Betsy Burton will talk about her own memoir, The King's English: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller and will moderate the panel on memoir. Burton is the owner of The King's English Bookshop, founded in 1977 in Salt Lake City. An avid reader and lover of literature, Burton is passionate about keeping independent bookstores alive and well in the world; she is a founding member and the chair of Buy Local First, Utah. Burton was named Bookseller of the Year in 2001 by Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association and Utah Woman Business Owner of the Year by the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2004. Her book was the finalist in nonfiction for the Utah Book Award, semi-finalist in autobiography/memoir for the Independent Publisher Book Awards, won first place for trade books in the PubWest Design Awards, was nominated for best in nonfiction by Book Sense Independent Bookstores, and was just chosen in paper as the #2 Book Sense Pick for September  2006 nationwide. Betsy regularly writes reviews and blurbs for Book Sense, does weekly radio reviews for regional NPR affiliates, and gives book talks and presentations for various professional and community groups. She is also the co-author and co-editor of The Inkslinger, a newsletter now nationally known in the book business.  “The King’s English: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller" is Burton's first book.

Betsy Burton will participate in “The Fertile Field of Memories: A Panel on Writing the Memoir” on Saturday, Oct. 28, 12:30 pm, in the Salt Lake City Main Library, 4th Floor Conference Room.