
OCTOBER 2021 : THE FIRST ANNUAL MARGINS BOOKSTORES MONTH
Celebrating BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Disabled, & Neurodiverse Owned/Managed Bookstores
Bookstores by and for community
Attend a Margins Bookstores Event

The Margins Bookstores Journal celebrates our community of #MarginsBookstores. Learn more about your favorite bookstores & keep your travel notes as you explore them.
Buy the journal through your favorite shop or via Bookshop.org.
A portion of the proceeds will directly support participating bookstores.
THE MARGINS BOOKSTORES JOURNAL
Illustrated by Kah Yangni
Chronicle Books
OCTOBER EVENTS SCHEDULE
October 1, 5:30 pm MST/7:30 pm EST:
Inaugural #MarginsBookstores Month celebration with Duende District!
(RSVP HERE)
October 5, 4 pm MST/6 pm EST:
Celebrate with our BIPOC Bookseller Award Winner in Innovation, Dartricia Rollins!
(IG Live, hosted by @wordisdiversity)
October 9, 5:30 pm MST/7:30 pm EST:
Our [margins.] conference director, Suzi Q. Smith, will host Mariame Kaba in discussing WE DO THIS 'TIL WE FREE US: ABOLITIONIST ORGANIZING AND TRANSFORMING JUSTICE, the winner of our Activating Read MBM Choice Award!
(RSVP HERE!)
October 11, 4 pm MST/6 pm EST:
Author R.O. Kwon, ed. KINK: Stories (Winner of the #MarginsBookstores Joy Award), in conversation with author and KINK contributor Zeyn Joukhadar!
(RSVP HERE!)
October 12, 5pm MST/7pm EST:
Celebrate with our BIPOC Bookseller Award Winner in Leadership, Michelle Malonzo!
(IG Live, hosted by @wordisdiversity)
October 14, 6 pm MST: In-Person Event (outdoors, masked)
Join us at the Galleria at the Denver Performing Arts Complex with SHOP at Matter for
Book Ball: A Costume Party!
Dress as your favorite literary character and meet other book-lovers in the Denver area.
(RSVP HERE!)
October 27, 5 pm MST/7 pm EST:
In partnership with Duende District:
Tomás Morín (Machete), Ananda Lima (Mother/Land), & Raina León (Sombra Dis(Locate)) in conversation with Roberto Carlos Garcia, [Elegies] & founder of Get Fresh Publishing Cooperative
(RSVP information to come)
October 29, 5:30 pm MST/7:30 pm EST
A joyful wrap up with 2021 BIPOC Bookseller Judges, Deidre Dumpson and Arvin Ram!
(IG Live, hosted by @wordisdiversity)
THE MARGINS BOOKSTORES
CHOICE AWARDS
Nominated and selected by the #MarginsBookstores collective, these awards
recognize outstanding literary works that represent the multitudes in our communities.
THE JOY AWARD
We celebrate what is pure and vibrant: this award is for a read
that showcases and spreads joy in our communities.
THE ACTIVATING READ AWARD
We celebrate what moves us toward action: this award is for a read
that moved us to live change.

ABOUT #MARGINSBOOKSTORES
#MarginsBookstores is a celebration of bookstores owned and managed by and for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Disabled, and Neurodiverse communities. This is a community collaboration coordinated by The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary.
A giant thank you to Bridget Watson-Payne, Natalie Butterfield, and the entire team at Chronicle Books for the incredible work that brought together the Margins Bookstores Journal.
We thank Angela Maria Spring, Owner of Duende District Bookstore, and Kathy Burnette, Founder of Brain Lair Books for their efforts on the 2021 Margins Bookstores Planning Committee.
A message from The Word:
The Word is based in the city of Denver on the homelands of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe peoples in the area known as Colorado which was traditionally home to at least 48 contemporary indigenous communities, each of which has made innumerable contributions to our region. We recognize that the map in this work has taken its form through genocide, theft and forced removal. We acknowledge that these lands are unceded and continue to be indigenous lands. We recommend the following resources as a starting point for learning how we may each work to stop perpetuating systems of oppression and erasure:
Information about the Southern Ute Indian Tribe
Information about the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
National Congress of American Indians
Find contemporary and historical native children’s books bibliographies
Members of the 2021 Planning Committee have made donations to LANDBACK as we acknowledge and support this movement.
We invite you to donate as well here.
SPONSORS & PARTNERS
#MarginsBookstores celebrations would not be possible without our major sponsors:
A warm, deep thank you to our additional sponsors: