About

Nightlight Books is a radical bookstore rooted in disability justice.

Niche bookstores are having a moment but as a co-op bookstore in Cleveland we have found a niche within the niche in this literary city. Taking inspiration from feminist and radical bookstores, we proudly identify as a disability justice bookstore. Our mission is to uplift the voices and experiences by stocking titles by disabled authors across genres, But even more than that we want to be a community space that centers the needs and dreams of people with disabilities. 

25% of the population of the US has a disability and it is a minority community anyone can find themselves a part of at any time. We continue to meet people all the time who are searching for a non-medical space to explore their own disabled identity or support loved ones who are disabled. 

As a co-op we also want to be a place that models the welcoming, accessible world we want to live in.  Being a community owned co-op fits neatly into this lens. The model allows individuals to be full, equal members of governance even if they are participating in “unequal” ways. Inspired by stories of civil rights and queer organizers gathering in kitchens and hotels,  we envision a place where people can gather and organizing or friendships happen naturally in a place where masks, ramps and neurodivergence are normalized and expected. 

We’ve been successfully doing pop-up markets for two years and have made great connections and built our mailing list. Hearing a huge appetite for ways to support independent bookstores beyond buying books, we plan to organize as a consumer co-op. 

As a bookstore that centers the disability experience, we are inherently radical and anticapitalist. We try to always look through a lens of disability justice, and its natural intersections with anti-racism, feminism and queerness.