In Conversation with Jane Cholmeley

In 1982, in the midst of Thatcherite-Britain, Jane Cholmeley, Sue Butterworth and Jane Anger decided they needed to open a feminist bookshop in London. The result was the Silver Moon Bookshop. For seventeen years, the Silver Moon survived commercially, selling books by women or about feminist concerns, and was able to serve as a safe space for women to participate in literary events and as a resource center to learn about local feminist initiatives.

In A Bookshop of One’s Own, Jane Cholmeley describes what it was like to start a feminist bookshop in an industry dominated by men. With humor and honesty, Jane tells the story of how a lesbian bookshop could thrive in Thatcher’s time when the government was legislating to restrict women’s rights, and the lessons learned when trying to run a business when your real aim is to change the world.