Our reach.

The idea for Carabiner Collections was born during a road trip west toward California. Along the journey, co-founders Soleil, Jay, and Jordan derived inspiration at the Lavender Library in Sacramento, California.

What began as a conversation about access to queer resources in Texas quickly grew into a tangible vision—one focused on increasing access to queer books and strengthening community connection in the Brazos Valley.

Carabiner Collections launched its first outreach efforts with the support of a small but passionate group of community members. Through early fundraising, the organization raised enough to build its website and catalog and to debut a booth at First Friday in Downtown Bryan.

Additionally their outreach was installed in accessible book lockers at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Brazos Valley and Roots Psychotherapy.

Later this year, using the funding from the 2023 Project For Awesome grant, Carabiner Collections upgraded their library into a mobile book bus, dramatically increasing their collection and accessibility.

Within this year, Carabiner Collections was able to co-host a Banned Books Giveaway and Dance Party with author Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket, Books Not Bans, and Everything on the Shelves at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Brazos Valley.

The original goal for this year had been to lead a pride parade with the book bus at the helm, but instead, efforts were redirected to host the first-ever Pride Book Fair for 2025: A FREE, family-friendly community celebration spotlights LGBTQ+ stories, culture and history. This event also includes author presentations, drag performances, a diverse vendor market and more.

Carabiner Collections followed this event by launching the Queer Book Club and a book locker in the upstairs space at Murphy’s Law. This year marked many major upgrades across the organization, including the catalog system, website, infographics and outreach materials.

Though 2026 is still unfolding, Carabiner Collections has already hosted Queerly Beloved: An intimate Valentine’s Day whiskey tasting paired with stories from queer elders, all in support of the Pride Book Fair 2026.

Stay tuned for the next event: The Pride Book Fair 2026 (Saturday, June 27th at the Hilton in College Station)