Art All Night – The Drive-Thru Art Gallery in Anacostia

Created by local artists in partnership with the Anacostia BID and Busboys and Poets, the Art All Night Drive-Thru Art Gallery brings the Anacostia business corridors to life with an eclectic collection of artistic installations and original work.



Follow the CURATED MAP of artwork and businesses throughout the streets of Anacostia. The artistic installations will begin on the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, U Street, and Shannon Place.

Visitors are invited to travel by car, bike, moped, or pedicab to fully immerse themselves in this journey into artistic and creative expression.


PARTICIPATING ARTISTS INCLUDE:


Watch the LIVE STREAM powered by Anacostia BID

PALESTINE WEEK 1920 x 1080 px 2

Palestine Week 2024

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

The Making of Busboys and Poets

A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets

We’re proud to announce A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets, the new memoir from our CEO and Founder, which reveals the vision, challenges, and triumphs behind opening Busboys and Poets. Packed with misadventures, unexpected triumphs, and insights on race, business and politics, Andy Shallal’s memoir takes us on a “How I Built … Continued

PHOTO 2024 02 01 07 10 14

For Langston Hughes on His 123 Birthday

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

Busboys and Poets Books Review: Jim Brown, Last Man Standing

Busboys and Poets Books Review: Jim Brown, Last Man Standing

In clear, fluid prose, Dave Zirin chronicles the life of legendary Cleveland Browns running back, Jim Brown, from his childhood in St. Simons Island, Georgia, raised by three women, through his NFL and Hollywood acting careers, to his cultural impact as a Black Power icon in the 1960s and beyond. Zirin reveals a complicated picture … Continued

IMG 9625

Celebrate Poetry Month with Busboys and Poets

We celebrate poetry every day in our spaces. From the art, to the books, to our Tribe (several who are poets!), poetry surrounds us and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Whether it’s an Open Mic Night or just grabbing a few books of poetry to read, there’s no wrong way to celebrate with … Continued

Ramadan and the Games

Ramadan and the Games

Olympic games callously scheduled during the holiest of months for Muslims – Ramadan