Brighton has been the birthplace of a long line of strong women. If you thumb through Brighton’s history books, you will be welcomed by a rich history of activism. The cobbled streets and winding roads that circulate our city hold stories of protest, power, and a legacy of fighting for emancipation.WRITTEN BY XANTIPPE STEELE
Brighton has an insatiable thirst for progress, a desire to cultivate a better world for our children, and their children to come. Generations of change-makers have weaved between Brighton’s roads, paving their legacy through our history. This is why I am so proud to live in this city. We do not restrict ourselves to what is comfortable, and traditional. We instead have our eyes fixated on the future – what it could like, what we want it to look like. We are the change we want to see. Strong women have long been the foundation of the power within our city. I had the opportunity to see this first hand when I interviewed The Feminist Bookshop. The Feminist Bookshop is a radical independent bookstore and plant based coffee shop, tucked away in 48 Upper North Street, Brighton.
A gem nestled between two navy doors in the brickwork, The Feminist Bookshop exists as a splash of boldness. Upon entering, you are greeted by spirals and networks of colour. The walls are decorated by rows upon rows of thumbed through books, illuminated by streams of sunlight seeping in from nearby windows. As I walked across the floorboards, the sunbeams giving the illusion of honey pouring through the cracks, the bookshop really is like a taste of magic on your tongue. Winding round the back of the bookshop is an outdoor seating area, where book lovers can sip on oat chai lattes, reading in the company of curling plants. If the weather doesn’t agree, however, you can follow a hidden stairway down to beneath the bookshop, where you’ll be greeted by a cove of books and pillows. A reading sanctuary, fit with the perfect cosy atmosphere to run away into your favourite fantasy novel, or piece of feminist literature. The bookshop epitomises everything that Brighton upholds – empowerment, acceptance, growth, and hitting the nail right on the head with its bohemian vibe.
I had the opportunity to interview Salomée, a bookseller at the store. The Feminist Bookshop’s website describes Salomée as their “queen of poetry… a passionate activist with a spiritualist soul.” It was an incredibly enriching experience to talk to Salomée. Our conversation was dynamic and free flowing, covering everything from safe spaces in feminist conversations to the wealth of Brighton’s independent stores. To learn and laugh when talking with someone is always a fulfilling experience, and something I think is intrinsic within conversations that happen between strong women.
In my interview with Salomée and The Feminist Bookshop, I began by noting how their website seeks to meet certain conditions for the bookshops visitors. They want to direct people to useful and important resources, to inspire the community, to connect people with work where they feel seen, and to encourage those around us by giving a platform to the work of marginalised communities – “motivating people to engage with radical ideas, and explore new possibilities.” I asked Salomée how she believed those values aligned with Brighton – its people, its progressive culture, and its famous love for literature. Salomée responded with “People walk in who don’t know anything about feminism, it’s very positive to see that some people are not put off by the name, and don’t feel intimidated. We (the team) cultivated that (by) being approachable and friendly… So quite a lot of people don’t shy away from saying ‘I need to start somewhere, do you have any recommendations?’” I appreciated this nod to Brighton and its inhabitants. I’ve always felt like the people that wonder about this city are blessed with a thirst for growth and learning – closed mindedness is hard to find in our seaside town, and you’ll usually find any conversation with a stranger will leave you feeling enlightened, like a breath of fresh air after spending a lifetime underwater.
Salomée went on by saying “I think books are a window into another perspective. It brings people together with stuff like book clubs, having a space where you can discuss different points of view and different perspectives.” The Feminist Bookshop do, indeed, run their own book club. If you join, you’ll read a book that the team have chosen together, complete with a specially designed bookmark and a postcard with their favourite quotes and reasons for choosing the book.
You can attend the book club to discuss your reflections and responses to the book, enjoying each other’s company and a wide variant of perspectives on literature. They even alternate between fiction books (odd months) and nonfiction books (even months), so no matter what your preferred genre is, you can find your place at The Feminist Bookshop. Salomée further told me about their second book club, called “Poetry’s Political Book Club”, with a “focus on poetry and free writing in a welcoming environment, like a sharing space”. If these services intrigue you, please do check out their “Book Clubs” page on their website.
Salomée also mentioned how “in Brighton, there are loads of community spaces, craft clubs, book clubs, stuff like that – especially with Brighton Book Festival.” The Brighton Book Festival was co-founded by The Feminist Bookshop and Afrori Books. Afrori Books is another political bookshop in Brighton, selling books from black origin and uplifting voices. The festival now in its third year it os led by directors Caeolynn Baib, Althea Wolfe and John Mayford and will be running from 18-23rd June 2024. It is the space where “marginalised becomes the mainstream”. A review described it as “Without a doubt … the most diverse audience I have ever come across in the UK”. The festival looks like it would be quite the uplifting experience – you can buy your tickets for this summer here: https://brightonbookfestival.co.uk/.
I asked Salomée what her opinion was of the culture of activism in Brighton. The city is alive with protest, and a desire for change. Our buildings heave with innovation and boldness. Salomée told me how Brighton was the best place for The Feminist Bookshop to exist because “Brighton is a bubble… (it’s) very queer, (with) the biggest pride in the country, so it does align in that way.” Salomée went on by musing “there is a lot of cancel-culture in queer and feminist spaces, we don’t create spaces where it is easy to have room to heal as a community, it is more about pointing fingers in the playground. It doesn’t leave much room to grow, whilst holding people accountable for what they say. If there are some ill intentions and you’re trying to actively harm people, you should be held to account. But, some people are still learning and navigating all these things, and I don’t think it is okay to point fingers – most of the time it is quite performative, calling out someone, but what actions are you putting into your day to day life for people to grow and move towards change?” The Feminist Bookshop offers a platform for learning, and changing. Society is drawn towards a cut-throat culture, one step out of place and you can feel your life slipping between your fingers. The Feminist Bookshop does not advocate for a ruthless type of activism, but instead a helping hand. Softly spoken words to redirect minds, and rewrite oppressive understandings of the world around us.
As mentioned earlier, The Feminist Bookshop is an independent radical bookstore in Brighton. Salomée and I talked about what exactly it is in Brighton that encourages this creative sense of entrepreneurship. Brighton may be one of the only cities where independent shops give chain stores a run for their money, and this builds a real sense of community and unified existence. Salomée told me how she thinks “Urbanism has to do with it – the little lanes with shops and locals. It makes you want to open a shop with little trinkets and antiques – that is very much a Brighton thing. I think it intersects with Brighton being queer and feminist, a lot of creative people move here and aspire for change by taking initiative. A lot more people are more keen on launching a project. There is also a lot of wealth in Brighton – for example, lots of businesses, including the Feminist Bookshop, started through crowdfunding.” I responded by my own thoughts on this phenomena, musing on how I believed a lot of people in Brighton actually didn’t feel drawn to mainstream capitalism. We like having objects decorate our havens that are homemade, bringing a bohemian vibe to the city. Perhaps it connects us to a sense of deep humanity, the trade of products that have been cultivated with love and meticulous care. This is a gift you cannot receive from mass production, replicas shipped to countless other countries across the globe.
Salomée and I discussed the common misconception that The Feminist Bookshop only sells books written by women, when in reality the point of the bookstore is to swing the door open to as many voices and perspectives as possible. We talked about how Brighton encapsulates individuality, embracing uniqueness, and I asked if there had been any truly special experiences Salomée had had with visitors. Salomée responded “It’s a really personal thing when you really loved a book and you wanted to share that love with someone else. So you recommend it, and they come back two weeks later saying ‘I loved it so much, it changed me, and I’m buying another copy for my brother’, that’s very meaningful and it is at the core of what we do here in making community, trying to open minds and share that love for literature.”
I truly believe that hidden within the dog eared pages of any book, there is a little string. This string winds between bedrooms, illuminated by the soft glow of a reading lamp. It curls around benches, snakes underneath chair legs and pillow fluff. It tethers people together, drawing in a community of people who would otherwise be completely unaware of each other’s existence. Literature is the beginning of countless love stories, my own included. It is the seed that sprouts friendships, the tape that binds families. Books are a portal to another reality, a window to another world. Their importance must not be disempowered or shrugged off. For many of us, books are the air we breathe into our lungs, when the world around us can be so suffocating.
My conversation with Salomée was brilliant, and I’d genuinely encourage all readers to go check out The Feminist Bookshop’s website – https://thefeministbookshop.com/pages/about-us. You can subscribe to their newsletter, and be the first to hear about their latest exciting events and projects. They accept Pay It Forward donations to aid those who cannot afford books, encouraging the concept that books should be accessible for everyone – not a luxury. They are also a Brighton Women’s Centre donation point, so please check this out if you have the opportunity to. Even if you just want a quiet escape from the hustle and chaos of everyday life, The Feminist Bookshop can be your silencing of the ever loud to-do spreadsheets, shopping lists, and general stress.
Brighton truly is the gift that doesn’t stop giving – and The Feminist Bookshop is evidence of this. In the words of Salomée – “Brighton is a city that has a soul.”