Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair to hold events August 23-25

Press release from Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair:

From August 23-25, the third annual Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair will once again be a convergence point for learning and sharing ideas in anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist, anti-racist, decolonial organizing. Building on the success of the last two years, we hope to welcome hundreds of people, from the region and beyond, to participate in a weekend of workshops, talks, and book/zine vending. In conjunction with this event, the third annual Pansy Fest will also be showcasing LGBTQ DIY artists through concerts and dance parties.

It has been another year of atrocities by the State and fascists in the streets, but we have also seen in our area—and around the globe—that those committed to face these powers head on have only continued their fight, all the while inventing new modes of relationship and engagement to supplant the oppressive forms imposed on us. The work that anti-authoritarians do can get easily eclipsed, especially in the run-up to a national election, where liberal candidates try to sap the energy and ideas from radical grassroots actions. In the aftermath of horrible climate disasters, this year has been indelibly marked by the impending doom of environmental collapse that comes along with the continued extraction of resources, the genocide and displacement of indigenous people and the global poor, and the legacies and histories of settler colonialism and slavery. Asheville has continued its quick march towards becoming a tourist hellhole empty of anything for the people who live here. The city becomes less and less livable, while more and more useless building projects get green-lighted. We are a city funded by Uber, Lyft, and AirBnb, while the government diverts money to the police to harass the black and POC communities, evict houseless people from whatever shelters they can find, and to endlessly attract financiers to make this place an empty spectacle geared toward tourists and real estate magnates.

On the other hand, this year we have continued our fight in these ways: building infrastructure, strategizing to keep our fights in focus and at the center of the work against electoral inertia, bringing more attention to decolonial and land protection actions, continuing to oppose police and prisons and support the people on the inside who risk their well-being to do so, heading off the endless stream of police-protected white supremacist marches, and more. There are countless new projects getting off the ground, and therefore so much more information to be shared, especially as we begin to head into hurricane season. We need our regular events to meet up and collaborate on projects, learn what works in different terrains, and discuss how to implement ideas in our areas.

This year we are super pleased to present a dynamic line-up of workshops that illuminate struggles beyond, within, and on our borders. Some highlights are: perspectives from anarchists in Puerto Rico and Rojava, reports from the frontlines of combatting confederate monuments and racist state apparatuses, reflections from Black/POC organizers about the replication of white supremacy within radical movements, notes from Atlanta’s dance scene about the revolutionary and rebellious potential of parties and dances, interrogations of interpersonal relationships and the uses of failure, envisioning alternative futures and transformative justice.

Our keynote address this year will be Saturday August 24th at 6pm in West Asheville’s Firestorm Books, and will be a presentation on Pan African Social Ecology by scholar activist Modibo Kadalie, who will reflect on his nearly six decades of involvement in Black liberation movements across the South. Dr. Kadalie will offer a historical perspective on the way these movements functioned as leaderless revolutions. And don’t forget to bring your little rebels to the Anarchkids readaloud Saturday morning at 10:30 am at Firestorm!

We are coordinating with Pansy Fest this year, to hold simultaneous events. After a day of vending and workshops, there will be shows and parties, plus a brunch on Sunday. Pansy Fest is a group of queer and trans southerners dedicated to promoting regional LGBTQ DIY culture, mutual aid, and resistance. This will be their third year holding the festival, which features performers from around the country. We ask participants to understand that their spaces will prioritize the comfort and safety of queer/trans people.

For a full list of times, descriptions, and locations of events please visit our website!