Show Notes
Welcome to a brand-new queer space special! Come along to visit All She Wrote Books, a fabulous queer feminist bookshop, located in Somerville, MA, an area that is historically significant for feminist literary activism. Owner Christina Pascucci-Ciampa tells me about what it was like turning All She Wrote Books from the queer literary pop-up that unicorn dreams are made of into a (yellow) brick (road) and mortar shop and community space. We also learn about Ruby, the bookshop’s Chief Barking Officer, and about what made Christina believe in the magical powers of storytelling.
References: https://www.allshewrotebooks.com/ @allshewrotebooks New Words Kristen Hogan’s The Feminist Bookstore Movement (Duke UP, 2016) American Booksellers Association Emma Straub Books Are Magic Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt (Carol) Audre Lorde Adrienne Rich bell hooks Julie Enszer Sinister Wisdom Feminist Bookstore News https://sinisterwisdom.org/FBN Malinda Lo Ruby, Chief Barking Officer https://www.allshewrotebooks.com/friendsofruby Crafty Queer Studio https://www.craftyqueerstudio.com/ The Wizard of Oz Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House/Her Body and Other Parties This Queer Book Saved My Life podcast Lindy West Sarah Schulman
Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Christina speaks about why pop-up bookshops were an important part of All She Wrote’s journey. What are some benefits of a pop-up bookshop? If you could host a book pop-up at any location, where would it be? Why are libraries great? What are some of their limits? Why do we need specialist bookshops? Why are they spaces of activism?
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