Radical Hospitality
A March Madness Event
March 17: Charis Books and More in Decatur, GA
Charis, a 51-year-old feminist bookstore, has used the concept of Radical Hospitality to build accessible spaces for people of different abilities, identities, politics, and needs for decades. Join Charis for pragmatic tips on making your store a space where people feel welcomed and valued. We will explore physical/space accessibility, neurodiversity, and safer spaces, and why an all-or-nothing approach tends to fail everyone.
E.R. Anderson, Executive Director of Charis Circle, the bookstore's non-profit programming arm, says that bookstore staff have attended March Madness events in the past and enjoyed them, so they wanted to return the favor by hosting an event and sharing their unique knowledge.
That unique knowledge is why they decided to talk about Radical Hospitality. "It is a term which originates in Christian theology though it is accessible to all people," says Anderson. "It is part of our larger feminist belief that all people have inherent worth and dignity and we cannot and should not seek to change others by exerting power over them. It affirms that people are allowed to 'come as they are' even if we don't yet know how to meet them there, because are committed to catching up."
Charis uses the idea of Radical Hospitality as a guide for their work and desicion making. "As many general indies seek to become third spaces for their communities, values that were once niche or marginalized with radical or feminist movement spaces have become instructive to mainstream stores," says Anderson.
At lunch, booksellers will meet Vanessa Miller, Lo Patrick, Kelly Quindlen, and Julian Randall.
Vanessa Miller is a celebrated USA Today bestselling and award-winning author whose prolific body of work spans over fifty titles that explore deep themes of redemption, resilience, and faith—often spotlighting strong Black women during pivotal moments of history. Vanessa also wears the hats of playwright, motivational speaker, and retreat host—channeling her storytelling gift across multiple creative platforms. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and family.
Lo Patrick is a former lawyer and current novelist living in the suburbs of Atlanta. Her debut, The Floating Girls, earned a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, was a finalist for the Townsend Prize for Fiction, and was a Reader's Digest Editor's Pick.
Kelly Quindlen is the bestselling author of the young adult novels She Drives Me Crazy (winner of the Volunteer State Book Award), Late to the Party, and Her Name in the Sky. Her books have been featured in The New York Times, Business Insider, Vulture, and Paste. Kelly enjoys speaking to high school GSAs, PFLAG groups, and all manner of LGBTQ+ positive organizations. She lives in Atlanta with her fiancée and their cat.
Julian Randall is a Living Queer Black poet from Chicago. His poetry and essays are published in New York Times Magazine, POETRY, and Vibe. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize. Julian holds an MFA in Poetry from Ole Miss. His first book, Refuse, won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. Julian has previously worked as a youth mentor, teaching writing workshops to children on house arrest. He is the author of the Pilar Ramirez duology, The Chainbreakers, and Shook.
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