50 Years of Bound Together Anarchist Collective Bookstore
Wed. July 15th, 7:30pm
Please join us in celebration as Bound Together Bookstore—our neighbors down the street—mark their 50th Anniversary. A panel of old and new collective members will show and tell the history of the bookstore and its relationship with the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. Plus, they’ll explain how a completely volunteer bookstore is still around after half a century. Come and share your story about the store!
Since its opening in 1976 in a former drug store, Bound Together Bookstore has contributed to the unique cultural and political scene of the San Francisco Bay Area, but always solidly grounded in their home neighborhood of the Haight-Ashbury. Some of the highlights of the last 50 years include:
- Hosting the regular poetry nights put on by the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal. The store also presented poets such as James Broughton, ruth weiss and Sparrow Laughing Wand 13 and others in its space.
- From the 1980s to the 2000s, the heyday of the zine movement, Bound Together’s selection of zines was second to none, and it hosted events presented by zine creators. Every zinester wanted their publication on the store’s shelves, and generally got it there!
- For 12 years it was the meeting location for the Radical Fairy’s Thursday Night Circles, from which sanctuaries, political actions and non-assimilationist gay consciousness evolved. Its roster of queer speakers included Harry Hay, Arthur Evens, Charlie Schively, Allen Young, and others.
- In celebration of its 20th Anniversary in 1996, Bound Together started the Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair and organized it for 17 years. It grew into a two day event drawing thousands of people to the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park.
- Members of the Collective were involved in many of the direct action activities and organizing around such issues as fighting gentrification in the Haight Ashbury, White Night Riot Defendants support, resisting and stopping ICE, confronting police brutality, GLBT freedom, anti-racism organizing and many other efforts over the decades.
- Generations of radical, alternative, punk and outsider kids had their first exposure to the literature and culture of anarchism and it’s cohorts by walking in and discovering the store, finding others like themselves and creating community, art and radical change.
All are welcome.