All About Meghan’s New Neighborhood Bookstore

Plus, two recommendations from the opening weekend of Godmothers.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with the co-founders of the book store Godmothers, Victoria Jackson and Jennifer Rudolph Walsh. (Photos throughout by Sara Prince)

Last Friday, I headed up the coast to Summerland, California to visit a new bookstore called Godmothers. Founded by celebrated literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and cosmetics mogul Victoria Jackson, it aims to be a neighborhood gathering place for this small seaside enclave and adjoining Montecito. I had been invited to the opening weekend festivities, with a guest list that included Oprah Winfrey, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Ellen DeGeneres and more.

My two visits to the store, beginning with the friends and family party Friday evening followed by a pair of panels on Saturday, plus the time I spent walking around Montecito, offered a fascinating glimpse into this rarefied world. I was the only reporter at these events, where many attendees shared openly with me what this new bookstore means to the community as well as what life is like for those who live there. I wrote all about it for Town & Country magazine, which you can read here.

Two related pieces for Town & Country were on topics near and dear to my heart: A look at Meghan’s fashion for both days as the children’s books the duchess shared she had recently read to her two children, five-year-old Archie and three-year-old Lili.

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To answer the question I have received most: Yes, I did get a chance to say hello to both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. They were lovely, relaxed and excited to celebrate the beautiful bookstore and the women who founded it. For those who have other queries about my visit, please click below and share in the comments (I will share as much as I am able).

To close out my coverage, I wanted to offer up two book recommendations, both of which were featured in panels on Saturday at Godmothers.

• We All Worry Now What? (2024) by Victoria Jackson. A sexual assault survivor, cosmetic entrepreneur and medical research advocate, Jackson weaves together her own story with insights on how to cope and connect. In her conversation with her Godmothers co-founder, Jackson mixed some advice with personal stories of her own worry, including how it kept her from going on the Oprah Winfrey show.

• Writing My Wrongs. (2017) by Shaka Senghor. Now a best-selling author and criminal justice reform activist, Senghor was sent to jail at the age of 19 for murder. While in solitary confinement, he wrote the first draft of his memoir, detailing the challenges of his childhood in Detroit. As part of an hour-long conversation with Winfrey at Godmothers, Senghor shared for the first time how the talk show host gave him a needed life goal while he was incarcerated.

Below, some very beautiful stories and insights from the Godmothers panels. Keep scrolling for something that Winfrey said towards the end of her conversation, sharing what every guest (over thousands of interviews!) always asked her at the end of her interviews — and what she says it thinks about our shared human experience.

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But first…

•  🍂 Happy to help with any fall fashion conundrums in our latest discussion thread (scroll for inspo, too, including the hunt for a chunky white cardigan).

• 💭 Many thanks to all of those taking part in the thoughtful conversation in the comments of this post about Catherine’s intimate family video, and what it says about the future of the monarchy.

Two Book Recommendations from the Opening Weekend of Godmothers

Note: These excerpts have been very lightly edited for clarity and space.