Peanut Press Cafe

18/05/2022

***BIG NEWS***

It has been a little bit doom-and-gloom here at Shrub lately as we have been trying to work out how to stay open despite recently losing our main funders.

However, we had some INCREDIBLE news that made us all do a little happy dance when we found out...

The National Lottery has agreed to give us their Community Led Grant for the Zero Waste Community Hub! One of the requirements however is that we must fundraise £8000 of 'match funding' in order to receive this grant from them.

This is the best news we have had in a LONG time and we are delighted to be able to share this with our community but we want to emphasise we are not in the clear yet...we still need to raise this £8000 in order to get the grant! We are sure that with the support of our community, we will be able to get there!

With the support of this Crowdfunder we will be able to continue:

- making a circular economy accessible to those on lower incomes.

- redirecting textile waste away from foreign textile markets and ultimately landfill by partnering with hostels and other charitable organisations who can make use of the clothing we cannot sell.

- empowering our community to repair their clothing through workshops and normalising this as the first step before donating or throwing away clothing.

- educating our community on the importance of slow fashion.

- using our beautiful space at 22 Bread Street as our Zero Waste Hub.

- organising community events in our Zero Waste Hub and around the city.

- Organising Freeshops so we can prevent unwanted items from going to landfill.

- educating our community and the wider Edinburgh community about behaviour change activities that can help combat the climate crisis.

- running our vegan cafe and community space.

- improving employability amongst our volunteers by training them in customer service, communications, governance and policy, barista work, swapshop pricing etc.

There are 200 reward packs available so donate early to get yourself some zero waste goodies!

Link here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/keep-shrub-going-help-us-secure-funding

07/04/2022

PAMPHLET LAUNCH - join us next week for the launch of Isaac Harris’ () new pamphlet Ghetty Gospel!

‘Ghetty Gospel is a triptych of uncompromising stories set in Black America, nauseating sketches of souls getting by "in a country a' rot", the grim landscape gilded in desperate faith and an impasto of eclectic mythology. The protagonists lose grip on a reality that was never really offered, never allowed, probably never existed;
Isaac Harris creates this biome of négritude through a narrator which haunts Slim, Maurice, Luis, Black and Blud as they're incarcerated in a corner of our very own world, an existence that is so consuming it becomes a fully realised dystopia in itself, a Godforsaken fate, an overwhelming truth.’

28/02/2022

Our latest release! Out now!! In this pamphlet essay Zelda Solomon explores gender and race with a focus on the future of AI and robotics. Three characters in a film script mimicking Hollywood’s most superficial view of Asian culture play out their roles in a seedy nightclub, side by side with the author’s own studies and analyses drawn from personal experience. Solomon explores the myriad objectifying views on Asian women, a particularly current issue made more apparent during the coronavirus pandemic. 
All sales of this pamphlet will be donated to the London Chinese Community Centre.
Riso-printed on recycled paper and handbound at Peanut Press Cafe.
Buy now: peanutpress.co.uk link in bio

10/02/2022

A sad post. We all have incredible memories and will be sharing some, we'd love it if you could share any you have with us, please post notes and we'll stick them up in the window! Send us pictures! Thankyou so much! Xx

On Wednesday, the café was closed down. All over, communities are being destroyed. The state claims to care about our health and safety, but in truth, while claiming to care about those things, the state damages community by facilitating exorbitant levels of rent, allowing landlords to shirk their responsibilities, and above all offering no support for what the city really needs. The state does not fight the disease, but only pits itself against the symptoms.

One needs a tremendous amount of capital to start and run a community space like this, and when it is this prohibitive, an air of slow, corporate, plastic death sets into a city.

What we want to say is this: Community needs space. Without space, there is no community. With that said, we are more than just this space.

The intention was always to build a community and create a protective bubble from the exploitative, alienating system we are living in and the loneliness it creates. Somewhere people in all their wonderful differences could thrive and grow together. We warded off these things as much as we could.

Nobody made profit here, though we all were made richer by each other’s company. If people wanted to come and read a book here for three hours, we asked them nothing in return. It was never a business. It was a printing press. It was a recording studio. It was the best pizza in town. It was a poetry night. It was a dance hall. It was a piano in the corner. It was a place to meet after work. It was a home. It was a group of friends.

We would like to say to those of you who came to visit the Peanut Press in the past that we apologise. We are sure you took note of the number of people who counted themselves as familiar here, many of you among them. All were welcome, and we will miss you all and your contributions to this place immensely. This may be the end of the physical café, but not the end of the community that thrived here by any means.

Love,

The Peanut Press.

30/09/2021

Out now!! Our third poetry pamphlet is on sale via our website and in the cafe.
In 'she tells me' Amelia Graham takes the reader on a personal journey, where the natural world becomes synonymous with a reprieve from the city; the lived experience, where hardships clash against beautiful images of warmth and comfort. By the end of the collection the reader feels they have gazed from a train window onto memories of home, as the myriad facets of life flash by outside.
https://www.peanutpress.co.uk/product-page/she-tells-me-by-amelia-graham
Riso-printed on recycled paper and hand-bound at Peanut Press Café.

In she tells me Amelia Graham takes the reader on a personal journey, where the natural world becomes synonymous with a reprieve from the city; the lived experience, where hardships clash against beautiful images of warmth and comfort. By the end of the collection the reader feels they have gazed fr...

26/09/2021

Coming soon!! Our third poetry pamphlet, 'she tells me' by Amelia Graham will be available to buy online and in the cafe Wednesday 29th September!

14/09/2021

Come along on Thursday evening for some homemade Afghan food and good vibes with all donations going to Afghan Cricket Association, delivering vital aid to displaced Afghans and Afghan communities . Afghan Cricket Association - ACA

10/05/2021

Open Call! Are you able to write about a cause that you feel should have more exposure? We're looking for creative non-fiction pieces for our series of A6 pamphlets that will engage and educate. £100 for successful pitches, all sales go to the cause! Submissions to [email protected]

29/01/2021

Message us on facebook or instagram to order!x