When They Burn Books, We Build Sanctuaries.

A radical bookstore café for banned books, LGBTQ+/BIPOC publications, queer stories, and revolutionary art—opening in Orlando, FL.

In a time when books are being banned, communities silenced, and trans and queer voices erased—BookBurn Café rises from the flames.

We’re creating a sanctuary in the heart of Orlando, Florida: a bookstore café where banned books line the shelves, marginalized artists fill the walls, and trans and non-binary people lead with power and love.

Our space will serve consciously sourced coffee, host live readings and performances, and curate art and literature from LGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous, and POC creators. With your support, BookBurn Café will be a vibrant act of cultural resistance—and a safe haven for those who need it most.

PROJECT STORY

BookBurn is more than a bookstore. It’s a living archive. A café of radical warmth. A stage for the silenced.

Inspired by the 20th-century book burnings and the long history of communities and even civilizations who fled with sacred texts in their arms, BookBurn flips the fire into fuel. We reclaim erasure and censorship with celebration, with storytelling, with survival.

The space will include:

• A bookstore featuring banned books and DEI-centered literature

• A café that supports ethical farming and radical hospitality

• A small performance stage for poetry, readings, and open mic nights

• A curated gallery space featuring marginalized artists

• A full staff that focuses on trans and non-binary workers

We believe stories save lives—and we’re building a space where they can be told without fear.

WHAT WE NEED

We are raising $250,000 to launch BookBurn Café. These funds will help cover:

• Leasing & buildout of a 2,500 sq ft retail café in Orlando

• Initial inventory of banned books and LGBTQ+ literature

• Café equipment and ethically sourced coffee partnerships

• Staff salaries with a trans- and non-binary-first hiring policy

• Interior design, mural installation, and staging setup

• Launch events, programming, and community outreach

Every contribution helps us build this sanctuary—brick by brick, book by book.

CALL TO ACTION

This is your invitation to be a flamekeeper. A rebel reader. A builder of safe spaces.

Support BookBurn Café by donating, sharing, and spreading the story. Let’s prove that when they ban our books, we write new chapters—together.

“The spark of a revolution often comes from one radical idea”

         - Jonny Cruz

For more details, please visit

www.OfficialBookBurn.com

With deepest gratitude,

Jonny