Q&A with the Couth Buzzard

The Couth Buzzard is one of our partner independent book stores where you can purchase books for us! Recently they hosted BTP volunteers and guests for a community night and showcase!

How did you begin working with Books to Prisoners?

Our history with Books to Prisoners goes back over a decade! I asked our previous owner, Theo, and he couldn't dredge up the exact origins, but I know the partnership was originally spearheaded by Sarah, a past employee to whom we owe a great deal of thanks for what the Couth Buzzard is today. 

What makes your store different from other bookstores in Seattle?

We are a community space, first and foremost, where folks come to gather. We host between three and five events per day, from live music, to language groups, to board game nights - all free and open to the public, regularly attended by people from all walks of life. We're a full cafe as well as a bookstore, and we let people choose their price for coffee, tea, and even some of our baked goods, so that everyone can be welcomed here with a cup of something warm. 

How has your store changed in the time you've worked there? How would you like to see it change in the future?

We've changed rather dramatically over the past two years! We (Tallis and Hilary) took over the shop from Theo after he retired in June 2024, and did a substantial renovation, opening the space up for more community events and equipping it with a full kitchen. Now, we have a full menu, with everything made fresh with our own hands. We've also honed and curated the book selection, and expanded rapidly into new books as well as used. As we develop our shelves, we've been letting our passionate staff guide the way on the genres they love, while also letting sections grow according to the interests of our community. 

How does your store interact with your physical community? Your cultural community?

Hoo boy, where to start? Our event calendar is chockablock with community character. We're a hotspot for music and language practice from all over the globe - the only place around where you're likely to hear a hurdy-gurdy and a djembe drum in the same day. Our literary interests range from near to far: local authors regularly hang out at the counter, or at our open mic, while our Translation Book Club highlights our interest in world literature. We're committed to being a third place to Greenwood — not just a place where you can browse books for half an hour, but a place where you can work from home, meet for a date, see a show, and find a quiet corner. We're a lot of things, to a lot of folks.

How has your store managed to adapt and survive in an environment dominated by internet booksellers and national chains?

We depend on our community. Small businesses are always on the razor's edge in this city, and it's been incredibly useful to be many things at once - a cafe, an event space, and a bookstore. Literally, we specialize in the odd, the offbeat, the personalized recommendation, something you won't find on a bestseller list, or through an algorithm. Our bestseller last month, for instance, was The Employees, an eerie sci-fi novel by Danish poet Olga Ravn that's told entirely through interview transcripts, and is small enough to fit in your back pocket. 

Is there anything else you want the readers of our newsletter to know about your store?

Take a look at our event calendar and our menu, or just come on by and see what's happening! I think everything that's off-kilter about our world right now boils down to the fact that it's more enticing than ever to spend your time alone, at home, unconnected. That's the current we're swimming against at the Couth. If that strikes a chord, then come and talk to us about it  —  we're extremely chatty. 

And, of course, if you want to support Books to Prisoners, we'll cover 20% of the cost of any book you buy for BTP at the shop! And if you want to send them a book RIGHT NOW, you can check out our BTP registry here.