The King’s English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, Utah

Tall and thin she sat down next to me in the auditorium of a book trade show called BookExpo. Her energy radiated up off the chair as we talked about how independent bookstores survive in this difficult market. Especially in Salt Lake City.

Betsy Burton began the bookstore in 1977 and eventually started “The Westminster Poetry Series” The poet Mark Strand joined the University of Utah and he brought hundreds of poets to read at the university and TKE. On a given week you might hear Louise Gluck, Jorie Graham, Robert Pinsky and many more. In Utah? In Utah.

This gem of a bookstore has poets and writers on its staff. Betsy has hosted Isabel Allende and, I think, every other known author – but only Isabel Allende helped her cook dinner in Betsy’s kitchen. She also writes Book Sense items, appears on Utah public radio and is the co-author and editor of Inkslinger a nationally known bookseller newsletter.

There is no book they cannot find and no author they do not know. If you want to read more about this extraordinary place there is a book “The King’s English” by Betsy Burton complete with book lists dated by decade, mysteries, collections lists for kids according to their ages and interests and on and on. Read it and be amazed at how this woman built this store book by book, author by author and excels by expanding our idea of a bookstore from a bricks and mortar building into a center for ideas and words spoken and on the page. She is an inspiration to us all.