Calvin Crosby
Growing up, my family moved a lot. We often lived below the poverty level and on public assistance. We split our time in Utah County and Magna. Magna has been my hometown since I started Head Start and ended high school there. Magna is where I learned to read, learned of the adventure and escape, safety and comfort that reading can offer. I am a member of the Cherokee Nation. After a couple of decades away, I have returned to Utah and, with my husband, have become co-owners of The King’s English Bookshop.
My heart tells me these things combined to drive the desire to help create book equity in underserved communities like the ones I know firsthand. With Brain Food Books, we want to encourage reading, normalize owning books, and offer titles representative of the communities we serve. We want to bring the spirit of our independent bookshop to them with not only books but author appearances. I am excited about the excellent work and the change that Brain Food Books will bring to tomorrow’s leaders.
Anne Holman
Growing up, my family moved a lot too. At least once a year and sometimes more often. My father worked in retail (I come by it honestly) and the nature of the job was to get transferred, often. What saved me after each move was that my mom would find the local library before she found the grocery store and made sure we had access to books. So I might have spent a great deal of time in my imagination and I don’t remember ever feeling desperately lonely. Books make great friends.
The idea that a young person might not have access to good books seems criminal to me. Every problem we face as adults be it cultural, political, environmental or otherwise could be addressed thoughtfully and fairly if young children learned to read and think critically. It is my great privilege to help with the work we are doing with Brain Food Books; because kids need to read!
Partnership with King’s English
The King’s English has had the good fortune of working with Brainfoodbooks, a local 501(c)(3), for over a decade now. A local pediatrician, Barbara Bean, wanted to support a local bookstore and give books to each patient at their wellness appointments. Dr. Bean raised and spent thousands of dollars over the years for this project until her retirement in 2019. Through a chance conversation with Calvin Crosby, co-owner of The King’s English in 2021, they shared a common goal to have books be accessible to kids throughout the state. Barbara offered to re-start BFB and turn it over to TKE to continue the great work of getting books into kids’ hands…
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Brain Food Books and The King’s English Bookshop is located on the sacred land of peace and well-being for the Eastern Shoshone and Goshute people.