The Melanated Book Exchange is a gathering rooted in joy, community, and cultural care. Created in collaboration with Awakening Café and Universal Connections Consulting, this event invites Black and Brown readers to share the stories that have shaped us, and discover new ones that will carry us forward.

This is not simply a book swap. It is a space where our narratives circulate freely. Bring 1–3 books you’ve loved, books that challenged you, or books that helped you heal. Leave with titles passed from another reader’s hands, annotated by lived experience, joy, and lineage.

The event is hosted at Urban Symbiosis, a community hub in Aurora where art, healing, and culture converge. Together, we will browse, exchange, and make new connections over the stories that matter, from fiction and memoir to spiritual texts, radical histories, and works by Black and Indigenous authors.

Who this space is for:
Readers of color of all ages, educators, healers, artists, organizers — anyone who believes stories are a pathway to liberation, wellness, and community.

Join us as we exchange stories, circulate joy, and honor the power of books to heal and reconnect us.