Sisterwrite

Sisterwrite was Britain's first feminist bookshop.^[1] The bookshop, which opened in 1978, was run as a collective.^[2][3][4] Sisterwrite was located at 190 Upper Street, in the Islington district of north London.^[4][5]

Founding

Mary Coghill and Kay Stirling invited Lynn Alderson to join them in opening a women's bookshop.^[6] The three of them became the founders of Sisterwrite. Money was tight at the beginning, however, Mary was able to give $5,000 towards its opening and her sister gave $3,000.^[6] They began fundraising and sent a letter around to different organizations and women to sign, showing their support. Once they reached $11,000, they began to work on opening the shop.^[6] The opening was a difficult process as all three women lived in squats and relied on welfare benefits while they paid off debts and worked until Sisterwrite became economically viable.^[7] The squatting community became a feminist, urban phenomenon as women were able to discuss the Women's Liberation movement in a safe space.^[8]

Focus and expansion

Sisterwrite was commended for its knowledgeable workers led by Coghill, Stirling, and Alderson, and their willingness to discuss women's literature with patrons.^[9] The bookshop also contained a cafe, called Sisterbite.^[2][5]

Sisterwrite was notable for having a lesbian book section, and became a hub for the local lesbian community.^[5][10] Sisterwrite displayed the Women's Liberation Movement to wider circles of women and became a safe space for lesbian and queer women to meet and feel they are central to this movement.^[7] In specific, Sisterwrite was able to aid the women’s mental health movement by providing a hub for women to discuss and read about shared mental health struggles.^[11]

In 1985, Sisterwrite underwent an important transformation from a collective of white activists to a multiracial group. This change catalyzed the expansion of the section which included black literature and called for the incorporation of literature from women worldwide.^[12] The Sisterwrite Collective intentionally sought to amplify the voices of Black women, enriching the Bookshop's legacy and adding to the shop's many accomplishments.^[13]

Closure

Despite their persistent fight to keep their doors open amidst a recession, multiple burglaries, and the inability to park near the store,^[12] on 7 August 1993, Sisterwrite closed for good.^[14] However, the closure of Sisterwrite did not signify a decline in interest in women’s writing, the collective workers stated that the demand for female literature tripled since the mid-1980s.^[15]