Qmmunity: Left on Read

Take a look inside a book, fellow homosexuals (Photo by Lina Fisher)

This weekend is Independent Bookstore Day, and how lucky our sprawling city is to have not one but THREE queer-forward booksellers among our many local literary businesses.

Southside readers can enjoy all sorts of fun at Reverie Books: an all-day prize wheel, 20% off coupon, kids’ book trailer, and pop-up park, plus morning-to-noon mimosas and evening whiskey shots with your purchases. Plus, you get to see Stormy, their cute gray store cat. Me-wow! Worth the Menchaca drive, especially since you can take your new novel purchase over to Captain Quack’s for a coffee and cupcake lunch while you read.

On 12th and Chicon, East Austin babes have the Little Gay Shop, where queer books spill out onto the sidewalk. To be clear, this is a reference to how TLGS always has a little rack of low-priced used LGBTQ books in front of their brick-and-mortar – they are not blocking foot traffic, I promise! Visit ’em on Saturday to pick up BUTT or DADDY, both magazines featuring gay erotic photography you simply can’t find anywhere else in Austin.

North Austin girlies, I have not forgotten you: Right there on North Lamar is Austin’s longest-running feminist bookstore, BookWoman. They’ll be offering hot and heavy bundles of vintage lesbian pulp novels – wrapped in butcher paper to keep your treasure a mystery before you buy. You’ll also find merch and books exclusive to Independent Bookstore Day as well as free swag.

OH BUT JAMES, you cry out, WHAT DO I READ? Well, my suggestion is to search for authors you know – I’m always finding a new release I wasn’t aware of, and buying in-person means you don’t have to wait to crack in. You can also use queer literary award winner lists to help guide your search. Lambda Literary is a great source for new queer writers everyone’s raving about, so you can become part of the conversation. I also like to dig into graphic novels: My recs are Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky and Skim by Mariko & Jillian Tamaki.

Whatever you choose, know that reading is an important part of being a well-rounded creative individual. It can be tempting to call literature a lost cause given how easy it is to watch 50 TikToks and how hard it is to read a single chapter, but ultimately both are ways to pass the time. Try replacing that 30-minute short-video binge with a graphic novel or manga volume. Once you take the first step, the rest of the path gets easier. Good luck on that literary journey, babes! I’ll see you on the other side of the dust jacket.

Drag Me to the Tavern

Saturday 27, Tiny Minotaur

Accept this quest and you’ll be taken to a land of pure fantasy, featuring drag performances from Gabriela Belmont, MK Ultra, Munster Mash, and Vin Centorium. And fear not, fellow travelers, for your guide this evening will be the honorable Sir Travis Randy Travis. Huzzah!

Gupshup/Chit-Chat

Sunday 28, RSVP for location

Partnered again, Khush ATX and Asian Family Support Services of Austin host a safe space for queer South Asian Austinites to “chat about how to center love, empathy and respect in all their relationships, whether it’s family, friends or coworkers.”

Cunt County

Sunday 28, Cheer Up Charlies

Hosted by Brigitte Bandit, you’ll find sickening drag from all around Texas at this here show, like Sir Maxim, Papi Culo, Casper Cain, Juecee, and Eddie Divas. The show is dedicated to Cain’s sister, Alessandra Mackin, with donations collected for her memorial fund, which’ll help provide ASL services and support in classrooms.