Our Staff
Corey Mesler
...who had been Burke's manager since 1988, became the owner of the store with his lovely wife Cheryl (cf.) in 2000. Before coming to the book business in 1974 he had his own T.V. series called Secret Agent Man. He's been a pirate, a pauper, a puppet, a poet, a pawn and a king. He lives in Midtown with Cheryl and his son Toby, daughter Chloe, Border Collie Fly, and imaginary friend, Sigismund. His favorite authors include Philip Roth, John Updike, Iris Murdoch and William Steig. He is the author of numerous works of poetry and fiction.
...who had been Burke's manager since 1988, became the owner of the store with his lovely wife Cheryl (cf.) in 2000. Before coming to the book business in 1974 he had his own T.V. series called Secret Agent Man. He's been a pirate, a pauper, a puppet, a poet, a pawn and a king. He lives in Midtown with Cheryl and his son Toby, daughter Chloe, Border Collie Fly, and imaginary friend, Sigismund. His favorite authors include Philip Roth, John Updike, Iris Murdoch and William Steig. He is the author of numerous works of poetry and fiction.
Cheryl Mesler
...is originally from the Mississippi Delta. She moved to Memphis in 1990 to take a supposedly temporary job at Burke's Book Store, and shortly thereafter married the store manager (see above). Family Life same as above. When she isn't reading novels, she likes knitting scarves and watching reruns of Hee Haw and the Lawrence Welk Show.
David Tankersley
...is back at Burke's after a year's hiatus to work on the film (One Came Home) that he wrote with Willy Bearden.
Doug McQuirter
...is once again a Burkean after living in London and receiving an MA in modern history from Royal Holloway College, University of London. While his library is primarily composed of exciting (so he says) histories and non-fiction works, he does enjoy relaxing with the occasional novel (mostly British authors, of course), Woody Allen films and very amateur photography.
Amanda Bausch
...is a poet studying creative writing at the University of Memphis. First and foremost, she is a guitarist (for 11 years and counting) and singer/songwriter. She doesn't mind singing when it is least appropriate, embarrassing her friends, or busking in general. She can sing many songs in French but she has no idea what she is saying.
Amanda Bearden
...the newest Burke's staff member, grew up in Columbus, MS and moved to Memphis in 2002 for art school. She decided to become a bookseller instead (for the money, of course). Hobbies include bicycling in the stifling heat, talking too much about 70's movies, and trying to find that perfect novel that sits right on the line between trash and literature.
Chloe Mesler
...age 15, is the daughter of owners Corey and Cheryl, and will someday step in to run Burke's, provided she can come up with the down payment. She lis a freshamn at Central High and loves fashion, anything from the 80's, her dog Fly, her rabbit Bowie, Charlie Chaplin, stuffed animals, and toast.