Third Mind Books has a very specific niche in the Ann Arbor book scene. They are known for their commitment to the free speech led literature of the last century, which shines during their monthly film screenings. This month they will be streaming the 1962 adaptation of Lolita on August 31, based on the novel by Vladimir Nabokov. Screenings are every last Saturday at 8 p.m.
“Our founder Arthur Nusbaum is the one who instituted the film series as an idea to go along with our open mics. He’s the one who we always say, wants everyone, as part of their education, to see the films that he finds indispensable. It started with “Day of the Locusts,” and “Midnight Cowboy” – the John Schlesinger directed films that he’s very into. There are also book tie ins with books that came out in the late 30s. He was part of that Golden Age Hollywood scene and all of the desperation behind that; the glitz, glamour and horror of those years. And Midnight Cowboy was based on the James Leo Herlihy novel. But then it expended out from that,” Joe Povenzano, an MC and Vice-President of Third Mind Books explained enthusiastically. “We do have a specialty here – Beat and beyond, mid-century American literature – but it’s more accurate to say that it is all of the individual interests of the people who work here that’s reflective on the shelves. I always say ‘It’s our brains shattered on those shelves.’ We only sell things that we think are cool.”
Third Mind Books, located between Literati and the Canelle French bistro on Washington Street, is an independent shop that has its roots firmly in the Beat Generation of American literature; but it is far from exclusively a Ginsburg and Kerouac shop. The high exposed brick walls, covered halfway on each side of the entrance, has rows of stuffed shelves with a certain kind of books – books that lots and lots of different groups people have, throughout the years, tried every way possible to try and ban. The store boasts a charming mix of new and old copies in a organized but well-read manner with a vibe that feels counterculture, meets hippie, meets punk, meets hipster. Above the shelves, the art collection is equally eclectic.
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According to a2books.org, the company started as an online only specialist book seller in 2010. They opened their brick and mortar location in 2022.
It is in this space that the tables are temporarily dismantled and put away to be replaced with folding chairs for about 60. However, Povenazano and Wes Bostwick, the curator of Third Mind, said some nights so many people show up that they just sit cross legged on the floor or stand around the chairs.
Future film screenings will be built around connecting Ann Arbor and Detroit’s counter-cultural scenes. Michigan’s largest city has been going through so many changes – good and bad – over the last fifty years, creating a somewhat unique dynamic between Detroit’s musical and cultural heft with the intelligencia and art culture that Ann Arbor is known for. This upcoming series will specifically be for film makers and student film makers from the two communities to create a wider contemporary film dialogue, promote cross-state communication and cultural contact as well as strengthen indie movie making in the Midwest.
This November, they will be doing a centenary series of films marking the 100 years of the Bureau of Surrealist research, showing surreal French movies from a century ago. This will be accompanied by new works published by Third Mind.
Povenzano and Bostwick are planning to add more film nights in the near future. New lighting and seating is also planned, but the plans have not been finalized.
The films they show are not afraid of “challenging the audience” as Provenazano put it, describing Third Mind as a “free speech book store” in the spirit of writers like William S. Burrows or Allen Ginsberg who faced off against the anti-profanity-based-censorship of the last century. The films they shown are not meant to please everyone, or play into the culture wars, but to expose curious and intellectually adventurous people to knew and old ideas; not to necessarily accept or be comfortable everything shown, but to engage with it.
While you can RSVP, no registration is necessary to attend the free screenings. Donations are accepted, as are movie recommendations.
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
