girlsatlibrary copy

This Website Is The Feminist Book Club Of Your Dreams

by BUST Magazine

There’s a specific pleasure that comes from books: finding them, reading them, living with them. For bibliophiles, it’s a lifestyle. L.A.-based graphic designer Eliza Wexelman and N.Y.C. artist Payton Cosell Turner, founders and co-editors of the site Girls At Library (girlsatlibrary.com) understand this very well. Born of a bicoastal friendship with roots in trading favorite tomes, Girls At Library is a celebration and exploration of the literary lives of real women, with profiles highlighting subjects’ favorite fictional characters, reading habits, and current book queues.

“We wanted to create an online space for women to have relationships with each other that don’t involve brands,” says Turner, “[this is about] books and ideas.” Like all the best Internet escapism, Girls At Library features clean modern design and beautiful photography in the profiles showcased. But — fittingly for the product of two bookworms — the interviews are the stars of the show. Thoughtful, incisive, and packed to the rafters with excellent book recommendations, GAL’s content gives readers an intimate peek into the homes and minds of authors, designers, musicians, students, artists, and many other women from varied walks of life. Notable recent subjects include Sweet Valley High creator Francine Pascal, Golly magazine Editor-in-Chief Roxanne Fequiere, and Audrey Gelman, founder of the hip Manhattan ladies’ club The Wing. Wexelman and Turner have also moved the GAL experience offline and into the physical realm with events like book swaps hosted on both coasts. What’s next? “We’d love to talk to Michelle Obama,” Turner says. “Maybe she’s more available now.”

GALSPayton Cosell Turner (left) and Eliza Wexelman (right)

BY JULIA BEMBENEK

Top image via girlsatlibrary.com

This article originally appeared in the June/July 2017 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Founded in 1993, BUST is the inclusive feminist lifestyle trailblazer offering a unique mix of humor, female-focused entertainment, uncensored personal stories, and candid reporting that tells the truth about women’s lives.

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