We’re glad you stopped by. Malvern Books is a brand spanking new bookstore and community space for literary enthusiasts in Austin, Texas. Our bricks-and-mortar store will open its doors to the public this fall. We’ll specialize in visionary literature and poetry from independent publishers, with a focus on lesser-known and emerging voices the world needs to hear. Our inventory will be lovingly curated and delightfully idiosyncratic, with one common thread running from shelf to shelf: we sell books we love to read and are proud to press enthusiastically into your hands (and this gesture may possibly be accompanied by a bellowing “You must read this!” Don’t say we didn’t warn you.)

As long-time Austinites, we’re also thrilled to be providing a community space for book lovers. We’ll host book and poetry readings and musical performances, and provide a friendly meeting space for book clubs. We won’t sell coffee, because we’re better at books than espresso, but we hope you’ll feel welcome to pull up a seat with your purchased-very nearby mocha latte (securely lidded!) and spend a sunny afternoon or three perusing our titles.

As for the blog, this is the place to come for event listings, special offers, book reviews, small press news, local literary happenings, interviews with writerly types, bookstore gossip, and all the usual literary shenanigans. We’ll be posting regularly—no cobwebs in this here corner of the blogosphere—and with alacrity, so please do stop by often and join in the conversation. We’d love to hear from you. You can also visit us on Facebook, where you can Like us, really Like us.

And if you’re wondering about the name, Malvern was chosen in honor of the great Medieval poet William Langland and his epic “The Vision of Piers Plowman.” It doesn’t get as much love these days as The Canterbury Tales or the chivalrous (but slightly behead-y) adventures of Sir Gawain, but it’s one of the most significant works of Middle English, and well worth a read if you like that sort of thing, i.e. mad quests, spiritual visions, and a trio of allegorical characters—Dowel (“Do-Well”), Dobet (“Do-Better”), and Dobest (“Do-Best”)—who could teach those wise monkeys a thing or two about proverbial threesomes.