Studio Book Works : a home for creative writers at Western Avenue

A Journey through Pop Culture

Pop Culture Place became part of the Western Avenue Studios family of creators about 10 years ago.  For most of the first years owner Mary Dumas was creating gowns and costumes for the Drag Queen troop that worked out of Western Ave’s beautiful old mill building. There were so many funny events that revolved around this gathering of friends in the Drag troop so Mary began writing down some of the best things.

LGBTQ reference books, comic books and romance novels became the fodder for her creative mind. Having been involved in the anime and comic book fan community for many years prior, she decided to create a graphic novel that engaged the LGBTQ community and reflected her love of the comic book medium.  She found lots of helpful people in the comic book community who had information on how to publish and market her comics.

“The collecting and sharing of these books and media has become a very important part of my life, so I have concluded that the best way to share is to open a shop.  So I’d like to welcome you to Pop Culture Place, where we carry a wide variety of recreational reading materials, apparel, and other media that catches your fancy. You can count on us to provide you with products that cater to your distinctive preferences.”

Setting the Stage to Help Others Self-Publish

Mary’s dream becomes a reality in May 2021 when she officially reopens her doors to this expanded vision of Pop Culture Place and Studio Book Works.

STUDIO BOOK WORKS is envisioned as a resource for those who need help in self publishing. This section of her studio contains numerous reference books on how to self-publish. Mary can answer most of the questions a creator might have about contracts, printing, and most of the things that will make an idea come to life.

She’ll be available to work with artists and writers in the easy-to-use industry tools now available like Kindle Direct, ComiXology, Global WebcomiX, and others.  Mary’s inspiration to move to a larger studio came from her desire to host workshops on The Business of Independent Publishing and to nurture the next generation of writers.

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Literature as a Way of Helping Others

The LGBTQ community and those who embrace the anime and comic book media have been misunderstood for years.  The comic book is not only about superheros and space aliens, it’s a media to deliver a good story, just like a novel.  It’s a literature that has helped children overcome reading disabilities, but it is also something that has helped grownups learn about others in their world.  While Pop Culture Place isn’t only about the gay and adult books available, they carry a very large selection of both the new manga and the collectible old books of the genre.

Sharing Her World With You

Mary loves to share her passion. “I hope that those who visit the Pop Culture Place will see that there are lots and lots of ways to enjoy the art of comics.  Everything from romance to action adventure is available between those covers.  Superheros have their place, but they are not the only thing that the medium of comics is good for. ”

www.PopCulturePlace.com is the entry portal to all the information you need to know about the shop here at Western Avenue Studios.  Included in that website are specific areas for those interested in the Studio Book Works, the Anime Café, and the D.O.L.L. Designs shop.

You can find Mary on the second floor in Studio 223 (soon to be Studio 287). She officially opens the weekend of May 7th – May 9th from noon until 5pm each day.

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