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BookWoman Book Store
BookWoman is a feminist book store in Austin, Texas founded by Susan Post and 12 other women in 1975. It is one of only a handful of remaining dedicated feminist bookstores in the nation, devoted to championing female authors and small presses, stocking resources for rape and abuse survivors, and showcasing a well-chosen gift selection of jewelry, magnets, art and a new 45th anniversary commemorative T-shirt. What started as a collective of 13 women called The Common Woman bookstore, based on the Judy Grahn poem, moved into Susan Post’s house at the time and the collective eventually dissolved in 1977. The bookstore later took on the name BookWoman and moved to 6th Street. Since moving to 12th and Lamar in 2008, BookWoman has been located at 5501 North Lamar. As one of Texas’ oldest and largest feminist bookstores, one of twelve left in the country, BookWoman has a long history of hosting poets, musicians, and performance troupes. The bookstore provides a safe, supportive, freeing space for women, children, people of color, LGBTQ+, and allies. The diverse range of literature includes the topics of fiction, mysteries, romance, poetry, current events, psychology, gender studies, spirituality, sports, travel, children’s books, and more. Most of the titles carried are written by female and queer authors. Audrey Kohler, a senior bookseller, said the store constantly works to ensure customers know the store's stance on LGBTQ+ issues. By prioritizing equality and inclusion over sticking to status quo, Post and coworkers were initially subject to homophobic harassment and bullying, but now receive support from local patrons.

Susan Post
One of the many factors that led Susan Post to pursue an alternative approach to life was her mother’s intellectual boredom and observing her mother’s loneliness. Her passion comes from her own craving for knowledge she finds in books. Post settled into a job working as a library assistant at the University of Texas’s historic library, Battle Hall, which solidified her love of books. There she received an invitation from Nancy Lee Marquis to join the women’s collective, which would eventually become BookWoman at the end of 1975.

Impact of Pandemic
BookWoman recently celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2020 adhering to Covid-19 protocol that included a four-person occupancy limit. The bookstore pivoted from in-store experience to online and curbside, and employees gave book recommendations over phone. In the earlier days of the pandemic, she would put a brick in the door to signal the curious that they could come in one at a time for a book or puzzle hand off.