What if faith is what we practice when certainty is impossible? In this episode, Isabella sits down with Jules and Alex from The People's Letters, a worker-led cooperative bookshop and event space in Bethnal Green, London. They explore what happens when doubt becomes something we carry collectively rather than alone, how alternative institutions of care can be built together, and why doubt doesn't have to stop us from taking action. Recorded on their one-year anniversary, this conversation is an intimate look at cooperative values, collective responsibility, conflict resolution, and the quiet revolutionary power of community spaces.
About The Guests
Jules and Alex are co-founders and workers at The People's Letters, a worker-led cooperative bookshop and community event space located at 395 Cambridge Heath Road in Bethnal Green, East London. Opened in October 2025, The People's Letters operates as a bright, welcoming third space that combines radical politics with accessibility, hosting events, secondhand books on a 'pay what you can' basis, and sharing space with Release, a harm reduction organisation. Both Jules and Alex bring lived experience of marginalisation and community organising to their work building alternatives to capitalist models of retail and community care.
Resources & References
Credits
Host & Editorial Lead - Isabella Kajiwara
Producer - Ornella Mutoni
Executive Producer - Sylvia Hong
Guest - Jules and Alex, The People's Letters
Editor and Video Engineer - Andrew Shaktah
Development & Research Support - Micha Frazer Carrol
Final Edit Review - Hannah Azuonye
Studio - Podcast House
Link to episode transcript here.