#queersouth — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #queersouth, aggregated by home.social.
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Minneapolis Report Back + Community Assembly!
On January 20th, a national walkout is taking place against the Trump regime. After the 2pm rally at Pack Square, we're inviting community members to gather at 5:30pm at Firestorm for a discussion about how to confront the existential threat of fascism here in Asheville. We'll begin with a call-in report from an activist on the ground in Minneapolis who has been deeply involved in community resistance to the siege by federal forces. The assembly will then shift to our local context.
We invite you to bring thoughts on how our city is being impacted by the connected crises of authoritarianism, ecological crisis, economic abandonment, and criminalization—and crucially how we can move beyond the idea that the fight against fascism is exclusively taking place somewhere else. In the spirit of the assemblies that took place immediately after Hurricane Helene, our goal is to exchange verified information and provide a launchpad for grassroots action with an understanding that we cannot wait for someone to save us—we have to do it ourselves.
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We're trying something new in 2026 to help us (and you!) ditch Meta.
We know from personal experience that, paradoxically, logging off can make it hard to maintain IRL connections. So much grassroots activity only seems to get advertised on social media—and for spaces like Firestorm, there's a trap in thinking that Instagram is the best place to reach people, even when they live right down the street.
But there are alternatives... if we build them!
Follow us to a place without data harvesting, shadow bans, and right wing trolls. This week we're launching a new broadcast thread on the Signal app, specifically for events at Firestorm. Sign up and you'll get event announcements + a weekly roundup reminder (no memes, no side chatter—strictly event details!).
Since most of our events are in-person, this new thread will primarily be useful to locals. For more local community events, we also recommend the Asheville Radical Community Calendar (DuckDuckGo it! IYKYK)
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This Monday, Firestorm is teaming up with scholar Zane McNeill for a conversation on the terrifying new wave of anti-transgender rhetoric and political persecution. Speaking with activists Eric King and Josh Davidson, co-editors of "Rattling the Cages: Oral Histories of North American Political Prisoners," we'll put this federal attack on trans rights in historical perspective—connecting it to repression during the Red Scare, the Lavender Scare, Black Liberation and Gay Rights Movements, the Green Scare, and solidarity with Palestine.
We'll also explore what we can learn from past struggles—how organizers not only survived but built movements under constant FBI surveillance—highlighting harm and risk reduction strategies that remain relevant today.
Find more and register to join this free event at https://firestorm.coop/events/3478-gender-terrorism-surviving-magas-war-on-trans-people.html. The recorded conversation will also be shared via our YouTube channel for folks who cannot join live!
#TransLiberation #TransRights #LavenderScare #NoTrumpNoKKKNoFascistUSA #WeKeepUsSafe #QueerSouth #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)
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The anarchist bookfair is kicking off next week! 🏴 And while Firestorm isn't a primary venue this year, we are hosting a welcome table and the first session with local author Blu Buchanan!
Blu, who recently co-edited "Be Gay, Do Crime," an anthology from PM Press, will provide a short talk about the history of radical queer resistance and what it means for us in this particular historical moment. The presentation will be followed by a discussion of the communities boldly rising to challenge capitalism, white supremacy, and authoritarianism. This opening session will be followed by the bookfair's opening night potluck, so bring a dish if you're able (vegan and gluten-free preferred).
More information about our event with Blu and copies of the book can be found at https://firestorm.coop/events/3436-be-gay-do-crime-book-launch.html. Can't make the session in person? We'll be streaming it live on our YouTube channel (no registration required).
Additionally, don't miss PM Press's booth on Saturday alongside 30 other radical publishers and grassroots projects! Bookfair sessions, including numerous presentations related to mutual aid disaster relief and the anniversary of Hurricane Helene, will be running in other locations throughout the day and into Sunday. If you're looking for a chill activity, swing back by Firestorm on Sunday between 11am and 5pm for prison books packaging and political prisoner letter writing.
#BeGayDoCrime #QueerSouth #QueerLiberation #AnotherCarolinaAnarchistBookfair #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)
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On June 19th, we'll be hosting author Jacob Engelsman in conversation with local doula and lactation educator Corey Graywood. Together they'll be discussing Jacob's new book "Lactation for the Rest of Us," a guide for transmasculine parents, transfeminine parents, non-binary parents, queer parents, adoptive parents, and others who are often left out of conversations about chestfeeding.
At a time when the US government is rolling back trans health in devastating ways, this book offers queer and trans people access to leading-edge information about bodily autonomy!
To make this event more accessible, participants may attend in-person or join a live stream of the conversation on our YouTube channel. You can learn more about this event on our website at https://firestorm.coop/events/3402-chestfeeding-for-queer-trans-parents.html.
#QueerSouth #LactationConsultants #QueerParents #TransParents #QueerFamilies #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)
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A new social center opening in the South is something to celebrate—and support! Our friends at The Burrow / La Madriguera aim to bring people together in Durham, NC, with a focus on mutual aid and building solidarity toward collective liberation. It's been almost a decade since the Triangle lost Internationalist Books, and autonomous, radical spaces are needed now more than ever!
Tomorrow (5/18), Firestorm will be donating net proceeds from all sales in-store and online to help cover the cost of building out this much needed endeavor. Buy a book and your dollars will support their ambitious, community-oriented vision. Don't need books, stickers, zines, or a t-shirt? You can also send donations directly to The Burrow at https://chuffed.org/project/theburrow.
Please help us spread!
#Infoshop #QueerSouth #DurhamNC #TheBurrow #FirestormCoop (- L)
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Preorder Promo ⌛💥 Order "The Immortal Choir Holds Every Voice" before June 3rd and your copy will include an exclusive bookplate signed by the author! https://firestorm.coop/products/22746-the-immortal-choir-holds-every-voice-danielle-cain-3.html
We're just a little more than a month away from the release of @margaret 's next book and maybe like us, you've been waiting patiently for the last seven years to read this third title in the Danielle Cain series—or maybe you're a fan of Margaret's podcast but haven't yet gone in for the deep cuts. Either way, this book is for you! (We recommend going back to read the other two books in the series, but you can jump in anywhere.)
Trolls, lost comrades, murder faeries, small town punks, riot queers, and some fancy magic to boot, "The Immortal Choir" packs three intense short stories into a hundred pages. And in true Margaret Killjoy fashion, it blends dark fantasy, wry humor, and earnest reflections on friendship, self-discovery, and trying to change the world.
#Boosktagram #QueerFantasy #QueerSouth #QueerAppalachia #MargaretKilljoy #FeministBookstore #DanielleCain #FirestormCoop (- L)
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On the last day of March we're hosting a conversation with two authors we adore: Dean Spade and Kai Cheng Thom! Join online to discuss how we can be the change we want to see—both out in the world, and in our closest connections. Dean's new book "Love in a F*cked-Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell Together" is a resounding call to action and a practical manifesto for how to combat cultural scripts and take our relationships into our own hands.
This event is also a fundraiser for families in Gaza and attendees are asked to make a donation in lieu of ticket cost. Live ASL interpretation will be provided.
Register for this virtual event and find your copy of "Love in a F*cked-Up World" at https://firestorm.coop/events/3339-hooking-up-raising-hell-a-conversation-with-dean-spade-and-kai-cheng-thom.html. Can't make the live event? Sign up anyway, pitch in on the fundraiser if you can, and we'll send you a recording of the event to stream at your convenience!
#ThePersonalIsPolitical #FreePalestine #FeministBookstore #QueerSouth #Abolitionism #DeanSpade #KaiChengThom #FirestormCoop (- L)
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This Sunday at 4pm, we're partnering with Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP) and Visual AIDS for a Day With(out) Art 2024 presentation of "Red Reminds Me…," a program of seven videos reflecting the emotional spectrum of living with HIV today.
Since its inception in America in 1989, Day Without Art has marked the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the artistic community and documented efforts in fighting AIDS. Learn more about this free film screening at https://firestorm.coop/events/3283-day-with-out-art.html!
#DayWithoutArt #VisualAIDS#WorldAIDSDay #EndHIV #QueerSouth #FeministBookstore #WNCAP #FirestormCoop (- L)
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On Saturday we'll be hosting debut memoirist Neesha Powell-Ingabire for a conversation on undertold Black history alongside personal and family stories, followed by a signing of their new book, "Come By Here: A Memoir in Essays from Georgia’s Geechee Coast"!
Neesha, a millennial journalist, essayist, and organizer, traces the genealogy of systemic racial violence while paying homage to the area’s long history of Black resistance and culture keeping. Can't make the in-person event? We'll be streaming it to our YouTube channel!
Full event details, and copies of "Come By Here," available at https://firestorm.coop/events/3285-history-as-truth-telling-with-author-neesha-powell-ingabire.html
#BlackHistory #QueerSouth #GullahGeechee #GeorgiaHistory #FeministBookstore #ComeByHere #FirestormCoop (- L)
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From Appalachia to Palestine, resisting State violence is an act of embodied self-determination. Living through climate disaster, the rise of fascism, and genocide, we need to know how to sprint and how to marathon within our fights for land and liberation.
On Saturday, November 2nd, Firestorm is excited to host author Eliana Rubin for an in-person conversation and workshop based on their recently published book, "Taking the State Out of the Body: A Guide to Embodied Resistance to Zionism." This event will be co-sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace Asheville, with a suggested donation of $0-25 (no one turned away for lack of funds).
Learn more at https://firestorm.coop/events/3268-taking-the-state-out-of-the-body-book-talk-workshop.html.
#FreePalestine #Antifascism #Somatics #ClimateChange #QueerSouth #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)
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New hours! ⏰ New operations! 📋
Early last week, as more capacity came online for distribution of relief supplies in our neighborhood, we made the decision to begin winding down our own distro operations and shift focus to reopening. This will allow us to serve as a space with resources needed by long term grassroots efforts related to both Hurricane Helene and preexisting challenges within our community.
Beginning today, and continuing for at least the next two weeks, Firestorm will be open to the public every day from 3pm to 7pm. We will also be making our space available outside of those hours for community events and other activities, particularly in relation to disaster relief. If you are part of a grassroots group that needs a warm, welcoming spot for coworking, meeting, or an event, hit us up!
Although we are no longer operating as a distro, Firestorm will continue to maintain a small inventory of supplies for neighbors, and we'll remain an access site for non-potable water from Be Well AVL (@bewellavl). We also plan to offer potable water with support from Distribute Aid (@distributeaid) and help staff the new Mutual Aid Switchboard, created with others in the Mutual Aid Disaster Relief network (@mutualaiddisasterrelief).
#HurricaneHelene #ClimateChange #MutualAidDisasterRelief #MutualAid #QueerSouth #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)
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We're four days into the most significant natural disaster in the recorded history of our region. Our community is experiencing an ongoing crisis created by infrastructural collapse and the profound failure of capitalism to value and sustain life. No state or federal aid has yet reached Asheville, but all around us we're seeing regular people acting autonomously to address immediate needs and meet one another with care. We hope to write soon about the beautiful and resourceful things we've witnessed.
Our co-op is physically intact and our members are accounted for. Although we've fared better than many, we're experiencing this crisis physically and emotionally. We're exhausted, largely without power, water, or internet. Cell service is poor, and when we are able to connect, the volume of information is overwhelming. Right now our priority is supporting and facilitating mutual aid efforts and we ask for your patience as we cannot keep up with emails, texts, and DMs.
Firestorm will continue to act as an in-person resource and information hub over the coming days, with staffing from noon to 4pm. A daily meeting at 2pm serves as a space for neighbors to get verified updates and coordinate mutual aid efforts. Other hubs have arisen organically in other parts of town and we're doing our best to share and connect resources.
If you would like to donate to grassroots recovery efforts, please send funds to our friends at #MutualAidDisasterRelief (https://bit.ly/donatemadr or Venmo @/MutualAidDisasterRelief), who are already on the ground, or local organizers (Venmo @/AppMedSolid or Cash App $pansycollective with "Flood Support" in the memo), who have been caring for our community 365 days/year.
We are not able to process web orders or ship inventory. If you'd like to support our co-op, we enthusiastically welcome book orders through our website, but please understand that we cannot provide an estimate on shipping.
#HurricaneHelene #MutualAid #Asheville #WesternNorthCarolina #FeministBookstore #QueerSouth #FirestormCoop (- L)
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We're less than two weeks out from the Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair, taking place June 28-30! 🏴📚
This fifth year of bookfair continues the tradition of bringing together an amazing community of radical theorists and committed revolutionaries. The keynote will be delivered by none other than former Black Panther Ashanti Alston, whose fierce dedication to anarchism, abolitionism, and feminism guided influential work with Critical Resistance, the Institute for Anarchist Studies, and the Jericho Movement.
In total, organizers packed more than two dozen provocative presentations and workshops into this unforgettable weekend alongside indie publishers, DIY distros, movement artists, music, and social space.
For the complete list of sessions taking place at our bookstore head to https://firestorm.coop/events/3207-another-carolina-anarchist-bookfair.html.
#AnarchistBookfair #MasksRequired #QueerSouth #Bookfair #FeministBookstore #ACABookfair #FirestormCoop (- L)
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We're less than two weeks out from the Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair, taking place June 28-30! 🏴📚
This fifth year of bookfair continues the tradition of bringing together an amazing community of radical theorists and committed revolutionaries. The keynote will be delivered by none other than former Black Panther Ashanti Alston, whose fierce dedication to anarchism, abolitionism, and feminism guided influential work with Critical Resistance, the Institute for Anarchist Studies, and the Jericho Movement.
In total, organizers packed more than two dozen provocative presentations and workshops into this unforgettable weekend alongside indie publishers, DIY distros, movement artists, music, and social space.
For the complete list of sessions taking place at our bookstore head to https://firestorm.coop/events/3207-another-carolina-anarchist-bookfair.html.
#AnarchistBookfair #MasksRequired #QueerSouth #Bookfair #FeministBookstore #ACABookfair #FirestormCoop (- L)
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We're less than two weeks out from the Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair, taking place June 28-30! 🏴📚
This fifth year of bookfair continues the tradition of bringing together an amazing community of radical theorists and committed revolutionaries. The keynote will be delivered by none other than former Black Panther Ashanti Alston, whose fierce dedication to anarchism, abolitionism, and feminism guided influential work with Critical Resistance, the Institute for Anarchist Studies, and the Jericho Movement.
In total, organizers packed more than two dozen provocative presentations and workshops into this unforgettable weekend alongside indie publishers, DIY distros, movement artists, music, and social space.
For the complete list of sessions taking place at our bookstore head to https://firestorm.coop/events/3207-another-carolina-anarchist-bookfair.html.
#AnarchistBookfair #MasksRequired #QueerSouth #Bookfair #FeministBookstore #ACABookfair #FirestormCoop (- L)
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We're less than two weeks out from the Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair, taking place June 28-30! 🏴📚
This fifth year of bookfair continues the tradition of bringing together an amazing community of radical theorists and committed revolutionaries. The keynote will be delivered by none other than former Black Panther Ashanti Alston, whose fierce dedication to anarchism, abolitionism, and feminism guided influential work with Critical Resistance, the Institute for Anarchist Studies, and the Jericho Movement.
In total, organizers packed more than two dozen provocative presentations and workshops into this unforgettable weekend alongside indie publishers, DIY distros, movement artists, music, and social space.
For the complete list of sessions taking place at our bookstore head to https://firestorm.coop/events/3207-another-carolina-anarchist-bookfair.html.
#AnarchistBookfair #MasksRequired #QueerSouth #Bookfair #FeministBookstore #ACABookfair #FirestormCoop (- L)
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We're less than two weeks out from the Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair, taking place June 28-30! 🏴📚
This fifth year of bookfair continues the tradition of bringing together an amazing community of radical theorists and committed revolutionaries. The keynote will be delivered by none other than former Black Panther Ashanti Alston, whose fierce dedication to anarchism, abolitionism, and feminism guided influential work with Critical Resistance, the Institute for Anarchist Studies, and the Jericho Movement.
In total, organizers packed more than two dozen provocative presentations and workshops into this unforgettable weekend alongside indie publishers, DIY distros, movement artists, music, and social space.
For the complete list of sessions taking place at our bookstore head to https://firestorm.coop/events/3207-another-carolina-anarchist-bookfair.html.
#AnarchistBookfair #MasksRequired #QueerSouth #Bookfair #FeministBookstore #ACABookfair #FirestormCoop (- L)