Looking for a feminist bookstore in Philly

February 27, 2018 2:01 PM

A small press has done a feminist anthology called Nasty! and proceeds from sales go to Planned Parenthood. I'm looking for a bookstore in Philly that would be interested in hosting a reading. The small press is out in Portland w/o Philly ties and I thought that I'd knock on some doors for them.

Any ideas? Bonus points for stores without stairs, for disability reasons, but it's not a deal-breaker. Thank you so much!

posted by angrycat to Writing & Language (7 answers total)

Best answer: Wooden Shoe, maybe? House of Our Own is the closest thing I know of to a traditional feminist bookstore, but it's just too full of books to hold a reading there.

Does it have to be at a bookstore? You might also consider bars (Tattooed Mom does a lot of poetry readings, as does Dahlak in West Philly), or even places like A-Space. It might also be worth reaching out to Kelly Writers' House at Penn to see if they'd be willing to host an event.

(And please make an IRL event if this does end up happening! I'd love to attend.)
posted by dizziest at 2:48 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Giovanni's Room! ("the oldest LGBTQ and Feminist Bookstore in the country)

Uncle Bobbie's Coffee and Books- new politically conscious Black-owned bookstore in Germantown- awesome space with lots of events

Big Blue Marble- located in Mt. Airy, a neighborhood known for its feminists, politically active folks, and lesbians. The store definitely has a feminist bent as well and I believe is owned by two women.
posted by bearette at 6:25 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Wooden Shoe should be what you want politically, they will swear up and down that they are a feminist space and will accept your event with few questions asked, but they would not be my first choice. Memail me for more details/gossip. Big Blue Marble is wonderful, but the wheelchair accessibility situation is not great.

I second A-Space as a possibility, they’re good to work with and you can get a wheelchair into the space. (Though it’s narrow and hard to maneuver around once you’re in). You might also try Lava Space, they’re a little roomier than A-Space and have a neat radical lending library.
posted by ActionPopulated at 7:03 PM on February 27, 2018

Best answer: seconding Giovanni's Room
posted by james33 at 4:33 AM on February 28, 2018

Best answer: Opened this to mention A-Space and Lava but---
posted by The Bridge on the River Kai Ryssdal at 11:59 AM on February 28, 2018

Best answer: If it's at like a comic book (unlikely, I know) , Amalgam Comics & coffeehouse
posted by sepviva at 1:02 PM on February 28, 2018

Response by poster: Thank you everybody! The editor used recommendations from this ask to set up two readings in Phillly--Wooooo! If it's cool with TPTB, I'll set up IRL events for the readings.

Thanks again!
posted by angrycat at 10:24 AM on March 14, 2018