Local independent bookstore Maple & Quill proudly proclaims its love for local authors—just not the kind who publish their own work.

“We’re passionate about supporting writers in our community,” says store manager Bethany Whitmore, adjusting a display of mass-produced celebrity memoirs and hardcover reissues of books everyone already owns. “But we do have standards. And by ‘standards,’ I mean we only take books from big publishing houses that send us free tote bags.”

Meanwhile, self-published poet Cissy Stag, who lives two blocks away, has been politely rejected by Maple & Quill four separate times, each with a brand-new excuse.

“The first time, they said they only carry books through Ingram,” Cissy explains. “The second time, they said they do carry indie books, but only ones they personally select. The third time, they told me they were ‘at capacity for local authors.’ And the fourth time, they just sighed dramatically and said, ‘Oh, we don’t really do poetry.’”

As she speaks, an entire wall of poetry books looms behind her.

At press time, Maple & Quill had just posted an Instagram story urging people to ‘support indie bookstores instead of Amazon.’ Meanwhile, Cissy was seen ordering her own book from Amazon, because nowhere else would carry it.