowing hearth, laughing long into the night, and trading stories about what we’re learning in life, and how we’re using the never-ending lessons offered to us by books to create something altogether better than labelled-identities: human experiences.

So here’s to shifting our attention to where real life occurs, and in the objects that contain it: books.  

I hope you enjoy exploring The Local Bookworm as much as I’ve enjoyed curating it, and this becomes your local home for all things books.

Who is The Local Bookworm?

I’m many things—a native francophone/third culture kid, visa collector, Great Wall of China hiker and an amateur historian. I’m also an award-winning marketer with a serious penchant for books. On Saturdays, I can usually be found leafing through picturesque bookstores and strolling through any green space I can find.

My locality informs the experience and perspectives I write on, with inspiration from the stories I hold close to my heart. Seattle, Kinshasa and Houston are a few of the places I’m local to, and I’m looking forward to discovering more. My goal here is to nurture a space where we celebrate and share stories that reflect the complexity and richness of our many, many identities. 

Looking forward to connecting here with you, in this space. This is only the brightest beginning on your journey to becoming a true local.

Feel free to shoot me an email (hello@thelocalbookworm.com). Let’s keep the conversation going!