Set & Setting Owner Kaleigh Basso Is Redefining What a Queer Bookstore Looks Like in Louisville, recommends these 5 books
Kaleigh Basso has always wanted to work in a queer bookstore. Now, she owns and operates Set & Setting: one of the quirkiest and most unapologetically queer independent bookstores in Louisville.
Set & Setting Brings DIY Queer Bookstore to Louisville
Since moving to her new location within ARTPORTAL, Basso has hosted several colorful events inviting local readers, writers, and artists to exchange advice, supplies, and company. She’s also fulfilled a secondary dream of becoming a barista: serving coffee, tea, and baked goods to customers and visitors hoping to snack while honing their craft.
“I’m not interested in doing it the same way that every other [Queer] bookstore or every other small business does things,” Basso said. “I’ve always been sort of very DIY, very scrappy, very adaptable. And I think that from the previous location in a small studio to now being what is basically a book stand, it lends itself really well to being a different business model that feels new, but is also very clearly not interested in the way things should be done.”
From its name (inspired by research conducted on psychedelic drugs) to its products (indie chapbooks, snarky stickers, and aesthetically pleasing stationery), Set & Setting prides itself on providing an unorthodox, wholly original approach to a book-buying space.
How Kaleigh Basso’s Identity Shapes the Queer Bookstore’s Curation and Community
“As a queer autistic woman, it definitely influences the way that I curate, the way that I run the business, the way that I present the business to other people, and also the way that I interact with customers.” Basso said.
Basso’s unique approach to running her queer bookstore also draws a unique crowd of people, including “a lot of gays, a lot of weirdos, and a lot of crafters.”
“Everyone that comes in is very appreciative of the variety in the curation,” Basso said. “It’s a lot of people who care a lot, and that’s always kind of what I’m going for. I want people who want to be earnest and be in a space that feels good.”
Since starting Set & Setting in 2021, Basso has also formed a meaningful relationship with the Midwest Pages to Prisoners initiative: “An all-volunteer effort that strives to encourage self-education among prisoners in the United States.”
Those interested in supporting Set & Setting’s quest to provide books for the incarcerated can purchase materials on their Bookshop wishlist.
“I’m always trying to figure out ways to do more that helps people.” Basso said.
A Community Hub for Queer Bookstore Readers, Writers and Artists
Basso also helps her community by using her queer bookstore’s space to host unique social events. In the month of December, queer bookstore Set & Setting happily welcomed writers, readers, and artists to participate in a Read & Sip, Writing Salon, and Collage Night.
To keep up with Set & Setting’s event schedule, consider following their Instagram or subscribing to Basso’s Substack, where she updates readers on the behind-the-scenes of running a small business.
Readers interested in surrounding themselves with queer literature and queer authors can explore Basso’s recommendations below!
5 Queer Titles Recommended by Set & Setting Queer Bookstore
Open Throat follows a queer mountain lion living beneath the Hollywood sign as they struggle to survive starvation, wildfires, and droughts.
“I love how strange it is to have the perspective of a queer mountain lion,” Basso said.
“I love novels written by poets, but this one just blew me away,” Basso said.
“Martyr!” was shortlisted for the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction and labelled a New York Times bestseller. Recently, it was selected for Set & Setting’s monthly bookclub, where it also received great praise from its readers.
“It’s about a young orphan in his late 20s trying to figure out what it is to die a meaningful death,” Basso said. “It’s a little surreal and it’s very beautiful.”
“Chain Gang All Stars” is a dystopian novel critiquing the prison industrial complex, the entertainment industry, and capitalism. Its sapphic main characters must fight against other inmates in televised gladiator matches in order to entertain the nation and possibly secure their freedom.
“[“Chain Gang All Stars”] takes something that is rooted in the things we are seeing and witnessing now,” Basso said. “In the way that dystopian literature does, it asks: what if we took that to its extreme?”
Lee Mandelo, a local trans author, describes his 2024 novella as “equal parts historical horror, trans romance, and blood-soaked revenge, all set in 1920s Appalachia.”
At only 153 pages, “The Woods All Black” is a perfect choice for readers craving a small dose of scares.
“Space Story” by Fiona Ostby is a graphic novel that uses color to help readers differentiate between its three main characters: a lesbian couple and their teenage daughter. Trapped on a dying Earth, the family must find a way to escape to a space station and reunite after tragedy separates them.
Set & Setting is open from Tuesday to Saturday and located within ARTPORTAL at 1512 Portland Ave. in Louisville. However, customers can go through Set & Setting’s Bookshop account to search for, order, and ship titles not always available in-store – as well as support an independent bookstore and its seller.
