Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

The Portal Bookshop

@portalbookshop.bsky.social

2.7K followers 370 following 220 posts

Sci-fi, fantasy, & LGBTQIA. Queer resistance. Always trying to help. [email protected] Mon-Sat 10-5.30, Sun 11-5:30; 5 Patrick Pool, York, UK Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/lalidoesbooks

ko-fi.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · Sep 14

Where to find us:

In person! 5 Patrick Pool, York, YO1 8BB

Website! (With indie and import books) http://the-portal-bookshop.square.site

Other website! (With everything available through the UK wholesaler) http://uk.bookshop.org/shop/portalbookshop

Other social media! Portalbookshop everywhere

Home | The Portal Bookshop

Sci-fi, Fantasy and LGBTQIA books sold by a York based Independent Bookstore. We take Pre-Orders and Import US titles too.

the-portal-bookshop.square.site

2 10 28

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · 20h

Asexual bouquet! I still don't quite know what merited flowers but happy bookshop day to us I guess :)

An asexual bouquet of flowers, with white, off white, Imperial purple and deep purple flowers

2 29

Reposted by The Portal Bookshop

Jai (they/them) @illustratedjai.bsky.social · 21h

Just did a sloth sticker restock at @portalbookshop.bsky.social including refilling the flag sloths and adding the dnd sloths! Also available at my etsy in now much more limited numbers: illustratedjaishop.etsy.com

A photograph of six stacks of stickers laid out in two rows. Each sticker is a cartoon sloth standing bipedally with their hands on their hips and a pride flag waving behind them. The flags on the top row are bisexual, non-binary and lesbian; the flags on the bottom row are transgender, asexual and the progress pride flag. The background is a green and yellow craft cutting board.

A photograph of ten stickers laid out in two rows. Each of the stickers is a cartoon sloth standing bipedally, dressed as a dungeons and dragons class. On the top row there are: wizard, artificer, bard, paladin and cleric. On the bottom row are: druid, ranger, barbarian, monk and rogue. The background is brown craft paper.

6 8

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · 21h

You are too kind. 🥲 I am three disasters in a trenchcoat barely (not always) staying on top of the chaos ❤️

Reposted by The Portal Bookshop

Bookshop.org UK @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social · 1d

It's Bookshop Day! Get down to your local independent bookshop and buy a book or three. No local bookshop? Snap up a book with us 10-12 October and you could WIN a £250 gift card.

EVERY sale supports indie booksellers, not billionaires. uk.bookshop.org/lists/win-a-...

35 30

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · 6d

Added it! 🫡❤️

the-portal-bookshop.square.site/product/all-...

The Portal Bookshop

the-portal-bookshop.square.site

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · 7d

Never quite sure how to react when iconic LGBT+ figures who've helped shape my life come by the shop...

a woman says " everybody be cool be cool "

Alt: Amy from Brooklyn 99, visibly tense, vehemently says "Everybody be cool, be cool!"

media.tenor.com

2 1 45

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · 11d

Absolutely. Coming out in physical form just in time for Halloween. Hardback or paperback?

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · 11d

Absolutely, and sorry for the silence, life has been wild. It's landed in today's delivery if you're still after a copy?

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · 11d

It has landed with us 🫡 Box stacks are happening

4 6

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · Aug 22

Needs updating, award is cancelled this year

1 5

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · Aug 20

I wanna say left, the staircase is on the right as you face the stage. I sat on the right and feel like things were a tiny bit obscured there but there wasn't much that would be equivalently blocked on the left as long as you're not WAY over. It's mostly very central

Reposted by The Portal Bookshop

Evelyn, Mrs. Okiba Boss #TeamMold @checkbox.bsky.social · Aug 19

My actual wish is that my enemies figure out how to heal whatever splinter exists in their soul that causes them, and us, so much pain. They get one go at being alive, same as all of us, and they're so consumed by hatred for people they'll never meet that they damage the fabric of humanity.

3 16 71

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · Aug 13

@bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social

Heeeey so have you guys looked into this...?

Mostlycogent @mostlycogent.bsky.social · Aug 12

Same during my call- the wording I used was “non-explicit, legal, non-adult LGBT content”, and I got back the response that “yes, stripe is blocking this. We’re a private company, we make our own rules about it.” Was hung up on when I asked why.

Reposted by The Portal Bookshop

Trans+ Solidarity Alliance @transsolidarity.bsky.social · Aug 12

🚨 NEW 🚨

Sign and share this letter to Ministers to express your business' or organisation's concerns with the EHRC's proposed Code of Practice

www.transsolidarityalliance.com/businesses-o...

A copy of the letter. The full text can be found on our website.

3 200 340

Reposted by The Portal Bookshop

The Nerdy Queer @thenerdyqueer.com · Aug 12

We already have our pins available in the ever-wonderful @portalbookshop.bsky.social. But does anyone know of any other lovely queer and/or nerdy bookshops, cafes or the like that may be interested in selling our wares?
Preferably in the UK, pls.

The Nerdy Queer at a market, selling their wares.

2 7 10

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · Aug 12

Some of the books aren't available from the main UK wholesaler, so they're not all in the usual queer bookshops. And Queer as Folklore is caught in the Unbound/Boundless fiasco - most copies won't give @sachacoward.bsky.social any royalties, so follow his lead on how best to support him 🫡

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · Aug 12

The prize has never had this much publicity before. Things have flipped, from what I can see, and at this point I think anyone staying in is harming their sales

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · Aug 11

14 of 24 authors have now withdrawn.

First Book:
Curtis Garner, Jason Okundaye, Sacha Coward, Sanah Ahsan, Amy Twigg, Mae Diansangu, Eleanor Medhurst, Ciara Maguire, June Thomas

Main:
Olumide Popoola, Robert Hamberger, Andrew McMillan, Rhian Elizabeth, Jane Traies

Judges:
Nicola Dinan, Bob Hughes

The Polari first prize Longlist with books by Curtis Garner, Jason Okundaye, Sacha Coward, Sanah Ahsan, Amy Twigg, Mae Diansangu, Eleanor Medhurst, Ciara Maguire, June Thomas crossed out to show they've withdrawn

The Polari Prize Longlist with books by Olumide Popoola, Robert Hamberger, Andrew McMillan, Rhian Elizabeth, Jane Traies crossed out to show they've withdrawn

1 4 22

Reposted by The Portal Bookshop

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · Aug 11

22 170 650

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · Aug 9

🫡🙂

Reposted by The Portal Bookshop

Good Law Project @goodlawproject.bsky.social · Aug 9

We've said it before and we'll say it again: the EHRC's interim guidance is transphobic and harmful, and it must be stopped.

We will fight it in the courts in November. Will you join us?
goodlawproject.org/donate/

2 110 350

Reposted by The Portal Bookshop

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · Aug 9

Keeping track of people withdrawing from the Polari Prize Longlist over the inclusion of proud self-described "TERF" John Boyne.

Let me know as we get updates on authors pulling their books in protest.

Polari first book prize Longlist with Sacha coward, Jason okundaye, Amy twigg, and Mae diansangu's books crossed out to show they've withdrawn

The Polari book prize Longlist, with no books withdrawn by authors.

41 570 2.3K

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · Aug 4

Oh no! Does sound like a Square issue, I'll have a poke around and see what I can find. In the meantime make sure you accepted all cookies (I'm so sorry, I've tried to limit them and the site often just stops working if you decline them) and if no joy for either of us I can put it through manually

1 2

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · Aug 4

Your own work & visibility is playing an important role in bringing people on side - I'm willing to bet a number of people at the Supreme Court protests were there because you educated or influenced them at some point. You've been informative and influential for me before. Keep doing that, louder? ❤️

The Portal Bookshop @portalbookshop.bsky.social · Aug 4

It's so hard to see a way through. Fighting on politics, media, street level, & legal fronts all at once is exhausting. Personally I think the media onslaught & endless transphobic opinion pieces are a main driver of everything else, so I love QueerAF's work to counter that bsky.app/profile/wear...

QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · Aug 4

What we can do to advocate for a better media industry by playing a role at work and advocate for better responsibility from businesses

https://www.wearequeeraf.com/the-media-and-advertising-industrys-role-in-rising-transphobia/

The media and advertising industry's role in rising transphobia

What we can do to advocate for a better media industry by playing a role at work and advocate for better responsibility from businesses

www.wearequeeraf.com

Reposted by The Portal Bookshop

Dei Walker @dei2dei.bsky.social · Aug 1

We are so close ($1.2k) from funding! www.kickstarter.com/projects/duc... A whole book full of cozy queer academia stories, and to get it to print we just need you! (and if you really want to make our day, help us toward that milestone of 2x author pay). Also, add-on stickers. So many stickers!

Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Cozy Academia Anthology

A collection of 22 delightfully queer, charmingly cozy stories that put a fluffy LGBTQIA+ spin on the dark academia genre.

www.kickstarter.com

12 13