The Secret Lantern: Books & Games

06/05/2026

Our June newsletter just landed!

Inside you'll find:
- New books and games we're excited about
- Upcoming events and adventures
- New drinks, new snacks, and some delicious additions to the cafe
- A look at what's happening under the lantern this summer

If you're not subscribed yet, now's a great time to join us and stay up to date on everything happening at The Secret Lantern.

Check it out here: https://vist.ly/56ree

What are you most excited about this month?

The Secret Lantern Newsletter | June 2026 Happy Pride, welcome to summer, and come see what is glowing under the lantern this June. The Lantern Glows Brighter in June The Secret Lantern Newsletter |

06/02/2026

New Releases Have Landed at The Secret Lantern

Another week means another stack of fresh books, games, graphic novels, and tabletop adventures hitting the shelves.

This week's haul includes:
Q***r fiction, romance, and anthologies
- Award-winning science fiction
- Epic fantasy and romantasy
- Cozy mysteries and murder investigations
- New board games and RPGs
- Graphic novels and middle grade adventures
- Thought-provoking nonfiction and history

Some titles that immediately caught our eye:
• Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim
• The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott
• Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle
• The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev AC Rosen
• They All Fall in Love at the End by Haili Blassingame
• For the Bride by Becca Grischow
• The League of Dangerous Young Ladies by A.R. Morgenstein
• Mr. Yay by Emily Jane
• Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell
• Baby & the Late Night Howlers by Kathryn Moon
• Death on the Lanai by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
• A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
• Homosexual Intifada: A Q***r Palestinian Anthology
• When the Revolution Comes by Chris Smalls

And for the gamers:
- Market Fresh
- Monster Eater: A Delicious in Dungeon Board Game
- Coyote & Crow Core Rulebook

Whether you're hunting for your next five-star read, a new campaign setting, or a board game that'll consume your entire weekend, we've got something waiting for you.

The Secret Lantern Books & Games

What are you picking up first?

06/02/2026

IT'S FINALLY HERE.

After months of planning, design revisions, permits, production, scheduling, waiting, more waiting, and a few moments where we wondered if we'd ever see it installed...

Our sign is finally up.

What started as a dream scribbled in notebooks and business plans is now hanging proudly on the front of our building for everyone to see.

It's funny how something as simple as a sign can feel so emotional. It's a reminder that this place is real. That The Secret Lantern exists because of an incredible community of readers, gamers, creators, dreamers, and supporters who believed in us long before our name was hanging above the door.

It's been a long road, and yes, signs are apparently much more expensive than anyone warns you about. 😅

But seeing it up there? Worth every minute.

Next up: seeing if we can get it to light up. We'll work our way to that~

Thank you for helping us build something special.

Welcome to The Secret Lantern Books & Games.

SmallBusinessJourney DreamsIntoReality

06/02/2026

Welcome to June at The Secret Lantern! We're celebrating Pride Month with a ton of fantastic events, and we're happy to announce the return of D&D Weekly Encounters. Check out some more highlights below!

WED 6/10 - D&D Encounters 1: The Shadows of Sithicus (every Wednesday)

THU 6/11 - Author Signing with Michael Hernandez (Bonemeal)

SUN 6/14 - LGBTQ+ Pride Day

SAT 6/20 - Improvised D&D: By The Light of the Burning Torch

TUE 6/23 - ACOTAR After Hours Reread 2: A Court of Mist and Fury

SAT 6/27 - Free RPG Day

Be sure to check out our Events page for the latest updates, tickets, and new events every week!

https://vist.ly/569jy

06/01/2026

Welcome to the first week of June, everyone! Check out the event lineup for the start of summer and Pride Month. We'll have a full monthly calendar published soon with game nights, author signing events, and a whole lot more!

Heads up - we'll be closed on Wednesday, 6/3 until 5PM for some inventory management and team meetings.

MON 6/1
- First Day of Pride Month

TUE 6/2
- Closed

WED 6/3
- Closed until 5:00PM
- Good Vibes Book Club: The Forever War

THU 6/4
- Blood on the Clocktower
- Shadowdark RPG Group 2
- Dark Chapters Book Club: Coffin Moon

FRI 6/5
- D&D Friday Night Fights

SAT 6/6
- Pirate Borg: Buried in the Bahamas Session 1/3

Find out more and grab tickets here: https://vist.ly/56425

05/27/2026

We believe bookstores should champion human creativity, not replace it.

From the beginning, The Secret Lantern Books & Games has had a simple policy: we do not stock AI-generated books or AI-generated art.

In light of recent statements from major corporations openly embracing AI-generated books and creative work, we feel it’s important to publicly say where we stand. We’re also joining bookstores across the country in taking a stance in support of human creators.

Our shelves are for human-made art.

That means: • No AI-written books
• No AI-generated covers or artwork
• No AI-generated comics or graphic novels
• No AI-generated marketing materials submitted by vendors
• No AI-generated content used in place of human creators

Stories matter because people make them. Writers, artists, designers, narrators, and other creatives deserve to have their work valued and supported.

We know thousands of books are released every year, and some AI-generated content may occasionally slip through unknowingly. If we discover a title or product that conflicts with our values, we will reevaluate it and remove it from our shelves.

This is not about public shaming. It’s about choosing what kind of creative community we want to support.

We choose people.

(Graphic created by John Hart, bookstore owner in Portland, and yes… a human.)

05/26/2026

You don’t have to be local to support The Secret Lantern Books & Games. 📚✨

If you’ve ever wished you could browse our shelves from afar, Bookshop lets you order books online while still supporting independent bookstores.

Whether you’re in Austin, NYC, Seattle, or halfway across the country, you can still shop with us.

Support indie bookstores. Buy books online. Keep weird little bookshops thriving. Who needs Amazon?

Shop our online shelve and make us your official store: https://vist.ly/55hdc

05/26/2026

You can now find Of Hearth & the Harrowing in FLGS in the Austin Metro area! Thanks to Dan of for taking the pick with me to celebrate!

You can also find it at ! Coming real soon to more stores in the area. If your FLGS is not on the list, have them reach out to us.

05/25/2026

We're wrapping up May with a week of events for our lovely community!

MON 5/25
- Hobby Night

TUE 5/26
- Closed

WED 5/27
- Dark Sun Session 0

THU 5/28
- Open Magic: The Gathering Night

FRI 5/29
- Open Game Night

SAT 5/30
- Learn to Play Dice Throne Adventures
- Neurodiversity Night

SUN 5/31
- Cereal Killers Book Club: The Alienist
- Whimsical Writing Workshop
- The Hollow Harvest One-Shot

Check out all of our events at https://vist.ly/55fh9

05/25/2026

Neurodiversity Night is a monthly low-pressure social gathering for neurodivergent adults at The Secret Lantern.

The goal is simple: create a space where people can show up exactly as they are without worrying about masking, performing socially, or trying to “fit in.”

There’s no agenda and no pressure to interact in any particular way.

You’re welcome to chat, quietly coexist, wander between activities, infodump about your latest hyperfixation, stim, take breaks, or just exist in the same space as other people who get it.

Our first gathering is:
📅 Saturday, 5/30
🕖 7–10 PM

Come hang out for five minutes or stay the whole night. We’d love to have you here. 💜