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Much heartfelt thanks from the

2023
VICTORIA
ANARCHIST
BOOKFAIR

A special shout out to the two Matriarchs who welcomed us, Israyelle Desiree Claxton and her mother Qwulumulwhut Shari Underwood!!

We also really feel the love this year with a record breaking amount of donations that will help us thrive as we make plans for next year’s bookfair. 

Thank you everyone! We love you all and will see you next year!!

The 2023 Bookfair took place on:

September 23rd 11am-6pm 

September 24th 11am-5pm 

Fernwood Community Centre

1240 Gladstone Ave, lək̓ʷəŋən Territory

2023 poster art created by:

Kisikawacahkos iskwew ~ Daystar

I’m a 2S nehiyaw metis visual artist. My family is from treaty 6 territory.
Moved to the west coast in 2013 and currently live in Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-waututh territory – so called Vancouver, BC.
1312″

follow Daystar on Instagram @kisikawacahkosiskwew

Movie Nite with Nate

 Women Comrades

Wednesday, Sep 20@7pm 2620 Quadra

Movie Nite with Nate is proud to present “Libertarias” (Freedom Fighters), a Spanish historical drama produced in 1996.

The film takes us to 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, where Maria the protagonist, a nun, gets recruited by Pilar, a militant feminist to join a women’s anarchist militia. Pilar guides Maria through the realities of a revolutionary war and forces Maria to reflect on her past life which was devoted to religious tenets.  
 
At the same time Libertarias explores the complexity and struggle the militia has in establishing   relationships and credibility with other revolutionary groups, who don’t share their radical values. 
 
Nathan Moss (He/Him) is a long time Victoria Anarchist BookFair Collective member who identifies as a disabled Jewish anarchist, who believes that one of the keys to attain a global revolutionary victory is encouraging his comrades to create healthy, trusting functional relationships with each other, that can tame egos and withstand inevitable conflicts, so that the collective doesn’t lose sight of its desired outcome. “We don’t all have to be friends or like each other all the time but we each have to know that no matter what in times of struggle, we have each other’s and those we sit/stand in solidarity with backs in all situations. That only comes with knowing each other in different social settings, spaces and environments over time. The Festival of Anarchy provides the perfect opportunity to do just that.”

Masks will be distributed in advance of the film and their wearing encouraged. 

 

         

Festival of Anarchy

Punk Night

 Punk show poster

Friday, Sep 22@6-10pm
Friday, Sept 22, The Quadra House, in coordination with the Anarchist Bookfair, is hosting an epic punk rock all ager-rager!! Some of Victoria’s hardest hitting hardcore bands all on the same bill, a great way to toast the end of summer! Fully Crazed, Hung Up, Dirtnap, Knife Manual. $15; This is a House Show: No Bathroom, No Dogs, Be Respectful. 

 

Hip Hop Night

Sunday, Sep 24@7pm 1923 Fernwood Rd

It’s official! We have a hip hop party planned as part of the Festival of Anarchy bookending the last day of the Anarchist Victoria Anarchist Bookfair on Sunday, Sept 24th. Taking place at the Paul Phillips Hall (AKA “Little Fernwood”) we will be dancing to the revolutionary beats of Lee Reed, D-Liberate and Kay the Aquanaut! Sliding Scale $10-$20. 

Sleydo'Friday, Sept 22 from 2 – 4 pm

Sleydo’

Building resistance in the face of colonial counter-insurgency

First People’s House, UVIC, on Lekwungen Territory

 

*Click This Link to See the Workshop Schedule

We are pleased to present this year’s line-up of workshops. Please be advised that some of our workshops are held indoors, and can reach standing room capacity. We would strongly encourage the wearing of masks while inside to accommodate those who are most vulnerable. Masks will be available for free. Please consider wearing one. Saturday, Sept 23 11:00 AM Opening Ceremonies & Land Acknowledgement Workshop Room (Inside: Please consider masking up) 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM The Anarchist Joy of Alex Comfort Presented by Eric Laursen (he/him) Alex Comfort is remembered today for one book: the 12 million-copy bestseller The Joy of Sex, which revolutionized the modern sex manual and provided the template for every one that’s followed, for every persuasion. But he was also a poet, novelist, biologist and gerontologist, a founder of the nuclear disarmament movement, and one of the most original anarchist theorists of the post-World War

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*Click here to See Venders Showing at the Bookfair

*Please click on the link to view the full page. We are thrilled to he hosting a wide range of venders at this year’s bookfair, from anarchist and anarchist-adjacent booksellers and zinesters to artisans and craftsters, as well as activist organisations. From old favourites like Camas Books & Infoshop, PM Press and Food Not Bombs, to a plethora of new creative producers, we’ve got a world of anarchist ideas and praxis at your fingertips this September 23rd & 24th. Confirmed Venders: *Books & Zines Camas Books & Infoshop: https://camas.ca; @camasbooks PM Press: https://www.pmpress.org; @pmpress Left Bank Books: https://www.left-bank.com; @leftbankbookscollective Detritus Books: https://detritusbooks.com; @detritus.books Little Black Cart: https://littleblackcart.com/index.php Analog Evolution: @vahini_g Scream Therapy: http://jasonschreurs.com Dyke News: https://dykenews.com; @dykenews Contagion Press: https://contagionpress.com; @contagion_press JLRB Press: https://jlrbpress.ca; @jlrbpress Spartacus Books: https://spartacusbooks.net; @spartacusbooks Bellingham Alternative Library: https://bellingham-library.edan.io; @bhamaltlib Oystercatcher Journal Backwoods Journal Radical Fantasy *Artisans/Merch Creators Meg’s Macabre Marvels And More: https://www.facebook.com/macabremarvels Beehive Design

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Eagle Breaking Free

Statement of Indigenous Solidarity

The Victoria Anarchist Bookfair Collective aims to demonstrate solidarity with Indigenous peoples throughout the world by supporting the varied ways they assert their cultural and political autonomy. To uphold our responsibility within this solidarity relationship, we must name colonialism, capitalism, and state power as forces that obstruct our aims for justice. We recognize these struggles of resistance have a long history: colonialism today is not disconnected from the past but is connected to present reality through the ongoing attempt to remove Indigenous peoples from their lands, whether unceded or shared through treaties, and undermine the sovereignty and authority of traditional Indigenous self governance systems and lifeways. Locally, we have witnessed the resurgence of the Songhees and Esquimalt peoples, whose overlapping territories the city of Victoria occupies. These, and other communities with ancestral relationships to their lands, winds, and waters around the globe, show us better systems of decision making, along with better ways of living together and with the land. We support, and aim to walk alongside, Indigenous struggle and Indigenous sovereignty.

Art by Gord Hill, used with permission

About the Space

Fernwood NRG is fully wheelchair accessible. The main entrance contains two sets of two glass doors. They open automatically with the press of a button. Entry to the gym on the lower level is gained through two windowless doors that are left open, depending on the weather. There is a carpeted ramp to gain access from the lower level to the upper level and it is wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The NRG is lit with fluorescent tubes. Signs will be posted on how to get to workshops and the gym, where vendors are located. Tables are arranged to allow room for wheelchairs.

Seats provided for workshops are plastic without arm rests. Some workshops fill up to standing room only: please prioritise seating for people that need it. We also ask that attendees consider wearing masks when a workshop gets crowded to ensure the space remains accessible for immuno-compromised people. Free masks are available at the bookfair.

Parking is available on the street by the main entrance: people who have trouble walking long distances can be dropped off outside the gym. Buss 22 will drop you off 200m east of the venue on Fernwood Street.

A vegan meal will be served by Food Not Bombs free of charge.

The dynamics of hierarchy, power and privilege that exist within society are also found among us. People participating in the Bookfair are asked to be aware of their language and behaviour and to think about whether it might be oppressive to others. The Bookfair is no space for violence, racism, ageism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, sizism, or touching another person without consent. Acting in a way that perpetuates oppression, including through language, will not be tolerated.

People participating should be aware of how they are presenting themselves to ensure their choice of aesthetic is not of cultures other than their own. The bookfair acknowledges that cultural heritage and identity are not always visible, we will not be discriminating based on appearance.

Accessibility & Safer Space Guidelines

If you have any concerns during the Bookfair, volunteers sitting at the welcome table are available for assistance.

The Victoria Anarchist Bookfair Collective actively strives to create an accessible event. We aim to avoid replicating the barriers in society that exclude and marginalize people. In line with our principles, we organize the Bookfair to challenge exclusions deriving from social oppression. We maintain:

  • A policy of no alcohol or other drugs and we ask all participants to respect this and help us ensure our relationship with the venue remains solid.
  • Wheelchair access to events: the hall is fully wheelchair accessible, as are the bathrooms on both levels of the bookfair.
  • An event free of smoke, nuts, and perfumes/scents, to enable a kid-friendly and accessible event for people who might have allergies, including allergies that are life threatening.
  • Masks are recommended but not mandatory. They serve as useful protection against airborne illnesses and also the prying eyes of the surveillance state. Masks will be freely available for anyone who needs one. Please be mindful of the personal space of people who need to wear a mask.  
  • Please note the VABF collective must pre-approve any signs, posters, banners, or statements that tablers, workshop presenters, or the general public wish to display in the space. We do not want to trigger those who have experienced forms of oppression and/or violence against their personhood and will exercise judgement with this in mind.
  • Journalists are escorted and ask permission before taking pictures.
  • Respect everyone’s privacy: before taking pictures and/or posting them online, ask for permission.
  • All pets must remain outside and on leash. Only service/working dogs are welcome inside and must stay near their human at all times.
  • Free Admittance: donations are gratefully accepted and all money supports future bookfairs.

Statement of Principles

The Victoria Anarchist Bookfair Collective affirms and promotes mutual aid, direct democracy, direct action, anti-authoritarianism, autonomy and solidarity. We reiterate our opposition to capitalism, imperialism, patriarchy, heterosexism, racism, colonialism, statism and all other forms of oppression; we will not accept participants in the Victoria Anarchist Bookfair who perpetuate or promote such values.

The Victoria Anarchist Bookfair is a space to network, highlight, and aid struggles, both local and international. We strive to promote anarchist ideas through workshops, cultural activities and the bookfair itself. We have a spirit of openness towards different anarchist traditions, visions, and practices.

Our aims are threefold:

  1. to introduce anarchism to the public,
  2. to further elaborate upon current and historical anarchist ideals, and
  3. to foster dialogue between various anarchist tendencies.

Participants

The Victoria Anarchist Bookfair’s priorities concentrate upon the written & spoken word (books, pamphlets, zines, audio-visual materials) by individuals and groups including publishers, distributors, and action-oriented associations. We also accept, on a case-by-case basis, information and participation from community/activist groups, self-publishers, artists and vendors of materials such as buttons, T-shirts or patches who fit within these principles. We do not accept the participation of political parties or candidates in the bookfair.

Process

Decisions are made by consensus at Victoria Anarchist Bookfair Collective meetings. Projects planned for the Festival of Anarchy need only be discussed and agreed to at a Bookfair collective meeting, at which point they are autonomous.

Volunteer!

We need your support to make this event happen.
The Victoria Anarchist Bookfair Collective is always looking for people to assist behind the scenes. We’re looking for help in all kinds of areas such as postering, welcoming & information tabling, room set-up, cleanup and more.
The Bookfair is entirely volunteer-run and helping out is a great way to get involved and meet new people. If you’re interested, please read our collective principles and accessibility statements on our website, and let us know how you’d like to help out!
We are now calling a crew to get together to help out!

email: volunteers@victoriaanarchistbookfair.ca