Glasgow's
RADICAL INDEPENDENT BOOK FAIR
Project

INFORMATION on the project

Glasgow’s Radical Independent Book-fair project...

Within Britain, Scotland and specifically Glasgow there are fewer and fewer outlets for independent and radical materials. Corporate bookshops rule the roost and offer little in the way of counter culture, radical voices or local independent materials. The Radical Independent Book-fair project (RIB) has come about to help redress this imbalance. RIB is a support structure for a number of individuals and groups who produce publications, information and materials for sale, view and free distribution. The project is self-financed by the participants, no public or corporate monies are involved, no one takes a wage, it is not party politically aligned and is autonomous from other organisations. The project is more than an occasional bookshop and travelling bookstall: it is also a temporary library, a videotheque, a meeting point (for discussion, distribution and ideas), as well as a place to come and have a coffee and a blether.

The RIB started in October 2006 and since then has held over 25 events (some big, some small) including collaborations with film festivals, screenings, conferences, talks, punk gigs, and reshuffles! using a range of venues (including Kinning Park Complex, the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Pearce Institute, Nice N Sleazy, STUC, GFT, Friends Meeting House, Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities). It is planned as a long term project to assist others through the ideas of mutual aid and solidarity - if you have materials you would like us to help you distribute and/or if you want to collaborate on an event with us and/or you have or know of a free (or cheap) venue we could use in the future and/or if you would be able to help us with general publicity - please do get in touch.

The Book-fair has more in common with a wee bookshop than a large book festival. The stalls cover a number of publishers and presses in an eclectic mix. We stock various books, pamphlets, magazines, newspapers, dvd’s, cd’s, badges, cards, prints, t-shirts and coffee...

At events we usually have the mini videotheque - a bank of documentary films including a selection from previous Document: International Human Rights Documentary Film Festivals. There is also the listening post where you can hear a variety of interesting lectures, talks, discussions and a bit of music too - the backbone of this CD collection is almost every title published by AK Press Audio. The bulletin boxes are an ongoing collection of current and older counter-culture news-sheets and bulletins, these help form a representation of radical and autonomous publications.
You can also drop off or take away materials at the info point - a table or two of free things - a mixture of flyers, leaflets, new-sheets, stickers, cards and other items.

A brand new part of the RiB is ‘the book swap box’...
...bring in a book that you have finished with and exchange it for another one free of charge (old or new it doesn’t matter) - a book that has affected you and you think will motivate someone else...interesting political books, stimulating social commentary, thought provoking critiques etc - in other words don’t bring in any old crap - no ‘celebrity’ memoirs, populist fiction etc... please note the ethos of this idea is ‘leave the box as you would hope to find it’ - we hope you get the idea!