How Queer-Owned Bookstores are Celebrating Pride Month

The Salt Eaters – Inglewood

There’s no get together like a Prince-themed dance get together. Celebrate Pride and assist maintain queer-owned bookstore The Salt Eaters and the Compton Community Garden open with a Club Prince Rent Party and Fundraiser on June 10.

Reparations Club – Los Angeles

“As a queer Black woman raised in Los Angeles, I’m so grateful to have created a space that can hold all of those identities and make visible others who might be sitting at their own intersections,” stated Jazzi McGilbert, founder and co-owner of Reparations Club forward of Pride month. “As someone who has often felt invisible, there was never a question that Rep Club would be a place we can feel seen, heard, and of course, read. There’s really nothing like being surrounded by LGBTQIA+ stories from the past, present, and future every day to remind you that you’re valid. While it’s definitely Pride 24/7 here, June feels especially sparkly!”

You don’t should be in L.A. to have a good time Pride month with Reparations Club bookstore. Get 10% off all books throughout Pride month through the use of the code PRIDE2023 on their web site.

The Ripped Bodice – Los Angeles

“While we should never ignore the tragedy and trauma that affects LGBTQ+ people, queer people deserve a fluffy romcom or sexy thriller too!” stated Leah Koch, proprietor of LA’s romance-centric bookstore The Ripped Bodice. “Joy is part of resiliency and resistance. And I should also emphasize that representation is still so important. Especially for folks without easy access to support networks, but even for those of us who are openly queer, seeing people who share our values, appearance, thoughts, and passions in the media we consume is crucial.”

In addition to a slew of June writer occasions and queer reads in all 4 of their common e-book golf equipment, you possibly can seize one in all The Ripped Bodice’s Pride T-shirts to remain modern all 12 months lengthy.

The Booksmith – San Francisco

The Booksmith is amplifying native queer voices by celebrating the discharge of All the Right Notes by San Francisco queer organizer Dominic Lim on June 6. But additionally they acknowledge that Pride isn’t only for June.

“Running a queer-oriented bookshop is one long party, for everyone — grandmas, slackers, writers, dirtbags, losers, lovers, every color folx, dreamers, the lost, the hopeful — organized around the idea that our job is to help make the world bigger, not smaller,” stated Booksmith co-owner and purchaser Camden Avery. “We’re incredibly fortunate that Pride season is a lot like any season here. But where we are, we have the incredible privilege to get to read, and act, and think, and fuck, and dream however we want. So in Pride and in every season, we face the world knowing it’s our job to make a small home for everyone who doesn’t get to do that where they are.”

Omnivore Books on Food – San Francisco

Omnivore Books on Food is the Bay Area’s solely culinary bookstore, and even higher, it’s queer-owned! It’s the proper place to search out cookbooks, foodie fiction, and nonfiction this Pride month.

“The importance of being a queer-owned shop, for me, is being unafraid to speak my mind, even if it means losing customers,” stated Celia Sack of Omnivore Books. “I will always stand up for what I believe is right, and I’ll put a display right in my front window to back that up. Our community cannot afford to back down an inch, to give back an iota of the rights we’ve fought for.”

District of Columbia

Little District Books – D.C.

Queer bookstore Little District Books has a month full of occasions celebrating queer authors. Additionally, begin the month with a Pride kickoff sip-and-shop on June 3, together with refreshments, giveaways, a raffle, and model new retailer merch to peruse. And on June 24, want Little District Books a really completely happy first birthday at an open home with much more giveaways and festivities.

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

Catch a wide range of queer authors all through June at Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C. and Silver Spring, Maryland, together with occasions 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 weekend stuffed with Pride celebrations with their Be the Rainbow occasions from June 8-10. They’ve acquired all of it: a pet parade, showtunes singalong, a rainbow-themed dance get together, and far more. All proceeds from this 12 months’s Be the Rainbow weekend go to Bikers Against Child Abuse.

Georgia

Charis Books & More – Decatur

In addition to celebrating Pride month, Charis Books & More can be celebrating their current win of the Lambda Literary Publishing Professional Award! Congratulate them on this honor at one in all their many queer occasions this month, together with e-book golf equipment, writer conversations, group constructing meet-ups, recreation nights, and extra.

Illinois

Lit. on Fire Books – Peoria

Celebrate queer creatives at Lit. on Fire Books’s annual Get Lit. Open Mic Night on June 21. It will function poetry, music, artistic nonfiction, and spoken phrase, centering QTPOC voices first. You may also snag 20% off all Pride flags within the retailer in June.

“Here at Lit. on Fire Books, every day is Pride,” proprietor/operator Jessica Stephenson shared. “Queer-owned bookstores are more important now than ever. We are grassroots, community building powerhouses. Hubs of connection. Safe spaces to celebrate who we are. Just like our LGBTQ+ family builds affirming communities to care for its own, queer-owned independent bookstores create physical affirming spaces where representation is at the heart of everything we do.”

Louisiana

Tubby & Coo’s Bookshop – New Orleans

Tubby & Coo’s Bookshop is envisioning a queer future and bringing it to life proper now by remodeling right into a touring bookshop, a format that enables them to achieve extra readers, host forward-thinking occasions, and construct queer group. Starting in June, you’ll discover them at 4 everlasting pop-up residencies throughout New Orleans. And they’ve acquired huge plans for the longer term, together with queer little free libraries, e-book merchandising machines, a bookmobile, and extra.

Massachusetts

All She Wrote Books – Somerville

You’ll discover All She Wrote Books out locally throughout Pride month on the Boston Dyke March, Boston Pride for the People, and extra. Also be sure you try their record of June writer occasions and maintain your eyes out for an grownup queer story hour on the finish of the month, the place attendees are invited to share their very own tales of being queer at the moment.

“Our bookstore is a place where people can find themselves in the pages of the books we have curated on our shelves,” stated All She Wrote proprietor Christina Pascucci-Ciampa. “It is a place where having conversations about meaningful topics — and difficult ones — is just as important as getting people their next read or helping them build on their TBR pile. It is a safe, inclusive space where you’re loved, cared for, and respected no matter what walk of life you come from.”

Michigan

Wayfaring Booksellers – Lansing

“As queer booksellers, every day is a new opportunity to share queer stories,” stated Casey Holland and Eleanor Richards, co-owners of Wayfaring Booksellers. “Queer books are catalysts for community — encouraging and allowing us to form bonds and share our stories, both real and fantastical. We hear from our fellow queer and trans readers daily how much they appreciate having a space to see themselves on the page. Supporting that space is the best thing we can do. We read queer all year, and we encourage you to do the same!”

If you’re headed to Lansing Pride on June 17, be sure you decide up some queer books at Wayfaring Booksellers’ pop-up store. You may also assist the queer-owned bookstore by buying a few of their Read Queer All Year merch. Bonus — in case you put on your merch if you go to the shop, you’ll get 10% off your buy.

Bettie’s Pages – Lowell

Bettie’s Pages is proud to hitch Lowell’s third annual Pride competition to have a good time queer books. You may also assist Bettie’s Pages by buying a restricted version Only Pride, No Prejudice T-shirt.

“There is no community hub quite like a local indie bookstore,” stated Nicole Lintemuth, proprietor of Bettie’s Pages. “Obviously I’m a bit biased, but I think indie bookstores really speak to the heart of a city or neighborhood. As we see more queer-owned bookstores, especially in small towns like my own, we have a powerful platform for visibility, normalizing our stories being on the shelf right next to everyone else! I can’t think of a better way to show the world we are here and proud to be a part of our communities than that.”

Minnesota

Black Garnet Books – Minneapolis

Check out works by BIPOC and queer artists from the Twin Cities at Black Garnet Books’s handcrafted artwork honest on June 10. In addition to Pride, you can even have a good time Juneteenth with Black Garnet Books on the Design Justice x UMN occasion on June 17, the place they’ll be promoting books, internet hosting trivia, and exhibiting off their pleasant neighborhood bookstore canine, Nova.

Mississippi

Violet Valley Bookstore – Water Valley

Queer, feminist, Southern bookstore Violet Valley is celebrating native queer writer Meagan O’Nan’s memoir Held and Free on June 3. They’ve additionally acquired Pride spirit year-round.

“Pride month, for us, is such a time of celebration, and we love the celebrations of the LGBTQ+ community by queer folks and allies alike. But then, every month is Pride month for queer bookstores,” stated founder and proprietor Jaime Harker. “In the current political moment, with vicious attacks on trans youth, bans of both drag and queer books as ‘obscene,’ and the mainstreaming of homophobic rhetoric, it is important to support queer people and queer institutions all year long.”

Missouri

Redux Society – Kansas City

It’s all the time a celebration at Redux Society, the place you possibly can decide up a brand new e-book, take a dance class, and study the artwork of lightsaber dueling multi functional journey. Don’t miss their festive Queer Dance Night on June 9.

“Queer-owned bookstores play a vital role in our communities, providing spaces where diverse voices can be celebrated, stories can be shared, and acceptance can flourish,” stated Redux Society proprietor Lucy Kull. “These bookstores serve as beacons of inclusivity, empowering individuals to embrace their authentic selves and fostering a sense of belonging for all. They are more than just places to buy books; they are vibrant hubs that nourish our minds, hearts, and spirits.”

Left Bank Books – St. Louis

Left Banks Books fights again towards e-book bans by means of their Literacy & Justice Program, which collects donations to ship free copies of among the most steadily challenged books within the U.S. to anybody who requests one, together with queer titles like Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer and George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue. In June, they’re additionally partnering with Random House for a Writing Queer Stories workshop with writer Camille Kellogg (Just As You Are).

“We firmly believe that finding joy is an act of resistance,” Shane Mullen of Left Bank Books stated. “We will be sharing lots of book recs that center on queer stories of joy, of hope, of love, of peace. Oppressive forces count on exhausting us with their relentless and seemingly endless attacks, hoping that we are too tired to combat them. We’re encouraging people to revel in the revolutionary act of queer joy so that we are that much more equipped for the fight.”

New Jersey

Howling Basset Books – Oldwick

“As an LGBTQ-owned bookstore in rural New Jersey where book-banning has been on the table in public schools, we understand that representation truly matters,” stated Zohar Kfir, co-owner of Howling Basset. “This means that we make sure to carry books and authors that will make all our customers feel seen, including books about gender, sexuality, and gay history.”

While searching for queer books at Howling Basset Books, you can even get a little bit pet love from their basset-in-residence Stella.

North Carolina

Firestorm Books & Coffee – Asheville

Recognize the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising with Firestorm Books & Coffee by becoming a member of their digital occasion on June 27 with the contributors of Surviving the Future: Abolitionist Queer Strategies. Firestorm can even be selling a few of their favourite books from queer publishers and unbiased queer and trans authors, artists, and zinesters.

“As a bookstore owned by a queer and trans collective, we’re always celebrating the history of gay liberation while keeping our eyes on its unfinished work,” stated Libertie Valance of Firestorm. “Especially in this moment of escalating attacks on our community, when queer, trans, and gender nonconforming people face existential violence, we believe that the best way to commemorate our history is by fighting for our future. That means both taking a stand against attacks from the far-right, but also resisting the whitewashing, commercialization, and pacification of our movement histories.”

Ohio

Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre – Akron

You’ll discover queer books featured on the cabinets at Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre this month, however you can even discover their booksellers out locally internet hosting pop-up outlets at varied festivals and occasions. They’re additionally internet hosting their second annual Pride Book Fundraiser.

“Pride month is a time to honor our queer ancestors and celebrate how far the community has come,” stated director September Howat. “Books on our shelves all year long tell 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 proud to create a safe, inclusive space for all book lovers and especially for neighbors and visitors from marginalized communities.”

Shelf Life – Cuyahoga Falls

Join Shelf Life in elevating funds for native LGBTQ+ group Colors+ Youth Center in Fairview Park by shopping for a raffle ticket to win a bundle of banned queer books. The retailer additionally plans to advertise native queer artists and makers. Visit the shop on June 11 to browse Pride themed choices from Sew Sarah Lou and Gemini Jewelry, and drop by between 1 and 4 P.M. on June 24 to fulfill poet Barbara Marie Minney and get a signed copy of her books If There’s No Heaven and Poetic Memoir Chapbook Challenge.

Pennsylvania

Pocket Books – Lancaster

Who doesn’t love a bookish shock? Pocket Books in Lancaster presents shock bins full of hand-picked books based mostly in your studying preferences and e-book themed goodies. In addition to their ever-popular sapphic shock field, beginning in June, they’re additionally promoting a queer horror field and queer YA field.

“At Pocket Books, we consider it our truest joy to be a safe and affirming space for our queer fam,” stated Pocket Books co-owner Julie Ross. “It’s important to us that our customers can find books written by queer authors and telling queer stories on every shelf, in every genre, from board books to fantasy to literary fiction.”

Big Blue Marble Bookstore – Philadelphia

Kick off Pride month at Big Blue Marble Bookstore at a e-book launch occasion on June 3 for Constellations, Kate Glasheen’s debut graphic novel a couple of queer teen looking for their place on the planet.

Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni’s Room – Philadelphia

Legendary bookstore Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni’s Room is celebrating 50 years of promoting queer e-book and constructing queer group with a Queerapalooza get together on June 10. This can’t-miss occasion will function native queer musicians and performers, artists and makers, meals, and extra. But you can begin Pride month even earlier with their Philadelphia Queer Book Club assembly on June 1, the place they’ll focus on Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name.

“We’re lucky to have been a fixture of the Philadelphia Gayborhood for so many decades,” stated Katharine Milon, co-manager of PAT @ Giovanni’s Room. “This year, Pride is a great opportunity for us to remember all the work of those who came before us to make this space possible — as well as celebrate our commitment to all the work that still needs to be done.”

Texas

BookLady – Austin

You can all the time discover a method to have a good time Pride in Austin at BookLady, the place they’ve everlasting cabinets devoted to queer literature and a very good number of LGBTQ+ stickers, patches, and different swag.

“Now more than ever, southern queer people — and especially trans people — need a place they can go where they can catch their breath and find a sense of community,” bookseller Audrey Kohler shared. “That’s what we hope to supply at BookWoman: community. All of our booksellers are LGBTQ+ and we love sharing stories with our customers, whether it be someone’s first lesbian romance, showing a trans woman that there are books out there for her, or chatting with queer elders who have been shopping at BookWoman all 47 years we have been open. In short, it’s always Pride at BookWoman for and because of the community we have built and continue to grow.”

Reverie Books – Austin

“Reverie books is a queer- and woman-owned bookstore in Austin, Texas, that serves the local community with an emphasis on under-represented voices,” stated Reverie CEO Thais Perkins. “We seek to be a safe space for young people in particular, who often have few places to access in far south Austin, and they’ve told us we’re important to their sense of safety and comfort. Pride month is all year round at Reverie — but we love the excuse to celebrate even more!” June actually is simply the beginning of the get together for Reverie, and so they maintain it going by means of Austin’s native Pride celebrations in August.

The Book Burrow – Pflugerville

Celebrate queer books throughout Pflugerville Pride Pfestival on June 10, the place The Book Burrow is internet hosting a poetry slam and a queer writer panel. You may also catch The Book Burrow proprietor Kelsey Black emceeing reveals all through the occasion.

“Our slogan is ‘Embrace Your Weird’,” Black shared about The Book Burrow’s queer group. “However that manifests in the individual lives of those around us, we are here to support those who are just trying to find a home. Pflugerville is what Austin was 20 years ago — underground grunge, punk, quirky, fun, and most importantly, diverse. I am just supporting a community that already exists and giving them a home. That is what Pride month means to me: a month long celebration of the uniqueness of people and the fight we all face to find a place we can call home.”

Utah

The King’s English Bookshop – Salt Lake City

What higher time than Pride to go to drag queen story hour? The King’s English Bookshop is reviving their drag queen story hour sequence with native queen Tara Lipsyncki beginning on June 3 at Riot! Pride Street Fair.

Under the Umbrella – Salt Lake City

If you’re trying to have a good time Pride in Utah, Under the Umbrella Bookstore is the place to be! They’ve acquired a June calendar full of occasions, together with pop-up markets with works by native LGBTQIA2S+ artists, drag queen story hour, collaborations with different queer-owned companies, and far more.

Virginia

Eleanor’s Norfolk – Norfolk

You can discover a stack of queer books and a bottle of wine at Eleanor’s Norfolk and, actually, what extra may you want? Check out queer maker pop-ups on the retailer all through the month of June. You may also be a part of Eleanor’s Norfolk in celebrating Pride with the Suffolk Public Library.

“A space that celebrates queerness in all its forms by sharing the stories of the queer community allows everyone, queer or not, to access the humanity, both the struggles and the joys, of their neighbors,” stated Eleanor’s Norfolk’s proprietor/operator Erin Dougherty. “Centering these stories literally creates community because it allows all people to be seen and valued. Queer-owned bookstores build where others try to tear down. We provide space to hope for and create a different, equitable future based on collective care and radical joy.”

Washington

Main Street Books – Monroe

You can have a good time Pride with Main Street Books at Monroe Pride on June 11 at Skykomish River Centennial Park. But you additionally don’t should be in Washington to get in on the enjoyable. Get 15% off your buy on-line or within the retailer in June utilizing the code PRIDE2023.

The Book Rack – Oak Harbor

Everybody wins if you store for queer books at The Book Rack in June. For any Pride associated books and swag bought, they’ll donate 10% to their native Whidbey Island PFLAG chapter.

Orca Books – Olympia

Queer and trans-operated Orca Books hosts e-book golf equipment and readings to assist their native LGBTQ+ group all year long. Join their Marxist studying group on June 26 to debate Leslie Feinberg’s Transgender Warriors.

“Our bookstore is so gay we have a cat named Orlando who lives on premises,” says the Orca Books workforce. “Visit us to stock up on all queer banned books and sneak Orlando catnip.”

Left Bank Books – Seattle

If you wish to try a choice of Left Bank Books’s anti-authoritarian, anarchist, unbiased, radical and small-press titles, drop by their sales space on the Wenatchee Pride Festival on June 3 in Memorial Park.

Wisconsin

River Dog Book Co. – Oconomowoc

River Dog Book Co. is an unbiased bookseller on-line and with pop-up outlets across the Oconomowoc space with a deal with various, world, inclusive, and consultant books for traditionally marginalized and excluded individuals and their intersecting identities and experiences. They’ll be selling queer authors and books all through the month of June on social media and in newsletters.

“Pride month is an especially exciting time because we get to showcase books by queer writers and featuring queer characters across all of those identities and experiences, so that queer people everywhere can see that we exist worldwide, we have existed throughout history, and our love is equally worthy of not only legal rights and protections, but most importantly, of celebration,” stated River Dog Book Co. proprietor BrocheAroe Fabian.

Bound to Happen Books – Stevens Point

In a 12 months stuffed with anti-LGBTQ+ laws, Bound to Happen Books has been onerous at work fundraising for native organizations, combating e-book bans, and serving to an area highschool’s Gay Straight Alliance create a queer library. In June, you’ll find them collaborating in Point Pride on June 10, the place they’ll host a queer books pop-up store and drag queen story hour.

“As a queer-owned bookstore, especially in a smaller city in the middle of Central Wisconsin, we are so proud to take part in and support Point Pride,” stated Lyn Ciuro, Bound to Happen’s storefront coordinator. “We must come together now more than ever to find resilience in our queer community and to stand in solidarity against the hateful attacks of conservative extremists. We work very closely with the teachers in our local school district and have seen the book challenges and bans they’ve faced; our community needs to stand behind these teachers and students who are being targeted.”