How Queer-Owned Bookstores are Celebrating Pride Month

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It’s the astir fantastic clip of the year: Pride month! And it’s besides the cleanable clip to sojourn your section queer-owned bookstore. Even if you don’t person a queer bookstore successful your neighborhood, determination are plentifulness you tin enactment from afar by ordering books online oregon participating successful virtual events. Read connected to find retired however queer-owned bookstores crossed the U.S. are celebrating Pride period and ways to articulation them.

There’s a word successful sociology to picture locations extracurricular of location and enactment wherever assemblage is fostered, friendships are made, and ideas are discussed: 3rd places. These 3rd places are wherever we tin beryllium and turn and larn with others too our household and co-workers. They’re important to happy, steadfast neighborhoods. And to me, queer-owned bookstores are the champion 3rd places. They’re tiny businesses that foster fascinating conversations, uplift LGBTQ+ and BIPOC voices, and promote meaningful connections. People of each ages, introverts and extroverts, and radical who don’t consciousness comfy astatine bars oregon clubs tin each find what they request astatine queer bookstores.

Ahead of June, I reached retired to each the queer-owned bookstores successful the U.S. to inquire astir their plans to observe Pride period and the value of bookstores similar theirs for the LGBTQ+ community. I heard 1 happening large and clear: Pride isn’t conscionable for June. While these bookstores person a wide scope of festive events and calls to enactment this month, they’re doing the hard enactment of uplifting queer voices and warring for alteration each time of the year.

Not each of the queer-owned bookstores had the bandwidth to respond to my queries. If you’d similar to spot much stores successful your area, you tin find a afloat database connected Libro.fm. But present are 42 beloved bookstores’ thoughts connected Pride period and their plans for June, from resistance queen communicative hours to section Pride festivals to creation parties and beyond.

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The Salt Eaters – Inglewood

There’s nary enactment similar a Prince-themed creation party. Celebrate Pride and assistance support queer-owned bookstore The Salt Eaters and the Compton Community Garden unfastened with a Club Prince Rent Party and Fundraiser connected June 10.

Reparations Club – Los Angeles

“As a queer Black pistillate raised successful Los Angeles, I’m truthful grateful to person created a abstraction that tin clasp each of those identities and marque disposable others who mightiness beryllium sitting astatine their ain intersections,” said Jazzi McGilbert, laminitis and co-owner of Reparations Club up of Pride month. “As idiosyncratic who has often felt invisible, determination was ne'er a question that Rep Club would beryllium a spot we tin consciousness seen, heard, and of course, read. There’s truly thing similar being surrounded by LGBTQIA+ stories from the past, present, and aboriginal each time to punctual you that you’re valid. While it’s decidedly Pride 24/7 here, June feels particularly sparkly!”

You don’t person to beryllium successful L.A. to observe Pride period with Reparations Club bookstore. Get 10% disconnected each books during Pride period by utilizing the codification PRIDE2023 connected their website.

The Ripped Bodice – Los Angeles

“While we should ne'er disregard the calamity and trauma that affects LGBTQ+ people, queer radical merit a fluffy romcom oregon sexy thriller too!” said Leah Koch, proprietor of LA’s romance-centric bookstore The Ripped Bodice. “Joy is portion of resiliency and resistance. And I should besides stress that practice is inactive truthful important. Especially for folks without casual entree to enactment networks, but adjacent for those of america who are openly queer, seeing radical who stock our values, appearance, thoughts, and passions successful the media we devour is crucial.”

In summation to a slew of June writer events and queer reads successful each 4 of their regular book clubs, you tin drawback 1 of The Ripped Bodice’s Pride T-shirts to enactment fashionable each twelvemonth long.

The Booksmith – San Francisco

The Booksmith is amplifying section queer voices by celebrating the merchandise of All the Right Notes by San Francisco queer organizer Dominic Lim connected June 6. But they besides admit that Pride isn’t conscionable for June.

“Running a queer-oriented bookshop is 1 agelong party, for everyone — grandmas, slackers, writers, dirtbags, losers, lovers, each colour folx, dreamers, the lost, the hopeful — organized astir the thought that our occupation is to assistance marque the satellite bigger, not smaller,” said Booksmith co-owner and purchaser Camden Avery. “We’re incredibly fortunate that Pride play is simply a batch similar immoderate play here. But wherever we are, we person the unthinkable privilege to get to read, and act, and think, and fuck, and imagination nevertheless we want. So successful Pride and successful each season, we look the satellite knowing it’s our occupation to marque a tiny location for everyone who doesn’t get to bash that wherever they are.”

Omnivore Books connected Food – San Francisco

Omnivore Books connected Food is the Bay Area’s lone culinary bookstore, and adjacent better, it’s queer-owned! It’s the cleanable spot to find cookbooks, foodie fiction, and nonfiction this Pride month.

“The value of being a queer-owned shop, for me, is being unafraid to talk my mind, adjacent if it means losing customers,” said Celia Sack of Omnivore Books. “I volition ever basal up for what I judge is right, and I’ll enactment a show close successful my beforehand model to backmost that up. Our assemblage cannot spend to backmost down an inch, to springiness backmost an iota of the rights we’ve fought for.”

District of Columbia

Little District Books – D.C.

Queer bookstore Little District Books has a period packed with events celebrating queer authors. Additionally, commencement the period with a Pride kickoff sip-and-shop connected June 3, including refreshments, giveaways, a raffle, and marque caller store merch to peruse. And connected June 24, privation Little District Books a precise blessed archetypal day astatine an unfastened location with adjacent much giveaways and festivities.

Loyalty Bookstore – D.C. & Silver Spring, MD

Catch a assortment of queer authors passim June astatine Loyalty Bookstores successful Washington, D.C. and Silver Spring, Maryland, including events with Elliot Page (Pageboy), Amelia Possanza (Lesbian Love Story), and Ani Kayode Somtochukwu (And Then He Sang a Lullaby).

Florida

Hello Again Books – Cocoa Village

Join Hello Again Books for a play afloat of Pride celebrations with their Be the Rainbow events from June 8-10. They’ve got it all: a favored parade, showtunes singalong, a rainbow-themed creation party, and overmuch more. All proceeds from this year’s Be the Rainbow play spell to Bikers Against Child Abuse.

Georgia

Charis Books & More – Decatur

In summation to celebrating Pride month, Charis Books & More is besides celebrating their caller triumph of the Lambda Literary Publishing Professional Award! Congratulate them connected this grant astatine 1 of their galore queer events this month, including publication clubs, writer conversations, assemblage gathering meet-ups, crippled nights, and more.

Illinois

Lit. connected Fire Books – Peoria

Celebrate queer creatives astatine Lit. connected Fire Books’s yearly Get Lit. Open Mic Night connected June 21. It volition diagnostic poetry, music, originative nonfiction, and spoken word, centering QTPOC voices first. You tin besides snag 20% disconnected each Pride flags successful the store successful June.

“Here astatine Lit. connected Fire Books, each time is Pride,” owner/operator Jessica Stephenson shared. “Queer-owned bookstores are much important present than ever. We are grassroots, assemblage gathering powerhouses. Hubs of connection. Safe spaces to observe who we are. Just similar our LGBTQ+ household builds affirming communities to attraction for its own, queer-owned autarkic bookstores make carnal affirming spaces wherever practice is astatine the bosom of everything we do.”

Louisiana

Tubby & Coo’s Bookshop – New Orleans

Tubby & Coo’s Bookshop is envisioning a queer aboriginal and bringing it to beingness close present by transforming into a traveling bookshop, a format that allows them to scope much readers, big forward-thinking events, and physique queer community. Starting successful June, you’ll find them astatine 4 imperishable pop-up residencies crossed New Orleans. And they’ve got large plans for the future, including queer small escaped libraries, publication vending machines, a bookmobile, and more.

Massachusetts

All She Wrote Books – Somerville

You’ll find All She Wrote Books retired successful the assemblage during Pride period astatine the Boston Dyke March, Boston Pride for the People, and more. Also beryllium definite to cheque retired their database of June writer events and support your eyes retired for an big queer communicative hr astatine the extremity of the month, wherever attendees are invited to stock their ain stories of being queer today.

“Our bookstore is simply a spot wherever radical tin find themselves successful the pages of the books we person curated connected our shelves,” said All She Wrote proprietor Christina Pascucci-Ciampa. “It is simply a spot wherever having conversations astir meaningful topics — and hard ones — is conscionable arsenic important arsenic getting radical their adjacent work oregon helping them physique connected their TBR pile. It is simply a safe, inclusive abstraction wherever you’re loved, cared for, and respected nary substance what locomotion of beingness you travel from.”

“In the existent governmental moment, with vicious attacks connected trans youth, bans of some resistance and queer books arsenic ‘obscene,’ and the mainstreaming of homophobic rhetoric, it is important to enactment queer radical and queer institutions each twelvemonth long.”

Michigan

Wayfaring Booksellers – Lansing

“As queer booksellers, each time is simply a caller accidental to stock queer stories,” said Casey Holland and Eleanor Richards, co-owners of Wayfaring Booksellers. “Queer books are catalysts for assemblage — encouraging and allowing america to signifier bonds and stock our stories, some existent and fantastical. We perceive from our chap queer and trans readers regular however overmuch they admit having a abstraction to spot themselves connected the page. Supporting that abstraction is the champion happening we tin do. We work queer each year, and we promote you to bash the same!”

If you’re headed to Lansing Pride connected June 17, beryllium definite to prime up immoderate queer books astatine Wayfaring Booksellers’ pop-up shop. You tin besides enactment the queer-owned bookstore by purchasing immoderate of their Read Queer All Year merch. Bonus — if you deterioration your merch erstwhile you sojourn the store, you’ll get 10% disconnected your purchase.

Bettie’s Pages – Lowell

Bettie’s Pages is arrogant to articulation Lowell’s 3rd yearly Pride festival to observe queer books. You tin besides enactment Bettie’s Pages by purchasing a constricted variation Only Pride, No Prejudice T-shirt.

“There is nary assemblage hub rather similar a section indie bookstore,” said Nicole Lintemuth, proprietor of Bettie’s Pages. “Obviously I’m a spot biased, but I deliberation indie bookstores truly talk to the bosom of a metropolis oregon neighborhood. As we spot much queer-owned bookstores, particularly successful tiny towns similar my own, we person a almighty level for visibility, normalizing our stories being connected the support close adjacent to everyone else! I can’t deliberation of a amended mode to amusement the satellite we are present and arrogant to beryllium a portion of our communities than that.”

Minnesota

Black Garnet Books – Minneapolis

Check retired works by BIPOC and queer artists from the Twin Cities astatine Black Garnet Books’s handcrafted art fair connected June 10. In summation to Pride, you tin besides observe Juneteenth with Black Garnet Books astatine the Design Justice x UMN event connected June 17, wherever they’ll beryllium selling books, hosting trivia, and showing disconnected their affable vicinity bookstore dog, Nova.

Mississippi

Violet Valley Bookstore – Water Valley

Queer, feminist, Southern bookstore Violet Valley is celebrating section queer writer Meagan O’Nan’s memoir Held and Free connected June 3. They’ve besides got Pride tone year-round.

“Pride month, for us, is specified a clip of celebration, and we emotion the celebrations of the LGBTQ+ assemblage by queer folks and allies alike. But then, each period is Pride period for queer bookstores,” said laminitis and proprietor Jaime Harker. “In the existent governmental moment, with vicious attacks connected trans youth, bans of some resistance and queer books arsenic ‘obscene,’ and the mainstreaming of homophobic rhetoric, it is important to enactment queer radical and queer institutions each twelvemonth long.”

Missouri

Redux Society – Kansas City

It’s ever a enactment astatine Redux Society, wherever you tin prime up a caller book, instrumentality a creation class, and larn the creation of lightsaber dueling each successful 1 trip. Don’t miss their festive Queer Dance Night connected June 9.

“Queer-owned bookstores play a captious relation successful our communities, providing spaces wherever divers voices tin beryllium celebrated, stories tin beryllium shared, and acceptance tin flourish,” said Redux Society proprietor Lucy Kull. “These bookstores service arsenic beacons of inclusivity, empowering individuals to clasp their authentic selves and fostering a consciousness of belonging for all. They are much than conscionable places to bargain books; they are vibrant hubs that nourish our minds, hearts, and spirits.”

Left Bank Books – St. Louis

Left Banks Books fights backmost against publication bans done their Literacy & Justice Program, which collects donations to nonstop escaped copies of immoderate of the astir often challenged books successful the U.S. to anyone who requests one, including queer titles similar Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer and George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue. In June, they’re besides partnering with Random House for a Writing Queer Stories workshop with writer Camille Kellogg (Just As You Are).

“We firmly judge that uncovering joyousness is an enactment of resistance,” Shane Mullen of Left Bank Books said. “We volition beryllium sharing tons of publication recs that halfway connected queer stories of joy, of hope, of love, of peace. Oppressive forces number connected exhausting america with their relentless and seemingly endless attacks, hoping that we are excessively bushed to combat them. We’re encouraging radical to revel successful the revolutionary enactment of queer joyousness truthful that we are that overmuch much equipped for the fight.”

New Jersey

Howling Basset Books – Oldwick

“As an LGBTQ-owned bookstore successful agrarian New Jersey wherever book-banning has been connected the array successful nationalist schools, we recognize that practice genuinely matters,” said Zohar Kfir, co-owner of Howling Basset. “This means that we marque definite to transportation books and authors that volition marque each our customers consciousness seen, including books astir gender, sexuality, and cheery history.”

While buying for queer books astatine Howling Basset Books, you tin besides get a small puppy emotion from their basset-in-residence Stella.

North Carolina

Firestorm Books & Coffee – Asheville

Recognize the day of the Stonewall Uprising with Firestorm Books & Coffee by joining their virtual event connected June 27 with the contributors of Surviving the Future: Abolitionist Queer Strategies. Firestorm volition besides beryllium promoting immoderate of their favourite books from queer publishers and autarkic queer and trans authors, artists, and zinesters.

“As a bookstore owned by a queer and trans collective, we’re ever celebrating the past of cheery liberation portion keeping our eyes connected its unfinished work,” said Libertie Valance of Firestorm. “Especially successful this infinitesimal of escalating attacks connected our community, erstwhile queer, trans, and sex nonconforming radical look existential violence, we judge that the champion mode to commemorate our past is by warring for our future. That means some taking a basal against attacks from the far-right, but besides resisting the whitewashing, commercialization, and pacification of our question histories.”

Ohio

Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre – Akron

You’ll find queer books featured connected the shelves astatine Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre this month, but you tin besides find their booksellers retired successful the assemblage hosting pop-up shops astatine assorted festivals and events. They’re besides hosting their 2nd yearly Pride Book Fundraiser.

“Pride period is simply a clip to grant our queer ancestors and observe however acold the assemblage has come,” said manager September Howat. “Books connected our shelves each twelvemonth agelong archer the stories of individuals who stood up and spoke out, who sacrificed, and who celebrated. As a Black, queer, woman-owned bookstore, Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre is arrogant to make a safe, inclusive abstraction for each publication lovers and particularly for neighbors and visitors from marginalized communities.”

Shelf Life – Cuyahoga Falls

Join Shelf Life successful raising funds for section LGBTQ+ enactment Colors+ Youth Center successful Fairview Park by buying a raffle summons to triumph a bundle of banned queer books. The store besides plans to beforehand section queer artists and makers. Visit the store connected June 11 to browse Pride themed offerings from Sew Sarah Lou and Gemini Jewelry, and driblet by betwixt 1 and 4 P.M. connected June 24 to conscionable writer Barbara Marie Minney and get a signed transcript of her books If There’s No Heaven and Poetic Memoir Chapbook Challenge.

Pennsylvania

Pocket Books – Lancaster

Who doesn’t emotion a bookish surprise? Pocket Books successful Lancaster offers surprise boxes packed with hand-picked books based connected your speechmaking preferences and publication themed goodies. In summation to their ever-popular sapphic astonishment box, starting successful June, they’re besides selling a queer fearfulness container and queer YA box.

“At Pocket Books, we see it our truest joyousness to beryllium a harmless and affirming abstraction for our queer fam,” said Pocket Books co-owner Julie Ross. “It’s important to america that our customers tin find books written by queer authors and telling queer stories connected each shelf, successful each genre, from committee books to phantasy to literate fiction.”

Big Blue Marble Bookstore – Philadelphia

Kick disconnected Pride period astatine Big Blue Marble Bookstore astatine a publication merchandise event connected June 3 for Constellations, Kate Glasheen’s debut graphic caller astir a queer teen trying to find their spot successful the world.

Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni’s Room – Philadelphia

Legendary bookstore Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni’s Room is celebrating 50 years of selling queer publication and gathering queer assemblage with a Queerapalooza enactment connected June 10. This can’t-miss lawsuit volition diagnostic section queer musicians and performers, artists and makers, food, and more. But you tin commencement Pride period adjacent earlier with their Philadelphia Queer Book Club meeting connected June 1, wherever they’ll sermon Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name.

“We’re fortunate to person been a fixture of the Philadelphia Gayborhood for truthful galore decades,” said Katharine Milon, co-manager of PAT @ Giovanni’s Room. “This year, Pride is simply a large accidental for america to retrieve each the enactment of those who came earlier america to marque this abstraction imaginable — arsenic good arsenic observe our committedness to each the enactment that inactive needs to beryllium done.”

Texas

BookWoman – Austin

You tin ever find a mode to observe Pride successful Austin astatine BookWoman, wherever they person imperishable shelves dedicated to queer lit and an fantabulous assortment of LGBTQ+ stickers, patches, and different swag.

“Now much than ever, confederate queer radical — and particularly trans radical — request a spot they tin spell wherever they tin drawback their enactment and find a consciousness of community,” bookseller Audrey Kohler shared. “That’s what we anticipation to proviso astatine BookWoman: community. All of our booksellers are LGBTQ+ and we emotion sharing stories with our customers, whether it beryllium someone’s archetypal lesbian romance, showing a trans pistillate that determination are books retired determination for her, oregon chatting with queer elders who person been buying astatine BookWoman each 47 years we person been open. In short, it’s ever Pride astatine BookWoman for and due to the fact that of the assemblage we person built and proceed to grow.”

Reverie Books – Austin

“Reverie books is simply a queer- and woman-owned bookstore successful Austin, Texas, that serves the section assemblage with an accent connected under-represented voices,” said Reverie CEO Thais Perkins. “We question to beryllium a harmless abstraction for young radical successful particular, who often person fewer places to entree successful acold southbound Austin, and they’ve told america we’re important to their consciousness of information and comfort. Pride period is each twelvemonth circular astatine Reverie — but we emotion the excuse to observe adjacent more!” June truly is conscionable the commencement of the enactment for Reverie, and they support it going done Austin’s section Pride celebrations successful August.

The Book Burrow – Pflugerville

Celebrate queer books during Pflugerville Pride Pfestival connected June 10, wherever The Book Burrow is hosting a poesy slam and a queer writer panel. You tin besides drawback The Book Burrow proprietor Kelsey Black emceeing shows passim the event.

“Our slogan is ‘Embrace Your Weird’,” Black shared astir The Book Burrow’s queer community. “However that manifests successful the idiosyncratic lives of those astir us, we are present to enactment those who are conscionable trying to find a home. Pflugerville is what Austin was 20 years agone — underground grunge, punk, quirky, fun, and astir importantly, diverse. I americium conscionable supporting a assemblage that already exists and giving them a home. That is what Pride period means to me: a period agelong solemnisation of the uniqueness of radical and the combat we each look to find a spot we tin telephone home.”

Utah

The King’s English Bookshop – Salt Lake City

What amended clip than Pride to sojourn resistance queen communicative hour? The King’s English Bookshop is reviving their resistance queen communicative hr bid with section queen Tara Lipsyncki starting connected June 3 astatine Riot! Pride Street Fair.

Under the Umbrella – Salt Lake City

If you’re looking to observe Pride successful Utah, Under the Umbrella Bookstore is the spot to be! They’ve got a June calendar packed with events, including pop-up markets with works by section LGBTQIA2S+ artists, resistance queen communicative hour, collaborations with different queer-owned businesses, and overmuch more.

Virginia

Eleanor’s Norfolk – Norfolk

You tin find a stack of queer books and a vessel of vino astatine Eleanor’s Norfolk and, honestly, what much could you need? Check retired queer shaper pop-ups astatine the store passim the period of June. You tin besides articulation Eleanor’s Norfolk successful celebrating Pride with the Suffolk Public Library.

“A abstraction that celebrates queerness successful each its forms by sharing the stories of the queer assemblage allows everyone, queer oregon not, to entree the humanity, some the struggles and the joys, of their neighbors,” said Eleanor’s Norfolk’s owner/operator Erin Dougherty. “Centering these stories virtually creates assemblage due to the fact that it allows each radical to beryllium seen and valued. Queer-owned bookstores physique wherever others effort to teardrop down. We supply abstraction to anticipation for and make a different, equitable aboriginal based connected corporate attraction and extremist joy.”

Washington

Main Street Books – Monroe

You tin observe Pride with Main Street Books astatine Monroe Pride connected June 11 astatine Skykomish River Centennial Park. But you besides don’t person to beryllium successful Washington to get successful connected the fun. Get 15% disconnected your acquisition online oregon successful the store successful June utilizing the codification PRIDE2023.

The Book Rack – Oak Harbor

Everybody wins erstwhile you store for queer books astatine The Book Rack successful June. For immoderate Pride related books and swag sold, they’ll donate 10% to their section Whidbey Island PFLAG chapter.

Orca Books – Olympia

Queer and trans-operated Orca Books hosts publication clubs and readings to enactment their section LGBTQ+ assemblage passim the year. Join their Marxist speechmaking radical connected June 26 to sermon Leslie Feinberg’s Transgender Warriors.

“Our bookstore is truthful cheery we person a feline named Orlando who lives connected premises,” says the Orca Books team. “Visit america to banal up connected each queer banned books and sneak Orlando catnip.”

Left Bank Books – Seattle

If you privation to cheque retired a enactment of Left Bank Books’s anti-authoritarian, anarchist, independent, extremist and small-press titles, driblet by their booth astatine the Wenatchee Pride Festival connected June 3 successful Memorial Park.

Wisconsin

River Dog Book Co. – Oconomowoc

River Dog Book Co. is an autarkic bookseller online and with pop-up shops astir the Oconomowoc country with a absorption connected diverse, global, inclusive, and typical books for historically marginalized and excluded radical and their intersecting identities and experiences. They’ll beryllium promoting queer authors and books passim the period of June connected societal media and successful newsletters.

“Pride period is an particularly breathtaking clip due to the fact that we get to showcase books by queer writers and featuring queer characters crossed each of those identities and experiences, truthful that queer radical everyplace tin spot that we beryllium worldwide, we person existed passim history, and our emotion is arsenic worthy of not lone ineligible rights and protections, but astir importantly, of celebration,” said River Dog Book Co. proprietor BrocheAroe Fabian.

Bound to Happen Books – Stevens Point

In a twelvemonth afloat of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, Bound to Happen Books has been hard astatine enactment fundraising for section organizations, warring publication bans, and helping a section precocious school’s Gay Straight Alliance make a queer library. In June, you tin find them participating successful Point Pride connected June 10, wherever they’ll big a queer books pop-up store and resistance queen communicative hour.

“As a queer-owned bookstore, particularly successful a smaller metropolis successful the mediate of Central Wisconsin, we are truthful arrogant to instrumentality portion successful and enactment Point Pride,” said Lyn Ciuro, Bound to Happen’s storefront coordinator. “We indispensable travel unneurotic present much than ever to find resilience successful our queer assemblage and to basal successful solidarity against the hateful attacks of blimpish extremists. We enactment precise intimately with the teachers successful our section schoolhouse territory and person seen the publication challenges and bans they’ve faced; our assemblage needs to basal down these teachers and students who are being targeted.”

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