Radical books, wherever you are
The Free Society People’s Library (FSPL) is a radical, mobile lending library in Portland, OR. We provide free, accessible, information on radical movements and revolutionary ideas past and present to people of all ages. Our capacity for liberation depends first on our ability to imagine it. The FSPL aims to be a community hub which expands our ability to dream, dismantle, and build together.
We take our name from the Free Society newspaper, one of the largest anarchist periodicals for English speakers in the U.S. at the turn of the twentieth century. Originally published as The Firebrand in Portland, Oregon, the paper featured contributions from Emma Goldman, Lucy Parsons, Voltairine de Cleyre, and other radical feminists. It was relocated to San Francisco and renamed Free Society after being targeted by the state.
The FSPL currently provides weekly services in northeast and southeast Portland (see our Find Us page to find out where we’ll be!).
We are also interested in building relationships with educators, organizers, students, and community groups, so please reach out to us about possible collaborations through our Contact page.
Join our 20-minute-a-day study club
In 1934, a group of fifteen Black women descendants of the Underground Railroad founded the “Mother’s Club” in Windsor, Ontario. Organizers in their churches and community, they dedicated themselves to collective learning and advocacy. They studied Black history, raised legal funds for victims of police violence, and supported Black women pursuing nursing school. The group was eventually renamed the “Hour-A-Day Study Club” and is now the oldest Black women’s organization in Canada.
Inspired by this idea, which we read about in a wonderful picture book in our collection—Black Women Who Dared—we are launching the 20-minute-a-day study club (yes, we recognize that attention spans have shortened in that last century!). The club is a voluntary, self-led structure to help pursue whatever reading you’re trying to make time for and to do it in community with others here in Portland and nationally across prison walls.
How does it work?
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Open Hours:
Third Wednesdays of the month from 6-8pm
Sign-up & Daily Practice
First, sign up above to join the club. Each day, you will spend twenty minutes reading, journaling, letter-writing or however you choose to spend your intentional time.
Monthly Open Hours
On the third Wednesday of each month, we will offer optional open-hours from 6-8pm at our brick-and-mortar space (1810 SE 10th Ave., Unit A) for members to come read, chat with each other, and drink tea.
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Cross-Wall Letter Writing
The study club will also include a letter-writing component with club members in prison. Outside study club members will receive bi-monthly emails spotlighting incarcerated comrades who are also a part of the club and involved in radical study, political education, or library work inside. We will include information on how to connect with them and encourage study clubbers to build sustained cross-wall relationships as part of forming a broader community dedicated to deepening connections and developing ideas collectively.
