508 is a show about Worcester. This week, the HX library of radical and science fiction books moves to Stone Soup. An uncut, uncompromising look.
[display_podcast]
Audio: Download the mp3 or see more formats.
There is not too much online about the Firecracker bookstore. But there is this old Worcester Phoenix article:
Best indicator of reality in downtown Worcester
No government. No police. No judges. No lock and key? Not likely. Living the anarchist dream in a decidedly non-anarchist society is perhaps the toughest challenge for the politically radical. Take Firecracker Books for example, Franklin Street’s home to leftist literature and political idealism. Come closing time, the storefront has to lock up as tight as the nearby federal office building. “We try to be as accommodating, as trustful, and forgiving as possible,” says a store volunteer on a recent Saturday while unloading supplies from a free afternoon meal on the Common. “But we’re not going to allow ourselves to constantly be burned. We’re very watchful of things. It’s much easier to stop [problems] before they get out of control. A preventive approach to life rather than interventive.” Since Firecracker moved around the corner to the more visible Franklin Street location, many more people visit to read the books and to buy T-shirts, magazines, and literature that comprise the retail end of the store. As home to the Worcester Autonomy Center, Firecracker also distributes free clothes, provides an in-house library, and distributes prophylactics to prevent the spread of HIV. Saturdays are still the day Food Not Bombs offers lunchtime meals behind City Hall, an activity that continues despite past legal problems. We support their efforts.
Firecracker Books, 72 Franklin Street, Worcester, 753-4002