Book clubs, workshops, storytelling: book shops building community in Barcelona

Book clubs are elemental components of literature communities around the world, but English language readers living in Barcelona may be struggling to find likeminded people.

That’s where bookstores step in, with a litany of local literary lodges helping readers find new friends through books they love in their adopted city. 

In particular, Backstory and Come In boast well over a dozen different themed book clubs between them.   

Kate Barasz, a co-owner of Backstory Bookshop told Catalan News that "the community part was super central and important to what we wanted to accomplish" when they opened the store just over two years ago. 

"It was definitely about the books, but as much about the people," she affirms.

Meanwhile, Jordi Cuadrado, store manager at Come In Bookshop, explains that they organize a handful of book clubs that meet every month, including one focussing on books popular on TikTok, one on Asian literature, and soon they will start a fantasy-young adult club too.

But the buck doesn't stop there. Both shops offer activities beyond book clubs too, with all sorts of events adjacent to literature to have fun with and meet new people.

"Whatever people want to gather around, and what people have an appetite for," are catered at Backstory, co-owner Abbie Hibler tells Catalan News. 

With a downstairs space that can fit up to two dozen attendees, people often ask the store owners can they host any type of event, from travel writing workshops, autobiographical workshops, journalling events, to even book presentations and author meet-and-greets. 

All events are free and inclusive. "We try to keep it as a place where you can meet others and interact in positive ways around books," Kate says.

At Come In, there's a special focus on children's storytelling events. Jordi says "we have two storytellers, one is Rafaela, a wonderful woman, wonderful teacher, that comes here and works with the children. Not only by telling the story, but also playing with them with origami, making some of the things with paper, painting, anything."

Backstory are now open seven days a week, and of those, Kate says "we probably have events six days of every week," which she adds are all "co-created with our community."

Jordi Cuadrado agrees that he sees a flourishing community building around the events his store puts on. "I can say we are making a bit of a community, but I think there is like a big community for people that goes to bookstores. not only this one, but they move around all the bookstores."