Nestled in a cozy town square off of Beaver Avenue, Beaverdale Books has been a space for Des Moines book-lovers since 2006. They offer a wide array of books from both local and farther flung authors, and the bookstore also boasts an impressive events calendar featuring author meet and greets, readings and book fairs throughout the year. Most events are free to attend and some even offer complimentary coffee and cookies, making you feel even more at home.
Want to start reading more books by local authors but don’t know where to start? Beaverdale Books has a designated Iowa Author section, taking up an entire bookcase on the right-hand side of the store. Each time I’ve visited, a staff member has pointed it out to me, proud of the local talent Iowa grows and the bookstore’s ability to showcase it.
The space is small but the staff is friendly and invested in your reading experience, bringing the comfort of a small-town library to this neighborhood bookstore. Attend an event! Ask a staff member for a recommendation! Buy a book! Or even just stop in to say hi. I promise that a smiling face will be there to greet you behind the desk.
Beaverdale Reading Schedule
All readings take place at the store unless otherwise noted.
*Indicates Iowa-connected authors.
Leah Angstman, Out Front the Following Sea — Friday, Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m.
T. Patrick Graves*, Let Us Not Talk Falsely Now — Monday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Graham Spanier*, In the Lions’ Den — Sunday, Sept. 18 at 1 p.m.
Jody Keisner, Under My Bed; John T. Price*, All is Leaf; Kristine Langley Mahler, Curing Season — Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m.
Catherine Haustein*, Wrinkles in Spacetime — Thursday, Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m.
Kirsten Anderson*, More Than Words: Turn #MeToo into #ISaidSomething — Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Anne E. Terpstra*, Beyond Any Experience — Friday, Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Darcy Maulsby*, The Lincoln Highway — Artisan Gallery 218, Monday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Kay Fenton Smith & Carol McGarvey*, Baking Blue Ribbons: Stories and Recipes from the Iowa State Fair Food Competitions — Artisan Gallery 218, Monday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m.
Subscribe to LV Daily for community news, events, photos and more in your inbox every weekday afternoon.
Anne Winkler-Morey, Allegiance to Winds & Waters: Bicycling the Political Divides of the United States — Friday, Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Phil Adamo, The Medievalist — Thursday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m.
Rob Sand*, The Winning Ticket — Artisan Gallery 218, Monday, Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Mary Helen Stefaniak*, The World of Pondside and The Six-Minute Memoir: Fifty-Five Short Essays on Life — Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
This article was originally published in Little Village Central Iowa issue 006.
