Boxcar Books was a non-profit, independent bookstore, infoshop, and community center in Bloomington, Indiana. Collectively run by volunteers, Boxcar Books was "one of the highest-volume zine sellers" in the United States.[1] According to its website, the store existed to "promote reading, self-education, social equality, and social welfare through increased accessibility to literature and workshops."[2] Boxcar Books was for a time also the home of the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project, a non-profit organization that distributes books and reading materials to prisoners.[3] By the end of 2017, Boxcar Books had closed their operations. [4]
History
Boxcar Books and Community Center was founded by Oliver Haimson and Matthew Turissini in 2001. The bookstore included a wide selection of new and used nonfiction books with a particular focus on gender studies and "green" lifestyles. In 2008, the bookstore moved to a location closer to Indiana University.
Events
In addition to poetry readings[5] and community events, Boxcar Books regularly used to host the Writers Guild of Bloomington "Prose Reading & Open Mic"[6] on the first Sunday of the month and the "Bloomington Writer Project"[7] every Tuesday afternoon. The bookstore held an annual fundraising event for itself and the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project called the "Rock n' Roll Prom."[8]
