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According to the late French author and historian Daniel Guerin, “the word anarchy is as old as the world.” Since that time, the political ideal has faced contesting definitions and notions from both the right and the left. Proving over time not to be relegated to romanticized thought, anarchism instead has been a social force present in history’s watershed moments such as the Mexican, Spanish and early Russian revolutions. Locally, the Southern California Library will play host to the 1st annual bookfair organized around the ideal of anarchism. Activists released a statement of purpose for the event calling it an “effort to create an alternative space in which to socialize and strategize, especially in the face of recent police repression. The Anarchist Bookfair taking place on Saturday from noon until 9 pm will feature numerous panels, workshops, and films on subjects such as “urban Zapatismo,” sustainable agriculture, and creating independent media. Proceeds from Saturday’s event will go to the Revolutionary Autonomous Communities Defense Fund as well as to helping organize next month’s Southwest Regional Gathering of anarchist and autonomous people of color.

GUESTS: Sirena Pellarolo, Associate Professor of Latin American Studies at CSUN, speaker at the Anarchist Bookfair, Sara Galindo, planning collective of the Anarchist Bookfair.

The first annual Anarchist Bookfair will take place on Saturday December 12th from 11 am to 9 pm at the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research at 6120 S. Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles. For more information, call 323-759-6063.

For more information, visit www.anarchistbookfair.com.