Interviews

Today I had a great interview with Peter Glassman, owner of Books of Wonder an independent bookstore in New York City. booksofwonder.net. Mr. Glassman is the person I purchased my first and only (because I happen to almost exclusively live on a student salary save presently) Trina Schart Hyman painting. Drifting back to that fine day I can recall Kate & Amy Silver and I exploring New York City for the first time in my rather small-town rural existence. Knowing that I was to be working in New York with Holiday House, we thought it might be smart to do a dry-run--if nothing else, to locate where in fact Holiday House was located. I also happened to want to look at this bookstore which I had viewed on the web prior as a dealer of Trina's art work... and so with no further adieu, we found Books of Wonder, a phenomenal bookstore that was just my cup of tea. Filled with beautiful books, books that had been long out of print, posters, collectibles you name it, but perhaps the most powerful was if one wandered to the back of the store where stunning pieces of original art hung on the walls.
"Molly, you have to ask if there are any Trina pieces in storage," Kate whispered as we stared at the large piece from Sense Pass King... and so I did... braving the young cashier to ask her to look in back.
There we found it, my little Trina painting, complete with finger print smudges off to the side. While the price tag was totally respectable for the work, my little college self wasn't sure I could afford it. So I went with the "Could you give me a second to think about it?" pause.
"Molly," Kate hissed. "I will not be friends with you if you don't buy that. Consider it research and use your grant money."
Such a little blackmailer that Kate Silver... but there we were and out I walked with a nice complimentary "Books of Wonder" canvas bag and my very own Trina Schart Hyman painting.
All this being extolled, I also happened to earn a conversation with the owner, a long time friend of Trina's who came out and was delightfully friendly, full of stories and a genuine love for the artist I had long admired. This was Peter Glassman. Years later, one San Francisco Captain later, and a book well on it's way to completion, I once again connected with Mr. Glassman to hear additional stories and details about Trina, this time to assist in the depth of my chapter on art galleries.