Welcome
to the Toronto Women's Bookstore's website.
We
are a non-profit bookstore dedicated to promoting anti-oppression
politics and feminist politics. Our mission: To provide books
by women writers, especially marginalized women, including women
of colour, First Nations women, lesbians, other queer women, working
class women, disabled women, Jewish women, and all other groups of
women.
Our
mandate is to be an information provider and community resource
for events, political actions, women's health care, anti-violence advocacy,
and anti-oppression politics for individuals and community groups, and to
organize events and courses that reflect the communities we serve.
The idea for the Toronto Women's Bookstore grew out of a need
for a space for women where books written by women, for women
and about women's issues could be available and for sale.
Founded in 1973, the Bookstore grew from a single shelf of books
to what is now the largest, non-profit feminist bookstore in Canada.
The books
that we carry reflect our feminist, anti-oppression philosophy.
For instance, we are an important source for books on feminist
and anti-racist theory, queer theory, transgender rights, disability studies,
health, violence against women, and for writing by women of colour, First Nations
women and Jewish women. We offer a wide selection of fiction and
non-fiction by Canadian and international writers, and we carry magazines,
journals and zines that are otherwise hard to find.
We
also have a great selection of independent music and we sell
locally made jewelry, crafts and other unique items.
We offer mail order service to anywhere in the world and can
special order hard to find titles, and we arrange course book orders
for university and college professors from a wide range of disciplines.
We
are a bookstore that nurtures diverse communities through special
events and ventures. We offer a multitude of community services
such as bulletin boards, reading groups, and courses. We also
host author readings and book launches. Some of the authors who we have hosted readings by
include bell hooks, Alice Walker, Dorothy Allison, Dionne Brand, Naomi Klein,
Patricia Hill Collins, Lee Maracle, and Shauna Singh Baldwin.
The Toronto Women's Bookstore celebrated 35 years in 2008 because
of the efforts of many who have given generously as patrons, volunteers,
staff and board members. We recognize that we can look to the future
with optimism only with your continued support and partnership.
Thank you!
The Staff and Board of the Toronto Women's Bookstore