Amazon and Literary Culture: A Discussion

I'm excited that Atticus Books included me in a lively panel discussion on indie bookstores, bookselling culture, e-books, and literary culture in the age of Amazon.

"Is Amazon the Death of Literary Culture?"
Atticus Books blog
Six Degrees Left series
February 14, 2012
http://atticusbooksonline.com/sdl-amazon1

Panelists:
Author, small press blogger, ex-bookstore clerk Karen Lillis
Author Laura Ellen Scott (Death Wishing, Ig Publishing)
Poet & bookseller Angela Williams (Politics & Prose)

Moderator Lacey N. Dunham is the publicist for Atticus Books and a former bookseller.

I find myself still asking questions about Amazon after this discussion is over, even about its literal place in literary (publishing) culture. Is it a tool, is it a format, is it a middle man, is it a store, is it a mall, is it a yard sale, is it a billboard, is it a catalog, is it a database, is it a data aggregator, is it a software, is it a gadget, is it an app, is it a bookstore, is it a publisher, is it a predatory public company that sells whatever it thinks the public wants to buy and doesn't give a damn about books?

Feel free to weigh in via the comments section with your own thoughts.