[Crwt-undergrad-info] [CW-Grad] UCR MFA Alumni Cellar Door Books

Fri Jan 20 16:25:36 PST 2023

Congressman (and one of our MFA alums!) Mark Takano, has made a statement. Can only help!

https://www.facebook.com/RepMarkTakano/posts/726561515495921

------------------------------
Tod Goldberg
Professor, Program Director
Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts
75080 Frank Sinatra Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92211
760-834-0928
[signature_1688563169]

From: CWgrad-announcements <cwgrad-announcements-bounces at lists.ucr.edu> on behalf of Laila Lalami <lailal at ucr.edu>
Date: Friday, January 20, 2023 at 3:15 PM
To: Allison Hedge Coke <allisonh at ucr.edu>
Cc: Michael Jayme <mjayme at ucr.edu>, Goldberry Long <goldberry.long at ucr.edu>, Jane Smiley <horse.chuckle at gmail.com>, alumni <mfa_alumni at lists.ucr.edu>, b b <bonnieandclyd at hotmail.com>, John Jennings <john.jennings at ucr.edu>, crwt-undergrad-info at lists.ucr.edu <crwt-undergrad-info at lists.ucr.edu>, Jos Charles <jos.d.charles at gmail.com>, Mfa edu <cwgrad-announcements at lists.ucr.edu>, Emily Susan Rapp Black <emily.rappblack at ucr.edu>, Allen Ivers <iversallen0 at gmail.com>, susan straight <gailarose at yahoo.com>, Steve Erickson <jainlight at mindspring.com>, Rachelle Cruz <rachellea.cruz at ucr.edu>, Joshua Hardina <jhard001 at ucr.edu>, Alex Espinoza <alex.espinoza2 at ucr.edu>, Charmaine Craig <charmaine.craig at ucr.edu>, Nalo Hopkinson <naloh at ucr.edu>, Reza Aslan <rezaaslan at gmail.com>, Josh Emmons <joshme at ucr.edu>, Andrew Winer <andreww at ucr.edu>
Subject: Re: [CW-Grad] UCR MFA Alumni Cellar Door Books
I sent a note to the address given on the online form. I really hope the owner changes his mind.
LL

Laila Lalami
Distinguished Professor
Department of Creative Writing
INTN 3016
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521

On Fri, Jan 20, 2023 at 12:26 PM Allison Hedge Coke <allisonh at ucr.edu<mailto:allisonh at ucr.edu>> wrote:
Great to know!

Allison Adelle Hedge Coke
2022-2023 Mellon Dean’s Professor
Center for Ideas & Society
Distinguished Professor
Creative Writing, School of Medicine,
& the proposed Dept. of Society, Environment, & Health Equity (SEHE)
2022-2023 Mellon Dean's Professor<https://ideasandsociety.ucr.edu/fellowships/>
Center for Ideas and Society<https://ideasandsociety.ucr.edu/fellowships/>
Weird Times, Be Kind
Allison Adelle Hedge Coke<https://profiles.ucr.edu/app/home/profile/allisonh>
Director, Writers Week 2021, 2022<http://writersweek.ucr.edu>, Co-Director in 2023
Along the Chaparral, Sandhill Crane Fest
author/editor of 18 books
Most recent release, National Book Award Finalist,  Look at This Blue <https://coffeehousepress.org/collections/shop/products/look-at-this-blue>

She/her
Surname is Hedge Coke, no hyphen

On Fri, Jan 20, 2023 at 7:20 AM Goldberry Long <goldberry.long at ucr.edu<mailto:goldberry.long at ucr.edu>> wrote:
Dear Everyone,

Thank you for your help!  The owner of Canyon Crest who decided to evict Cellar Door is Mr. Jeff Lerch.  As you write your emails, please address them to him, not Maggie, who is not responsible for the choice. She has been kind to Cellar Door, and Mr. Lerch is the responsible party.

Best wishes,
Goldberry

On Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 1:59 PM b b <bonnieandclyd at hotmail.com<mailto:bonnieandclyd at hotmail.com>> wrote:
Thanks, Tom.  How nice it’d be if these places could co-exist side by side, along with their differences….
Bonnie Bolling, MFA
Editor in chief
Verdad
verdadmagazine.org<http://verdadmagazine.org>

On Jan 19, 2023, at 2:16 PM, Allen Ivers <iversallen0 at gmail.com<mailto:iversallen0 at gmail.com>> wrote:
 I shall assemble my minions and draft responses!

It’s not often when we get to help someone who has helped us before.

-Allen Ivers

On Jan 19, 2023, at 10:30 AM, Tom Lutz <tomlutz at ucr.edu<mailto:tomlutz at ucr.edu>> wrote:

Yes, as I said in my note, I think the management of Canyon Crest is who should be contacted, as it is their lease with the book store that is in question. Allison Hedge Coke called, and the assistant manager at Arcade says they love the bookstore, they send customers there, they shop there. It is not Arcade that is behind this, and so I recommend that they not be vilified in this process. Sorry for any confusion.

On Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 11:19 AM Goldberry Long <goldberry.long at ucr.edu<mailto:goldberry.long at ucr.edu>> wrote:
Thank you Sarah! As I said elsewhere, I can't confirm that it is definitely Arcade behind the eviction.  I do know that they asked the center's security to make Linda stop holding Drag Queen Story Hour (although they won't admit it) and they have been openly hostile to progressive causes (including an "Impeach Newsom" sign in their window and one owner retweeting the "Planned Parenthood sells baby parts" canard), but I cannot definitively link the owners to the eviction.  Please keep this in mind when protesting.

The landlord is the definitive cause of the eviction, and can easily be contacted via the information below.  It may well serve our goal of standing up for Cellar Door to focus on the landlord.

GB

On Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 10:44 AM Sarah Helms <shelm007 at ucr.edu<mailto:shelm007 at ucr.edu>> wrote:
Hi all, I went the route of leaving a negative Google review and then in my message to Canyon Crest management, elaborated some support for Cellar Door Books and let them know about said review. I don't think negative comments reviews are the always the best answer in our world...but felt ok for this, to me. Here is my review if helpful to anyone who would want to do the same.

In good conscience, I don't recommend coming to any Arcade location. Honestly I really wanted to ignore the politics of this business' owners because they are a local business with nice seating areas and decent coffee, even when I knew they did not follow mask mandates (that would have at least protected their most health-vulnerable customers). I was still ok supporting them and appreciated the space. The reason I'm writing this review now is that the conservatism of this business / its owners is infringing on the freedom and operations of the only independent bookstore in Riverside, Cellar Door Books, which is directly next to Arcade's outdoor seating area. Cellar Door Books carries a wealth of local authors (which of course includes queer, Indigenous, and other minority authors in the community, and events supporting them), loads of children's books, and classics. So! There are some wonderful other local coffee shops -- Mundial's drip coffee is equally good and their lattes and specialty drinks are much, much better (!!); Molinos and Lift Roasters are also awesome. Take your business elsewhere and don't support a place that doesn't actively support the diversity, and health, of everyone in their community. We should expect our local businesses to be supportive of us all, and of other businesses. Riverside is better than this.

On Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 11:25 AM Roda Avelar <ravel007 at ucr.edu<mailto:ravel007 at ucr.edu>> wrote:
Thank you for bringing this to our attention! I've sent a letter to the email listed above, it only took a few minutes!

Roda

On Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 6:01 AM Tom Lutz <tomlutz at ucr.edu<mailto:tomlutz at ucr.edu>> wrote:
We would like to enlist the department in helping Riverside's ONLY independent bookstore, Cellar Door Books.  Last night, the owner of Cellar Door, Linda, received an eviction notice that gives her 40 days to leave her current location. The store is profitable and well-run. But Linda has one strike against her: she is vocally and very publicly progressive.

For years now, Cellar Door has held Drag Queen Story Hour. When Jammin' Bread closed, a new owner moved in and opened a cafe called Arcade. This place is owned by a very conservative member of a megachurch whose congregation can be seen protesting, yelling, and frowning mightily against Cellar Door's Drag Queen Story Hour, as well as Linda's ongoing masking policy and frequent displays of novels by minoritized groups, Black and Latinx and Queer and Asian and Indigenous and others. Linda has prominent signs in the windows supporting BLM and other progressive causes.

Cellar Door has always stocked UCR writers, and our department has held readings there. It is a thriving place where book clubs meet and local children first learn to browse the shelves. We would like as many people as possible to write to the owner of Canyon Crest. Those protesting Cellar Door have written many letters, and I'd like her landlord, the owner of Canyon Crest Towne Center to know there are just as many, and probably more, voices who support Cellar Door.

Canyon Crest Management,Inc.
Maggie Sarinana
maggie at canyoncrestmgmt.com<mailto:maggie at canyoncrestmgmt.com>
Office: 951-686-1222 Ext 10

There is also a contact form here: https://shopcanyoncrest.com/contact-us <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fshopcanyoncrest.com%2Fcontact-us&data=05%7C01%7C%7C2ffb68ed533a4dd98e5708dafa5a14e0%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638097562122759371%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=QAdrCBq8ghg55qdXkA4T%2B3apRWbDVd8nwDDs6fK9CaY%3D&reserved=0>

And of course we encourage going to the store and supporting it, too.

Thanks, Tom Lutz and Goldberry Long
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--
Roda Avelar
MFA Candidate in Poetry, 2023
UC Riverside
(she / they)
www.rodolfoavelar.com<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rodolfoavelar.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C2ffb68ed533a4dd98e5708dafa5a14e0%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638097562122759371%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=7kfZxaZGytr%2BouDxXQy106nBwgQvMypr72vJpgmAYfE%3D&reserved=0>

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--
Goldberry Long, MA, MFA
Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Creative Writing
Distinguished Teaching Professor
she/her what's this?<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cultureamp.com%2Fblog%2Fgender-pronouns-in-workplace&data=05%7C01%7C%7C2ffb68ed533a4dd98e5708dafa5a14e0%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638097562122759371%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=trZsGe%2FU%2FAEo%2FofNZM54JXL0imgrI8RnRTECKgyf48A%3D&reserved=0>

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--
Goldberry Long, MA, MFA
Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Creative Writing
Distinguished Teaching Professor
she/her what's this?<https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/gender-pronouns-in-workplace>

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