Note: This is mostly just a list of books from this link, I just make some extra comments.
Hello I’m Rogan, and welcome! Today, the links I will be leaving in the description will be for queer and/or black bookstores you can buy from. There is a call to show the power of black publishing, between the 14th and 20th so if you were planning on ordering something, do it soon!
Today, I want to talk queer books and bookstores. There are a lot more bookstores that have a focus or a big queer lit section than you think! I’ll be focusing on ones in the US, but I will leave a link that lists a few international ones. This list isn’t necessarily bookstores that sell *only* queer books, some of them are simply big sellers of queer literature. I’ll mostly just list them, and if I know a bit more about some of them, I’ll add to it.
Antigone Books in Tuscon, Arizona. Dog Eared Books, San Francisco. Otherwild, Los Angeles. Skylight Books, Los Angeles. Lavender Library, Sacramento. This one is more of an actual library, with archives of queer history and culture. Colorado based stores – Word is Out, online only. Boulder Book Store, Boulder.
All of the following are in DC: Kramerbooks & Afterwords, Busboys & Poets Books, Second Story Books, Solid State Books. I’ve actually been to Kramer, and it’s a cool place! There are two different entrances, one for the bookstore and one for the cafe. They’re actually opposite sides of a weird triangular street, and could be mistaken for two separate stores. Delicious food too. Okay moving on.
Charis Books, Atlanta. Unabridged Books, and Women & Children First, both in Chicago. Quill Books & Beverage, Westbrook, Maine. Two in Baltimore, Maryland – Atomic Books and Red Emma’s. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, there’s Books and Mortar. Missouri has Peace Nook, Columbia and Left Bank Books, St. Louis. There’s Violet Valley Bookstore in Water Valley, Mississippi.
Here’s a whole list of New York bookstores: Rust Belt Books, Buffalo. The rest are in New York City. Bureau of General Services – Queer Division @ The LGBT Center, Bluestockings, Quimby’s Bookstore, Strand Books, and Three Lives & Company.
Malaprop’s Bookstore, Asheville, North Carolina. In Portland, Oregon, there’s Another Read Through, and of course, Powell’s. I’ve been there multiple times now, they have a gorgeous and massive queer section. In Pennsylvania, there’s Giovanni’s Room/Philly AIDS Thrift and Wooden Shoe Books, Philadelphia and Webster’s Bookstore Cafe, State College. Rhode Island has Books on the Square in Providence. Texas has two in Austin, Book People and BookWoman, and one in Dallas, Deep Vellum Books. There’s King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah and Everyone’s Books in Brattleboro, Vermont. Wisconsin has A Room of One’s Own in Madison, and Outwords Books in Milwaukee.
Of course, I had to finish this list with my home state, Washington! All of these are in Seattle, and I’ve visited them of course. Elliott Bay Book Company is the one I’ve gone to the most often, with my best friend, and that’s in Capitol Hill. Third Place Books actually has three locations, and I’ve been to two of them. And then there’s Left Bank Books on Pike.
That’s it for today. Now is a time to support your independent bookstore more than ever, so see if they have the option to order online or pick up! You can also order through bookshop.org and you can choose to have your money go to a pool or pick a specific bookstore you want to support. Also, this is a great time to buy that book by a black author, or books to unpack your white privilege, so do it!
Today, order two books from black authors to support them. Thank you to my current Patrons. Subscribe and follow my socials to stay updated with me. Thanks for reading, see you soon.
Whole list: https://queerhistory.com/queer-booksellers
List of Black-owned bookstores: https://www.queermall.online/resources
Some Black LGBTQ+ book recs: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBRba8VjcWN/
Aidan Wharton has several lists of Black queer and trans organizations: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBDoiY5BisQ/