CHICAGO, IL - In honor of our 40th Anniversary, Women & Children First Chicago's only feminist bookstore will be throwing a block party to say thank you to the community that has made us 40 years strong! This kid-friendly event will be held on Saturday, August 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Farragut Avenue at Clark Street ( aka, Honorary Women & Children First Way ).
Co-emceed by local activist and organizer Sameena Mustafa and comedian Shannon Noll, we'll have mainstage entertainment featuring:
11 a.m. - Welcome!
11:30 a.m. - Drag Queen Story Hour with Muffy Fishbasket
12:15 p.m. - Laura Doherty Kids' Music
1 p.m. - ShaZah - Singers and storytellers Shanta Nurullah and Zahra Baker
2 p.m. - Artemis Singers
3 p.m. - She's Crafty - Chicago's All-female Beastie Boys Tribute Band
4 p.m. - The Clamor & Lace Noise Brigade - Chicago's all-female & nonbinary glam brass marching band!
4:30 p.m. - Toast to the store with co-founders ( Ann Christophersen and Linda Bubon ) and current co-owners ( Sarah Hollenbeck and Lynn Mooney )
... and more!
Beyond the mainstage, we'll have tents with:
Kids' Activities & Games face-painting, sidewalk chalk, coloring sheets, "Smash the Patriarchy" Giant Jenga, Giant Connect Four "The Squad" Edition, and more!
Craftivism — Our neighboring business RAYGUN will be providing radical screen printing on postcards and patches! We'll also be making a community mural on the theme of "What Women & Children First means to me."
Story of the Store Inside the bookstore, we'll have video tributes, a scrapbook commemorating the store's "storied" history, a Lego version of Women & Children First, and more!
Mini "Taste of Andersonville" Free food and drinks from our favorite neighborhood restaurants:
Bar Roma
Candyality
The Coffee Studio
Frio Gelato
Hopleaf
Meeting House Tavern
Middle East Bakery
Octavio
True North
... and more!
ABOUT THE STORE
In 1979, our co-founders Ann Christophersen and Linda Bubon were just two young graduate students with a mission to create a space that would celebrate women's voices and serve as a safe space for Chicago's LGBTQ community. Three locations and four decades later, their dream is still a robust reality. Women & Children First is one of the largest, longest-running feminist bookstores in North America. Over the years, we have hosted such notable women authors as Maya Angelou, Sandra Cisneros, Gloria Steinem, Roxane Gay, Alison Bechdel, and Cecile Richards, to name just a few.
In 2014, the store transitioned in ownership as two booksellers, Lynn Mooney and Sarah Hollenbeck, stepped into the role of co-owners. Building upon Ann and Linda's original mission, Women & Children First is now stronger than ever. We are and have always been much more than a bookstore. We are a gathering space; an activist hub; a support network; an educational resource; a space for healing, self care, and renewal; and the place to be for some of the best literary programming in Chicago.
WHY A BLOCK PARTY?
When we started planning for our 40th birthday, we knew from the get-go that this needed to be a Thank-you Party! We wouldn't be able to do any of this without our community. Our supporters are the reason we are still able to open our doors each day. They are the reason why the lettering on our front window reads: "Opened 1979. Open Today. Open Forever."
—From a press release
