Women & Children First

Women & Children First is one of the largest and longest-running feminist bookstores in the United States, having served Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood since 1979. The independent bookstore stocks over 20,000 carefully curated books that center marginalized voices and celebrate diverse perspectives through an inclusive and queer-minded lens.

The bookstore specializes in books by and about women, comprehensive children’s literature for all ages, and an extensive collection of LGBTQ+ fiction and nonfiction. As intersectional trans-inclusive feminists, the staff believes books are tools for liberation and thoughtfully curates selections to offer a welcoming space for learning, dialogue, and reflection.

The store features a dedicated events and community space where they regularly host author readings, book signings, publication parties, community group meetings, and storytelling sessions. The program includes panel discussions and book groups that facilitate important conversations. Notable authors who have appeared at the store include Gloria Steinem, Roxane Gay, and Sandra Cisneros.

In addition to books, the store carries a curated selection of cards, stickers, journals, posters, calendars, buttons, and flags. The atmosphere is one where all visitors feel respected and valued, with knowledgeable staff members who are teachers, graduate students, writers, storytellers, political activists, and poets ready to make recommendations and special order titles not in stock. The purple-awned storefront has become a neighborhood institution and cultural hub that supports local writers and the broader literary community.