The flagship Busboys and Poets at 14th and V in Washington,
D.C., has a classy, convivial atmosphere, fare for both carnivores and vegans, a
bar that serves libations from cocktails to cappuccinos, comfy couches for
lounging, a jam-packed slate of events like film screenings and poetry slams and,
one of its most intriguing aspects, a bookstore operated by the nonprofit Teaching for Change.
When Andy Shallal, an
Iraqi-American artist, activist, restaurateur and former Teaching for Change
board member, opened the venue in 2005, he invited the organization to launch
the bookstore. (In a double milestone, Teaching for Change celebrates its 20th
anniversary this year.)
Busboys and Poets was founded as a gathering place to encourage dialogue on social and political issues, a viewpoint that dovetails with Teaching for Change's aim of "building social justice starting in the classroom," said executive director Deborah Menkart.
Teaching for Change promotes its agenda through publications such as the award-winning Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching, professional development for educators and parent organizing in schools and communities. "The bookstore allows us to focus on all three areas and helps us accomplish our mission. It allows us to promote a progressive perspective through literature to teachers, to parents, to the broader community," Menkart said.
The store carries a wide array of books in keeping with Teaching for Change's mission, ranging from Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, one of the store's current top sellers, to Michele Norris's memoir, The Grace of Silence, to Emma Donoghue's bestseller Room. Be it children's titles or educational resources, novels or biographies, "you can trust that we've screened the books," said Menkart.
Mollie Katzen's The New Moosewood Cookbook is featured on an endcap, and Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington, D.C., Landmark by Tracey Gold Bennett with Nizam B. Ali sits near the register. A portion of the proceeds from the latter's sales--the eatery is located near Busboys and Poets--benefit Teaching for Change.
"We're
looking for progressive authors, social justice themes, multicultural voices
and, generally, titles that go deeper than the mainstream media," said publications
director Don Allen, who has managed the bookstore since its inception. Even
current popular fiction with progressive themes, like Stieg Larsson's
Millennium trilogy, is among the store's offerings. "I was impressed with Larsson's
pro-feminist approach and his expertise on racist organizations in Europe. Pro-women,
anti-racist--sounds like a great fit for us," Allen added.
Sections include Activism, Arts & Culture, Politics of Society and Haitian Stories, Haitian Lives. A robust selection of poetry books is curated by poet-in-residence Derrick Weston Brown who, like the other bookstore staffers, is employed by Teaching for Change. Each of the Busboys and Poets locations--there is a second one in the District and another in Arlington, Va.--has a poet-in-residence. The restaurant's name has a poetic connection, taking inspiration from one-time hotel busboy and American poet Langston Hughes.
Aside from sharing space, the main link between the restaurant and the bookstore is in scheduling and promoting author events. A separate, sizeable room is used to host gatherings, with a stage for headliners and dining tables for attendees who would like to enjoy a meal. In addition to coordinating author soirées for the 14th Street location, Teaching for Change employees often assist in setting up events at the other Busboys and Poets locales. Among the recent author guests were Alice Walker and Edwidge Danticat.
The bookstore is situated in a prominent,
street-front section of the restaurant near the entrance. Brand-new signage
graces some of the shelves, courtesy of Ad 2 DC, a group of young advertising
professionals that lends their expertise to a different nonprofit each year. Laminated signs mounted on wire frames were
inserted into holes drilled in the tops of the shelves. Not only do the
signs make it easier for shoppers to find specific sections, they alert them that
their purchases are supporting Teaching for Change. "A lot of people come
in here and don't know the bookstore is operated by a nonprofit," noted
Menkart.
Those who contribute $250 or more to Teaching for Change receive special recognition in the bookstore. A colorful, handcrafted plaque made by local multi-media artist, teacher and writer Anike Robinson is created for each benefactor and displayed on the donor wall. Presented with the plaques is a continuously-running slide show spotlighting donors as well as providing information about Teaching for Change and the Zinn Education Project, an initiative that promotes the use of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States in the classroom and with which Teaching for Change is affiliated.
Last year Teaching for Change launched an online storefront, an additional revenue source and a place to spotlight recommended reading and bestseller lists on topics such as Food, Health, and the Environment; Graphic Novels; and History and Politics: Africa. A portion of in-store sales is generated by foot traffic in the popular restaurant, which was packed on a recent Friday afternoon. "We do get a lot of diners but also teachers, members of the social justice and NGO communities, activists, tourists, and the poetry/spoken word community," said Allen.
Teaching for Change's Busboys and Poets Bookstore hit the five-year mark in September and is going strong, something Menkart credits to a specific factor. "The success of the bookstore is the staff," she said. "As manager, Don has hired people who know the book industry and who also really care about the mission and the literature."--Shannon McKenna Schmidt