ALL PROPANE IS THE SAME
The Logistics Behind the Magic
A Curator and a Champion of Conversation
ALL PROPANE IS THE SAME
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The Logistics Behind the Magic
Behind all these literary fireworks, Matt and his daughter, Shawnee, orchestrate a quieter but no less dazzling spectacle. In Hello, Bookstore, Matt’ s voice is steady and warm:“ A book is a voice that keeps speaking after the author is gone.” That voice is central to The WIT festival’ s mission, and Matt and Shawnee turn that mission into action every year.
When The Authors Guild Foundation locks in the author roster, the spreadsheet frenzy begins. Every title— new releases, backlist treasures— is catalogued with obsessive precision. Shepherd Bear, a longtime team member, keeps the wheels turning as Matt and Shawnee place orders in“ huge” carton quantities, typically 36 copies per title, arriving in perfect sync with the festival’ s September timing.
Nimble as a jazz band, The Bookstore team pivots on last-minute changes, juggle truckloads of books, and stage multiple runs between The Bookstore and Shakespeare & Company, ensuring readers find the exact book that just lit their imagination.
One of the festival’ s most legendary helpers was Renzo— Scott Renzoni— a fiveday Jeopardy! champion, aspiring actor, and upstairs neighbor to the bookstore. He was the master of book logistics, even hiding crates of inventory in Shakespeare & Company’ s liquor closets when space ran thin. His passing last year left a poignant gap.“ We miss him terribly,” Shawnee says softly.
A Curator and a Champion of Conversation
Bernard Schwartz, The Authors Guild Foundation’ s executive producer for literary programs, sums up The Bookstore’ s role perfectly:“ We partner with The Bookstore because Matt and Shawnee have the same devotion to authors and their books as we do. Matt’ s not just a
76 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Fall 2025