You might think founding a legendary local indie bookstore chain, creating one of the top book fairs in the nation, and backing that up with a successful side hustle in major motion picture production might be enough to persuade a fellow to take a step back and find a hobby.
You might not know Mitchell Kaplan.
Kaplan, 68, the proprietor of Books & Books in Coral Gables (and a handful of other South Florida locations), has opted to branch out with today’s launch of a literary nonprofit.
According to a press release, the “Books & Books Literary Foundation will broaden the idea of what a bookstore can be. Through a series of events and programming, the foundation will use the power of literary culture to cultivate and nurture new readers, build community, and advocate for writers, books, and the freedom to read.” The Coral Gables Community Foundation will serve as the new nonprofit’s fiscal sponsor.
Kaplan says the foundation allows Books & Books to transcend the constraints of retail commerce beyond the formidable literary community it has fostered for more than 40 years.
“It’s an attempt to make sure that the legacy of the store, with all the things that we do, is secure,” he tells New Times. “But there are other aspects that have been in the works in my mind for a lot of years.”
Approximately a zillion aspects, it would seem.
“We’re going to set up prison libraries in partnership with Exchange for Change,” a local nonprofit that provides educational resources to incarcerated people. “We want to bring authors into schools where kids don’t have easy access to books and have every kid walk out with a book that we can donate to them. I also want to set up a mentorship program to help people open bookstores in ‘bookstore deserts’ in our community and throughout Florida. We’ll also bring down authors to support communities whose access to books is being restricted.”
On that last count, although he’s quick to point out that the foundation’s mission is entirely apolitical, Kaplan acknowledges that “access restrictions” is another way of saying “banned books” — a consequence of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ongoing campaign to remove reading material from school libraries under the guise of “parental rights.”
“The overarching thing is doing just about anything that we can imagine to help support and nurture the next generation of readers and also enhance and highlight all of the diverse literary traditions and culture that exist here in South Florida,” he says. “I mean, it’s about empathy. This is not a political statement that we’re making.”
Another idea: empathy dinners, in which the foundation would host a repast for people from all walks of life, seat them at tables with people they’ve never met, and, as the meal is served, give them a discussion prompt along the lines of, “Where did your family come from?” or, “Talk about the most important person in your life.”
“I want to do what we can to bridge differences. It’s an attempt to bring people together to create to create dialogue,” explains Kaplan.
It all gets underway with a launch celebration at the Books & Books flagship store in Coral Gables on November 25, AKA Small Business Saturday. The Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce will be on hand to highlight local businesses, and then Kaplan will announce the birth of the literary foundation and invite all those present to raise a mimosa in a toast to its mission.
“And a little swag that we’ll be giving out,” he promises, adding, “There’ll be some authors there — I can’t tell you exactly who just yet, but there’ll be some authors.”
Books & Books Literary Foundation Launch. 11 a.m. Saturday, November 25, at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; 305-442-4408; booksandbooks.com. Admission is free.