Louisiana’s bookstores are vital community hubs

Louisiana got some positive media coverage in The New York Times this month, scoring a nice publicity coup in part because of the lively bookstore scene in New Orleans. The Times article, written by Crescent City native Maurice Carlos Ruffin, was a timely reminder that in a region known for great food and music, bookstores are an important part of Louisiana’s civic life, too.

Ruffin, a novelist and professor of creative writing at LSU, wrote the June 5 Times story, “Read Your Way Through New Orleans.” He suggested books that help explain the local culture and pointed travelers to a few literary landmarks, including neighborhood bookstores. Among the New Orleans stores getting a shout-out were Baldwin & Co. near Jackson Square, along with Community Book Center and the recently renovated Octavia Books.

Ruffin’s story pointed to a reality worth keeping in mind as another summer reading season unfolds. Our local bookstores, whether they be in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport or other communities around the state, are more than venues to buy books. They’re places where people from all walks of life can gather. In a divided world, these sources of connection are needed more than ever.

That thought’s been very much with me these days as I join many others in mourning the recent death of longtime Baton Rouge bookseller Danny Plaisance. Plaisance, who died June 4, ran Cottonwood Books for many years until ill health forced him to close it in 2022.

Cottonwood’s mix of new and old books was a perfect classroom for me after I took my first newspaper job in Baton Rouge in 1986, becoming a store regular. The eclectic selection nudged me to explore cheap editions of the classics when I stopped by to catch up on just-published titles. Plaisance’s store was a draw for out-of-towners, too. Actor Tom Hanks combed the shelves a few years ago when he was in Louisiana to film a movie. It’s easy to see why Hanks, a history buff, would have been charmed. With its wealth of vintage volumes, Cottonwood smelled of must and dust, old paper and glue, a scent that seemed like inhaling the past.

While dealers in old books can be known as a crotchety bunch, there was nothing gruff about Danny. We were more likely to discuss family than reading when I saw him at his counter, underscoring Danny’s idea that books are a part of, not apart from, the rest of life.

Peering through Cottonwood’s vacant storefront some weeks ago, I was wistful when I spotted the empty shelves, but the quiet aisles seemed like the deeper absence. People, more than books, make a bookstore a community — a truth made clear when I joined other mourners at Danny’s bereavement service.

The family had printed prayer cards with a picture of Danny at his bookstore counter. I took one home, and I’m using it for a bookmark.

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.