This morning I swung by my go-to coffee spot, Red Horn Coffee, for a hot Americano and some free Wi-Fi to knock out a little writing. Parked out front was a sleek black trailer with Lioness Books painted on the side. And because I’ve never been able to pass up an indie bookstore, whether it’s on wheels or in a storefront, I had to step inside.

I’m glad I did. The design was beautiful, the selection was packed with good finds, and I got to meet the owner, Sarah Ambruss, who took time to chat with me about books, bookstores, indie publishing, local authors, and the Texas Book Festival. Sarah is a former high school teacher with a deep love for books, education, and the transformative power of reading. She also believes, as I do, that the freedom to read is one of the cornerstones of a healthy democracy.

It felt like the perfect moment to hand her a copy of Record of Dissent: Poems of Protest in an Authoritarian Age, the poetry collection I recently helped edit and curate. And as a nice bit of serendipity, Wilco was playing when I walked in. Fitting, since Jeff Tweedy graciously gave us permission to use one of his quotes in the epigraph of Record of Dissent.

Sarah is passionate about promoting local authors and independent publishers, and I’m passionate about supporting local bookstores. So next week, when my bulk order comes in, I’ll be dropping off a few copies of Record of Dissent for Lioness Books to stock on their shelves.

If you’re in Austin and love books (which you probably do if you’re reading this), I highly recommend tracking down Lioness Books. They set up at different spots around town and in nearby communities. You can check their event calendar at lionessbookstx.com.

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I have a bit of an allergy to social media, and a complicated relationship with anything vaguely related to self-promotion. I know. I’m trying to get over it! We’ve mostly kept The Chaos Section Press over on Bluesky, but we finally opened an Instagram account just so we could follow @lionessbookstx (… and Jeff Tweedy). And if you care about independent bookstores and local authors, you probably should too.

Lioness Books is also planning a brick-and-mortar shop in Leander’s Old Town, with hopes of opening by the end of the year. This is exactly the kind of grassroots, community-driven business we need more of, and I’m glad I crossed paths with them. I’m hoping we’ll cross paths even more often in the future.

—Nick Allison, editor, Record of Dissent

Images from LionessBooksTX.com