An evening of daring ideas highlights an emerging literary scene.

This is an extended version of a story that appeared in the 4-10-14 edition of the Weekly.

We’re gathered around a table in the back corner of Old Capitol Books in Monterey. Around us are books on military history, and in the corner there’s an old poster of radical folk singer Pete Seeger.

We’re talking about the revolution.

Okay, more like the idea of revolution, and what a revolutionary future might look like. Things get abstract quickly: There’s talk of a stateless system, abolishing taxes and whether society would break down if there were no stop lights—or, taking it a step further, no cars.

At the end of the discussion one gray-haired woman says brightly, “I told all my friends I was coming to an anarchist meeting tonight.”

Indeed, the meeting was on anarchy—but it was more collegiate than conspiratorial.

There were 10 of us, including bookstore employees, a couple of California State Monterey Bay students and a university researcher. We discussed passages from authors like Emma Goldman, Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn. Once we'd attempted to define anarchy, some participants challenged the ideology and its principals. Others defended it. Personal politics aside, it was a fascinating thought experiment into how—and if—a fair society can be established. There’s something to be said about the unbound exploration of ideas, even if you don’t agree with them.

Stephanie Spoto, manager of the bookstore, has been organizing community discussion sessions like this one since Old Capitol reopened in November 2012.

“The idea is opening up critical theory and philosophy in an accessible way for people who have never had the opportunity to go to university,” she says.

The anarchy session was the first in a series called “Thinking Critically About Society,” which throughout April will attempt to knock down conventional attitudes about everything from education to disability. The Otter Cross Cultural Center at CSUMB is hosting the series on campus as well.

Previous events at the bookstore have included discussions on queer theory, the police state and Marxism.

Spoto says her gatherings about anarchy have, so far, been the most popular.

"People may be curious about the word and what it means," she says. "There's maybe some kind of excitement around the danger involved in it, or some kind of mystique or romance about being in an anarchist group."

Many of the discussions are facilitated by Spoto and friends from a group called Direct Action Monterey Network (DAMN), which Spoto describes as “a loose affiliation of anarchists, socialists, feminists, just generally anti-authoritarian activists and thinkers on the Peninsula.”

Not all the events Spoto organizes take such a pointedly political bent. There’s local author book signings, and a new sci-fi book club. There was a night of gay and erotic poetry, and a night of sonnets and cake, where people were invited to deconstruct their favorite Shakespearean poems.

It’s all contributing to the makings of a refreshing new literary scene—and right in the middle is Old Capitol Books. The bookstore, saved from closure in 2012, is evolving to meet the needs of the reading public. Owner Matthew Sundt has been optimizing the store’s collection for a Peninsula audience.

He’s paring down the more antiquated fare while bringing in better-selling books, like the Harry Potter series and Sherlock Holmes. He’s also working on bulking up the local-history collection, a customer favorite. The change in quality over the past year is noticeable.

"I bought this place totally on a whim,” Sundt says. “I figured this bookstore could go places. This bookstore could be something significant in the community.”

It’s already on its way.

The next THINKING CRITICALLY session at Old Capitol Books, 559 Tyler St., Monterey, is “Revolutionizing Education” on April 16. 333-0383, www.oldcapitolbooks.com