Photos by Cori Storb
Joe Deany-Braun
(b. 1988) Bookseller and writer. Joe started working with books at beloved Innisfree Poetry Bookstore & Café in 2013, then one of three poetry-only stores in the US. He went on to spend time with Trident Booksellers and Chicago’s world-class Seminary Co-op.In 2020, Joe opened Perelandra Bookshop in partnership with nonprofit publisher Wolverine Farm, establishing a collection celebrated for its depth and originality. At Perelandra, he created the Reader in Residence program, the first artist residency to treat reading as a creative act, with dozens serving in the role to date.Joe has been a featured speaker at Poets & Writers, The Denver Post, the Biennial of the Americas, and elsewhere, and writes broadly about literary perception and methodologies of representation. He holds a BA in ecosystem science from the University of Miami, and an MFA in writing & poetics from Naropa University.