Former Tattered Cover chief executive Kwame Spearman left the newly opened Denver Book Society this week amid community backlash over his comments on immigration enforcement during the 2023 mayoral campaign.
Spearman and the Denver Book Society announced his departure in separate statements on Friday, one month after the store officially opened its doors at
In a “leadership update,” owner Rich Garvin said he had tapped Spearman to help with operations, inventory and programming, but it became clear in recent weeks that “a change in leadership was needed.”
“Kwame is passionate about preserving independent bookstores, and I’m appreciative of his early contributions. However, his continued involvement in Denver Book Society is not serving the mission of this bookstore,” Garvin said in a statement.
In a , Spearman said his departure was planned from the beginning.
“This transition is not a change in direction. It is the completion of the original plan,” Spearman wrote, describing Garvin as the sole owner and financial investor.
Spearman added he did not want past instances in which he was “misunderstood, mischaracterized or simply (got) things wrong” to be attached to the Denver Book Society or Garvin.
Spearman’s column appeared to refer to several weeks of social media uproar over resurfaced comments he made on conservative talk radio station KNUS during his brief campaign for Denver mayor in 2023.
A recording of Spearman’s KNUS interview was not immediately available, but a Feb. 23, 2023 reported that Spearman told KNUS that Denver should restart its collaboration with immigration officials. He dropped out of the mayoral race three weeks later.
Community members recalled Spearman’s statements in social media comments on Instagram posts from Westword and the Denver Book Society after the store opened in February.
Spearman also made since-deleted posts under the store’s Instagram and Reddit accounts, stating he never supported U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and his 2023 comments were misinterpreted.
He did not immediately respond to an email from The Denver Post seeking comment.
The Denver Book Society on Friday responded to social media comments asking about the deleted Instagram post, writing that Spearman posted about his personal and political views without authorization.
“We didn’t approve of how he approached this messaging or how he engaged with our community in the comments of that post. Please rest assured that DBS remains firmly in support of immigrant rights,” store officials wrote.
Garvin also emphasized his support for immigrant rights in a news release Friday and said 25% of proceeds from the store’s section featuring authors from “diverse cultural backgrounds” will be donated to the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition.
“This is my greatest passion project; I’m sorry that personnel choices alienated the Denver community and that I failed to recognize these issues in advance,” Garvin said in a statement. “I hope that the steps we’re taking will instill confidence that we’re committed to creating a safe gathering place for inclusive conversation and literary programming that inspires connection.”
Denver Book Society also drew heat from social media users over the store’s name, which is nearly identical to the , an organization started in 2022 by Nicole Wiebe that hosts regular book swaps across the metro area. The group has since expanded to start book swap societies across Colorado and in Rhode Island, California and Missouri.
In a statement, Wiebe said she reached out to the new store in September after hearing its name because she was worried it would cause confusion. The owner, whom Wiebe did not name, dismissed her concerns, she said. She had an attorney send a formal letter reiterating her concerns that went unanswered.
“Now that the store has opened, the exact confusion I feared is happening,” she said. “I am fielding questions from people who think we are connected, and I have to continually clarify that Denver Book Swap Society is in no way affiliated with this new bookstore. It is a really unfortunate situation, but my focus remains on serving our amazing community of readers.”
In response to questions from The Denver Post, Garvin provided a statement that he was not aware of the other group when choosing his store’s name, and by the time he learned of it, it would have been difficult to change.
“We respect their work very much and want to be collaborative rather than in conflict,” Garvin said, adding that he has offered to host events or provide space for their community. “Our goals are the same: to support readers and contribute something positive to Denver’s literary community.”
