Women & Children First 5233 N Clark Hello, Bookstore!*
Women & Children First began in a modest storefront in 1979 and has called Andersonville home for more than 30 years. WCF staffers include teachers, graduate students, actors, storytellers, activists, mothers, board members, and published authors. Each of them is a reader, a feminist, and a bookseller. One of the largest feminist bookstores in the country, WCF stocks more than 20,000 books by and about women, children’s books, and the best LGBTQIA+ literature. They also carry cards, journals, posters, calendars, buttons, flags, and more. WCF has hosted hundreds of great women authors and feminist icons, including Gloria Steinem, Maya Angelou, Roxane Gay, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Ann Patchett, Sandra Cisneros, Laura Jane Grace. With the support of their amazing community, they are able to build mission-driven partnerships, like donating more than 1,000 books each year to Chicago Books to Women in Prison. Co-owner Sarah Hollenbeck’s favorite thing about co-owning the shop is, of course, talking about books! “Communing around a book can propel a conversation in a million exciting directions–personal, political, and more. A book can start or deepen a relationship with a stranger, a loved one, or even oneself. What else can do that?” womenandchildrenfirst.com *One young customer would always shout, “Hello, Bookstore!” the moment he walked in the door!
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ANDERSONVILLE IS FOR EVERYONE
NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE 2022–23
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