Michael DeSanto and Renee Reiner named recipients of The 2022 Bookstock Vermont Literary Inspiration Award – The Mountain Times

June 24 – 26 —WOODSTOCK — Michael DeSanto and Renee Reiner have been chosen because the joint recipients of the 2022 Bookstock Vermont Literary Inspiration Award for his or her “excellent inspiration to the literary prosperity and traditions of Vermont.”

For greater than twenty years, Desanto and Reiner have been an important pressure in neighborhood bookstores in Vermont. The couple entered the Vermont bookstore scene in 1995 with their possession of Chittenden County’s former E book Rack and Youngsters’s Pages bookstore. They based Phoenix Books in Essex in 2007 and opened Phoenix Books in Burlington in 2012. The couple then opened Phoenix Books Rutland in 2015, and Brandon in 2019.

In 2016, they bought the Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock, thereby guaranteeing the lifetime of the longest constantly open bookstore in Vermont. The Yankee Bookshop was a co-founder of Bookstock in 2009 and continues to play a vital position in our annual pageant.

Onion River Press, based by Desanto, Reiner and Phoenix Books, is a publishing service for native authors, one other expression of their dedication to the literary flourishing of our state.

Bookstock co-founder and Board chair Peter Rousmaniere stated, “Michael and Renee actually see the significance and potential of neighborhood bookstores and so design customized plans for every of their “household” member shops to flourish. Every of their six shops is a beloved gathering place for native e-book lovers, they usually actively assist regional and nationwide authors. The wealthy literary lifetime of our state is strengthened and enhanced by Michael & Renee’s particular entrepreneurial presents.”

The Vermont Literary Inspiration Award was created by Bookstock in 2019 to acknowledge people and organizations who assist the literary lifetime of Vermont. Its debut award in 2019 was offered to Inexperienced Writers Press, a Brattleboro-based writer of many Vermont authors who’ve been featured at Bookstock. As a result of pandemic, the award was not given out in 2020 and 2021.

Upon receiving information concerning the award, Michael DeSanto stated, “Renee and I are so stunned to be so honored. We love Woodstock, we like The Yankee Bookshop and completely cherish our companions, Kari Meutsch and Kristian Preylowski there. We’re very excited to go to Woodstock to be acknowledged. On behalf of our companions in Rutland and Brandon, and our 40 booksellers we’re grateful and grateful.