Judging by the Cover is a new bookstore that opened in Fresno on Friday, November 8. It is Fresno’s first Queer and Latine-owned bookstore that promotes diversity and inclusivity within literature, which is at the heart of everything the bookstore offers.
The bookstore, with its diverse range of literature featuring BIPOC and queer authors, multiple languages, and poetry, stands out as a unique and inclusive space. Its commitment to uplifting marginalized voices has made it a go-to destination for readers in Fresno, offering a reading experience like no other.
Initially a pop-up, Judging by the Cover gradually expanded as part of an initiative with the Chinatown Fresno Foundation to help small businesses establish physical storefronts. The bookstore is located on F Street in Chinatown Pop-Up Place, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 to 6 p.m.
Owners Ashley Mireles-Guerrero and her husband, Carlos Mireles-Guerrero, opened the bookstore to help change the perception that Fresno lacks literary talent. Both have backgrounds in publishing and have witnessed the stigma Fresno faces in the literary world.
“We have so much literary talent here in town and nowhere for it to be showcased,” Ashley said. “We wanted to create a space where all the literary talents in Fresno can have their work highlighted, and eventually, we reached a point where we said, ‘Let’s create the space we want to see.’”
Judging by the Cover has all genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children, and young adult books. The bookstore even has cookbooks, which they hope to expand more in the future.
Ashley says her vision for the bookstore is to fill the entire room with books; they are almost there, and they want to build a section dedicated to Fresno talent.
The bookstore plans to provide access to non-English titles and have a focus on language and stories that reflect its community. “We want to make it so that all the books on the shelves truly represent the diversity in Fresno,” Ashley said. She believes with more access to diverse content in media like literature, people will start reading about what matters to them and begin to love reading again.
Ashley shared that one book that has shaped her journey was Baseball in April and Other Stories by Fresno author Gary Soto. “It was the first time as a child I realized books, literature, and writing could be a career.”
Ashley and Carlos also plan to make Fresno a stop for all the prominent authors and publishers so the city can receive new releases and author announcements locally.
