British Bookshops Form Alliance of Radical Booksellers
In response to the seemingly never ending stream of economic problems faced by independent bookshops across the UK, an army of British bookshops have come together to form a support network called the Alliance of Radical Booksellers.
It does what it says on the tin, propping up those brave and stubborn few who are sticking it out against the growing tide of mainstream digital literature churned out by Amazon and Kindle.
The Alliance aims to ‘increase awareness of the unique offerings of local radical bookshops, as well as provide a support network for the radical bookshop community.’ It is working to resist the seemingly inevitable closures of dissenting bookshops, which find they have to shut because of lack of custom.
By raising awareness of radical bookshops and the unique material they offer, the Alliance hopes not only to defend existing bookshops against closure, but to support the opening of new shops. The People’s Bookshop in Durham, the soon-to-open Book Bloc in New Cross in London, and Hydra in Bristol (opening tomorrow) are all members of the ARB.
The Alliance has also launched a new book award: the Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing. The prize of £1000 for a work of political non-fiction will be awarded on 1st May 2012.
The competition will be judged by a panel including children’s novelist and poet Michael Rosen, feminist author Nina Power and Madeline Heneghan, director of Liverpool’s annual Writing on the Wall Festival.
‘The Prize seeks to reward outstanding works of non-fiction published in 2011 that engage with socialist, anarchist, environmental, feminist and anti-racist concerns, and primarily will inspire, support or report on political or personal change.
The name of the award is taken from a 1911 poem by James Oppenheim, turned into a song of the same name and used to celebrate the 1912 textile workers’ strike in Massachusetts.
This was the first great industrial strike the US had ever seen, and it involved a predominantly female workforce. Since that event 100 years ago, the phrase has been used and reused by the political left.
Books may be nominated for the prize up until the end of this year, so get thinking of who you’d like to nominate and take part in this nationwide celebrating of radical writing, publishing and bookselling
The Alliance currently includes the following booksellers: Brighton’s Africa Book Centre and the Cowley Club, Hydra in Bristol, The People’s Bookshop in Durham, Edinburgh’s Word Power Books, Leeds’ Radish Books, News from Nowhere in Liverpool, October Books in Southampton and Kendal’s Left on the Shelf.
In London, booksellers in the ARB include: 56a Infoshop, Active Distribution, Andrew Burgin, Book Bloc, Bookmarks, Freedom, Gays the Word, Housmans, Letterbox Library, Newham Bookshop, and Soma Books.
Which radical booksellers do you love, and who’ll getting your vote in the first ever Bread & Roses Award?
Clare Hammond
Thanks for this Clare! I was in Liverpool last week and spent a long time in News From Nowhere deliberating over what to buy on that visit – I think it’s worth a trip to Liverpool just to go there, such a fantastic range of stock.
Have now put the rest of the alliance on my ever-expanding list of bookshops to visit.