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When I heard that the All She Wrote Books is moving from Assembly Row in Somerville to Artisan Way in East Somerville, I decided to contact the owner. According to the store’s website: Christina Pascucci Ciampa is the founder/owner of All She Wrote Books. All She Wrote Books is an intersectional, inclusive feminist and queer indie bookstore that supports, celebrates, and amplifies underrepresented voices through its thoughtfully curated selection of books spanning across all genres.

Doug Holder: How has this relocation gone so far, and will the new location have as much foot traffic as the as the Assembly Mall site?

Christina Pascucci Ciampa: All She Wrote is being displaced from our current storefront in Assembly Row and is moving to a new location in East Somerville (off of Washington Street) on October 15. There are a mix of emotions as we close this current chapter and start a new one. However, we’re excited to continue our fight for inclusivity and literacy in Somerville and beyond. As far as foot traffic is concerned, All She Wrote Books is a destination for many in our community, and don’t see that being an issue in the new location.

DH: How has it been for you to live and work in Somerville?

CPC: All She Wrote Books has been in Somerville since 2019, and started as a pop-up bookstore, which I ran out of my home. We had our brick-and-mortar open in July 2020, and have been in our current space for the last 3 years. I love living and working in East Somerville, and I know I am fortunate to be able to have All She Wrote Books exist in this corner of Somerville.

DH: According to the store’s website you were a survivor of domestic abuse, and this drove you to look for books that addressed this. Often great pain creates great art and great vision. Your take on it?

CPC: Yes, I have experienced trauma and pain and that’s informed things, but All She Wrote Books wasn’t created from that. It came from my hope for a brighter future for my community, here in Somerville and across the globe. To say that one thing has led to all of that would be inaccurate. Do I think great things can come from dark days? Sure, but there’s more to creativity and inspiration than that. All She Wrote is a perfect example.

DH: Are you a writer?

CPC: Yes, I have been writing for many years, both personally and professionally.

DH: You guys are a feminist and queer indie bookstore. But I believe that you are more inclusive than that. What other types of work do you carry?

CPC: We carry BIPOC and AAPI authors across all genres. We also carry Zines, and other hard to find queer/feminist publications. We also carry local authors who align with our mission as a queer/feminist bookstore.

DH: What are some bestselling titles, currently?

CPC: Top selling titles include Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens, Safe and Sound by Mercury Stardust, Historically Black Phrases by Tre’vell Anderson and jarrett hill, and Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison.

DH: If someone asked you “Why should I visit your bookstore,” what would you say?

CPC: All She Wrote Books is more than just a feminist/queer independent bookstore. When I think of the words “intersectional,” “feminist,” “queer” that are in our mission statement, I think of them as guiding lights for those who are not only actively seeking queer/feminist spaces out like ours, but for those who want more spaces like ours in the world. And we need more spaces like ours like never before.

https://www.allshewrotebooks.com/