Have you ever felt seen, valued, or important? Here at Creatively Queer Press, we want everyone to experience that feeling through the media they consume. We’ve seen in popular media that many people in the LGBTQ+ or BIPOC communities lack representation with accuracy or empathy if represented at all. Our mission as a publishing company is to change that. We look to media for versions of ourselves and for visions of who we could be. If we don’t see ourselves represented then our dreams can feel limited, or at worst, discouraged. Diversity is something we believe should be visible and celebrated.

The Media

One of our first publications does that for the queer Latinx community: Cuentos. This bilingual Latinx mythology art anthology came to fruition by our Creatively Queer Press team. With the help of two dozen queer Latinx artists and writers. Every entry is a painting or illustration about a myth, legend, or creature from folklore. The artworks are accompanied by either fiction or non-fiction writing about the subject in both Spanish and English. Through Cuentos our founder Luis Silva discovered our first editor for the CQP team: A. Dante Bravo. Originally a contributing artist and writer, Dante took on the task of editing the book layout and running the Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the print books of Cuentos. To help finish Cuentos, our second editor Joelle Blot was also invited to join us on the book’s publishing journey. Together our team of three queer creators works to share our books all across the town of Tucson, AZ, and far beyond. By collaborating with queer and POC creatives from all over the world, Creatively Queer Press strives to create and publish accessible entertainment for fans of all genres of comic books, art anthologies, gaming books, and so much more. We are also working towards building an animation team to help us create groundbreaking animated films that serve our mission of inclusive representation. We invite everyone who values diversity to discover a new favorite on our website at www.creativelyqueerpress.com

Antigone Books was founded in 1973 as a predominantly lesbian-owned feminist bookstore. This was at a time when there were more than fifty independent bookstores in Tucson. In the decades since the number of indie bookstores in the city has dwindled. Still Antigone Books has remained a pillar of the local book-loving community, expanding our mission to be a community bookstore with feminist roots. Although ownership has changed hands a couple of times since we originally opened in the 70s, we’ve remained women-run from the start. The current owners and long-time Antigone Books employees Kate, Melissa, and Morgan took over in 2018. They have expanded the store’s selection of books, gifts, and cards while remaining true to the store’s original focus on the recently-published boundary-pushing literature.

The Store

We keep a circulating stock of Pride supplies on hand throughout the year. From flags representing all identities across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum to dog- and cat-themed rainbow stickers. We also maintain a thriving queer literature section (see photos!), where we keep classic gay, trans, lesbian, and ace titles in stock. Readers can find everything on our shelves from LGBTQIA+ children’s books and YA fiction to queer graphic novels and LGBTQIA+ non-fiction. We also get regular issues of Sinister Wisdom and RFD as well as the latest lesbian romances from Bella and Bold Stroke Books. Whatever we don’t have in stock we’re happy to order for our customers at no extra charge! You can place orders in our store, over the phone, or online and we can get most titles in within a week.

Though our events program is on hold indefinitely due to COVID-19, pre-pandemic we were home to seven local book clubs and we featured regular book signings, author readings, and we had just begun to host Drag Queen Story Hours. We look forward to supporting our community with these and more exciting options in the near future; keep an eye on our website for updates! We also run a local authors consignment program for Tucson writers whose books are self-published or not available through major book distributors. We’re always looking for new voices, so definitely reach out if you’re interested after checking out the “Consignment” page on our website. In addition, we proudly carry local free periodicals of the Tucson queer community such as the 55+ LGBT newsletter Senior Forum and the Tucson Pride guide. Whether you’re new to town or a regular search for that perfect book, we’re excited to welcome you!

REVIEW:

“LOVE Antigone Books! This is generally my first stop if I’m looking for gifts or a physical book. Love their selection of adult coloring books, blank journals, cookbooks, and local authors. Their feminist and LGBTQ+ selection is also pretty impressive. And, they host a few book discussion groups. The staff is always friendly, and I like the sense of community.”

-Ginger, ***** Google Review

STORE INFO:

Company Name: Antigone Books

Office Address: 411 N 4th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85705

Phone (s): (520) 792-3715

Website: www.antigonebooks.com

Office hours: Tues-Sat 10-5; Sun 11-4; closed Mondays

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Website: https://www.combatkravmagatucson.com/
Address: 3273 N Freeway #545, Tucson, AZ 85705
Phone:  (520) 975-4722
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/KravMagaAZ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/combatkrav/

Combat Krav Maga Tucson has been teaching reality-based self-defense to the Tucson community since 2015. It is owned by Jenna Herder who has been practicing Krav for over 18 years. She has her 3rd degree Black Belt from the United States Krav Maga Association.

Jenna strives to create an inclusive safe space community where everyone is accepted and cherished. Combat Krav Maga is a PROUD member of the Tucson LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Jenna is proud to be a part of the Tucson LGBT+ community and is excited to be hosting low cost/no cost self-defense classes and seminars for the LGBT+ community.