Inspiring Conversations with Stephen Thomas of Scribes & Vibes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Thomas

Hi Stephen, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Scribes & Vibes derived as an artistic response to anti-bullying. In 2008, my 8-year-old cousin challenged me to create events that would make it cool to be smart. Prompted by his “nerds need their Friday night lights too” statement, I recalled our grandmother’s tales of the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library and how no one tends to credit the Black librarians that transformed library spaces during the Roaring Twenties.

Upon speaking to our grandmother about the vital importance of Black librarianship, she stated “There would be no Harlem Renaissance without the literary, visual, and performance arts events that were presented at the library,” I knew that I wanted to revitalize their mission. As my research led me to discover how Ms. Catherine A. Latimer, Ms. Regina Anderson, and Ms. Nella Larsen fostered an environment for Black intellectuals to gather, share ideas, and creatively express themselves amid an era of Jim Crow laws and racial separation, I began to explore the idea of establishing partnerships with local libraries. However, after several proposal rejections and non-replies, our grandmother suggested that we broaden our reach and consider ways to pivot towards coffeehouse culture.

While researching the Beat Generation, I developed a rapport with Gary Frizzell the reference librarian at the Nancy Guinn Memorial Library. He introduced me to the Black Arts Movement and challenged me to think bigger. After about six months of research and library program proposals, my grandmother essentially informed me that I program ideas were good, but they weren’t noteworthy. Listening to my 70-year-old grandmother state, “Lyrics and Literature… BLAH! Scrabble Saturdays… BLAH! Speed Reading Contests?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME… WHO’S GOING TO LOOK AT AN ADVERTISEMENT AND SILENTLY SATE: I HAVE TO BE THERE?” was definitely our turning point. The moment she said, “You guys are aimlessly working to sell an intellectual event when you could effortlessly sell a vibe,” I asked, “Should we be focused on the scribes or the vibes?” — and like lightning, the aha moment arrived. We’ll focus on the scribes and the vibes.

Shifting the poetry reading title to Scribes & Vibes not only garnered grandma’s nod of approval as she requested to contribute her voice for the Scribes & Vibes voicemail, but it also enabled me to incorporate the literary, visual, and performance arts aspects of the 135th Street Branch into one program. In January of 2009, Mr. Frizzell smiled upon receiving the Scribes & Vibes proposal, then stated, “I notice you guys are finally thinking bigger. Now, I need you to think global! Do not limit yourself, this is too big to think local. I need you to think of Starbucks, forget about the library — the people in charge do not possess the vision to see the impact. This is history. This is heritage. This is the humanities. This is what we need to understand that we all share common threads of the human experience. Think of all of the literary movements you have been researching, then imagine The Beat Movement meets The Black Arts Movement powered by a global brand. Think about the power of community. Think about the power of taking time to understand different cultures.” He introduced us to Ms. Nedra Lyles, the community relations coordinator at our local Starbucks, the next day and the rest has been history in the making.

Scribes & Vibes launched at Starbucks Conyers on March 14, 2009, providing a multigenerational safe space for intellectuals and creatives to gather, fellowship, and establish common ground. In 2011, Mr. Frizzell opened the door for me to begin a career as a library professional and in 2014, Ms. Teresa Totten opened the door for Scribes and Vibes to become a signature library program at Stonecrest Library. Under the mentorship and guidance of Ms. Totten, we set out to preserve culture and create community through the arts. In view of the fact that art defines culture, we are proudly standing on the shoulders of giants. As circulation and traffic are the currencies in which libraries earn their keep, Ms. Totten’s mentor (the late great, Ms. Doris K. Wells) taught her to think beyond the books when developing library programs — and as my mentor, Ms. Totten has taught me to consider the library as a place for all things information. To pay homage to her “beyond books” credo, we inscribed #BeyondBooks on our first Scribes and Vibes at Stonecrest Library announcement and launched the Library Out Loud initiative to carry on the tradition of developing dynamic programs that promote cultural literacy and library usage.

The Scribes & Vibes Bookshop was launched on October 12, 2019, to help ensure diverse voices and visions are heard, shared, and celebrated. Since then, we have utilized our community-centric bookstore and local arts agency experience to raise funds and generate publicity for neighboring libraries and bookstores. Inspired by the B Corp model and the Corporate & Social Responsibility practices of Starbucks, we donate a percentage of book sales to support libraries, literacy, and literary events. We are currently focused on relaunching the Scribes & Vibes Adopt A Book program which will allow us to distribute free books to children during pop-up events and reach reluctant readers by placing books in barbershops and beauty salons. Contributions to the Scribes & Vibes Adopt A Book Club program will help librarians and media specialists provide students with a free copy of their monthly book club selection. As studies have shown that children who own a book or more likely to engage in recreational reading, it is imperative that we help children see themselves in a book and provide families with affordable opportunities to build a home library.

To date, we have sponsored library and literary programs in Rockdale, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry, and Fulton county. As September celebrates Library Card Sign-Up Month, we’d like to take a moment to encourage your readers to go to the library and register for a library card or renew their current library card. Georgia libraries offer library card holders free access to digital library resources including, ebooks, audiobooks, movies, magazines, and newspapers. Remember, Ms. Totten mentioned, “The library is a place for all things information.” With your library card you can checkout a book about animals or utilize a library database to research animals, however, we encourage you to ask a librarian about the Zoo Pass so you can get free tickets to Zoo Atlanta and discover an unforgettable learning experience courtesy of the Georgia Public Library Service.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey from idea to implementation has been no crystal stair. However, when you do more of what makes you happy, the steppingstones prepare you to take giant steps. Learning to stand on the shoulders of giants (seek mentors and research) has certainly helped me see further than my own understanding. As our business began as a mission-based initiative, it definitely took some coaching and business knowledge acquisition to understand that it was both okay and necessary to generate income streams.

We’ve been impressed with Scribes & Vibes, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Scribes & Vibes is a community-centric bookstore and local arts agency, offering both an online bookstore and pop-up bookshop experience. To ensure that diverse voices and visions are heard, shared, and celebrated, we transform public spaces into centers for the arts and donate a percentage of book sales to support libraries, literacy, and literary events, including poetry readings, local author events, and storytime concerts.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://scribesandvibes.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/scribesandvibes
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/scribesandvibes
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/scribesandvibes