Amid ongoing wildfires that began on January 7, and the active threat from severe Santa Ana winds, Los Angeles literary institutions are working to provide community support and share timely information on social media.
Grim news of destruction has circulated. Individuals report crushing losses not only of homes, schools, and businesses, but of archives such as the late artist Gary Indiana’s personal library, which had just been shipped from New York to Altadena when the Eaton Fire broke out, as L.A. resident and author Colm Tóibín (Long Island) reported.
Despite tragedy and sorrow, there’s powerful solidarity among book people and L.A. residents. Penguin Random House CEO Nihar Malaviya, in his welcome back letter to staff this week, noted that PRH is making “unlimited matching donations” benefiting first responders and other affected residents. A PRH representative noted that, to support fire relief efforts, the company’s social impact team “researched and recommended charitable organizations that colleagues could donate to as part of a special unlimited corporate matching gift program,” adding: “We have an annual matching gift program, but this was a special initiative independent of and in addition to that.”
Publishers, authors, and others are making plans for fundraisers, including a forthcoming Kidlit for Los Angeles online auction being organized by four authors to will benefit the California Community Foundation Wildfire Relief Fund, L.A. Regional Food Bank, L.A. Fire Department Foundation, and Animal Wellness Foundation Fire Relief Fund.
Crowdfunding campaigns have been set up for Book Alley owner Tom Rogers and his family, who lost their Altadena home. Diesel, A Bookstore in Brentwood also launched a GoFundMe on behalf of a bookseller who thought her home had burned down, but the bookseller discovered her home improbably still stood, surrounded by rubble. Diesel owner Richard Turner said donors would be refunded, since “now she won’t need as much money as we thought she would.”
Turner added that sales at the store had plummeted, but Diesel’s doors will stay open because “people are grateful to come in and replace books they loved and lost.” Most events have been rescheduled, but a January 15 event with New York City–based voice actor and radio personality Ed Kalegi (It Was Great To Say Hello To….) remained on the calendar. “The author is from out of town, and he still wanted to come, although I know we won’t get a big crowd,” Turner said on Tuesday afternoon.
As power outages and water rationing continue citywide, most local bookstores have stayed open, providing gathering spaces and necessary supplies, as well as asking customers to round up their dollar amounts at the register, with donations channeled to relief funds. Octavia’s Bookshelf in Pasadena is operating as a mutual aid hub in eastern L.A., distributing water, non-perishable foods, and personal items to people in need. Reparations Club, the Ripped Bodice, and other L.A. bookstores likewise are promising free WiFi, charging stations, and essentials such as hygiene kits and diapers.
“Many people have asked for the best way to support the shop and staff,” Octavia’s Bookshelf owner Nikki High wrote on social media. High suggested “purchasing books online through bookshop.org, contributing to our GoFundMe, as well as donating through Venmo” to help a favorite bookstore cover operational expenses.
“Our community is hurting!” acknowledged Sheryl Scott, director of communications and operations at the Gamble House, a historic 1908 Arts and Crafts landmark that hosts the Gamble House Bookstore and serves as a drop-off site for donations to Pasadena for All, a relief organization for unhoused people. “The Gamble House is OK for now,” Scott said. “We are still in the evacuation warning area but we are cautiously optimistic regarding containment at this point.”
At Skylight Books in Los Feliz, the Skylight Booksellers Union offered bottled water, shelf-stable snacks, N95 masks to protect against smoke, and other items for unhoused and displaced people. After an outpouring of donations, the SBU partnered with the Altadena Seed Library, which restores habitats with native Southern California plants.
Audiobook subscription service Libro.fm posted a list of bookstores offering community assistance. “We’re currently working with partner bookstores to offer an audiobook credit to those who donate to their fundraising efforts, and will be reaching out to We Need Diverse Books and a few other organizations to donate audiobooks,” Libro.fm marketing director Albee Romero told PW. Libro.fm also plans to join Binc on a fundraiser later this month.
Eric Nakamura, founder and owner of comics publisher Giant Robot, said that the publisher “did a drive this weekend to get clothing [and] essential needs like toiletries and pet supplies” to those in need. Karen Chan, founder of children’s publisher Gloo Books, mentioned plans for “contributing book donations to help rebuild school libraries and classrooms.”
The Association of Writers and Writing Programs announced that it has made “an immediate and meaningful” donation to the California Community Foundation, a nonprofit providing aid to underserved communities and marginalized populations impacted by wildfires. While AWP still intends to host its annual conference in L.A. March 27–29, it disclosed in a release that it “remains in active conversation with” its partner organizations “to make thoughtful and sensitive decisions that are in the best interest of the city and people of Los Angeles.”
Where to Begin
“The hardest part is just knowing where to start to help people,” said Hannah Walcher, executive director of the California Independent Booksellers Alliance, who was temporarily displaced from her Pasadena residence. Walcher has kept busy, contacting CALIBA members and non-member bookstores alike, especially those near to the ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas. Walcher and CALIBA operations manager Valentina Moberg are currently building out a site for sharing resources.
“Bookstores can be a place of comfort and routine, giving people a place to use WiFi or charge their devices,” Walcher said. But a print book may not be an ideal gift for a displaced person. “As much as we want to give books for comfort, that will come in the following weeks,” she said. She suggested that those wishing to help can shop online or buy gift cards: “Gift cards are great, because they give they give the store money now, and you come and get a book later.”
Walcher urged booksellers and comics store employees to contact the Book Industry Charitable Foundation if they are in crisis or want to help. Donations are pouring into Binc, which on January 14 announced a matching grant of $45,000 to aid bookstores and comics stores, following up an earlier matching grant of $10,000 supplied by Bookshop.org.
American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill is the former CEO of Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, so L.A.’s losses hit especially close to home for her. “As a former Angeleno with family and friends there, my heart has been with SoCal this past week,” Hill told PW. “I’ve been amazed by the resilience the booksellers have demonstrated during the fires and devastation and by their support of one another and their communities.”
The ABA provides educational resources that serve bookstores in times of challenge or emergencies, and they have made a 2023 webinar of practical advice for booksellers, “This Is a Fire Drill: Preparing for and Avoiding Crises,” publicly available for members and non-members. “ABA is continuing outreach and exploring ways to support the impacted booksellers and bookstores with the recovery road ahead,” Hill noted. “I have deep gratitude for the ways the industry is already stepping up to help.”
Linda-Marie Barrett, executive director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, recently helped stores in her region cope with the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. “A number of our stores have been through devastating situations before, because of where we are located in the country and our vulnerability to extreme weather events,” Barrett told PW. “SIBA created an information hub that offered contact information for resources like Binc, Small Business Administration disaster loans, disaster prep tools—for the future, but also helpful after an event—and a list of affected stores.”
Barrett, echoing the ABA’s tips for disaster preparedness, reminded bookstore owners to “check on what their insurance covers, make digital files of their important documents, and create a phone tree for emergency situations. As my experience in Asheville has shown, you can be without power, internet, and even cell phone service for days, and you don’t want to be scrambling for important information or worrying about what your insurance covers.”
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