Women of Stone Soup – Hyattsville

Tamarra Royal, Hostess and Bookseller

What are your hobbies outside of work?

Exploring Washington, DC, reading, painting, and listening to music.

1) Who is your favorite female artist?

Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Dawn Penn.

2) What woman has inspired you?

My Mother is the reason I am the person I am today and even though she no longer with me she is still inspires me.

3)The Busboys and Poets community knows you’re a phenomenal woman, what makes you so?

I try to work as hard as I can to achieve the goals set for me. I also help others when they need it and I think I am one in SOOO many phenomenal women who work in the Busboys and Poets community.

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

AndyShallal PeaceandStruggle

The Nepal Chronicles #1

March 2, 2021… For the next couple of weeks I will be blogging on Facebook about a trip that I have been planning the day I turned 65, which was about a year ago. I am heading to Everest Base Camp and hoping to celebrate my 66th there. I got the all clear from my … Continued

New Happy Hour Specials

New Happy Hour Specials

Now enjoy happy hour specials, like 1/2 off Small Plates from 4-7pm at all locations

Busboys and Poets Books Review: From Headshops to Whole Foods

Busboys and Poets Books Review: From Headshops to Whole Foods

From Head Shops to Whole Foods by Joshua Clark Davis is a scholarly examination of activist entrepreneurs who use business as a tool to enact social and political change. It’s a far-reaching subject to dedicate this sort of academic rigor to, and the author limits his examination to four subjects: African American bookstores, head shops, … Continued