Happy Holidays to all yinz, and welcome to the 12 Days of Indies! My name is Joy Givens, and I’m here to make your December merry and bright by highlighting one of Pittsburgh’s fabulous independent bookstores each day, December 1-12. Keep reading to learn all about today’s featured bookstore, and check back daily for new store profiles, fun tidbits, ordering information, and more!
Day 12
The twelfth day of indies is worth the wait! It’s one of my personal favorites, a place on the North Side where books and culture harmonize with a clear mission: City of Asylum Bookstore! This bookstore is the project of City of Asylum Pittsburgh, a nonprofit organization that provides sanctuary and support to endangered writers facing intolerance of their political beliefs or expressions. All sales in the bookstore directly support the nonprofit, its Exiled Writers-in-Residence, and its community programs to promote cross-cultural exchange. As if that weren’t enough to help you feel good about your purchase, City of Asylum Bookstore also specializes in world literature and works in translation, bringing you books you might otherwise never crack open.
Before the pandemic, City of Asylum shared space with Café Brugge, which has since sadly ceased operations (you can still visit sibling restaurants Point Brugge or Park Bruges for takeout, though!). With or without on-site snacks, the store’s airy, colorful interior is a place you’ll want to linger for hours as soon as it’s possible to do so. For now, the ease of nearby parking and accessible front entrance make a brief virtual trip around the world entirely possible, seven days a week. You can also shop the store’s stock online for ship-to-home or in-store pickup.
If someone on your holiday gift list insists that they “don’t need anything,” City of Asylum can provide you with the perfect giving opportunity for someone who has everything: the gift of supporting children’s literacy on their behalf! City of Asylum is the official bookseller of Books for Change, the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development’s annual book drive (this year’s theme is “Raising Antiracist Readers”). Check out the extensive book list and donate books for local schools and childcare programs, straight from your City of Asylum online cart.
In short, if you want to spend your book-buying dollars in a vibrant space where they will help protect and amplify marginalized voices, then City of Asylum is your perfect match.
STORE DETAILS
City of Asylum Bookstore
40 W North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(412) 435-1112
Current Store Hours: 7 days a week, 12:00-6:00 p.m.
https://www.cityofasylumbooks.org/
https://www.instagram.com/cityofasylumbooks/
https://twitter.com/CityofAsylumBks
https://www.facebook.com/cityofasylumbooks/
Joy Givens is a pun-slinging, hymn-singing storyteller and the lucky mother of two small superheroes. She has published several award-winning short stories and writes children’s and YA fiction to celebrate the fresh, fierce, fantastic side of life. Raised in a big Midwestern family, Joy now lives in the blossoming literary community of Pittsburgh, where she is a proud leadership team member of Pennwriters (www.pennwriters.org) and the PA West region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (www.wpa.scbwi.org).
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