It would be hard to think of a more influential book over the last 5 years than Dean Spade's "Mutual Aid." It's a perennial bookclub pick, there’s an even chance it comes up in any conversation about local organizing, and we regularly hear customers enthusiastically recommending it to each other.

It’s also a book that’s worth revisiting, and Dean does just that in this new edition, starting with a 38-page preface that’s good enough to print as a standalone zine. When the book was first published in 2020, part of its incredible appeal was that it emerged directly from urgent conversations and collective actions that readers themselves were part of. This new preface again brings the text into our moment and serves as a critical intervention against the cooptation and pacification of mutual aid 🔥

https://firestorm.coop/products/23866-mutual-aid.html

From the new preface: “My hope is that ‘Mutual Aid’ helps more people join with others in taking risks to care for people in crisis and dismantle the violent systems that are endangering all life and have already prematurely ended the lives of so many. What we need is not just individual or small-group acts of redistribution and care-which are no doubt meaningful-but to create entire voluntary, horizontal, decentralized systems of living together that do not operate through profit, scarcity, and extraction…

Our only chance at freedom is to break from the liberal hope that elites will act for us, and begin to take direct action and care for each other right now… Any particular part of the work we take up will, inevitably, be inadequate to address the crisis-we can't possibly give out enough money, tents, water bottles, masks, hormones, babysitting shifts, abortion pills, or bowls of soup for the level of crisis that the systems we are living in are creating. But we can do this care work with a focus on bringing more people into the struggle, creating new ways of surviving that are autonomous from our opponents' deadly supply chains, and building more capacity for our fights on every front, so that more of us are ready to join every riot or strike in reach and to risk everything for each other.”

#MutualAid #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)

One of the most consequential trials of Trump's second term begins on February 17th, and our friend Des is in the middle of it with a box of zines.

Join us in Asheville on Sunday, Feb 15th at 5pm for a teach-in on the Prairieland case. We'll begin with a brief presentation of background information, the situation of our friend Des, and the latest updates on his trial, with a special emphasis on the implications for the movement to abolish ICE and defeat fascism in the US.

Our collective will then facilitate a discussion on how this case might inform our thinking about violence, nonviolence, and state repression in this moment of growing opposition. The final segment of the teach-in will be a space for participants to engage with the Free Des Solidarity Week by writing a letter, creating art, or developing materials to educate others about the case!

This is a free event, but we ask that you bring a donation to support Des' legal defense fund. Given the topic of this conversation, consider the recommendations we've made at https://firestorm.coop/news/expect-surveillance.html

#FreeDes #ZinesAreNotACrime #PrairielandDefendants #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)

Snow day! ❄️ Grab your sled, because Firestorm will be open today and (hopefully) tomorrow from noon to 7pm, but our annual winter break starts MONDAY. We'll be closed from February 2nd through 10th to get some rest, catch up on other projects, and maybe even read a few books!

During our break Firestorm won't be open, but unlike in previous years, we will still be shipping in-stock books ordered through our website. So if you're snowed in today, don't panic (or risk your life)—you can grab that next Margaret Killjoy novella at firestorm.coop 📦

Note: since the weather is still weathering, consider calling the store before trekking in if it looks dicey.

#FeministBookstore #AllegedSecretAntifaHeadquarters #FirestormCoop (- E + L)

We're trying something new in 2026 to help us (and you!) ditch Meta.

We know from personal experience that, paradoxically, logging off can make it hard to maintain IRL connections. So much grassroots activity only seems to get advertised on social media—and for spaces like Firestorm, there's a trap in thinking that Instagram is the best place to reach people, even when they live right down the street.

But there are alternatives... if we build them!

Follow us to a place without data harvesting, shadow bans, and right wing trolls. This week we're launching a new broadcast thread on the Signal app, specifically for events at Firestorm. Sign up and you'll get event announcements + a weekly roundup reminder (no memes, no side chatter—strictly event details!).

Since most of our events are in-person, this new thread will primarily be useful to locals. For more local community events, we also recommend the Asheville Radical Community Calendar (DuckDuckGo it! IYKYK)

#FeministBookstore #QueerSouth #FirestormCoop (- L)

Now that we're in the 2025 home stretch, our collective is shifting from retail hustle to reflection. This was a tough year, on lots of levels, but our public messaging has mostly focused on political concerns rather than the difficult financial position we've been in since Hurricane Helene.

Thanks to strong community support and a grant from the Southern Power Fund, our co-op started 2025 with what we thought was a generous buffer. But between Asheville's slow recovery and worsening conditions for low and middle income folks nationally, we're seeing sales far below those of previous years—and we've burned through our reserves trying to bridge the gap. Our collective is still analyzing the situation, but it's clear that the Q4 turnaround we'd hoped for did not materialize, and we're now headed into late winter on thin ice.

We value transparency, so this post is intended to be a heads up that our project is increasingly precarious. We'll share more information in January along with an outline of how we plan to address Firestorm's financial sustainability. In the meanwhile, we appreciate your continued support and hope that you'll keep us in mind when you're buying books! ❤️‍🔥

#FeministBookstore #HurricaneHelene #FirestormCoop

Did you know that in addition to books our co-op stocks tabletop games? 🎲

Selected with an eye toward social movement themes and cooperative elements, these games are the perfect for adding excitement to an evening with housemates, family, or an affinity group! We've also recently added two awesome roleplaying games to our lineup: "Coyote & Crow," a game set in an alternate future where colonization of the Americas never occurred, and "The Defenders Almanac," a rules-light RPG from the creators of the hit game Defenders of the Wild, where forest creatures fight back against the machines.

Find tabletop games available for in-store pickup or eligible for free shipping at https://firestorm.coop/catalog/type/236-tabletop-games.html.

#TableTopGames #CooperativeGames #FeministBookstore (- L)

We've gathered together some of your very favorite craftspeople for a two day Holiday Craft Pop-Up. You're welcome!

We accept that you can't gift every person you love a book for every holiday, every single year (we work at a bookstore, believe us, we've tried). Switch it up with a macabre mug or a delightfully nerdy bauble made of dice!

Each day of the pop-up includes a unique group of artisans with a wide variety of mediums, styles, and flavors. The event is a Palestine solidarity fundraiser, with a portion of proceeds going towards the Gaza Soup Kitchen.

Join us on Saturday, December 13th to delight in the wares of Cardamom Bakery, Savim, & Friends, Earth to Hands, Fig Crochets , Miles Madonna, Ruckus Ceramics, The Crows' Teeth, The Dicey Dungeon, and WNC Mask Bloc, and Woodberry Designs.

Then on Sunday peruse treasures from Al's Stained Glass, Finn and the Whale, GasStationVampire, HK Hotteok, Lucin Zac, Luzida.Art, Matilda's Menagerie, Polycreative Collective, Shop.Tamango, Turned Worm Studios, and VII Ceramics.

We'll see you there! 🎨🧶🫖💎🍪🧣

#QueerBookstore #CoopsNotCops #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (-Esmé)

‼️ We're extending our Indies First sale through today! ‼️

You can come by today to snag 15% off all non-discounted inventory — this includes books, stickers, shirts, prints, and more! And when you're a Firestorm sustainer that stacks to a whole 25% off. If you were shopping for say, a major gift giving holiday... to name a random example... that 25% really goes a long way 😉

If you're not interested in braving the cold today you can always shop online with the promo code INDIESFIRST. We'll even throw in some free goodies like a sticker and a zine with your order 🫶

#OnHaywoodRd #FeministBookstore #IndiesFirst #SmallBusinessSaturday #FirestormCoop

Friends, comrades, book lovers, this Saturday our co-op is joining the retail pandemonium to offer you discounts on books! That's right, books made of paper, filled with delightful stories and subversive ideas. Skip the mall, skip the big box store, and DEFINITELY skip the Am🤮zon Surveillance Mega Corp, because our team is out here slinging 15-25% discounts on almost everything we stock! How do you get the biggest discounts? We're offering 25% off to members of our sustainers program! Sign up before you shop using the link in our bio.

Have a family member who doesn't love to read? Even flawed people deserve gifts! Give them stickers, t-shirts, board games, art prints, or other unique items from our catalog. If you're shopping in person, our collective is happy to provide bespoke recommendations to help you find exactly what you're looking for. We know that braving the crowds can be exhausting, so hot beverages are on the house!

Indies First savings aren't just for the geographically privileged. Shop online with the promo code INDIESFIRST for the same great deal (minus the hot beverage, sorry). We love it when people choose to support us over corporate shit-peddlers and we'll show you our appreciation with free stickers, postcards, or radical literature in every package. Plus shipping is always free on orders of $50 or more! 💓

#OnHaywoodRd #FeministBookstore #IndiesFirst #SmallBusinessSaturday #AnticapitalistCapitalism #FirestormCoop

Ditch the cranberry sauce and get ready for gore! In dishonor of the Thanksgiving holiday, we're hosting a horror movie double feature fundraiser. All proceeds will support Indigenous anarchist political prisoner Oso Blanco, currently serving 55 years related to bank expropriations in support of the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, Mexico in the late 90s.

Suggested donation $5-20. Learn more about Oso Blanco at https://freeosoblanco.org.

#AntiColonialFilm #FeministBookstore #OsoBlanco #NoThanksNoGiving #FirestormCoop (- L)