To celebrate International Women’s Day, new indie bookshop Phlox Books celebrates the women behind the books with a literary pop-up over the month of March. Located in Connaught Village, Phlox Books will showcase the female experience in literary form with women focused books and female author events.
The first event, ‘An Evening with Abi Daré and Mona Arshi’, will take place on the day itself, Tuesday 8 March 2022. Tickets are free but registration is necessary, although some spaces will be reserved for walk-ins. Register here. The evening will start at 7.30pm with a drinks reception, followed by an author discussion at 8pm. Wine will be served, provided by Connaught Cellars, keeping in line with Phlox Books’ mantra of making bookshops relaxed, social spaces.
Award-winning author, Abi Daré, whose debut novel ‘The Girl With the Louding Voice’ was published in 2020, longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and chosen as a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime, will be joined by Mona Arshi, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4 and poet whose debut collection of poems received the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and appeared in the Poems on the Underground series. Arshi will be talking about her debut novel, ‘Somebody Loves You’, published in 2021.
Award-winning author Abi Daré
Poet Mona Arshi
Located at 12 Connaught Street, the pop-up will operate as a bookshop and events space where notable authors will discuss their work. At street view, the front of the bookstore will feature hand painted illustrations by female illustrator Alezeia Fidalgo who has a penchant for books and creating original illustrations to accompany text.
Founder of East London independent bookshop, Phlox Books, Aimée Madill has proudly been serving ‘Books. Booze. Coffee’ since 2017 and is no stranger to pop-up bookstores in her role as ‘go-to’ for festival bookshops. On this occasion, Aimée has taken the opportunity International Women’s Day has presented to platform female authors and host a series of events in Connaught Village.
Events will continue throughout the month of March with a selection of authors handpicked by Aimée. Each event will see a discussion between the authors and an open forum for the audience to explore different themes of the female experience. Each event promises guests a deep dive into each woman’s creative process and a wonderful chance to explore their views on International Women’s Day, the female gaze, and their individual literary futures.
Aimée Madill, founder of Phlox Books
