All About
The BookBurn BackStory
When They Burn Books, We Build Sanctuaries. When they attempt to quiet us, we raise a chorus!!
A radical café, store, and bar/lounge featuring banned books, LGBTQ+/BIPOC publications, queer stories, and revolutionary art—opening in Orlando, FL.
In a time when books are being banned, communities silenced, and trans and queer voices erased—BookBurn Café rises from the flames.
We’re creating a sanctuary in the heart of Orlando, Florida: a café, store and bar/lounge where banned books are revered and find their home, marginalized artists fill the walls, and trans and non-binary people and allies lead with power and love.
Our space will serve consciously sourced coffee, host live readings and performances, and curate art and literature from LGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous, and POC creators. With your support, BookBurn Café will be a vibrant act of cultural resistance — and a safe haven for those who need it most.
PROJECT STORY
BookBurn is more than a cafe. It’s a living archive. A place of radical warmth and amplified voices, where the walls echo our stories, and a stage for the silenced.
Inspired by the 20th-century book burnings and the long history of communities and even civilizations who fled with sacred texts in their arms, BookBurn flips the fire into fuel. We reclaim erasure and censorship with celebration, with storytelling, with survival.
THE SPACE INCLUDES
• A retail boutique space
• A café with coffee from the Philippines, that supports ethical farming and radical hospitality, as well as supporting another local coffee roaster, Stemma, who aligns with the BookBurn Mission
• We’re proud to partner with an Orlando staple, Stemma Craft Coffee. Be sure to check them out!
• A small performance stage for poetry, readings, and open mic nights
• A curated gallery space featuring marginalized artists, writers, and creators whose work has been overlooked or supressed.
• A 16-tap bar that also features the top 2 beers from the Philippines, in addition to various mocktails and champagne, to always usher in a spirit of celebration.
BookBurn Cafe stands as both refuge and resistance — a space where culture, activism, and artistry converge.
More than a business, it is a movement to reclaim the narratives of the oppressed, to preserve banned literature, and to foster radical love and visibility. Every shelf, every wall, every cup tells a story of resilience and joy.
When the world around us chooses to extinguish our history, we become the revolutionaries and the storytellers.
Jonny Cruz
When They Burn Books, Jonny Cruz Builds Sanctuaries
In the state of Florida, where books are banned and queer voices are silenced, one man is lighting the match—not to destroy, but to illuminate. Jonny Cruz, a Filipino gay activist and creative force, is turning trauma into transformation with BookBurn Café and Social, a radical café bar/lounge opening in Orlando, Florida. His mission? To build a sanctuary for the silenced.
Born from personal survival, Jonny’s vision is not just business—it’s resistance.
“As a person of color and a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I understand the need for safe spaces, and I wanted to create a place that is the very thing I needed most. BookBurn Café and Social is that place.”
Jonny Cruz
Where banned books find a home, walls showcase revolutionary art from queer and BIPOC creators, BookBurn is more than a café. It’s a countercultural haven—an act of radical hospitality. A reminder that stories, when shared with pride and without fear, can save lives.
But the mission doesn’t stop there. BookBurn also advocates fiercely for mental health awareness, creating programming and partnerships with local organizations to provide resources and support for those living with depression, anxiety, and trauma. “We’re not just here for the margins,” Jonny explains. “We’re here for the wounded. The healing. The brave people still showing up every day despite what they’ve been through.”
That includes survivors of domestic violence and abuse—groups often erased in discussions of queer resilience. BookBurn’s programming and partnerships are being shaped to center their voices as well.
Importantly, the café is also a space for allyship. Jonny insists that non-marginalized people have a vital role to play: “This isn’t about exclusion—it’s about solidarity. BookBurn is for anyone ready to stand with us, not just watch from the sidelines.”
The name itself is a reclamation. Inspired by the 20th-century book burnings and other acts of cultural erasure, BookBurn flips fire into fuel, transforming censorship into sanctuary.
In a political climate determined to dim marginalized voices, Jonny Cruz is amplifying them. Through trauma, he has built a blueprint. Through pain, he has crafted purpose.
And in Orlando, a spark is catching fire.
Locally Sourced Artisan Coffee
Unique Craft Beer Selection
Collection of Banned Books
Engaging Live Performances
Come Check Out BookBurn Cafe and Social and
Discover Our Diverse Range of Products
Our menu blends traditional favorites with innovative flavors.
Discover Our Diverse Range of Products
Enjoy our expertly crafted coffee made from ethically sourced beans and select beer and wine every day of the week.
