A few anarchist book sources have been going through some major changes, and we thought we\’d keep you up to date.
After many years as a bookstore/infoshop, Blackout books closed its doors on Manhattan\’s Lower East Side this past fall, due to a loss of funding source and a lack of volunteer support in securing a much-needed new location.
Another long-time anarchist collective, Left Bank Distribution in Seattle, has been going through financial crises and as a result will be scaling down its operations somewhat to cut overhead costs. They are reducing stock on hand and moving all inventory to their retail space on Pike Street. Individuals can order books online at www.leftbankbooks.com.
AK Press, the publishing and distribution collective has settled into their new digs in Oakland. They are indeed up and running but need volunteer support, since they lost some of their San Francisco volunteer staff. You can inquire about volunteering or about AK\’s upcoming readings & other events by calling (510) 208-1700 or e-mailing them at akpress@akpress.org. You can also order books online at www.akpress.org.
The Long Haul Infoshop in Berkeley just starting carrying new books (from AK press) and still has its used bookstore as well as zine shop and library running Sunday-Thursday, 6-9 p.m.
Please patronize distribution collectives in our anarchist community when purchasing radical literature. A lot of folks have invested time and energy over the years to make these collectives work, and the pernicious omnipresence of chain bookstores threatens these collectives specifically and the future availability of radical literature in general.