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[title]‘I was born and raised in London, and I’ve always loved visiting places like the queer bookshop Gay’s the Word and the UK’s first Black bookshop, New Beacon,’ says Raye, one of the book lovers behind Bethnal Green Road’s new bookshop, The Common Press. ‘Most mainstream bookshops will [focus on minority writers for] Pride Month or Black History Month, and then, outside of those, everything kind of gets pushed to the side. There’s a lot of power in reading, so we wanted to create a space that prioritises intersectionality and all people from marginalised identities.’
The Common Press opened in August as part of Glass House, a new LGBTQ+ multidisciplinary venue that also encompasses an events space, podcast recording booths and an adjacent bar and restaurant. It may not be the only bookshop in London to exclusively sell literature by and for queer people or people of colour, but it is the first that also creates space for these people to hang out and socialise. Open from 10am until early evening every day, the bookshop also functions as a small café serving hot drinks and snacks to customers who fancy spending time there reading their new purchases, catching up with friends or getting some work done.
‘A lot of events in queer spaces are focused on drinking and nightlife. Glass House has a bar and restaurant, but we also wanted to offer something that is centred around knowledge and learning,’ explains Raye. That’s why The Common Press hopes to offer a range of events to help foster community too, from self-care workshops and writing groups to talks, author events, poetry readings and book clubs. ‘We want to create an alternative space for those who don’t always just want to go out and drink and party.