About Ruins
Ruins Books is a pop-up bookstore & infoshop primarily based in so-called “Fort Collins, Colorado”—the unceded territories of the Ute, Arapahoe, and Cheyenne peoples. Our mission is to carry and distribute radical works of literature—both through traditional bookselling, or in our through our free infoshop (see our FAQ for more about infoshops!
The motivation behind Ruins (other than distribution) is to foster intentional radical community. We do this through our book club, community events, fundraising, and more.
The Ruins community is for anyone who feels crushed by the daily grind of capitalism & this fascist state. Books are not everything, but they are catalysts through which we can teach our communities, stretch our minds, and foster a culture of care, love, & resilience.
What’s in a name?
“We have always lived in slums and holes in the wall. We will know how to accommodate ourselves for a while. For you must not forget that we can also build. It is we who built these palaces and cities, here in Spain and America and everywhere. We, the workers. We can build others to take their place. And better ones. We are not in the least afraid of ruins. We are going to inherit the earth; there is not the slightest doubt about that. The bourgeoisie might blast and ruin its own world before it leaves the stage of history. We carry a new world here, in our hearts. That world is growing in this minute.”
In 1935, Spanish anarchist and revolutionary leader, Buenaventura Durruti, in the Spanish Civil War, spoke these words in response to an interview question. Durruti had told the interviewer why they were fighting the Francoists—”For us, he said "it is a matter of crushing Fascism once and for all.”
The interviewer interjected—”But [once the fascists are defeated] You will be sitting on a pile of ruins.”
Thus came Durruti’s famous retort: We are not in the least afraid of ruins.
Ruins was thus named, not only in homage to Durruti and the Spanish anarchists themselves, but, even more, to the spirit of this sentiment.
There is, inherent in this statement, a defiance, a spirit that rejects the terms of the oppressor. It asserts that, even if the ruling class will force this world to rubble and ruin, we will make our home there.
The heart of Ruins is this: to make do, to thrive in spite of material conditions. To do this by helping to usher great works of radical written word.
In this spirit, Ruins currently exists in “pop-up” form. Businesses and organizations in the Fort Collins community —Wobble Hi-Fi, Rubble Art Collective, Petrichor Collective, Collective Vintage—graciously host Ruins pop-up shops. For more info about Ruins pop-ups, check out our FAQ.
Contact us
Interested in working together? Looking for a book or zine? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!