Glasgow's
RADICAL INDEPENDENT BOOK FAIR
Project

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INFORMATION on the project

Glasgow’s Radical Independent Book-fair project...

Within Britain, Scotland and specifically Glasgow there are fewer and fewer outlets for independent and radical materials. Corporate bookshops rule the roost and offer little in the way of counter culture, radical voices or local independent materials. The Radical Independent Book-fair project (RIB) has come about to help redress this imbalance. RIB is a support structure for a number of individuals and groups who produce publications, information and materials for sale, view and free distribution. The project is self-financed by the participants, no public or corporate monies are involved, no one takes a wage, it is not party politically aligned and is autonomous from other organisations. The project is more than an occasional bookshop and travelling bookstall: it is also a temporary library, a videotheque, a meeting point (for discussion, distribution and ideas), as well as a place to come and have a coffee and a blether.

The RIB started running stalls and working with other organisations in October 2006, since then it has been involved in over well 40 events (some big, some small) including collaborations with film festivals, screenings, conferences, talks, punk gigs, and community events. It has utilised a range of venues - including Kinning Park Complex, the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Pearce Institute, Nice N Sleazy, STUC, GFT, Friends Meeting House, the free Hetherington, Drumchapel Community Centre, Dows, Scotia bar, Lauries bar, Glasgow Social Centre, Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities.

This ‘Book-fair’ has more in common with a wee bookshop than a large book festival. However there are four or five strands to each RiB... stuff for sale, things to swap, materials free to take away, library stock to view and events to engage in...

The bookshop stalls cover a number of publishers and presses in an eclectic mix. We stock various books, pamphlets, magazines, newspapers, dvd’s, cd’s, badges, cards, prints, t-shirts and coffee. Some events will have a car or van load of all or most of the currently available stock - spread over about ten tables, others a trolley load for a single stall - where stock is usually tailored to each event. On occasion, when the event or venue is big enough or when we are collaborating with others there will be ‘guest’ stalls.
Swap boxes - exchanging old for new , new for new or new for old! The book swap box - bring in a book that you have finished with and exchange it for another one free of charge (old or new it doesn’t matter) - a book that has affected you and you think will motivate someone else, interesting political books, stimulating social commentary, thought provoking critiques etc - in other words don’t bring in any old crap - no ‘celebrity’ memoirs, populist fiction etc. The seed swap box... we will occasionally (season dependant) have seed available for swapping, taken from an idea developed by brothmix in 2007 (though seed swapping is as old as the hills). So bring in your glut of vegetable, flower, herb or fruit seeds, label them of course and swap with someone elses glut! The badge swap box... got a spare, old, unwanted, rejected, found badge and swap for another in the box... whether they be 'political' or 'apolitical', 'bizarre' or just plain 'pop' badges. please note the ethos of this idea is ‘leave the boxes as you would hope to find it’ - we hope you get the idea!
You can also drop off or take away materials at the info point - a table or two of free things - a mixture of flyers, leaflets, news-sheets, stickers, cards and many other items.
At most events we will have (at least a part of) the mini videotheque - a bank of documentary films including a selection from previous Document: International Human Rights Documentary Film Festivals - these can be watched on mini monitors. There is also the listening post where you can hear a variety of interesting lectures, talks, discussions and a bit of music too - the backbone of this CD collection is almost every title published by AK Press Audio. The bulletin boxes are an ongoing collection of current and older counter-culture news-sheets and bulletins, these help form a representation of radical and autonomous publications.
There are usually some events to participate in... whether it be a talk or discussion, a film screening or book launch, a brothmix food event or even just some informal chat over a pot of sample coffee!

The RiB is planned as a long term project to assist others through the ideas of mutual aid and solidarity - if you have materials you would like us to help you distribute and/or if you want to collaborate on an event with us and/or you have or know of a free (or cheap) venue we could use in the future and/or if you would be able to help us with general publicity - please do get in touch. We are always looking for new materials and if we are available are happy to do a stall at your next free event...

RiB

"not by the book"

...but now on facebook!