#48: Bluestockings Cooperative
The LES hub for activist reads
The Shop: Bluestockings Cooperative
Lower East Side Manhattan: 116 Suffolk Street
A quick origin story: this newsletter was inspired by me passing the shuttered storefront of the old Bluestocking location on Allen street on one of those wandering, apocalyptic 2020 bike rides through New York City. Seeing the shell of one of my favorite pre-pandemic hang spots got my mind growing on how special NYC’s bookstores are and how precarious many of them are in the face of cutthroat real estate, changing neighborhoods and tastes, and Jeff Bezos.
Fortunately, Bluestockings has weathered the storm and arrived safely at a new location just around the corner on Suffolk Street. Bluestockings embodies the spirit of an activist bookstore. A worker-owned cooperative, the shop provides a space for queer and feminist thoughts and action. The store hosts events such as readings, talks, and organizing events. Bluestockings also has a pretty great cafe! There is no shortage of amazing finds all over the lefty side of literature here– this is the store that introduced me to postcolonial literature, the magical works of Octavia Butler, and various strains of zine. My favorite thing about this store in both locations new and old is the feeling of welcome Bluestockings cultivates for its guests and community members. It’s the perfect place to relax with a cup of tea and an engaging read (which is one of the best feelings in the world).
What I got:
Darryl
“You live vicariously through celebrities, I live vicariously through the guys who fuck my wife.” This is the opening line to Darryl, a novel by Jackie Ess that I could not put down. Darryl, the titular character and narrator is a lost soul navigating a cuckolding fetish, a drug problem, and an evolving sense of his own gender and sexuality. He’s also investigating a murder. Though frequently discomforting to read, this book is certain to stretch your brain on matters of love, lust, and politics through its surprisingly endearing narrator.
Decomposition Book
As a lover of journaling and collage, I am a fan of these recycled notebooks that feel like an elevated version of the $1 composition books I used to get at Rite-Aid. They rock.