Thriving in the Divine of a New Season: New Books, Art Shows, & More!

Libélula Books
Apr 5, 2024
3 min read

By the People for the People.

Keep an eye out for monthly blog posts from Libélula

Happy National Poetry Month!

April is National Poetry Month! Celebrate by reading one (or all!) of these 12 poets and their collections. You can find their collections in store or online at Bookshop.org in our curated list.

Here Are the Tears I You We Didn’t Cry by Vianney Harelly
You Will Know Our Name by Gracie Azua
Santa Tarantula by Jordan Pérez
This is the Honey by Kwame Alexander
The Moon That Turns You Back by Hala Alyan
The Yearning Feed by Manuel Paul Lopez
Bluets by Maggie Nelson
Survival Takes A Wild Imagination by Fariha Róisín
Sage by Marilyn Chin
Promises of Gold by Jose Olivarez
Black Queer Hoe by Britteney Black Rose Kapri
Selena Didn’t Know Spanish Either by Marisa Tirado

For more poetry collections we love, check out our Bookshop.org list here!

Reading the Deck with Author Christopher Marmolejo: RED TAROT Book Launch

Basking in soft red lights and the glow of prayer candles, Libélula’s team hosted the book launch of RED TAROT: A DECOLONIAL GUIDE TO DIVINATORY LITERACY by Christopher Marmolejo. Readers and supporters of Marmolejo’s writing and practice gathered to eat vegan tamales (shoutout @setamales) and listen to readings connected to a thoughtful Q&A hosted by Jesi, co-owner of Libélula.

From the book’s description, RED TAROT is described as “a radical praxis and decolonized oracle that moves beyond self-help and divination to reclaim tarot for liberation, self-determination, and collective healing.” During the discussion, readers gained more insight into Marmolejo’s development of this praxis and their writing process: the ways they struggled to produce the text, the people and spaces they received affirmation and support, their ever-evolving research process. A large part of their praxis includes cultivating an anticolonial, antiracist, and anti-institutional perspective so that the divine and cultural work can come together. To do this, Marmolejo traced a lineage of liberation movements that shared those subversive roots, and paved the way for this type of text. Drawing from Toni Morrison, José Esteban Muñoz, bell hooks, Cherie Moraga, Gloria Anzaldua, Paulo Freire, and others, Marmolejo treats each card as an archive whose interpretations offer a new mode of literacy for those othered for their identity and perspectives.

An important question offered by Jesi was, “Why red?” To quote Marmolejo, red is an “Indigenous marker;” it not only signifies and signals the colonial rupture that drives a wedge between Latine folks and their own indigeneity, but it aspires toward the very transgression and resistance that will repair said rupture. RED TAROT seeks to expand our understanding of literacy, and who is considered literate. More than this, Marmolejo puts forth an innovative mode that requires us to look inward so that we may connect with one another in new spiritual ways.

RED TAROT IS OUT NOW! You can find a copy of RED TAROT in store at Libélula Books & Co., or order it through Bookshop using Libélula Books as your favorite bookstore.

Learn more about what Christopher Marmolejo is up to on their website and sign up for their newsletter, The Red Read.

Upcoming Events

LA TINY ART GALLERY PRESENTS: PANCA

Saturday, April 13th, 2024

12:00PM to 6:00PM

Join us for our next installation debut in La Tiny Art Gallery, featuring PANCA. Panca, or Paola Villaseñor is a first-generation local artist, muralist, and illustrator based in San Diego and Tijuana.

Learn more about their current and upcoming projects on their Instagram, @aypanca.

BARRIO ART CRAWL

Saturday, April 13th, 2024

ALL DAY!

Join the Barrio Art Crawl team and get to know Logan Avenue’s venues for art, music, and culture. Learn more @barrioartcrawl on Instagram.

CHICANO PARK FUNDRAISER

Aztlan Libre, 2076 Logan Ave, San Diego, CA 92113

Saturday, April 13th, 2024

3:00PM to 8:00PM

Support this fundraiser art show for the Chicano Park Steering Committee! Enjoy Barrio Logan’s arte, musica, y cultura, including music from local artists DJ Kuts, Skreemn Meme, and DJ Sholove. First 50 attendees get a free sticker!

LGBTQ+ CENTERED QUIT-NIC WORKSHOP

Thursday, April 18th, 2024

6:30PM to 8:30PM

Are you a queer person or ally trying to quit nicotine products? Are you wondering how you can support someone close to you that wants to quit? Attend this community workshop hosted by Sunny (they/them) of the Collective Coalition!

FREE & DINNER PROVIDED!*

*Please RSVP by April 15th to reserve your plate.

54TH CHICANO PARK DAY COMMEMORATION

Chicano Park, Barrio Logan, San Diego, CA

Saturday, April 20th, 2024

9:00AM to 5:00PM

The 54th Chicano Park Day Commemoration is a free family event! The theme will be 'Bringing Back the True Spirit and Energy of the Chicano Park Takeover'. Experience traditional music and dance, custom car shows, children's art workshops, a flag raising ceremony, guest speakers and performers, and arts and crafts vendors!

**No alcohol and no pets are allowed at the event.

INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY

Saturday, April 27th, 2024

This national one-day party held the last Saturday in April celebrates independent bookstores across the country online and in-store.

SAN DIEGO BOOK CRAWL

Saturday, April 27th to Monday, April 29th, 2024

Celebrating indie bookstores and slinging books all day, every day this weekend! Check us off your book crawl list to earn prizes along the way!

Everything in the shop is for sale (except the cats!). Find your next favorite book, zine, art piece, or fun trinket during your first stop of the San Diego Book Crawl.