A Different Light Bookstore
Address
8853 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Active Dates
1990 - 2009
A Different Light Bookstore Site, Angela Brinskele, 2026.
Oral History Clips
About this location
A Different Light Bookstore was an independent LGBT bookstore with locations in West Hollywood, New York City, and San Francisco. The West Hollywood location opened in 1990. Clerk Ann Bradley founded the Lesbian Writers Series in 1984 at the Silver Lake store, and the series later moved to the West Hollywood location. The series hosted numerous lesbian and queer literary icons including June Jordan, Joan Nestle, and many more. The West Hollywood store closed in 2009, partly because construction on Santa Monica Boulevard cut foot traffic and parking.
Categories
LGBTQ+
Sources
- Chong, Jia-Rui. “Gathering Celebrates Literary Series for Lesbian Writers.” Books. Los Angeles Times, March 29, 2004. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-mar-29-me-lit29-story.html.
- Kellogg, Carolyn. “A Different Light Going Dark.” Jacket Copy. Los Angeles Times, February 25, 2009. https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/jacket-copy/story/2009-02-25/a-different-light-going-dark.
- “Queer Maps — A Different Light.” Accessed April 28, 2026. https://queermaps.org/.