C.C.Fuller (Cammie) is the owner of an independent bookshop, The Open Book, in Warrenton, Virginia. She is the co-leader and founder of The Book Club for Writers. She writes nonfiction and poetry. Her work can be found in Taproot Magazine, The Intima, and Poetry on the Trail, as well as the Tupelo 30/30 Project.
A bookstore is, before anything else, an act of faith that a community will show up for it. Cammie Fuller had that faith in Warrenton, Virginia, and seven years later, the Open Book is still here, having survived a pandemic that arrived almost to the day of its first anniversary. In this episode, I sit down with Cammie in her shop to talk about what it has taken to build not just a bookstore, but a writing community around it.
Cammie tells the story of choosing to open a bookstore rather than move to find one, her “baby” - the Book Club for Writers, and Cammie's own writing life. While poetry is her first love, she tells us about Tickles the Mouse, her community-rooted picture book, and previews the nonfiction book she is currently drafting, a lifetime of questions about flowers, love, and environmental stewardship on the farm where she met her husband.
Cammie Fuller on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c_c_fuller/
**Visit the Open Book in Warrenton, Virginia, to find Cammie's recommendations, local authors, and a calendar full of book clubs. https://openbookwarrenton.com/
The Open Book on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/openbookwarrenton
The Open Book on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openbookwarrenton
**Tickles the Mouse: A Warrenton Tall Tale https://openbookwarrenton.com/item/VTxXsQh_ByT3fUbic7EUbQ
** Learn more about the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference (https://www.middlebury.edu/writers-conferences/writers-conference) and Environmental Writers’ Conference (https://www.middlebury.edu/writers-conferences/environmental-writers-conference)
**Join my email list for more inspirational interviews and connections to knowledge across disciplines: https://www.gardenofmydelights.com/
** Feeling like you don’t have time to pursue the things that light you up? Download my free guide to checking in with your schedule and finding more time than you thought you had. Get my Big Rocks Weekly Tracker HERE**
00:00 Introduction to Cammie Fuller and the Open Book
01:10 The decision to open a bookstore in Warrenton
01:59 Impact of the pandemic on the bookstore
04:37 The Book Club for Writers and its evolution
07:54 The success and longevity of the writing groups
09:18 Cammie's work in children's literature and illustration
13:19 Cammie's poetry and creative inspiration
16:28 The role of community in nurturing creativity
18:56 Stories of breakthrough moments in writing
24:06 The bookstore's contribution to the local arts scene
25:29 Innovative community programs like audiobook walks
26:52 Upcoming projects and summer events at the bookstore
28:56 Cammie's upcoming writing and community plans
