Left Bank Books Collective

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you are all invited to join us for a book event at the shop (92 pike st) for the recently released book, scapegoat: what the invasive species story gets wrong w author clare follmann on saturday, june 6 at 7:30pm:) scapegoat examines the intersection of capitalism and conservation policy through the lens of invasive species management. more info and book description below:

access info:
high filtration masks are required for this event and we'll also have some extras for those who need them! the lowest level of the shop, where the event will be held, is wheelchair accessible but the rest of the store is not. we'll have keys to a tenant bathroom on hand, which is up a flight of stairs/elevator and can be tight for some wheelchair users but there are more accessible bathrooms nearby that we can point people to.

book description:
A caste of plants and animals, vilified as "invasive species," are held up as a primary driver of habitat degradation, to be eradicated at any cost---an ethically questionable and often futile approach. But what is really driving the degradation of habitat? Recent developments in the study of ecology complicate this prevailing narrative. While some invasive species can cause great environmental damage, intervention efforts have frequently proved more harmful than helpful to their local ecosystems. Yet this outdated narrative persists in both public belief and conservation policy, distracting from and often even justifying a far greater threat to biodiversity: the global capitalist system that is destroying our planet.

Drawing on environmental science and semiotics, Scapegoat recounts how the use of biased rhetoric and inaccessible language has created support for a popular but misleading war of “native” against “invasive” that does nothing to address the root causes of biodiversity loss. Clare Follmann challenges the perceived wisdom on invasive species, posing moral and political questions that rethink our relationship with nature and each other in a rapidly changing world.

On the first and third wednesday of every month, there is a writers meetup at left bank books. It starts at 7:30 and goes until about 10pm. Less of an open mic than a collaborative process, including games, critique, readings, study, discussions, etc. psychic experiments, etc.

bring something new you wrote, to read or share, or something else, bring something you're serious about.

As usual we’re closed for May Day. Enjoy the day and all it’s possibilities.

Wow!! So many new arrivals on the shelves today, all waiting for a new home.

we have copies of ‘s new massive, glorious HOMOCORE collection

Come celebrate the launch of Lambda Award-winning poet, memoirist, and disability justice movement worker Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s long-awaited fifth collection of poems, The Way Disabled People Love Each Other, with a community gathering, reading and book signing to follow, with books sold by Left Bank Books. Written over five years of pandemic lockdown, during which time they lost a cherished friend and comrade and met their estranged parents’ end of life, The Way Disabled People Love Each Other is a fierce crip reckoning with all the ways disabled people love each other, in all our complexity. There will also be an installation of Disability Grief Portal Altar, a place where people can come together to make a sacred space for disabled, mostly BIPOC grief and loss.

Access info: Masked, in person wheelchair accessible event- bathroom can be tight for larger chair users, more accessible bathroom across the street.

February 4th and
every first wednesday, 7:30pm
writers meetup at left bank books
less of an open mic than a
collaborative process:
games, critique, readings, study,
discussions, etc.
psychic experiments, etc.
bring something new you wrote
to read or share, or something else,
bring something you're serious about.

7:30 - 8:30 collaborative activities
8:30 - 9:30 readings + critique
9:30 - 10:30 wind down / end

January 7th and every
first wednesday, 7:30pm
writers meetup at left bank books
less of an open mic than a
collaborative process: games, critique,
readings, study, discussions, etc.
psychic experiments, etc.
bring something new you wrote
to read or share, or something else,
bring something you're serious about.

Just recieved pamphlets and a couple books from in PDX, now avaliable on our zine racks :)

“Poisoned Candy Press publishes old anarchist pamphlets from the late 19th to early 20th century. As we move forward in our struggles against capitalist exploitation and state oppression, we should remember our history and those who have made contributions to the cause. That’s what this project is all about.”

Did you know that we also have an online store?
All of our titles in stock are also available to be shipped or pre-purchased through our website.
We can also mail shirts or other merchandise. Just send us an email to [email protected] and we can figure out shipping.