JBTCbookstore

05/17/2026

On May 13, 2026, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted to ban the Fresno County Public Library from participating in Fresno’s annual Pride festival and parade.

This decision did not happen in a vacuum. It comes after years of escalating attacks on our libraries fueled by homophobia, censorship, and far-right political rhetoric targeting LGBTQ+ books, librarians, and public spaces.

We refuse to let our community lose access to stories that save lives.

Books matter. Representation matters. Q***r youth deserve to see themselves reflected in literature without shame, fear, or political interference. Pride has always been about community protecting community — and now, we need to step up for our libraries and for each other. We've been contacted by a group of concerned citizens to assist in a bit of malicious compliance. Librarians cannot participate in pride, but that doesn't mean resources and a free little library couldn't just... appear.

So we’re building a free little library pop-up at Fresno Rainbow Pride on June 6, 2026!

We’re asking our community to help stock the shelves with banned books, q***r stories, affirming literature, and books that remind people they are not alone. Every book ordered from the list below will be shipped directly to a secure location and distributed for free at Pride.

But we are on a deadline.

📚 Books must be ordered before May 30 to arrive in time for the event.

This is a direct way to fight censorship and put life-saving books back into the hands of the people who need them most.

Order a book today and share this campaign with allies.

🏳️‍🌈 Order now and support the pop-up library.

Click here for an update from Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore!

05/15/2026

Are YOU ready for the Poet Party!? 👀 Early bird tickets have sold out!

Don’t miss our line up of incredible poets coming into Fresno from the Bay to LA. Your favorite DJs will be playing all the jams 🎶

POET PARTY
Love Poems & Slow Jams
JUNE 5th / 8pm-12am
21+ / Limited Discount Tix in Bio
St. Dulce - 1445 N. Van Ness Ave.

POET LINE UP
Josiah Luis Alderete (SF)
Aideed Medina (Fresno)
Sara Borjas (Oakland)

DJ’s
KG 559
DJ Boomerang (vinyl set)

ART EXHIBIT
Hella Fresno
————————————-
The Poet Party is a quarterly event that merges live poetry + DJ’s + art // bridging connections amongst poetry lovers from across the Central Valley, through out California and the globe

05/09/2026

UPDATE: Several folks have asked for a message to send to the Board of Supervisors. This is what we wrote. We encourage you to personalize your message. The Board Agenda item is #8 and you are in support of the item which allows librarians to celebrate Pride month for the next five years.

Join us Tuesday, May 12th at the Hall of Records. They WILL limit spoken comment so a written statement is also essential to advocating for libraries.

05/09/2026

URGENT: Fresno County Libraries Are Under Attack

Friends,

Fresno County libraries are facing a dangerous and politically motivated attack — and we need our community to act NOW.

On May 7, Fresno County Supervisor Gary Bredefeld posted on Facebook publicly calling for the removal of LGBTQ+ inclusive books from Fresno County libraries and threatened library funding through Measure B.

The books being targeted in this post are not “obscene” or fringe materials. Many are among the most celebrated and critically acclaimed books in children’s and young adult literature — including Stonewall Award winners, National Book Award winners, and titles recognized worldwide for their literary and educational value. These are books that help young people feel seen, understood, and connected to the world around them.

This effort is not about protecting children. It is about censorship.

It is also potentially in direct violation of California State Law AB 1078, which prohibits the banning of books on the basis of protected identities, including sexual orientation and gender identity. As First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom stated:

“Book bans harm all children and youth, diminishing communal empathy and serving to further engender intolerance and division across society.”

Libraries exist for EVERYONE.

They are not just spaces for children’s programming — though that work is critically important in a county struggling with literacy rates. Libraries also serve adults, families, seniors, students, LGBTQ+ residents, and every member of our community seeking access to information, education, culture, and public resources.

Threatening to defund the library system because it participates in Pride events or includes LGBTQ+ books in its collection is discrimination and retaliation, plain and simple.

If Fresno County gives in to this pressure, it could open the door to costly legal challenges, waste taxpayer resources, and set a dangerous precedent for censorship in our community.

We cannot stay silent.

JOIN US:
Tuesday, May 12 at 9:00 AM
Hall of Records
2281 Tulare St., Room 301
Fresno, CA

Can’t attend? Contact your Fresno County Board of Supervisors representative TODAY and demand they protect our libraries, uphold California law, and reject censorship.

Our libraries belong to all of us. Now is the time to show up for them.

In solidarity,
Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore

Click here for an update from Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore!

05/08/2026

URGENT: Fresno County Libraries Are Under Attack

Friends,

Fresno County libraries are facing a dangerous and politically motivated attack — and we need our community to act NOW.

On May 7, Fresno County Supervisor Gary Bredefeld posted on Facebook publicly calling for the removal of LGBTQ+ inclusive books from Fresno County libraries and threatened library funding through Measure B.

The books being targeted in this post are not “obscene” or fringe materials. Many are among the most celebrated and critically acclaimed books in children’s and young adult literature — including Stonewall Award winners, National Book Award winners, and titles recognized worldwide for their literary and educational value. These are books that help young people feel seen, understood, and connected to the world around them.

This effort is not about protecting children. It is about censorship.

It is also potentially in direct violation of California State Law AB 1078, which prohibits the banning of books on the basis of protected identities, including sexual orientation and gender identity. As First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom stated:

“Book bans harm all children and youth, diminishing communal empathy and serving to further engender intolerance and division across society.”

Libraries exist for EVERYONE.

They are not just spaces for children’s programming — though that work is critically important in a county struggling with literacy rates. Libraries also serve adults, families, seniors, students, LGBTQ+ residents, and every member of our community seeking access to information, education, culture, and public resources.

Threatening to defund the library system because it participates in Pride events or includes LGBTQ+ books in its collection is discrimination and retaliation, plain and simple.

If Fresno County gives in to this pressure, it could open the door to costly legal challenges, waste taxpayer resources, and set a dangerous precedent for censorship in our community.

We cannot stay silent.

JOIN US:
Tuesday, May 12 at 9:00 AM
Hall of Records
2281 Tulare St., Room 301
Fresno, CA

Can’t attend? Contact your Fresno County Board of Supervisors representative TODAY and demand they protect our libraries, uphold California law, and reject censorship.

Our libraries belong to all of us. Now is the time to show up for them.

In solidarity,
Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore

Click here for an update from Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore!

05/07/2026

Taking this show on the road...

The books are boxed up, the new space is getting a fresh coat of purple paint, and we’re counting down the days until we reopen. While you wait for us to come back (we miss you too!), there are still a few ways you can support the work we do.

Check out our upcoming events:

TODAY May 7th
Find us at the Broadway Bazaar (1760 Broadway Ave) from 5 - 9 pm and check out the incredible Mini Skate Deck show curated by Hella Fresno

SATURDAY May 9th
Join the authors of The Cost of Being Undocumented for a special edition of Hops & Talks at Summer Fox Brewing in the Tower District. There will be FREE tacos and beer for folks who RSVP: bit.ly/thecost559

FRIDAY June 5th
We’re kicking off the first-ever Poet Party with a Love Poems & Slow Jams theme to start your summer off right. With a lineup featuring Josiah Luis Alderete, Aideed Medina, Sara Borjas, DJ Boomerang, and KG 559, you already know it’s going to be a good time. Get your tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/judgingbythecoverabookstore/2151409

Click here for an update from Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore!

04/27/2026

Dear Friends,

Big news: Judging by the Cover is moving to the Tower District!

As we prepare for this next chapter, our Chinatown storefront will be temporarily closed during May while we transition into our new permanent home at 617 N Fulton St. We’re excited, a little overwhelmed, and deeply grateful to be growing into a space that will help us expand our reach and do more to further our mission.

What to know during the move:
✨ We’ll continue operating as a pop-up and online bookstore, so you can still shop with us through Bookshop.org and Libro.fm during the move.
✨ We’re planning a soft opening the week of May 25, with a grand opening celebration in June once the full space is activated.
✨ We still have a few events lined up all spring!

Upcoming Events
📖 4th Annual Willow Poetry Reading — April 30
🛍 Hella Fresno’s Broadway Bazaar — May 7
🍻 Hops & Talks at Summer Fox Brewing — May 9
🎉 Inaugural Poetry Party at St. Dulce — June 6

This move is especially meaningful because our new storefront is part of the South Tower Community Land Trust’s first commercial property acquisition, a model that makes it possible for independent businesses like ours to put down roots in a way that is sustainable and community-centered.

When we first opened in Chinatown through the Pop-Up Place program, we couldn’t have imagined all that would grow from that little storefront—author events, Silent Book Club, craft nights, the Fresno Bookstore Passport, Fresno's First Performative Male Contest, and so much more. You helped make that possible.

Now we're excited to build something new together.

Thank you for supporting an independent bookstore committed to uplifting historically marginalized voices and creating cultural space in Fresno. We can’t wait to welcome you into our new home.

Until that day comes, follow along for moving updates, pop-ups, and reopening announcements at .books on all platforms and judgingbythecoverbookstore.com (http://www.judgingbythecoverbookstore.com) .

With gratitude,
Ashley & Carlos
Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore

Click here for an update from Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore!

04/22/2026

Dear friends,

It’s our final week in Chinatown, and we want to spend it the way this space has always held us, surrounded by books, community, and you!

Before we move, we’re celebrating with a full week of daily deals, themed events, and one last chance to experience your favorite indie bookstore moments in this space. If this bookstore has been part of your story, we hope you’ll come help us close this chapter with love.

Here’s what’s happening:

📖 Wednesday, April 22 (12–6 PM)
Wear your favorite book merch and get 10% off your purchase

✨ Thursday, April 23 (12–8 PM)
Dress Like a Book Character Day + Free Yoga
Come in costume, move your body, and hang out with us one more time in full imagination mode

👕 Friday, April 24 (12–6 PM)
JBTC Book Shirt Day! Wear a shirt, purchase one in-store, or order the latest design here:

📚 Saturday, April 25 (11–6 PM)
Moving Sale + Wild Blue Launch + Indie Bookstore Day
Our biggest day of the week—celebration, community, and shelves making their way into new homes

🎨 Sunday, April 26 (12–3 PM)
Final In-Store Craft
One last slow afternoon together, making something with our hands and hearts

Every day this week is a small goodbye and a big thank you.

Pull up, bring a friend, and help us send off this space the way it deserves. Your support has carried us here—and it’s what will carry us forward.

We’ll still be out in the community after we close our doors:

📍 April 30 — Clovis Community College
10309 N Willow Ave 5:30 - 8pm
Join us for their annual poetry event

📍 May 7 — The Broadway Art Bazar: Hella Fresno’s Skate-Themed Art Hop
1760 Broadway St. 5pm - 9pm
Catch us celebrating Fresno’s creative scene in a new way

04/19/2026

THIS THURSDAY! One last chance to do yoga in the bookstore before our big move and… it’s dress like a book character day 🥳💜💙 Dress as a character for yoga and receive a $10 digital gift certificate to use when we reopen in Tower. 🧘🏽 See you on the mat!