On Sept. 19, journalist and bookstore owner Tiffany Razzano launched Sarasota’s first Queerlastic Book Fair in collaboration with Fabulous Arts Foundation (FabAF). The book fair filled the halls at FabAF’s 925 Maddox Gallery with rainbow stickers, debut novels from local authors and pink beaded bracelets. The Queerlastic Book Fair series brings back the ’90s and early 2000s elementary school afternoon vibe with grape and bubblegum-scented pencils and red catalogs, with an inclusive twist that uplifts LGBTQ+ literature, creativity and community.
“I’ve organized book, author and art events for about 15 years under the name Wordier Than Thou,” Razzano explained to Old School Catalyst over email correspondence.“Everything from open mics, publishing conferences and workshops to book-themed drag and burlesque shows, murder mysteries written from scratch, immersive theatrical haunted houses, literary bar crawls.”
Razzono founded her pop-up bookstore, This Bookstore Kills Fascists, three years ago in the Tampa Bay area in response to widespread educational censorship and book bannings in Florida.
“We focus on queer, feminist, antiracist and banned books—really just diverse stories and voices in general,” Razzono wrote.
This Bookstore Kills Fascists is a pop-up, but Razzono jokingly and affectionately calls it her “fake bookstore” because the store operates more like a community project. The goal is not monetary, but a passion for spreading diverse and inclusive literature and curating a space to converse about it.
“Put off by the costs associated with vending at St. Pete Pride events, I started the Queerlastic Book Fair series in June,” Razzono wrote. “Our focus is on LGBTQ+ (and some ally) authors, artists, booksellers and local organizations. I keep the vendor fees very low (or free when I can) and give the fees to whichever nonprofit we’re working with.”
The first Queerlastic Bookfair took place in June at St. Pete City Theater. According to Razzano, it drew a great crowd with many vendors.
“We plan to host these fairs regularly, bringing them to other cities across the Tampa Bay area and Florida,” she said. “I’ll go wherever people want us, basically. I have gotten some backlash about these events when posting about it on Facebook, which just shows why they’re so important.”
Razzano was wearing her This Bookstore Kills Fascists t-shirt when she was interviewed by Old School Catalyst at the September book fair.
“Sarasota is challenging politically for queer folks,” Razzano said. “We wanted to have a queer- focused event.” The goal after this Queerlastic is to host more across Florida to “get diverse and inclusive stories out there in response to horrible book bannings.”
“We were super excited when Tiffany came to us,” FabAF Executive Director Shannon Fortner said. “Having access to books is so important. It brings me a lot of joy to see folks connecting and getting access to books that scare other people.”
“The idea behind it is to create a bookfair-esque experience for local families and adults,” FabAF therapist Grace Korley said. “We share local literature and support local businesses.”
Korely emphasized the lost art of purchasing books at a bookstore, where the cashier can recommend books or one can connect with fellow community members. “With banned books [and] buying books online. . .the connection element is lost,” she explained.
FabAF’s next event is the 16th Annual Fabulous Independent Film Festival from Oct. 2 to Oct. 4. This year’s premier independent film screenings will be held at the historic Burns Court Cinema. Receptions and filmmaker panels will be held at the 925 Maddox LGBTQ+ Center.
