Welcome to Malvern Books!

BlogMalvern Books is now closed. Malvern Books was a bookstore and community space in Austin, Texas. We specialized in visionary literature and poetry from independent publishers, with a focus on lesser-known and emerging voices.


An Update from the Manager of Malvern Books

Dear Friends,

We’ve had a wonderful time sharing our favorite books with you over the past nine years, and it’s been an honor to celebrate the work of so many brilliant writers through our readings and events.

Malvern Books is the realization of Joe Bratcher’s vision—Joe dreamt of a bookstore that would carry the books he loved, mostly poetry and fiction from small, independent presses. He wanted to promote writers and translators of books from other countries, while also championing the work of local writers.

When Joe first talked to me about opening Malvern Books, I must admit I was skeptical. I didn’t think we’d find an audience. It was 2012 and everyone was saying that bookstores were dead, Kindle and online shopping were the future. I anticipated many quiet sales days, with Joe and I just sitting there, looking at each other. He told me if that’s how it ended up, well, at least we’d have a chance to chat—and since we always seemed to laugh a lot when we talked, it sounded like a good way to spend some time. And so from then on, whenever we’d have a really slow sales day, with just a few people coming in, we’d look at each other and say, “We’re living the dream!” and we’d laugh.

But back to opening… in early 2013, with the help of our amazing architect, contractor, and interior designer, we created the space that Joe had in mind. We started posting on social media thanks to Tracey, our wonderful digital media manager and first Malvern hire. And we were so grateful to the many enthusiastic writers and readers who expressed their excitement at the imminent arrival of Malvern Books. From the very beginning it felt like we were building a community.

We opened our doors in October 2013, and we were shocked by how many people came by. You showed up and you loved what we had to offer! You constantly surprised and humbled us with your kind words and helpful suggestions. People from out of town would visit the store because a local friend had told them they had to come by, and we received much appreciated shout-outs from the Austin Chronicle and numerous other newspapers and journals.

And then 2020 hit—but even with the pandemic, we had loyal customers who came by for curbside pick ups, signed up for individual shopping appointments, and participated in our Zoom book clubs and events. If we didn’t say it enough, THANK YOU!

All along the way, we were lucky enough to have truly wonderful staff members who loved the books we carried and who helped us build the store we have now. Their work has been invaluable and we could not have done this without them.

On July 28th of this year, we lost Joe. I can’t tell you how hard it has been to try and carry on in this space without him. Our little Malvern world has not been the same since, and, as much as we love this store and our amazing customers, Malvern Books simply cannot continue without our Joe.

Malvern Books will be closing on December 31st, 2022. It has been a wonderful nine years and we thank each and every one of our cherished customers, friends, staff, and suppliers for helping us along the way.

As we move forward, we’ll be sharing our plans with you for sales and specials. For now, we just wanted to let you know this was coming. We hope you all continue to seek out works in translation and books published by small presses—there is so much great stuff out there—and that you continue to support our local independent bookstores, like our dear friends at BookWoman, among others. But, most importantly, we hope to see you in the store sometime soon, to say goodbye and to thank you, both for being the readers that you are and because you have come with us on this incredibly fulfilling journey in Joe’s world.

With heartfelt thanks and wishing you all the best,

Becky Garcia,
Manager, Malvern Books

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Malvern Books’ Club: Reading Classics from New York Review Books 1:30 pm
Malvern Books’ Club: Reading Classics from New York Review Books
Feb 4 @ 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Malvern Books’ Club: Reading Classics from New York Review Books
Welcome to Malvern Books’ Club: Reading Classics from New York Review Books, hosted (on most occasions) by Malvern’s own curmudgeon-in-chief, Dr. Joe. Everyone is invited to join us for what we’re sure will be a series of irreverent and insightful conversations. Our … Continue reading
Indie Authors at Malvern Books: Romance Is In The Air 3:00 pm
Indie Authors at Malvern Books: Romance Is In The Air
Feb 4 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Indie Authors at Malvern Books: Romance Is In The Air
Join Austin indie romance authors Cate Lawley, Regina Morris, and Kay Manis (left to right, below), as they read selections from their works and discuss how they made the leap to indie publishing. Cate Lawley is the pen name for Kate Baray’s … Continue reading
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The Boomertime Book Club 6:30 pm
The Boomertime Book Club
Feb 7 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The Boomertime Book Club
Join us for a meeting of the Boomertime Book Club! This month they will be reading Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. The Boomertime Book Club aims to read all types of books, fiction and nonfiction. We select the book … Continue reading
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An Evening with Sho Sugita & Eduardo Aparicio 7:00 pm
An Evening with Sho Sugita & Eduardo Aparicio
Feb 8 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
An Evening with Sho Sugita & Eduardo Aparicio
Join Sho Sugita, translator of Spiral Staircase, the collected poems of Japanese Futurist Hirato Renkichi, on the Austin stop of his U.S. tour. Sho will be joined by local writer and literary translator Eduardo Aparicio. Eduardo will give a reading from his Spanish … Continue reading
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Novel Night with S.D. Banks & Sugar Lee Ryder 7:00 pm
Novel Night with S.D. Banks & Sugar Lee Ryder
Feb 9 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Novel Night with S.D. Banks & Sugar Lee Ryder
Join us for another installment of Novel Night, a monthly celebration of all things prose! Here’s how it works: two published authors will read from their books and there’ll be an audience Q & A. And we’ll also have “Book Talk,” … Continue reading
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An Evening with Michael McLaughlin & mónica teresa ortiz 7:00 pm
An Evening with Michael McLaughlin & mónica teresa ortiz
Feb 10 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
An Evening with Michael McLaughlin & mónica teresa ortiz
Join us for an evening with poets Michael McLaughlin and mónica teresa ortiz. Michael will be reading from his most recent collection of poetry, Countless Cinemas.  Michael McLaughlin is both a restless and weary traveler. Countless Cinemas thoughtfully explores the difficulty of genuine … Continue reading
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B & C Book Club 1:30 pm
B & C Book Club
Feb 11 @ 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
B & C Book Club
“We read all types, we take all types. Aim to keep things light and fun.” Hosted by Jon Meador. Please visit Austin Book Club for more information.
The Lion & The Pirate Unplugged 7:00 pm
The Lion & The Pirate Unplugged
Feb 11 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
The Lion & The Pirate Unplugged
In association with VSA Texas (The State Organization on Arts and Disability) and the Pen2Paper Creative Writing Contest (a project of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities), we’re delighted to present an inclusive (mic-less) open mic for writers and musicians. Join us in celebrating … Continue reading
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Austin Writers Roulette 4:00 pm
Austin Writers Roulette
Feb 12 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Austin Writers Roulette
Austin Writers Roulette is an uncensored, theme-inspired spoken word and storytelling event. It features a different monthly theme and line up of artists who perform their original written works such as poetry, essays, spoken word, singer-songwriting, or excerpts from novels … Continue reading
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An Evening with Bruce Willard & Joe Brundidge 7:00 pm
An Evening with Bruce Willard & Joe Brundidge
Feb 15 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
An Evening with Bruce Willard & Joe Brundidge
Join us for a reading from visiting poet Bruce Willard, who will be sharing work from his most recent collection, Violent Blues (Four Way Books). Bruce will be joined by poet Joe Brundidge. Violent Blues is a blues-harp album of words, a … Continue reading
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Finnegans Wake Reading Group 7:00 pm
Finnegans Wake Reading Group
Feb 16 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Finnegans Wake Reading Group
The Finnegans Wake Reading Group of Austin is a monthly get-together to dive into the depths of James Joyce’s greatest, weirdest, and most notorious masterpiece. The process is to take turns reading aloud from the text, which allows its musicality … Continue reading
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An Afternoon with Ginny Wiehardt, Julie Poole & Drea Brown 2:00 pm
An Afternoon with Ginny Wiehardt, Julie Poole & Drea Brown
Feb 19 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
An Afternoon with Ginny Wiehardt, Julie Poole & Drea Brown
Join us for an afternoon with poets Ginny Wiehardt, Julie Poole, and Drea Brown. Ginny Wiehardt’s chapbook Migration won the 2016 Gold Line Press Poetry Chapbook Contest. Her poetry has appeared in literary journals including Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Bellingham Review, … Continue reading
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I Scream Social Galentine’s Day 7:00 pm
I Scream Social Galentine’s Day
Feb 24 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
I Scream Social Galentine's Day
Get your cones ready for another round of Malvern Books’ FREE reading series, I SCREAM SOCIAL, hosted by Malvern’s own Annar Veröld and Schandra Madha and featuring young women writers from the Austin community. This month we’ll be celebrating the … Continue reading
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G F Harper Book Launch with G F Harper, Jenna Martin Opperman & Jim Trainer 4:00 pm
G F Harper Book Launch with G F Harper, Jenna Martin Opperman & Jim Trainer
Feb 26 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
G F Harper Book Launch with G F Harper, Jenna Martin Opperman & Jim Trainer
Join us in celebrating the launch of G F Harper’s first full-length book of poetry, Savage Yard. With readings from G F Harper, Jenna Martin Opperman, and Jim Trainer. In Savage Yard, G F Harper (above) employs a poetic prose that explores the bewilderment of … Continue reading
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Malvern’s Multi-Verse with Pen2Paper 7:00 pm
Malvern’s Multi-Verse with Pen2Paper
Feb 28 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Malvern's Multi-Verse with Pen2Paper
Join us for a FREE monthly reading series, Malvern’s Multi-Verse, in which we explore the infinite possible (multi)verses of Austin’s boundless poetic universe! Held on the fourth Tuesday of every month, Malvern’s Multi-Verse features readings from guest poets, plus a Q & … Continue reading
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1:30 pm B & C Book Club
B & C Book Club
Feb 11 @ 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
B & C Book Club
“We read all types, we take all types. Aim to keep things light and fun.” Hosted by Jon Meador. Please visit Austin Book Club for more information. Share this post:EmailFacebookTwitter
7:00 pm The Lion & The Pirate Unplugged
The Lion & The Pirate Unplugged
Feb 11 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
The Lion & The Pirate Unplugged
In association with VSA Texas (The State Organization on Arts and Disability) and the Pen2Paper Creative Writing Contest (a project of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities), we’re delighted to present an inclusive (mic-less) open mic for writers and musicians. Join us in celebrating … Continue reading