Far Afield x Bookmarx
A New Chapter for Springfield’s Local Creative Community
AUGUST 31, 2026 — Written by Andie kernAbout Bookmarx:Bookmarx is a local, indie bookstore that first opened its doors in May 2014. Since then it has been the home of numerous locally famous and universally beloved bookshop cats like Googey(†), Squash(†), and the current resident, Ms. Cyrano. The shop is a local feature of the Downtown Springfield creative community, and has recently expanded by opening their event space—The Footnote—to further pursue community engagement and local creative growth. See their website, follow their progress and events at BookmarxBookshop.com.
Our Invitation to the Local Author’s Showcase at The Footnote
For the opening of their new event space, The Footnote, Bookmarx invited the magazine founders, Eve and Andie, to their Local Author Showcase, where local writers were invited to read their work aloud to a packed audience. Far Afield was founded with the belief that literature and art thrive in any location or climate when grown in a strong creative community. Bookmarx has long been a part of the creative community in Springfield, making it a natural place for Far Afield to continue building connections.
Following the reading, Far Afield and Bookmarx began planning future partnerships including further events, salons, or opportunities for mutual growth. Far Afield is delighted to announce that Bookmarx will begin selling copies of the magazine beginning with Issue No. 02: ‘NO SHADE, THEN RAIN.’
Andie Kern and Eve Peregrine reading at the Local Author Showcase, hosted by Harvey Day-Arnett of Bookmarx, in their new event space The Footnote — July 25, 2026
The digital flyer for the Launch Party being held on Friday, September 4th, at 6:00 PM at Bookmarx during First Friday Art Walk in Downtown Springfield.
Next Up at Bookmarx: Join Us for Our First Friday Launch Patry
We’re kicking off this next chapter during First Friday Art Walk in Downtown Springfield on Friday, September 4, with a Far Afield launch party at Bookmarx. The Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Far Afield will be there throughout the evening to meet the members of our community, connect with previous contributors, welcome any prospective contributors, and talk with local creatives who are interested in learning more about our publication. Whether you’ve contributed to Far Afield before, have been thinking about submitting your work, or simply love supporting local creative communities, we’d love to meet you. Come say hello. Talk writing. Talk art. Talk publishing. Tell us what you’re working on. Ask us any questions about the magazine. Or just stop by and enjoy part of your First Friday evening with us.
The launch party will also be the first opportunity to preorder Far Afield’s Summer 2026 issue, ‘NO SHADE, THEN RAIN.’ This issue represents another step forward for the magazine, and we’re excited to share ours and our contributors’ efforts with our community. If you’ve followed Far Afield from the beginning, this is an opportunity to continue supporting the work we’re doing. If you’re new to the magazine, it’s an invitation to come see what we’re building.
We’re constantly looking to create more opportunities for literary events, conversations, connections, readings, meetups, and other kinds of creative community-building together. Far Afield is intrinsically interested in what happens when we look beyond the boundaries of conventional publication and aims to provide a gathering hub for writers, artists, readers, and people who simply want to tap into the creative well of their community. Bookmarx gives us a wonderful place to be able to achieve this goal.
Far Afield would like to thank Bookmarx for their support, their interest, and their partnership in the magazine. Join Far Afield at Bookmarx during First Friday Art Walk on Friday, September 4, in Downtown Springfield. Meet the people behind the magazine, reconnect with familiar faces, discover new ones, and preorder the Summer 2026 issue, ‘NO SHADE, THEN RAIN.’