KAREN AUSTIN: IN MEMORIAM

ArtsEtc notes with sadness the passing of Karen Elaine Austin, former managing director of Days Books. 

Karen, who was born in Manchester, England to Barbadian parents, died in June, aged 60, after a prolonged battle with cancer. 

Both she and her father, the late Keith Austin, previous manager and co-owner of Days, were generous allies of ArtsEtc. The bookstore, located in Independence Square, Bridgetown, was among our earliest advertisers, also partnering with us to facilitate the pilot of our Read2Me!-Write4Me! programme and sponsoring several seasons of Saturdays with The Summer Storyteller. Days Books was also a partner of the Bim Literary Festival and Book Fair and accompanying Children’s Fair.

The bookstore created real space for local authors and was a champion of events like World Book Day and World Read Aloud Day, regularly staging readings, book launches, signings and popular live broadcasts. Karen was a strong advocate for child literacy and the joys of reading. She expressed some of her views in this 2015 Artist Studio. 

ArtsEtc’s editors remember Karen warmly and offer their deepest condolences to her friends, associates and colleagues at Days Books.