The Nonbinarian, the literary mutual aid collective in Brooklyn, N.Y., is beginning a month-long Kickstarter campaign today, October 1, with the goal of raising $100,000 to establish a bricks-and-mortar bookstore and community space stocking exclusively queer books and goods that would open in 2025.
The Nonbinarian was founded in October 2022 by K. Kerimian, who was the recipient of tthe 2022 Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists. After a successful crowdfunding effort, the Nonbinarian Book Bike launched in July 2023, bringing LGBTQIA2S+ books via cargo bike to various neighborhoods in Brooklyn.
Now, after two years of operation, the Nonbinarian wants to establish a permanent home for queer and trans Brooklyn residents. Expanding on the Book Bike's motto "everyone deserves to see themselves on the shelf," all inventory will be exclusively queer, making the Nonbinarian Bookstore the first of its kind in Brooklyn.
The Kickstarter campaign will run through October 31; supporters can donate at various tiers, starting at $10, to receive exclusive rewards. The Nonbinarian will open a holiday pop-up at the end of October or early November at 617 Flatbush Ave in the Prospect Lefferts Garden neighborhood. Updates about the Kickstarter campaign and bookstore pop-up can be found on Instagram at @nonbinarianbike and the Nonbinarian's e-newsletter.