LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: Stray Books

MAGGIE: Hi Stray Books! I'm so excited to welcome you with a Residency here at the shop! Can you please introduce yourselves, your brand, and tell us a little bit about you?

MSTRAY BOOKS: Hi, hi! We're a fledgling bookstore—online and popping-up around Long Beach—run by Jos Charles and Claire Schwartz. We carry stationery, art supplies, and, of course, books; our catalog emphasizes world literature, leftist thought, and works in translation. We're especially excited by the communal aspects of reading. Whereas corporate bookstores geared towards individual consumption might stock thousands of titles, and often foreground new releases pushed by major publishers, we've selected a handful of books across time and place that have generated thought and conversation for us. Like the stray cats of Long Beach from which our name derives, one can wander down multiple paths. Whether a reader picks up a single book or reads entirely through one of our curated lists—which include fiction, poetry, revolutionary thought, art books, and children's literature—it's our hope they'll find new possibilities for growth. 

M: Can you each tell us about your background and journey that led you to your passion for books and stationery? 

SB: We're both poets and writers with day jobs in writing, in academia and editorial work, respectively. We've always cherished reading as a way of connecting with others. We both have early memories of sitting in bustling social spaces—on a crowded bus, a houseful of cousins, or in a packed living room with a television on—half-in and half-out of the gathering, on the periphery, making our way through a book. Reading was a way of being on our own time while also being a part of a larger social rhythm. Inevitably, the two worlds would intermix—an uncle would ask what the book was, a conversation would unfold, and the book would get passed along from the author's hand to ours to his. We carry that same feeling forward with our books and stationery: objects we've cherished that we're excited to share with you. 

M: Your curation is diverse, thoughtful, and aesthetically beautiful. What is your process for finding and selecting the titles and products you offer? Additionally, what are your main sources of inspiration?

SB: When we first started talking about opening a bookstore, we found ourselves split: we were both drawn to the intention of bookstores that stocked new books but loved the sense of wonder we had from wandering used bookstores. Stray Books—we hope!—combines the hand-selected feeling of the one with the sense of possibility of the other. When choosing our titles and products we're aiming to strike that balance. We tend to carry books that might not be pushed by mainstream markets but have had profound impact in other contexts. For example, the poetry collection In the Same Light: 200 Tang Poems for Our Century gathers some of the most central poems of classical Chinese literature, rendered in a sharp contemporary style by the poet Wong May. These translations highlight the robustness of the original work while grounding it in the political upheavals—displacement, migration, and exile—of the period. Reading this collection, one feels a companionship of life and language across thousands of years.

M: If you had to choose one all time favorite book to recommend to a new audience, what would it be and why?

SB: Oof, we couldn't possibly pick a single favorite! But lately we've found ourselves especially excited about John Berger's Understanding a Photograph. The book collects 25 years of essays by the British art critic who had a remarkable knack for distilling the abstractions of artistic thought in a really readable and public-facing way. Right now, we feel overwhelmed and overstimulated by the barrage of images coming through our screens; it can be very defeating, feeling like one is only, ultimately, a spectator. Against that, Berger offers a mode of looking that's active and a route towards political transformation. The book is also just really beautiful-looking; it's durable and makes you want to linger with it, unlike the fleeting feeling of scrolling. 

M: What future plans or goals for the business do you have that you'd like to share? 

SB: The dream is to open a brick-and-mortar location here in Long Beach. Ever since the lockdown phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, we've acutely felt the erosion of spaces for public gathering. It's a huge impetus behind starting the bookstore, to have a place people can attend a class or reading, hang out, or just use the bathroom. We'd also love to provide a space for groups already doing community-facing work within Long Beach to meet. While we love doing our pop-ups and hosting classes online, the vision won't feel complete until we have a physical space where people can gather. 

M: How can customers support you and follow you outside of your curated bookshelves at Burke? 

SB: Check out our full catalog at our website, sign up for emails, and follow us on Instagram! On our website you'll also find online classes we offer—like a poetry Workshop Intensive starting at the end of this month—and our six-month subscription service where we will customize a reading list just for you.  

Shop the Stray Books collection IN STORE through April 2026!