Once upon a time ...
Alex George, Owner
Alex George (he/him) has published seven novels, which have been translated into more than ten languages. A Good American was a #1 Indie Next List pick, a Barnes and Noble Discover New Writers Pick and a national and international bestseller. Setting Free the Kites was published in February 2017 and was also a bestseller (it also won the Missouri Prize for Fiction in 2018.) His most recent novel, The Paris Hours, was published by Flatiron Books, an imprint of Macmillan, in May 2020, and was an instant national bestseller. All three books were chosen by the nation’s independent booksellers for the “Indie Next List”. He has written for, among other publications, The Washington Post and LitHub. Alex is also the founder and director of the Unbound Book Festival. He is also an attorney, and runs his own law firm in Columbia. A native of the UK, he moved to Columbia twenty years ago, not that he’s counting. In 2022 he was named Midwest Bookseller of the Year by the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association.
Carrie Koepke, Manager
Carrie (she/her) is obsessed with dark chocolate, turtles, climbing things, books, and naming her pets after brilliant authors. She happened into a bookselling job as a teen and knew she found her people. A few life adventures later, she is happy to be back . . . for good. Yes, you have probably seen her walking downtown while reading, how else would she find enough time? She tends to have several books going at once, including working on her own (very slowly). Favorite genre's include picture books, science, poetry, short stories, and translations (esp. Japanese literature!). She also has a major soft spot for books that are hard to shelve due to defying genre. In 2022 Carrie was elected to the board of the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association.
Beth Hemke Shapiro
Beth Hemke Shapiro (she/her) hails from Chicago but is close to considering herself a native of Columbia after having lived here for more than two decades. With degrees in philosophy, law, and library science, Beth has enjoyed careers ranging from arts administrator to tax consultant to high school librarian. In her spare time Beth likes to travel, attend arts events, hang with her family, and read. Her favorite genres include literary fiction, speculative fiction, and current events. Beth is thrilled to be part of the Skylark Bookshop team and looks forward to connecting with more readers.
Erin Regneri
Originally from Louisville, KY, Dr. Erin Regneri (she/her) is a reader, a writer, a lapsed musician, a vegetarian, a tree-hugger, and a Capricorn. She received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Missouri, with an emphasis on nineteenth century American literature. Her focus within nineteenth century American literature is predominately nature and environmental writing, and she is interested in the ways in which literature guides us through the evolution of humans' changing relationship to the environment throughout the long 19th C. At Mizzou she teaches young people how to read and write, and has inspired many non-majors to switch to English by opening their minds to the idea that books are fun, and that one can indeed follow one’s passion and find fulfillment and success, (and that the road less traveled is often the most rewarding). She is always excited to chat about books -nineteenth century or otherwise, and she may even show you pictures of her six cats, her dog, and her rabbit - one of whom is named after her most favorite writer of all time.
Matthew May
Matthew (he/they) was born and raised in southern Missouri. His love of books was kindled by his elementary school librarian. Since those days he is rarely out of arm's reach of a good book. Though most at home in the pages of cosmic horror, cyberpunk, or a new collection of poetry, Matthew loves books of any stripe. Whether he is doing a deep dive into something cerebral and thought-provoking or relaxing in the pages of a comfort book, Matthew loves to hear and share new suggestions for the next great read.
Rilla Patterson
Rilla (she/her) was born and raised in Columbia, Missouri and is the youngest of three siblings. Though she has lived her whole life in Columbia, her dream is to end up in New York, eating bagels and drinking iced coffee every morning. She is currently a junior in high school who is dedicated to graduate college with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. Rilla is a lover of fiction, mystery, and is always up for a good romance. If she's not scrapbooking or sewing a new project, she is most likely sitting outside, reading her favorite books.
Kara Cheslock
Kara (she/her) is a lifelong booklover, tik-tok enthusiast, and a self proclaimed rom-com expert. While she has lived in many places, Kara considers herself an honorary Columbia native after living here for most of her life. She has recently graduated from Mizzou with degrees in Political Science and International Studies-Peace Studies. She is currently getting her Masters degree in Atlantic History and Politics through the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy at Mizzou. She is active in community and political organizing, especially in regard to reproductive justice. When she is not lurking about downtown, you can usually find her at home watching Pride and Prejudice with her mom or spending time with her animals
Henry Nguyen
A recent high school graduate from Rock Bridge, Henry (he/him) is an aspiring linguist now matriculating at Swarthmore College. He loves all things language, especially concerning the classics or the history of English. He likes to read, play tabletop games and trading card games, and play piano, among other hobbies. He most enjoys speculative fiction, especially fantasy — his favorite authors are Sir Terry Pratchett and J.R.R. Tolkien — but he has dipped his toes in all sorts of other genres.
Sky Koepke
Sky (she/her) loves dark chocolate, cats, baking things, books, and making things out of yarn. She discovered mythology in elementary school and knew she wanted to learn more. Now, she is happy to be studying classics at Knox College. There have been allegations that Carrie, her mother, experimented with cloning during her days as a biology major. Unfortunately, we have to tell you that these allegations are false - Sky is indeed her daughter and not her clone. Her favorite genres include fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, mythology, and books related to classics. She also enjoys a smattering of books across other genres.
Keeley Fizer
Keeley (she/her) is a lover for all things books and music. She uses the inspiration of styles from the past to express herself. She is obsessed with romance novels, and will give you a Taylor Swift reference on the spot. For those who get it, she is a Speak Now and Folklore girl! Keeley attends Battle High School and has lived in Columbia her whole life. She wants to use her voice to bring change into the world that needs it most. She not only wants to advocate about topics in her community, but the world too. She advocates for all things mental health, and stand with those who cope by listening to ‘This is me trying’ by Taylor Swift.
Kelcie Mattson
Kelcie Mattson (she/her) is just a small-town girl, a writer, and a lifelong lover of stories. Having grown up on Turner Classic Movies marathons, graduating from Stephens College with a degree in Digital Filmmaking was inevitable. However, listening to her mom read aloud from The Hobbit opened her imagination to the power of words. She considers storytelling to be one of the most powerful forces of personal hope and societal change. Her favorite genres include fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, quirky romance, and any combinations thereof. When not marathoning British procedurals or taking hundreds of pictures of her grumpy senior cat, she works as a senior features writer for Collider.com. She also contributed film analysis to the online journal Bright Wall/Dark Room and participated in Allison’s Saft social media street team for her novel A Far Wilder Magic. She enjoys photography, video editing, caffeinated beverages, baked goods, and has a soft spot for superheroes. One day, she might try to publish the book idea she’s had for 12 years. Unlike Sky, she can’t prove that she isn’t her mother’s clone.
Mary OMalley
Mary OMalley (she/her) is a Ridiculously Enthusiastic Bookseller. An avid reader all her life, she rediscovered her passion for all things literary as a Bookseller for Anderson's Bookshop at their LaGrange location. She has been known to mildly stalk her favorite authors through social media, and reads across a large range of genres. When not reading, she and her husband are tending to their little suburban homestead with two cats, two dogs, two fish, and soon-to-arrive four chickens. She and her husband live outside Chicago and have three children and three adorable grandsons. You can find Mary on FB, Insta and Twitter at Blurb Your Enthusiasm. You won’t meet Mary in the shop, as she lives in a different state (details) but you’ll be seeing and hearing a lot from her on our social media pages and we are proud to welcome her to the Skylark team as our Roving Virtual Bookseller At Large.
Theo
Nobody is quite sure how old Theo (he, him) is, but then nobody really cares, either. He is a friendly soul, and will be delighted to administer a brief but affectionate welcome on your arrival in the shop – if he’s not hard at work snoring behind the counter, that is. He loves swimming, playing with his friend Ivy, and turkey. His favorite book is 101 Uses for A Dead Cat.
Carti-B
Carti-B (she/it) really pulls her weight around here at Skylark. A well known contortionist, she enjoys being on the go and sharing books with people all over Columbia. She wheely likes her best travel buddy, Beth, but is always willing to share the load with pretty much everyone on staff here at the bookshop. She is pretty no-nonsense and refuses to let obstacles keep her from her destinations. Her favorite genres are book-fair, big-event, and travel.
We're not currently looking for any more booksellers to join our team, but if you're interested in knowing more about working at Skylark, click here.
