Penguin Random House | London, 02/26/2018

Unusual: a Pop-Up Shop Exclusively for Books by Women

Subject: Society
Country: Great Britain
Category: Project

Penguin Random House UK is celebrating International Women’s Day and the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage with an unusual project: A pop-up bookshop that will open its doors in East London for five days, and sell only books by female writers – by important voices in the struggle for equal rights, that is. They range from Margaret Atwood, Zadie Smith, and Malorie Blackman, to Iris Murdoch, Caitlin Moran and Malala Yousafzai.

Penguin Random House UK will be joining in when the world celebrates both International Women's Day and the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage on March 8, 2018. The publisher is not only underlining the importance of literature as a platform for women, but also great importance of female authors for literature. From Mar 5 to 9, Penguin Random House UK will open the Like A Woman Bookshop, a temporary, pop-up bookstore that will only stock books by women writers, including Margaret Atwood, Zadie Smith, Malorie Blackman, Iris Murdoch, Caitlin Moran and Malala Yousafzai. The pop-up will be located on Rivington Street, in Shoreditch, East London.

The pop-up bookshop and its unusual program seek to celebrate the persistence of women who have fought for change. It honors female writers who have paved the way for equality for women in politics, art, science, sport and culture. Shoppers will also have the option of purchase books which are then donated directly to Solace Women's Aid, a respected organization that supports female victims of domestic violence – in London alone, the number exceeds 11,000 per year.

Not only is the pop-up shop unusual in itself; the way the bookshop is organized is also unusual. For instance, titles are grouped not by genre, category, or author, as is usually the case, but by type of impact the author has had on culture, history or society. So the sections have headings like “Essential feminist reads,” “Inspiring young readers,” “Women to watch,” “Your body,” and “Changemakers.”

Zainab Juma, Creative Manager at Penguin Random House, said: “Women’s voices being heard and taken seriously is key to achieving gender equality, and with The Like A Woman Bookshop we’re making room for those voices to be elevated and celebrated. We’re creating a space where readers can look to incredible writers, activists and pioneers for the inspiration to go forward and make change like a woman.”