Five former employees of Wolfman Books, Oakland, Calif., which announced its closure last month, will collectively take over the lease for the 750-square-foot space in order to build a new BIPOC and QTPOC-led community space in the city's center.
In an e-mail sent to Wolfman's newsletter subscribers Wednesday, the collective, currently known as Wolfemme+Them, announced the transition, noting: "We are launching as a brand new cooperatively run bookstore and resource center for creative collaboration and organizing."
Local poet and artist Jevohn Tyler Newsome said the collective's vision for the space includes, but is not limited to, "hosting events where emerging writers of color share the stage with heavy hitters; where poets and musicians can co-conspire with community organizers; a safe space for community workshops on 'fostering the Black Imagination,' for example, all while providing food and resources for the community. Given the ongoing economic and public health uncertainties, we need to hold space dedicated to our folks."
The new space will carry books by Black, Indigenous, brown, queer, trans, revolutionary, local, and youth writers, in addition to hosting a zine library, a gallery and artist studios, meeting space for education and organizing, as well as access to herbal medicine, free groceries, and resource distribution. Wolfemme+Them envisions "an ever-expanding list of uses for this space, as it will center BIPOC and QTPOC needs, wants, visions, and dreams."
They officially take over the two-story downtown storefront on August 15, "though doors will not be open to collaborators or the public until local Covid guidelines make it clear that it is safe to do so," the collective noted.
Wolfemme+Them is currently crowdfunding the start-up costs for the space, which they estimate to be around $30,000, including one year's rent, as well as renovations, all new fixtures, furniture, and inventory. They are also still seeking additional cooperative members.
"We particularly want to prioritize Black artists, writers, and organizers born and raised in Oakland," said filmmaker and artist Sophia Schultz Rocha.