Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I’m your host Tim Landes. The voice you just heard is our TulsaPeople Tulsan of the Year, Jeff Martin. I’m a huge fan of Jeff and the work he does for our city. At the end of our conversation we recorded in early December, I mentioned to Jeff that his work has helped keep me in Tulsa, and that’s definitely true. I’m a bookworm and a regular audience member at author talks hosted by Booksmart Tulsa, which was launched by Jeff in 2009. It started as a monthly pub book club held at McNellies and has grown into the Tulsa Literary Coalition that has brought more than 1,000 authors to Tulsa, including nearly 200 in 2019. That’s an event every other day. And Jeff works most of them for free. It’s those events that educate and inspire me and help shape me as a writer.
Two years ago, Jeff and his business partner (the late Cindy Hulsey) opened Magic City Books at the corner of Archer St and Detroit Ave in downtown Tulsa’s arts district. Jeff and Tulsa Literary Coalition’s efforts have help reinvigorate Tulsa’s longtime love for books and we’re now seeing an explosion of independent bookstores opening in Tulsa. In our conversation, Jeff discusses why it’s so important to see those literary allies appearing across the metro.
Connie Cronley wrote an excellent piece on Jeff in our January issue, and I’m thrilled I had the opportunity to expand on her work in our chat. He and I discussed his childhood and how his early work in a video store and a national chain bookstore helped mold him into who he is today. It turns out not being scared of the word “no” and asking for forgiveness instead of permission can take someone a long way toward their dreams.
We also briefly talk about his work as the communications manager for Philbrook. It’s a dream job he wouldn’t have had it not been for hosting a book talk at the museum. If you’ve listened to Philbrook’s Museum Confidential podcast, you’ll already be familiar with Jeff. For those who haven’t checked it out, I suggest once you’re finished listening all our episodes, you dive into their archive. It’s really great stuff.
A few days before we recorded, Jeff gave me the opportunity to moderate a book talk with author Paul Hendrickson. I can tell you, it’s not easy work filling Jeff’s shoes for an evening. I had fun, and I look forward to doing more in the future to help give the man a break every now and then. He’s earned them.
Following that conversation, The Voice music writer and People To Wave To host Kyra Bruce shares highlights from her interview with Tulsa rapper First Verse, who also shares a new single with you to close out the episode.
Alright let’s get this going.
This is Tulsa Talks with Jeff Martin.
