With the holiday shopping season reaching its peak over the next couple of weekends, now is the time to shop. Here are a few ideas for the book lover in your life; Newport-themed books curated by Charter Books owner Steve Iwanski, for you to add to your collection. Happy shopping! Newport Cottages 1835-1890: The Summer […]
Steve Iwanski, Charter Books
Steve Iwanski grew up in Tiverton and got his start in retail working summer jobs at the Sakonnet Boathouse and the Army-Navy Surplus. He graduated from Tiverton High School and the University of Notre Dame. In 2010 he joined Teach For America and taught high school English for four years in the Mississippi Delta. In 2014 he was hired as a bookseller at Turnrow Books in Greenwood, MS. When author and owner Jamie Kornegay stepped away from the store in 2016, he asked Steve to serve as manager. Under his management, Turnrow was Main Street Greenwood’s 2017 Retailer of the Year and the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Small Business of the Year. He also served as chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Retail Committee and served for two years as a board member of Main Street Greenwood. He's excited to bring his passion for community and bookselling back home to Newport County with the opening of Charter Books at 8 Broadway in Newport.
Posted inStyle & Shop
‘Six Picks’ holiday book shopping: Best books about Newport
With the holiday shopping season reaching its peak over the next couple of weekends, we’ll be sharing some ideas for unique gifts available locally. Here’s a nice list of Newport-related books for you to consider curated by Charter Books proprietor Steve Iwanski. There’s a good mix of fiction and non-fiction, some art, and a little […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Best Books of 2021
The dust is still settling on the holiday shopping rush. Indeed, I opened the doors this morning to see wisps of ribbon and paper rolling like tumbleweed across the floor. It was as busy a season as we could have hoped for, and we have you, dear readers, to thank. If this is your second […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Black History Month: This stone was cut by Pompe Stevens
Above a busy thoroughfare in Newport’s North End, there’s a quiet, shady hill. Few of the dog walkers and fewer of the hundreds of motorists that pass each day pay much attention to it. This spot is not neglected or forgotten; in fact it’s well marked and dutifully tended. But even some lifelong Newporters might […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Make a date with your bookstore
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been postponed until September. And Times Square was empty on New Year’s Eve. Trick or treating was a ghastly idea, and we were told to stay home for Thanksgiving. But surely Valentine’s Day can seem normal, right? Maybe your V-Day tradition of a dinner reservation had to be adjusted […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Charter Books: Choose your own polar adventure
With snow piling up and temperatures dropping in Newport this week, I decided to indulge in my favorite winter reading game. It’s called “Choose Your Own Polar Adventure” and playing is really very simple. Obviously, you need to start by picking a Pole (no, not that kind of Pole). They keep saying that polarization is […]
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The Best of the [Worst] Year: Our favorite books of 2020 and a preview of 2021
As we get ready for the New Year, we also wanted to look back at the annus horribilis of 2020 and try to find the silver linings. It was a year that we’ll always remember for the founding of our Newport bookstore… and hopefully forget everything else. But before we indulge in collective amnesia, we’re […]