Anthem Books is an independent online and pop-up bookstore in Morristown, New Jersey, dedicated to curating arts and literary events. We are enthusiastic about bringing innovative voices that connect and inspire our vibrant community.
Anthem Books was started in 2025 by Ellen Papazian and Nicole DiMella. We are longtime Morristown friends who first bonded over our love of feminist art, riot grrrl, punk rock, and zine culture. These movements speak to our shared passion for and belief in the power of the artist’s response to systems of injustice. We believe that art and literature are potent forces that bring people together and reimagine a more equitable world.
Ellen Papazian is an English educator and writer with roots in feminist publishing. An art fangirl, her writing about art and feminism has appeared in Ms., Bitch, and Liber: A Feminist Review. For three years, she was the program manager for Her Words, a creative arts program for teen girls and trans youth. A Morristown resident since 2004, she’s the mother of two children educated in the Morris School District. Her teenage dream was to be the next Christine McVie, but then she discovered feminist art manifestos.
Anthem on Repeat: “Hot Topic,” by Le Tigre.
Current Favorite Book: Copy Machine Manifestos: Artists Who Make Zines, by Branden W. Joseph and Drew Sawyer.
Nicole DiMella is a photo editor who has sourced imagery for nonfiction book publishers for over 20 years. A lifelong art student, she studied photography and worked as a photojournalist. She sees the world in rectangles but does her best to think outside the box.
She has lived in Morristown since 2008 and has two children in the Morris School District. She was going to be a rock photographer like Annie Leibovitz but instead drives a minivan around Morristown and sometimes to punk rock shows with her friend Ellen.
Anthem on Repeat: “50ft Queenie,” by PJ Harvey.
Go-to Classic Book: The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton.