Welcome to Lavender Library Press!

Lavender Library Press is a queer-run, 2SLGBTQI+ indie press and creative house rooted in representation, confidence, and joy.

We operate on Treaty 6 territory. We honour the Indigenous Peoples of this land and commit to reconciliation through learning, respect, and action.

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Hi, I’m Ashley, the founder behind Lavender Library Press. I’m a teacher, a writer, and a lifelong book lover. I also spent years living and teaching in China, an experience that profoundly shaped how I see community, culture, and belonging. When I returned to Canada, I expected to feel at home, but instead, I felt culture shock. I was surprised by how much resistance, fear, and close-mindedness still existed around inclusion, diversity, and queer lives.

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That disconnect stayed with me. And it lit a spark. Lavender Library Press began with Rainbow Soup for the Queer Soul, inspired by the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul books that meant so much to me growing up in the 90s. Those books made me feel seen, understood, and less alone at a time when I needed it most. I wanted to create that same feeling, especially for 2SLGBTQI+ people who are still too often left out of the story.

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What started as a single book series (meant to be, share, and encourage representation) quickly became something much bigger. That first anthology revealed the power of community storytelling. It showed me how deeply people crave spaces where their identities aren’t questioned, minimized, or debated, just welcomed. From there, Lavender Library Press grew into a creative house dedicated to helping queer folks and allies reconnect with confidence, compassion, and creative expression, and then again from there, it because an education movement, an equity movement, an equality movement, a growth mindset movement, a sustainable survival movement....

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Today, Lavender Library Press is a vibrant hub where stories, journals, and everyday joy meet. Here, you’ll find:

✨ Free Resources: downloadable guides, safe space tools, identity spectrums, and educational materials created to support Canadians and all 2SLGBTQ+ folks, educators, families, and allies at no cost.

✨ Books: community-recommended booklists, the flagship Rainbow Soup series, and works in progress that centre 2SLGBTQI+ voices, confidence, and real Canadian lived experiences.

✨ Journals & Journaling Bundles: guided queer self-discovery journals, confidence-building prompts, junk journaling kits, and themed bundles designed to support reflection, healing, and growth.

✨ Rainbow Goodies and merch: mugs, tumblers, stickers, apparel, and colourful accessories that bring pride, softness, and visibility into everyday life.

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The heart of Lavender Library Press is simple, but powerful:

✨ Be representation by creating and sharing our own projects openly and proudly.

✨ Share representation by uplifting community voices, stories, and recommendations.

✨ Encourage representation so 2SLGBTQ+ people feel seen, celebrated, and empowered to take up space, and we can all make the world a better and safer place. 

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I didn’t start this press just to make books. I started it to give power to the good people with open eyes and open hearts. To those learning, unlearning, growing, and choosing empathy. To anyone who has ever felt like they had to shrink to be safe despite causing no harm.

Every journal filled, every book read, every sticker placed somewhere meaningful reminds me why this work matters. Lavender Library Press exists so people can live more authentically, more confidently, and more colourfully, regardless of their life path, without apology.

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At Lavender Library Press, you are invited to read, journal, create, and express yourself fully.

Your story matters. Your creativity matters. Your pride matters.

And you are always welcome here.

#noharmnofoul