Amidst the backdrop of cozy furniture and plants, book titles such as “Jellyfish Have No Ears,” “Man or Mango?” and “Fabulous Machinery for the Curious” sit on the bookshelves of Alienated Majesty Books, a bookstore that marked its one year anniversary on Aug. 15.
Alienated Majesty Books, a bookstore at 613 W. 29th St., specializes in small-press fiction (fiction not sold by the big five publishing houses), non-fiction, poetry, comics and works in translation not commonly found in other bookstores. Their slogan — “Home of the weird,
radical, and the lost” — reflects their commitment to spotlighting eclectic literary works and cultivating an inclusive community.
“We had a book with sandpaper covers. We’ve got a journal from Thailand,” said Melynda Nuss, Alienated Majesty Books’ co-owner. “We really love that sense of adventure, that feeling that this is where you’re going to come to find something strange.”
While selling books serves as the bookstore’s primary objective, building community also remains a priority. Within the past year, community groups such as Inside Books Project, Jewish Voices for Peace, the Palestinian Youth Movement and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities hosted events at Alienated Majesty Books.
“We love supporting community groups that are interested in specific causes,” said C. Rees, Alienated Majesty Books’ events coordinator and bookseller. “We give (community groups) the space that we have to run events, as well as potentially make money for them, so they can continue doing the things they do.”
Recurring customer Sophia Amstutz visited the bookstore for the first time during a poetry and live music event and said it felt apparent that everybody loved the bookstore. While at the event, Amstutz browsed the book selection and after finding books they had never seen before, started returning to the store.
“It’s the kind of bookstore where I don’t feel like I have to know what I’m looking for going in,” Amstutz said. “I know that it’s going to provide me with something that is going to be interesting to me.”
Alienated Majesty Books’ unique selection includes several books highlighting intersectionality and activism, which Rees said serves as a focus for the store.
“We’re interested in the marginalized, the forgotten, the discounted, the weird, the off-kilter, which oftentimes intersects with politics of liberation,” Rees said.
Rees said small-press books can come at a higher price point. While the bookstore aims to mitigate the price, if people can’t afford the books, there’s still a place for them at the store.
“We have a free book section. It’s also a place to hang out and read and write,” Rees said. “It’s an open place.”
