Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair 2026

September 18th to 20th, 2026

Another year brings another wave of fascist despair from the death rattles of a decaying empire. Come to the bookfair and reignite the force of our resistance. Make friends and name enemies. Remember and rejoice our dead. Think hard and dance harder. Refuse isolation and find the cracks in the machine. Follow this website for event updates, scheduling line ups, and accessibility info. We can’t wait to see you!

[email protected]

Getting Around During ACAB

Although we’ve made an effort to consolidate activities by space and time, not everything during the bookfair will be within walking distance. A shuttle will be available to sessions and show locations that are further than a couple blocks away.Additional information related to venues and parking can be found in the printed program. Pick one up on Friday or throughout the weekend at Firestorm Books (1022 Haywood Rd).

Our Venues

Due to past disruption by individuals who are hostile to the bookfair, we are not releasing a complete list of locations online. Most venues will be clustered together in the midsection of Haywood Road in West Asheville.Across the river, in Downtown Asheville:Sly Grog (271 Haywood St)
Dance party collaboration with Drip Sweet on Saturday night

Sharing a Ride

We’re encouraging bookfair participants to rideshare when getting between West Asheville and Downtown (for the dance part). Whether you have a car with seats to fill, or need a lift in someone else’s vehicle, consider using the vendor area as a meetup location. (As with any situation that involves people you don’t know, use your best judgement, and, when possible, the buddy system!)

Parking

Street parking is the safest option in West Asheville as there are no meters and little city enforcement. Be careful about leaving your car in a private lot as towing in Asheville is very aggressive. Do not park behind Firestorm or your vehicle may be towed.Additional parking information can be found in the program.

Public Transit

W1 or W2 buses run along Haywood Road from 5:30am to 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday, or 8:30am to 5:30pm on Sunday. The standard fare is $1. You can find transit maps and schedules at ashevillenc.gov/service/transit-maps-schedules.

2026 Keynote

Join us on Saturday September 19th at 6 PM to learn and listen deeply to activist, writer and educator JoNina Abron Ervin.A former member of the Black Panther Party and organizer of the campaign to stop the naked jailing of Black men in Kalamazoo, Michigan, JoNina offers vital insights from decades of struggle against the carceral state and for Black liberation. JoNina will share critical reflections from her recent book and answer questions from audience members about contemporary and historic organizing for Black autonomy.

JoNina Abron Ervin

2026 Schedule

Get ready for another incredible bookfair! We’ve got a fantastic schedule in store for you. Times and locations are subject to change so grab a printed program from the welcome table when you arrive.Space will be made available for self-organized sessions and meetups throughout the weekend.

Friday, September 18th

A community meal and social will take place at 7pm, followed by a punk show. Shuttle available to dinner and punk show.5:00pm-7:00pm
Firestorm Books
An Honest and Vulnerable Look at Resistance Inside w/ Eric King7:00pm-8:00pm
Over Dinner
ERUPT (BIPoC only)

Saturday, September 19th

Childcare will be available during sessions. Free lunch and dinner will be served. Shuttle available for sessions.10:30am–12:00pm
Locations TBA
- Anarchist Parenting Discussion
- ERUPT (BIPoC only)
- We Are Not Your Tragedy: Taking Back Harm Reduction1:30pm–2:30pm
Locations TBA
- Is My Therapist an Agent of the State?
- Refusing to Cooperate Under Pressure Panel
- Stop the Border Everywhere: O:Shad Camp and Borderwall Resistance in the Tierra Libre
- Your Artifact Goes Here: Preserving Queer, Trans, Anarchist, and Appalachian Histories3:00pm–4:30pm
Locations TBA
- Abortion Under Fascism: Current Strategies for Building Reproductive Autonomy in the South
- An Introduction to Black Anarchism and Abolition w/ Prince Shakur
- Anti-G20 Summit Organizing Report Back5:00pm–6:00pm
Various locations
Self-organized sessions only7:30pm–9:00pm
Trinity United Methodist Church
Keynote by JoNina Abron-ErvinSaturday's program will be followed by a dance party collaboration with DRIP SWEAT at Sly Grog in Downtown Asheville.

Sunday, September 20th

Childcare will be available during sessions. Free lunch and dinner will be served. Shuttle available for sessions.10:30am–12:00pm
Locations TBA
- Appalachians Against Uranium and Resisting Fascism
- Anti-Repression Workshop: Strategies and Tips to Resist State Repression w/ People's Law Collective1:30pm–2:30pm
Locations TBA
- Anarchism and Media Panel
- Death to the Death Doula Industrial Complex!
- Fight Flight or Foment Revolt: The Collective Nervous System and Direct Action3:00pm–4:30pm
Locations TBA
- Demythologizing Computing
- ERUPT (BIPoC only)
- Surveilling for AI: Data Centers, Artificial Intelligence, and the Police State w/ SASI

The bookfair will conclude with a closing morale.

2026 Vendors

Tabling will take place on Saturday, September 19th from 11am to 6pm. Note that there is only one day of tabling this year.

Statement of Intent

We are facilitating this bookfair within a dominant culture of white supremacist hetero-patriarchy built on numerous interconnected systems of oppression. We know that power often replicates itself in radical and subcultural spaces, even when participants are committed to liberation. Therefore we cannot guarantee that the open, public event we’ve organized will be a safe space, but we ask participants to commit to a shared vision of solidarity and collective care.We have zero tolerance for racism, misogyny, queer/transphobia, and ableism. As anarchists, we support autonomous action to raise consciousness and co-create a better world; thus we invite all participants to directly address concerning behaviors that occur during the bookfair, while striving not to treat others as disposable. While organizers will not act as police or arbiters of external conflicts, we reserve the right to ask anyone to leave if their actions are harmful to the bookfair or other participants. If you experience harassment, abuse, assault, or other violence during the event and want support from organizers, please let us know.We want this event to be accessible to anyone who is genuinely interested, and some attendees will be new to anarchism, lacking the language and experience to gracefully navigate politically charged conversations. When possible, we believe that an open-minded and welcoming approach to such encounters serves to strengthen and grow our movement.COVID SafetyIf you’re experiencing cold or flu symptoms, please sit this one out. Our commitment to COVID safety doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s a reflection of our deep dedication to inclusion and communal care. We also want to disrupt the binary of “disabled” and “nondisabled,” which facilitates the discarding of currently disabled and high-risk comrades. Therefore we are asking all participants to wear masks when gathering indoors. (Note: we do not have full control over some locations used by the bookfair and unmasked members of the public may be present.)Respirators and rapid tests will be available for free at the welcome table throughout the weekend.Book Fair SafetyWe’ve taken measures to prevent disruption and surveillance by far right and state actors, but participants should remain security conscious. A de-escalation crew exists to protect the bookfair from potential external threats (including police, fascists, etc.), and conflicts that risk escalating into violence. This is not an accountability collective but rather a collection of autonomous individual volunteers concerned about event safety. For help with a safety issue, please see the welcome table.No unauthorized photography or recording is permitted during bookfair sessions. Photography in other spaces should only take place with the explicit consent of those being photographed. Please communicate this norm to others if you see it being broken, and alert volunteers at the welcome table if there is an ongoing issue.The Role of the OrganizersAs in years past, this bookfair is organized by a small collective with the support of the larger community. We see ourselves as facilitators rather than leaders, trusting the spontaneous action of those who choose to participate. While we’ve made content decisions based on an alignment of principles (including anarchism, anti-authoritarianism, and anti-oppression), we cannot anticipate or take responsibility for everything that occurs during the bookfair. We hope that conflict, when it arises, will provide an opportunity for discussion and growth. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email or speak with bookfair volunteers at the welcome table!Love and solidarity,
ACAB 2025
[email protected]

Reference Materials