Marcus Books & Eastwind Books Holiday Book Fest

On December 15th, Marcus Books and Eastwind Books are coming together for the first time to bring you a beautiful afternoon of books and community. Come by to support and celebrate two of our most beloved local independent bookstores.

The book fest will feature a wide, curated selection of Black and Asian American literature from both bookstores, as well as live music, a children's corner, button making, and gift wrapping. Swing by, say hi, and find some new reads for you and your loved ones this holiday season!

This event is co-hosted by Marcus Books and Eastwind Books. Much gratitude to our sponsor, , which will have coffee and pastries available to purchase at the event.

The building is ADA accessible, and street parking will be free. We ask folks to wear masks indoors when not eating/drinking.

Founded in 1960, Marcus Books is the oldest independent Black-owned bookstore in the country. Drs. Raye and Julian Richardson founded and named the bookstore after Marcus Garvey, political activist and author. Together, they published now canonical books (that had before their resurrection gone out of print) and work by independent authors, poets and artists, fiercly advocating for Black history, exchange, and knowledge of self.

As the Richardsons were starting up Marcus Books in Oakland, just across the bay, Harvey and Bea Dong were students on the frontlines of many 1960s and '70s civil rights battles, including the Third World Liberation Front strike for ethnic studies at UC Berkeley. Harvey and his friends started Everybody's Bookstore on Kearny St. of San Francisco, and it became one of the country's first Asian American bookstores. After its closing in 1980, Harvey and Bea bought a small Chinese-language bookstore in 1996 and transformed it into Eastwind Books of Berkeley, which became a hub for Asian American and Ethnic Studies literature.

Sharing similar histories and roots in the history of Bay Area activism, Marcus and Eastwind Books have over the years grown to become literary and cultural cornerstones of our communities. With shelves filled to the brim with the work of Black and Asian American authors, poets and artists, the small-but-mighty bookstores continue to preserve, produce and uplift our stories and histories for generations to come.

Host or Publisher Eastwind Books of Berkeley