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skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
Skunk Cabbage Books
@skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
560 followers 610 following 290 posts
An indie bookstore and community workshop space in Chicago focused on building our connections to the natural world.

https://linktr.ee/skunkcabbagebooks
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skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
Skunk Cabbage Books @skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social · Jul 10
idk that this ever got shared here, but the last few years we've made some little zines in honor of a certain day named for a number indivisible by other numbers. tbh I did not have the bandwidth to update it this year, but these two remain relevant. Check out our website for citations.
"What Amazon is doing to us. a digital zine from Skunk Cabbage Books." We all know by now that Amazon is bad for small businesses, especially indie bookstores like us. Amazon's model, on the surface, looks like this - Amazon sells books at the lowest possible prices because they're willing to sell them at a loss to get their consumers into higher margin products like Kindles, Alexa devices, Ring cameras, and Prime accounts. We know Amazon doesn't really need to sell books. We want to dig deeper into why they bother and how Amazon hurts not just small businesses, but our entire communities. On the surface, Amazon's model looks like selling cheap books at a loss to lure people into higher margin tech, like Kindle, Alexa, Audible, Prime, and Ring. But the higher margin items still aren't the product - you are. The consumer Amazon cares about isn't us, it's the companies that will buy all the data Amazon is collecting about you. Our privacy is the most profitable product. Amazon relies on our government's disinterest in protecting our privacy and surveillance devices like Ring cameras and Alexa devices to farm your data. The data is the part that's really profitable, especially when Amazon sells it to agencies like law enforcement. On the smaller scale, Amazon has sold data from people's Ring cameras to local police without any notification or permission from the camera owners. On the large scale, Amazon's tech and data models power models that allow governments to enact mass surveillance and policing. Tech contracts make up a huge portion of ICE's budget and Amazon is using their tech and your data to help ICE surveil, track, and deport our neighbors. ICE's surveillance system pays Amazon approximately $600,000 a month to power their tech.
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
bart.gov
Congrats to BART rider and Oakland legend Alysa Liu on winning a gold medal at the Olympics and making the Bay Area proud!
February 19, 2026 at 10:21 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
haymarketbooks.org
CHICAGO!

Heat the Ground up

Join us for a discussion on how the historic @sbworkersunited.org strikes were organized. With @inthesetimes.com and @labornotes.bsky.social.

Live from @haymarkethouse.bsky.social and streaming on Youtube.

Friday, February 27th at 7 PM CT

RSVP:
Heat The Ground Up with Starbucks Workers United - Haymarket House
Join In These Times, Labor Notes, and Haymarket Books for a panel discussing how the historic Starbucks strikes were organized, how workers mobilized, and larger lessons learned. About the Event […]
www.haymarkethouse.org
February 17, 2026 at 9:46 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
Did you know that skunk cabbages are thermogenic - they generate their own heat to melt frozen, icy ground and prepare the soil for new growth in the spring?

Join us for a hike in the woods to see skunk cabbages emerging for the spring and raise money for Midwest Immigration Bond Fund.
A photo of a skunk cabbage rising up through the snow. A white text box reads in black font, "Melting ICE. A fundraiser field trip to benefit Midwest Immigration Bond Fund. Saturday, March 14th @ 10:00 am." A photo of skunk cabbage spathes in the spring. A white text box reads, "Join us for a walk in the woods to see skunk cabbages emerging for spring and learn about winter adaptations in plants. Tickets on sale 2/25 @ noon. 100% of ticket sales benefit Midwest Immigration Bond Fund." A cut out illustration of a skunk cabbage from a vintage field guide overlays the image in the corner.
February 17, 2026 at 9:22 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
yorickgarcia.bsky.social
Illinois Audubon Society Commits $384,000 to Windy City Bird Lab
blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/17/w...
Windy City Bird Lab Gets A Boost From Illinois Audubon Society That'll Fund It For 3 Years
The makerspace for bird enthusiasts was recently awarded $384,000 from the Illinois Audubon Society to help it grow.
blockclubchicago.org
February 17, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
catapultbooks.bsky.social
Happy publication day to Lauren J. Joseph's LEAN CAT, SAVAGE CAT! 🐈‍⬛

✨ "A salacious romp of breathtaking self-invention and spectacular self-destruction." —Service95

✨ "A strange and wild ride in the best way." — @autostraddle.bsky.social

buff.ly/0tUeE6V
February 17, 2026 at 5:19 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
In March, we'll be joined by Dr. Shanika Galaudage, an astrophysicist working at Northwestern and the Adler Planetarium! She studies pairs of the most extreme objects in the universe (black holes and neutron stars) using gravitational waves to understand how these systems form, live and die.
A warped grid fills the background of a digital flyer. In the center a white text box reads, "Ask A Scientist night. You BYOB. We bring a scientist. They tell us why their work is cool. You ask them questions." Cut out images of Illinois native plants, birds, and insects decorate the image. The background is filled with an illustration of a black hole courtesy of NASA/JPL - Caltech. A white text box reads, "In March, Ask an Astrophysicist! Black holes, neutron stars, and gravity. March 11th @ 6:30. Tickets on sale at noon on 3/3."
February 13, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
publicbooks.bsky.social
“Not a cult, nor the cult of the couple-form is what is most needed for human flourishing; rather, what these novels call for is friend-love … without any onus to heal or repair.”

New at PB: @reproutopia.bsky.social reviews “Casanova 20” and “Herculine.”
Is the Cis Literary World Okay? - Public Books
Contemporary trans literature is thriving in a highly freewheeling manner… How revealing, then, that David Brooks recently suggested that literary fiction has been declining in quality.
www.publicbooks.org
February 12, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
deathpanel.bsky.social
TONIGHT Death Panel x @haymarketbooks.org present

ABOLISH ICE, ABOLISH THE BORDER

Harsha Walia @harshawalia.bsky.social
Silky Shah @silkys13.bsky.social
Beatrice Adler-Bolton @reallandsend.bsky.social

7pm EST, register free here:
www.haymarketbooks.org/events/778-a...
Abolish ICE, Abolish the Border
Join Harsha Walia, Silky Shah, and Beatrice Adler-Bolton of Death Panel for an urgent discussion on the brutal enforcement of immigration policing in Minneapolis and beyond, and why resistance calls f...
www.haymarketbooks.org
February 12, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
pmpress.bsky.social
Remembering David Graeber on his birthday, an anarchist, anthropologist, and author who dared to imagine a world beyond debt, bureaucracy, bullshit jobs, and hierarchy.

pmpress.org/index.php?l=...
February 12, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
littlepuss.net
🫵 YO 🫵

💫 BALTIMORE 💫

💃 AWP-GOERS 💃

We're throwing a rager on the Thurs! March 5! Free! There will be DJs! Tons of readers!

including 💪 GWEN AUBE 💪

📗 with her new book 📗

🏀 MISSED CONNECTIONS WITH TALL GIRLS 🏀

DID WE MENTION IT'S FUCKING FREE

March 5, 7 PM readers, 9 pm dancing

☠️ BE THERE ☠️
the Norman Rockwell guy standing up to talk painting but he has the trans shark for a head text: Baltimore's Big Trans and 'Hon'-Binary Reading 7 pm Reading 9 pm Dancing Vera Blossom Tyler Vile TT Madden Tonee Mae Moll Nic Anstett M.K. Thekkumkattil Megan Milks KM Szpara Gwen Aube Alice Stoehr DJ Abject Relations DJ Kotic Couture Hosted by Rahne Alexander Vendors Feminist Press LittlePuss Press An AWP Off-site Event at the Club Car 12 W North Ave Thurs 5 March / 7 pm Reading / 9 pm Dancing / Free
February 11, 2026 at 10:46 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
In March our With Feathers book club will meet to discuss Dark Laboratory by Tao Leigh Goffe.

We'll meet March 18th at 6:00.
February 11, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
mulchy.bsky.social
supporters say quantum computing could revolutionize life, from medicine to finance. but governments across the globe see a far more malevolent potential.

in this sidebar, we look at the (theoretical) science behind it—and what the military wants to do with it (tl;dr: break into your tech).
What is quantum computing? - Chicago Reader
The science behind quantum computing—and what the military wants to do with it
chicagoreader.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:55 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
We're taking advantage of February's slow mood to get some chores done around the store. We'll be painting and taking care of some lil maintenance tasks. We don't expect this to disrupt our normal operations but we appreciate your patience if the shop is a bit out of sorts this month.
A page from Richard Scarry's Busy Busy Construction Site showing an illustration of hard working critters fixing up a house. An electrician dog in suspenders admonishes you to never touch fuses in the basement! Black text reads, "Pardon our dust! We'll be doing some repainting and maintenance around the shop this month."
February 5, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
mskellymhayes.bsky.social
My friend and one of the co-authors of Read This When Things Fall Apart, Stevie Wilson, will be released from prison in less than a week. Stevie has done tremendous work as an incarcerated organizer and has plans to continue doing important work on the outside. Let's help him make a new start.
Donate to Support Stevie Wilson's New Beginning, organized by Danielle Squillante
Our beloved comrade and friend Stevie Wilson is FINALLY coming home from pri… Danielle Squillante needs your support for Support Stevie Wilson's New Beginning
www.gofundme.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:10 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
go vote Chicago!
maureenf.bsky.social maureen @maureenf.bsky.social · 18d
Do your civic duty as Chicagoans y’all.
February 1, 2026 at 8:03 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
We will be closed Friday, 1/30 in support of strikes in Minnesota and beyond.

We encourage anyone feeling moved to action this weekend to find a new way to plug into our city's rich mutual aid ecosystem and commit/recommit/continue to practice taking care of each other in the long term.
A satellite photo of a green, non-icey Chicago from space. A white circle with dark green text reads, "We will be closed Friday, 1/30 in support of strikes in Minnesota and beyond. Abolish ICE."
January 29, 2026 at 10:58 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
Here's what's on the calendar for February.

Tickets for Ask a Scientist will be available on our website starting at noon on 2/3. 🎫

See ya there!
A vintage map of Chicago's lakefront in bright blue and orange. A green circle with white text reads, "February Event Roundup @ Skunk Cabbage Books." A vintage map of Chicago's lakefront in bright blue and orange. A brick colored circle with white text reads, "February 3rd + 17th. Belden Sawyer Tenant Association book club @ 6:30" A photo of Against Landlords by Nick Bano is inset. A vintage map of Chicago's lakefront in bright blue and orange. A brick colored circle with white text reads, "Ask a Scientist with the Windy City Bird Lab. February 11th @ 6:30" A vintage map of Chicago's lakefront in bright blue and orange. A brick colored circle with white text reads, "February 18th. With Feathers book club. 6:00 pm" A photo of The Understory by Saneh Sangsuk is inset.
January 27, 2026 at 8:45 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
We'll be closed this Sunday, January 25th while our staff take a long weekend off for winter hibernation. 🛌 💤 Normal hours resume Tuesday.
January 23, 2026 at 9:01 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
2026 new releases aren't messing around. Here are some January releases that went straight to our staff picks, along with one older, perennially relevant retelling we can't get out of our heads these days.
January 20, 2026 at 7:30 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
We've slowly been building up our selection of periodicals and magazines in the shop. Here's who's on the shelves right now. Stay tuned for more soon!

@readeasel.bsky.social
@picnic-mag.bsky.social
Chrysalis Mag
@long-haul-mag.bsky.social
@pinko.online
Milwaukee Avenue Messenger
A selection of magazines spread out on an antique rug. They include Easel, Picnic, Chrysalis, Long-Haul, Milwaukee Avenue Messenger, and Pinko
January 18, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
unraveledpress.com
Three years today. The cops are already killing protesters—it's not a line we haven't crossed, it's a thing already happening—but lots of people never heard about or paid attention to this one. So it goes
January 18, 2026 at 3:32 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
As PACBI signatories, we're so excited that WAWOG WON their demands of PEN America.
January 15, 2026 at 10:49 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
51st.news
For libraries, e-books are dramatically more expensive than print copies. But readers want more digital access — creating a fiscal challenge in systems like D.C.'s.

The Council is considering: Could D.C. team up with a bloc of states to negotiate a better deal? @maustermuhle.bsky.social reports:
Libraries can't afford e-books. D.C. lawmakers have a plan.
The demand and price for e-books is up — and it’s busting the D.C. Public Library budget.
51st.news
January 15, 2026 at 7:05 PM
skunkcabbagebooks.bsky.social
Coming soon!
January 15, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by Skunk Cabbage Books
lukeoneil47.bsky.social
Aware that he only had a few months left to live the great Mike Davis gave one of his final interviews to the Guardian in 202.

"You’ve been organizing for social change your whole life. How do you deal with a future that feels so bleak?" Lois Beckett asked.
"For someone my age who was in the civil rights movement, and in other struggles of the 1960s, I’ve seen miracles happen," the revolutionary and historian responded. "I’ve seen ordinary people do the most heroic things. When you’ve had the privilege of knowing so many great fighters and resisters, you can’t lay down the sword, even if things seem objectively hopeless." "I’ve always been influenced by the poems Brecht wrote in the late 30s, during the second world war, after everything had been incinerated, all the dreams and values of an entire generation destroyed, and Brecht said, well, it’s a new dark ages … how do people resist in the dark ages?" "What keeps us going, ultimately, is our love for each other, and our refusal to bow our heads, to accept the verdict, however all-powerful it seems. It’s what ordinary people have to do. You have to love each other. You have to defend each other. You have to fight."
January 15, 2026 at 6:15 PM