Healing Roots

For two years, Brigid Books served Atlanta as a mobile healing library on wheels, offering wellness resources, a warming spot of tea, and community. Popping up at community workshops and events around town, we shared a lending library of over 100 books focused on herbalism, botany, foraging, medicine making, aromatherapy, and holistic health.

The mobile library was named in honor of the late herbalist Elizabeth Brigid Gilhuly, whose donated collection birthed this initiative. Brigid is also the name of the ancient Irish goddess of healing, protection, and poetry—a perfect namesake for a healing library.

And as magical as it was to pop-up around town, we dreamed of finding a more permanent home, one that would allow for greater access to the collection.

And our dream has come true.

We are thrilled to announce that the Brigid Books collection has now found a permanent home! It is being incorporated into the new library project at the MURPH (Multi-Use Radical People’s Hall) in the West End. The MURPH is a feminist & anti-capitalist community space for local and global connection. They are home to spaces for individuals, organizations, groups and communities to gather, work, dream, scheme and take action for our collective liberation. The library isn’t open yet, but when it does, we will be sure to let y’all know and post updates here.

Charis Books and More is partnering with the MURPH to help grow the collection. This is a beautiful full-circle moment, as Herbalista Lorna spent many a day as a toddler playing in their children’s loft at the old Moreland Avenue location. If you would like to help grow their community library, you can purchase books directly through the MURPH Library Wishlist at Charis.

With Deep Gratitude

There are so many folks who shared the lifting of this mobile project and we want to give a huge thank you to Fleur & Forage for storing the collection in between pop-ups, to Keri and Leslie for rolling it around, to the Fire Cider Brigade and the Learning Garden for hosting us, and to every herbalist who donated books to grow our shelves. And to Elizabeth, whose herbal collection was the seed.