When did this city
fold into the palm of my hand?
When did its lines
become a part of me?
When did I come to know
its faces?
when it sleeps
and when it wakes.
When did I see its beauty clearly?
When did my ears open to hear
a drumbeat
of a transplanted heart called home?
Speech given on February 1, 2024 in Havana, Cuba In 1927 Langston Hughes walked into a Cuba amid an emerging community of artists, intellectuals, and radicals. He saw a “sunrise in a new land [– a day – in his words]sic – full of brownskin surprises, and hitherto unknown contacts in a world of color.” … Continued
January 18, 2024 – January 25, 2024 In keeping with our ongoing mission of uplifting racial and cultural connections, Busboys and Poets is hosting Palestine Week (January 18 through January 25, 2024). This week-long series of events will offer a diverse range of programming featuring Palestinian food, music, dance, poetry, discussions, and other enriching events. … Continued
We’re 30+ days into the longest federal government shutdown in history with no sure sign of when it’ll actually end (reopening for three weeks does not count, Mr. President.) The State of the Union address was scheduled to take place on January 29, 2019, but has never been given during a government shutdown. What should … Continued
The Takoma Park Busboys and Poets will have a space dedicated to coworking when it opens at the end of the year, owner Andy Shallal says.
{teaser}
A message from Busboys and Poets Founder, Andy Shallal Happy Fourth of July. My family moved to this country in 1966 when I was 10. I know the decision to pull up roots from our homeland in Iraq and replant them in a place that was unfamiliar was not an easy one. Like so many … Continued