Welcome to Bent Spines
Bent Spines is an independent bookstore which specialises in new works by LGBTQIA+ authors, works that tell queer stories and celebrate queer lives.
About Us
Welcome
Tom, the Owner, is new to the bookselling world, but comes to it with a passion and deep knowledge of queer literature, media and culture that was developed across his BA, MA and PhD. Growing up on a farm in the Staffordshire Moorlands, books often acted as portals into other worlds, filled with experiences, characters and spaces otherwise inaccessible to him. Now living in a rural city with a larger-than-expected queer population, Tom hopes to draw on his knowledge of books and passion for books to help cultivate a daytime queer space in Lancaster. Bent Spines has grown from questioning where all the daytime queer spaces are, a need for Tom to be his own boss and work on larger projects, and a twin set of desires to provide that daytime queer space and bring to the local area another option to satisfy readers’ cravings.
Seal of Approval
Certified Good Books
About Bent Spines
Bent Spines has to start out small, but has ambitions to become a fixture of Lancaster’s high streets. We begin operating as a market stall, on the high street’s outdoor market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with a view to scale up to a bricks and mortar shop should there be sufficient demand for a daytime queer space, visibly queer-owned business, and an independent new works bookseller. Alongside the market stall, we are planning ad hoc pop up shops and events. These will be published on Bent Spines’ socials and on the calendar page.
We stock a range of works, with the only rule being that they must be related to LGBTQIA+ people in some way. This can include queer authors, works with queer characters and themes, and works that are culturally queer. The rule of thumb for Bent Spines’ stock is ‘if Tom thinks it’s gay, it’s probably getting stocked’. If there is something you want that we don’t have, you can always get in touch with us via our socials, or ask at the stall, and Tom can see if it can be ordered for you. Recommendations can also be found on our socials, as well as on the Bent Spines bookshop.org list ‘Seal of Approval – Certified Good Books’.
