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How to Help LA’s Bookish Community 

How to Help LA’s Bookish Community 


How to Help LA’s Bookish Community 

As wildfires continue to rage across Los Angeles, California, local bookshops and libraries have opened their doors to provide essential resources for the surrounding community.

From hosting physical donation drives to offering safe spaces amidst displacement, these hubs are highlighting once again the importance of supporting small businesses that are invested in their neighborhoods. 

It’s amazing to see how much these centers for book lovers have accomplished in such a short time, as well as how patrons have stepped up to donate and volunteer. 

And these spaces need our direct support, too. Many of their employees are now displaced, or their store isn’t able to operate as usual, meaning less income–which is hard when they operate on such small margins already. 

Below, we’ve rounded up resources to help folks in LA, as well as these bookshops and libraries. We’ll keep updating the list, too, as we learn more. 


Bookshops with mutual aid drives and rest spaces:

Please note: Many of these stores are at donation capacity. While they are still distributing donations, they also need volunteers and are accepting monetary donations. We encourage you to check their social media channels for the latest updates. 

Octavia’s Bookshelf 

Nikki High, owner of the Pasadena bookshop named after local author Octavia Butler, quickly turned the store into what Butler herself likely would have—a community hub for free essential resources.  

A Good Used Book 

This used bookshop in Historic Filipinotown has brought a number of resources to donation centers. Now, they’re fundraising for the LA Unity & Solidarity Fund for Mutual Aid and Equitable Recovery and collecting seeds for the Altadena Seed Library. 

All Power Books

This volunteer-run bookshop and community space acts as a mutual aid center all year long, not just during disasters. 

Black Lantern Books

This coop located in Inglewood has been working around the clock to distribute essentials to those impacted by the fires. 

The Ripped Bodice

The beloved romance bookshop in LA is offering free masks and other essentials. 

Reparations Club

They’re offering a safe space and essentials during this time of crisis. 

Skylight Books

Skylight’s union has organized a number of different drives to aid LA’s unhoused community as well as the Altadena Seed Library.  

Midnight Books

Not only is this bookshop organizing donations, but volunteer efforts to help clean up destruction from the Eaton fire. 

Dym | Books and Boba 

This brand new bookshop in Pasadena barely opened its doors before the fires started, but quickly began accepting donations for distribution to those in their area impacted by the crisis.

Vroman’s and Book Soup

They’re working with Friends in Deed Food Pantry to collect food through January 19th. 

Little Visioneers 

For every purchase made through this shop’s storefront, 50% of all proceeds through January will go to Baby2Baby to provide necessities for children impacted by the fires. 


How to help bookstores, booksellers, libraries, and librarians: 

In addition to directly supporting any of the bookshops listed above by visiting them in person (once they’re back up and running), shopping from them online, or via Libro.fm audiobooks, here are a few additional fundraising opportunities: 

Reparations Club 

They’re accepting donations on Venmo (@repclub) and CashApp ($repclub), to distribute to their impacted loved ones who have lost their homes. Remaining funds will be donated to mutual aid networks. 

Book Alley 

Book Alley’s owner, Tom Rogers, lost his home in the Eaton fire. You can contribute to the GoFundMe to help them rebuild. 

Octavia’s Bookshelf 

After almost closing its doors last year, the store is fundraising to ensure they have the ability to stay open going forward. 

The BINC Foundation

Binc helps bookshop and comic shop employees and owners with unforeseen emergency financial, medical, and mental health service needs, and many publishers are currently matching donations. 

The American Library Association’s Disaster Relief Fund  

This fund from the American Library Association supports libraries in areas dealing with natural disasters.

The Los Angeles Public Library Palisades Branch Recovery Fund 

The fund provides immediate outreach and support services, emergency relief assistance, and free tech access for the Palisades Branch Library community and to all whose lives have been disrupted by the fires.


Other ways to support the relief efforts: 

Books Are Magic T-Shirt 

New York’s beloved bookshop is donating 100% of proceeds from this shirt to World Central Kitchen in Pasadena. 

We Need Diverse Books Emergency Grants 

We Need Diverse Books is accepting applications for emergency grants from those impacted by the LA fires. They’re also accepting donations for the fund.  

Children’s Books for Altadena 

This initiative is raising money to purchase books from Octavia’s Bookshelf and distribute to homes, schools, and libraries impacted by the fires. 

Los Angeles Wildfires Book Drive 

Donate new and/or gently used books to help rebuild libraries of those who lost their homes in the fires.  



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