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FEMINISM, BOOKS, & BEYOND:
CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF CHARIS COMMUNITY
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The South's oldest and largest feminist bookstore turns 35 in November, and will hold several commemorative and celebratory events. Featured authors and performers include Gloria Steinem, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Alice Walker, Pearl Cleage, and the Indigo Girls.
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Charis Circle and Charis Books & More Announce:
Feminism, Books, & Beyond: Celebrating 35 Years of Charis Community
Atlanta, GA - November 4-8, 2009 - Charis Books & More will celebrate its 35th year in business with several commemorative birthday events in Atlanta. The two largest events will benefit Charis Circle, the store's non-profit sister organization, to support free community programs such as literary events, open mics, writing workshops, skill shares, activist discussions, film screenings, and more.
Charis Circle and Charis Books & More are pleased to present the following events as part of the 35th Birthday Celebration:
Atlanta Queer Literary Festival and Charis Birthday Kick-off Reception
Wednesday, November 4, 7:00-9:00pm at Charis
The AQLF and Charis will hold a joint reception to kick off the festival and Charis's birthday events, which will be going on simultaneously in Atlanta. The reception will feature performances by the following local women poets: Lisa Allender (emcee), Malika, Krystal Tift, Alice Teeter, Louisa Merchant, Sharon Saunders, Sincere, Charlene Ball and Libby Ware. This event is free.
Founding the Future: A Conversation with Beverly Guy Sheftall & Gloria Steinem, moderated by Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Thursday, November 5, 7:30pm (Doors at 6:30) at the Georgia Tech Hotel
Young feminist scholar and activist Alexis Pauline Gumbs will moderate a discussion with feminist icons Beverly Guy-Sheftall and Gloria Steinem about their places in the history of feminism and the possibilities the future holds.
Tickets are $35 for general admission; priority seating is also available. Tickets can be purchased online or in person at Charis Books & More. Founding the Future ticket info...
Artists & Revolutionaries: The Transformative Power of Music and Words
Friday, November 6, 7:30pm (Doors at 6:30) at Hillside International Truth Center
Charis presents an evening of art and activism with performances and readings by Pearl Cleage, the Indigo Girls, and Alice Walker. Tickets are $35 for general admission; priority seating is also available. Tickets can be purchased online or in person at Charis Books & More.
Artists & Revolutionaries ticket info...
Birthday Party & Book Sale with Author Signings
Saturday, November 7, 10:30am-8:00pm and Sunday, November 8, Noon-6:00pm at Charis
The bookstore will hold its annual birthday party and sale, featuring birthday cake, refreshments, discounts on everything, and authors on hand to sign copies of books. A complete schedule of author signings will be announced soon. |
 Pearl Cleage
Pearl Cleage is the author of seven novels, fifteen plays, lots of poetry, many essays and a fair number of indignant letters to the editor. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and frequent collaborator, Zaron W. Burnett, Jr. More info available on www.pearlcleage.net or on her Face Book fan page.
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 Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Alexis Pauline Gumbs is a queer black feminist, and a PhD candidate in English, Africana Studies and Women's Studies at Duke University. Alexis is the founder of BrokenBeautiful Press and the instigator of the Eternal Summer of the Black Feminist Mind multi-media educational movement.
Along with Queer Renaissance founder Julia Wallace, Alexis is embarking on a national multi-media, interactive documentation project lifting up the social organizing herstories of black same gender loving women called the MobileHomeComing Project. |
 Beverly Guy-Sheftall
Beverly Guy-Sheftall is founding director of the Women's Research & Resource Center and Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women's Studies at Spelman College. She is also president of the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA). Her most recent book is Still Brave: The Evolution of Black Women's Studies, coedited with Stanlie James and Frances Smith Foster, published by Feminist Press. |
 Indigo Girls
Since their formation over two decades ago, ground-breaking folk duo Indigo Girls have become one of America's most beloved musical acts. Along with the release of 10 albums, six Grammy nominations, and inspiring live performances, they have passionately acted on behalf of numerous social causes. Indigo Girls have supported a wide range of grassroots organizations across the United States and at home in Georgia including the environmental justice foundation, Honor the Earth, and the pro-peace, anti-nuclear woman-led organization, Georgia WAND. |
 Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem is a writer, lecturer, editor, and feminist activist. She travels in the U.S. and other countries as an organizer and lecturer and is a frequent media spokeswoman on issues of equality. Her books include the bestsellers Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Moving Beyond Words, and Marilyn: Norma Jean, on the life of Marilyn Monroe. She is the co-founder of Ms. magazine, where she continues as consulting editor. She also helped to found the Women's Action Alliance and the National Women's Political Caucus.
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 Alice Walker
Alice Walker is an American novelist, short-story writer, poet, essayist, and activist. Her most famous novel, The Color Purple, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1983. Alice Walker's creative vision is rooted in the economic hardship, racial
terrorism, and folk wisdom of African American life and culture, particularly in the rural South. Her writing explores multidimensional kinships among women, among men and women, among humans and animals, and embraces the redemptive power of social, spiritual and political revolution. |
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Charis Books & More
is the oldest and largest feminist bookstore in theSouth. Founded by Linda Bryant and Barbara Borgman in 1974, the store specializes in diverse and unique children's books, feminist and cultural studies books, and LGBT fiction and non-fiction. Located in Atlanta's Little 5 Points neighborhood, the store has been a thriving hub of activist, feminist, and scholarly activity for 35 years (and counting).
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Charis Circle
is a non-profit feminist organization that partners with Charis Books & More to host free educational and cultural programs that are open to the community. Founded in 1996, Charis Circle exists to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. |
A note from Charis:
Why 35 is a big deal
Charis Circle is bringing these incredible feminist voices together to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Charis Books & More. These events will benefit Charis Circle, the nonprofit sister organization of Charis Books, which brings all of Charis' feminist programming to our community. Charis Circle became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 1996 to take over all Charis programming, community education and outreach.
You may not know that only 14, yes 14, feminist bookstores remain in the United States - down from over 120 feminist bookstores in 1994. In the current economy, Charis Circle needs your support more than ever. This celebration is an opportunity to build sustainability for this critical community resource that we all love. You are Charis and your participation in these Charis Circle fundraising events is a statement of feminist activism. Join Gloria Steinem, Alice Walker, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Pearl Cleage, and the Indigo Girls to continue building sustainable feminist community in Atlanta for another 35 years. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
To find out about host committee and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kelley Alexander at
kelley@chariscircle.org
To learn more about ongoing ways to give to Charis Circle, please click here. |
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