The sixth annual Victoria Anarchist Bookfair will bring together a diverse group of presenters, publishers, and like-minded activists from September 10–11.
Attendees will be able to peruse 40 tables, including materials from book publishers, magazine distributers, and booths from different organizations in Victoria and elsewhere. In addition to the tables, the bookfair will present a wide variety of workshops.
“We have everything from DIY farming to more academic discussions of anarchism in the literary world, or the history of illegalism, to people who have been involved in activism,” says Serina Zapf, a member of the Victoria Anarchist Bookfair collective. “We have something for everyone, whether you know something about anarchism or not.”
These issues are highlighted in talks such as Julia Munk’s Anarcha-Accessibility: Disabling the Disability Biases that Keep Us Apart and Gord Hill’s Indigenous Resistance to Ecocide.
The critical thinking isn’t contained to just the bookfair, as the collective has also organized the Festival of Anarchy. Now in its fourth year, the festival features many events, including music, a radical skill-share, and lectures, as well as the launch of an online anarchist archive at the University of Victoria’s McPherson Library.
The anarchist collective will also screen the film If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front on September 8, and anarchist author Margaret Killjoy will launch a choose-your-own-adventure book, complete with rapid-fire consensus workshop, on September 9.
Don’t know anything about anarchism? Don’t worry. “We get children, families, people who hitchhike and bus into town, people from the community, and elder folk,” says Zapf. “It’s a great mix of people who identify as anarchists and people who are curious about having an open discussion,” says Zapf.
The Festival of Anarchy takes place September 3–10 at various locations in Victoria. The Anarchist Bookfair runs September 10–11 at Fernwood NRG Community (1240 Gladstone). Go to victoriaanarchistbookfair.ca for more info.