Every month, our series Shelf Life will profile a business in Greater Boston that’s part of the region's thriving independent bookstore community. This month we are featuring All She Wrote Books in Somerville.
On Somerville's Artisan Way sits a colorful bookstore, where readers are greeted with a rainbow mural, imagery of feminist icons, and a wealth of nearly 7,000 titles by all women and LGBTQ+ authors.
It had been almost two decades since a bookstore of its kind had been in the Boston area — but then Christina Pascucci Ciampa came along with her idea for All She Wrote.
Pascucci Ciampa was inspired after learning about one of the earliest feminist booksellers in the country, New Words Bookstore, which opened in Somerville in 1974, riding the momentum of second wave feminism rippling through the country and changing the course of women’s history. But it couldn’t stay afloat as an independent bookstore amid a sea change in publishing and expansion of online bookselling. It shut its doors in 2002.
After reading Kristen Hogan’s “The Feminist Bookstore Movement: Lesbian Antiracism and Feminist Accountability,” a history and guidebook for stores selling books on issues of gender and sexuality, Pascuci Ciampa was motivated to start her own business, filling a gap left when New Words closed.
Thus, All She Wrote Books was born, which Pascucci Ciampa describes as an intersectional, inclusive, feminist and queer bookstore that amplifies underrepresented voices. And as Ciampa sees it, the way to do that is to make sure that LGBTQ+ representation isn’t relegated to a specialized section but made visible across all genres, such as children's books, fantasy, romance and nonfiction.
“It's really about the curation and really being reflective of the mission that we represent, and making sure that that is represented in the books that we stock.”
Pascucci Ciampa started the business as a pop up, selling books both out of her home and at local Somerville spots like Winter Hill Brewing Company and Bow Market. Long term, she wanted to open a physical storefront and she hatched a five-year plan to get there.
That plan was fast tracked when she got laid off from a corporate job in October 2019. Instead of job hunting, Pascucci Ciampa decided to go full throttle ahead into her bookselling business. In January 2020, she took a leap of faith when a brick and mortar location was available at the Assembly Row shopping center. She decided it was the perfect spot, located in Somerville where her pop up started.
Paperwork was all signed for the store to open — and then the entire world shut down.
In July 2020, Pacucci Ciampa started welcoming in patrons through scheduled appointments to browse books in the store alone. She said that system had an upside, allowing her to make a deeper connection with the community.
“It gave me an opportunity to really meet a lot of people that are still customers even today, that kept us going throughout the height of the pandemic,” she said.
One of those faithful patrons, Chelsea Bray, made it her mission to buy one book a week from the small business in its early days. She became so fond of the store that her then boyfriend chose to propose to her there.
“[Pascucci Ciampa] has created this community where everybody feels safe and important and seen. When customers come in and they see these stories on display and featured prominently, I think that it makes people feel less alone and that they belong to a community that's bigger than themselves,” Bray said.
Stocking books that tell the tales of LGBTQ+ stories and give information on these issues is more important than ever to Pascucci Ciampa in a time where book bans and attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, specifically transgender people, are rampant.
“Who gives the right to say what people should and shouldn't read? When we start taking books away that demonstrate that inclusivity, that's when the danger happens, that's when the scary stuff happens, and that's when people lose empathy for others,” she said. “If you think that you can erase people by taking books off the shelves, you've got another thing coming. Because we ain't going anywhere. Our stories are just as beautiful.”
"If you think that you can erase people by taking books off the shelves, you've got another thing coming. Because we ain't going anywhere. Our stories are just as beautiful."Christina Pascucci Ciampa
Pascucci Ciampa makes sure the community isn’t just represented by the books that she stocks, she builds connection in the community, too. Take the “Gay it Forward” program, where shoppers who want to sponsor a free book for someone else can load up a store gift card. If anyone comes into the store and can’t afford a purchase, Pascucci Ciampa makes sure they walk out with something, by use of the gift card.
“We can't be a library, but what we can be is a place that tries to make sure people walk out of here not only just feeling safe and loved and respected, but also, if they want a book, they can have one, no questions asked,” she said.
Pascucci Ciampa also donates curated book bundles to The Network/La Red and RESPOND Inc., two organizations that work to end domestic abuse.
All She Wrote Books also sponsors a free library at Connexion United Methodist Church in East Somerville. She said the initiative has distributed more than 300 books last year. The Rev. Jordan Harris, a pastor at Connexion, said the program is especially helpful for young adults who come in looking for books that reflect their experiences.
“So often it's easy for youth to only read certain classics or white or male authors and not necessarily feel as inspired or connected,” Harris said. “To be able to read authors with different perspectives, it just helps folks to grow.”
Pascucci Ciampa has also figured out how to perpetuate the fun and joy that come from reading. She collaborates with the Somerville Public Library with events like open mic nights. At the bookstore itself, they hold author talks and monthly drag story hours for families.
As All She Wrote Books approaches it's third anniversary, Pascucci Ciampa reflects on the important role that books can have in a community.
“I'm really excited to still be here, still doing the work that we do and giving a chance for people to find themselves on our shelves, especially queer people, and connect with characters — whether they're fictional or nonfictional — on our shelves,” Pascucci Ciampa.
All She Wrote Books is located at 451 Artisan Way in Somerville.
This article is part of the ongoing series "Shelf Life," where GBH News' Haley Lerner will profile local, independent bookstores. Up next: Hummingbird Books.
