Shirlington is a literary community!

We had a great meeting this past Saturday morning at Shirlington welcoming new members and choosing upcoming books to read & discuss.

The book club meets on the third Saturday of every month at 9am in the Robeson Room. Always open to new members!  Support your local, independent bookstore and purchase your books from Busboys and Poets Books at Shirlington!

Upcoming books and meetings:

August 17, 2013

: “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz
Chapter 1 of “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn

September 21, 2013

: “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore
Chapter 2 of “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn

October 19, 2013

: “What It Was” by George Pelecanos
Chapter 3 of “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn

We also have a book club at Hyattsville that meets on the last Saturday of every month at 9am in the Zinn Room.

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

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

9. The Art Factory (Fabrica De Arte Cubano)

Reflections from the Busboys and Poets Travel Tribe’s Cultural Exchange trip to Cuba (July 6-13, 2022)  Of all the places I visited in Cuba. Of all the events. The panels. The museums. The sights and sounds. The Fabrica De Arte Cubano (aka Fabrica) stands out. An old repurposed oil factory. Transformed into a multi level. … Continued

Busboys and Poets Books Review: My Guantanamo Diary

Busboys and Poets Books Review: My Guantanamo Diary

Have you set a goal or a resolution for the New Year? As I’m reading My Guantanamo Diary (PublicAffairs $14.99), by Mahvish Rukhsana Khan for an upcoming literary club with a dramatic twist (details to follow), I’d like to encourage you to consider participation in the arts as a worthy goal for 2018. Artists, writers … Continued

157985198 10157993997577555 9162490680235911047 n

Everest Base Camp #19

The journey continues I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for coming along on this journey. Your comments were priceless. I really looked forward to reading them. I will be sharing photos when I get better Wifi, and have been sketching here and there. There will be more to … Continued