Randee Silv
October 2026
Conversation with Tayler Simon about Liberation is Lit
Randee Silv: Liberation is Lit is collective action. Community building with an anti-capitalist manifesto. Focusing on LGBTQ+ rights. Women’s issues. Immigration issues. With readings. Discussions. Events. A podcast to amplify voices through stories. Raising funds for a bookmobile. Liberation is Lit is educational programs. Book clubs. Coaching services. Book reviews. Radical Readers merch. Nonprofit publishing projects. Used books. Free books. Banned books. New books. We definitely need more literary networks like Liberation is Lit. You clearly cover a diversity of avenues with books as the core focus. What suggestions would you like to give other literary groups that might want to pursue similar directions?
Tayler Simon: Partnership is key. Liberation is Lit may seem like a solo operation to many people, but I couldn’t do as much as I do without the help of the community. Because I center the community in everything I do, I make sure to partner directly with other organizations that serve the community, including other bookstores. When I worked in nonprofits, I saw how competitive that environment was when it came to funding. We go a lot further together.
For book people (which many of us are introverts), it can be tempting to stay in our little bubble with our books. We have to find ways to come out of our shells and put what we learn about ourselves and the world into action to make it a better place.
Randee Silv: Beautifully said. Building community is so vital. You are definitely igniting a direction deeply neeeded. Can you tell us a bit about some of the community partners you’ve been collaborating with, how that’s been going, and where you feel more needs to happen?
Tayler Simon: Oh, I have partnered with so many different organizations! I am a part of several cool coalitions in South Carolina working to protect the right to read, including Freedom to Read SC, Pro Truth SC, and Authors Against Book Bans (I will be transitioning into lead organizer for South Carolina in December). I also do a lot of partnering with community organizations doing advocacy work like the Harriet Hancock Center (I just won their Spirit of the Mission Award), We Are Family, Ubuntu Collective, the ACLU of SC, and the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network. They are my friends I look to when I attend State Board of Education and SC General Assembly meetings. And then, because I love art, I have also partnered with Jasper Magazine, One Columbia, Black Nerd Mafia, and Stormwater Studios. I do a lot of art-centered events with many of these organizations.
Many of my bookselling pop-ups are in partnership with these organizations, as well as other smaller organizations. I like being able to bring books to the people, and working with these organizations is how I can reach the broader community. Most of the time, the community doesn’t expect books to be in these random spaces, and I think that gives me an edge.
Something new that has happened in the last few months is collaborating with another pop-up bookstore, Audre’s Den, and a micro farm and tea bar, Voyage Farms. We have been hosting First Fridays, where we hang out at this house owned by One Columbia, sell books, have tea, and listen to poetry during an open mic. This has been such a cool experience and a much-needed third space for Black people.
I think more pop-up bookstores need to partner with community organizations. Space is always tough to find, so utilizing and enhancing existing third spaces is vital.
Randee Silv: What a diversity of groups & coalitions you’ve been partnering with! Together, you’re making such a dynamic impact on communities and the lives of so many. And how you’ve been finding ways to bring books to the pepole by creating pop-up bookstores should inspire others to do the same. I know I have some ideas brewing myself. In a recent podcast you did with poet Riley Danvers, you mentioned how the Me Too movement was an inspiration for starting Liberation is Lit. Can you talk a bit about how all that evolved?
Tayler Simon: Yes! Many people are surprised to learn that I am a social worker by training. In my previous life, I worked in the sexual assault and domestic violence field. I saw how a simple story – “Me too” – changed how we talked about sexual violence, reimagined what survivor support means, and brought survivors together in community. I knew other personal stories could do the same. I experienced that firsthand through the stories I read. Stories allow us to humanize these social issues. Data and facts alone aren’t enough to change hearts and minds about these issues. We need the power of stories to build empathy for experiences that aren’t our own.
I loved working in the violence prevention field, yet the institutions I was working for burned me out. I spent so much energy navigating systems that I felt I couldn’t do the real prevention work I was called to do. I worked at two universities and a nonprofit, and it felt like I couldn’t do much deep, transformative community work that truly made an impact. I was interested in bringing in the intersectional work to support survivors and prevent violence. It’s not just the gender-based violence itself – it touches homelessness, economic insecurity, health and wellness issues, LGBTQ+, disability, and racial disparities, and prison abolition. What I love most about Liberation is Lit is that I don’t have to focus on one issue area. I can be more nuanced and intersectional with my education and outreach. It’s all connected. Our stories are all connected.
Randee Silv: Your work is bringing about real change and giving voice to so many stories that need to be shared and heard. As a publisher myself, I know the challenges of having a small independent press. You launched Liberation is Lit Press with the publication of Wine About it: The Prelude, an anthology with work from Black women living in South Carolina. Next was Old Growth: An Anthology Inspired by the Congaree National Park, where all profits went towards conservation efforts. Soon to be released is Where is Home?: Loss, Found, Made, with stories addressing the rights & safety of the LGBTQ+ community. Could you share more about how you choose projects to publish, what your goals and dreams are for Liberation is Lit Press, and any tips on how to keep a small press afloat?
Tayler Simon: Yes! I prioritize anthologies, one, because we can hear from different perspectives and voices about different issues, and two, I can pay writers. What has been really cool is working with writers who have ideas that they want to explore. Where is Home? was a project inspired by two LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations I organize with. We know personal stories change the narrative, so we worked to bring the stories of LGBTQ+ South Carolinians to the forefront about what it means to call this place home. With the other anthologies, I love how we were able to build community around them. Old Growth brought together many environmental activists, both who contributed to the anthology and those who support by buying copies. With Wine About It, I had many women say this was the first time they were paid for their writing. This is what I love most about publishing.
I will say that it has been difficult to balance my own writing with the demands of publishing other writing. I started out in publishing through self-publishing my own poetry collections. So far I have three collections: Phases, Love and Other Forms of Heartbreak, and Black Madonna. I also published a guide to self-publishing called Writing Our Truths. I am hoping to find better balance soon.
As far as keeping the press afloat, it is really difficult to find funding for both the press and the bookstore. The publishing projects are funded through grants and sponsorships. I am grateful for the community who invest and believe in these projects as much as I do. I am still trying to find sustainable ways to fund everything, so it is all a test.
That being said, the literacy crisis has been hitting us hard. People just don’t buy books like they used to. Even the people who love to read find buying books a luxury. The economic situation is hitting bookstores and independent presses hard. We persevere because we know how important books are to society.