Banned Camp 

What started as a partnership with Austin Public Library to host a series of free events for our community quickly garnered more attention than we could have ever anticipated, with coverage from NBC, CNN, KVUE, the Austin Statesman, and more.

Through programming with authors, book clubs, and local schools, we hosted XX events to encourage our community to read widely, to read books that challenge us, and to embrace the questions and conversations that come out of them. During our [date] event with George M. Johnson, they said, “The teens today keep me inspired, and I inspire them. We fight for each other. They have so many people they can watch now rise against and fight oppression. They get to grow up with queer heroes. That’s the difference today.”

Because of your support, we were able to collect $3,047.08 on our Day of Sales and $3,906.04 from online donations to purchase books for APL to distribute. That’s 855 books in the hands of kids who need them! Thank you to everyone who participated in and contributed to our program.

Events

In 2022, we hosted 225 events!

It was a long time coming, but in late May, we were finally able to bring kids storytimes back in store – and y’all were ready for it! We love to see our kids amphitheater packed with young readers. Huge shout out to our community partner Pease Park for hosting storytimes with us!

Let’s take a moment to talk about our 52nd birthday, because we were floored by how many of y’all showed up to celebrate with us! From the silent auction supporting local artists; to group trivia on everything from BookPeople lore to famous author quotes; to the Polaroid photo booth in front of our famous third-floor wall; to free books, prizes, and treats galore – we were not expecting such an incredible turnout from our community of readers and book lovers.  Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

In 2020, we made a commitment to diversify our events calendar to provide a platform for more authors and voices from marginalized communities. We believe that one of our roles as a community bookstore is to provide access to books and educational resources that will inspire and enact change. We’d like to share the statistics we’ve collected from our events this year to hold ourselves accountable.

In 2022, we hosted a variety of authors through in-store, offsite, and virtual events: 

• 32.4% BIPOC 
• 9.8% LGBTQ 

Of our BIPOC authors, 4.17% also identify as LGBTQ. We are committed to improving these numbers in 2023. Thank you for supporting our authors! 

Our Local Author Bestsellers of 2022

Our favorite part of looking through our annual bestsellers report is seeing how many of our local authors make the list. Thanks to you for supporting your community by coming to events, pre-ordering books you’re excited about, and loving the literary community here in Austin! Shop the full list here.

1. Court – Tracy Wolff
2. The Big Texas Cookbook: The Food That Defines the Lone Star State – Editors of Texas Monthly
3. Steal Like an Artist 10th Anniversary Gift Edition – Austin Kleon
4. Last Gangster in Austin: Frank Smith, Ronnie Earle, and the End of a Junkyard Mafia – Jesse Sublett
5. The Love Hypothesis – Ali Hazelwood
6. Just Try One Bite – Adam Mansbach, Camila Alves McConaughey, Mike Boldt (Illustrator)
7. Last Dance on the Starlight Pier – Sarah Bird
8. My Town / Mi Pueblo – Nicholas Solis, Luisa Uribe (Illustrator)
9. The Tryout: A Graphic Novel – Christina Soontornvat, Joanna Cacao (Illustrator)
10. Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth – Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, Jason Stanford