Tag Archives: Word Up Community Bookshop

Work Up: Paul Yamazaki’s Reading the Room: A Bookseller’s Tale with Veronica Santiago Liu

Thursday, April 18, 2024 – 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Word Up Community Bookshop Librería Comunitaria
2113 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10032

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Word Up welcomes legendary bookseller Paul Yamazaki to celebrate his new book Reading the Room: A Bookseller’s Tale and to discuss his 50+ years at City Lights Bookstore and the past, present, and future of bookselling with Word Up founder & general coordinator Veronica Santiago Liu.

This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with 50 max attendees. Please register in advance. 

In compliance with Word Up Community Safety guidelines, all attendees for this event must wear a mask inside.

Word Up Community Bookshop is located at 2113 Amsterdam Ave. (& 165th St.) in Washington Heights, NYC. You can take the 1 train to 168th St and the A/C train to 163rd or 168th  St.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Reading the Room is Paul Yamazaki’s love letter to the work of bookselling and an engaged life of the mind.

Over twenty-four hours, Paul Yamazaki leads us through the stacks of storied City Lights Booksellers in San Francisco; the care and prowess of his approach to book buying; his upbringing in a Japanese American family in Southern California and moving to San Francisco at the height of revolutionary foment; working with legendary figures in the book publishing industry like Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Sonny Mehta, and others; and his vision for the future of bookselling. Navigating building trust with readers and nurturing relationships across the literary industry, Yamazaki testifies to the value of generosity, sharing knowledge, and dialogue in a life devoted to books.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Paul Yamazaki has been the principal buyer at City Lights Booksellers, the legendary San Francisco bookstore and publisher founded by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter Martin, for more than fifty years. A champion for national and global literature, writers, publishers, and independent bookstores, Yamazaki was the recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 2023 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. He has mentored generations of booksellers across America.

ABOUT THE INTERLOCUTOR

Veronica Santiago Liu is the founder and general coordinator of the collective that operates Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria. Prior/concurrent to that, she was managing editor then senior editor for more than a decade at Seven Stories Press, where she currently contributes as an editor at large. Veronica cut her teeth in bookselling 21 years ago as book buyer’s assistant and website producer at Kim’s Video and Music, and in publishing 20 years ago as the co-founder of Fractious Press.

Word Up – Book Salon: Emilie Boone’s A NIMBLE ARC: James Van Der Zee and Photography

Tuesday, April 9, 2024 – 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Word Up Community Bookshop Librería Comunitaria
2113 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10032

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Join Word Up for a book salon honoring Emilie Boone and her new book A Nimble ARC: James Van Der Zee and Photography, about the renowned Harlem Renaissance photographer with professors Janée Moses & Laurie Woodard. The conversation will be moderated by Vanessa K. Valdés, author of Diasporic Blackness: The Life and Times of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg.

This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with 30 max attendees. Please register in advance.

In compliance with Word Up Community Safety guidelines, all attendees for this event must wear a mask inside.

Word Up Community Bookshop is located at 2113 Amsterdam Ave. (& 165th St.) in Washington Heights, NYC. You can take the 1 train to 168th St and the A/C train to 163rd or 168th  St.

ABOUT THE BOOK

While James Van Der Zee is widely known and praised for his studio portraits from the Harlem Renaissance era, much of the diversity and expansive reach of his work has been overlooked. From the major role his studio played for decades photographing ordinary people and events in the Harlem community to the inclusion of his photographs in the landmark Harlem On My Mind exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1969, Van Der Zee was a foundational Black photographer whose work illustrates the shifting ways photography serves as a constitutive force within Black life. In A Nimble Arc, Emilie Boone considers Van Der Zee’s photographic work over the course of the twentieth century, showing how it foregrounded aspects of Black daily life in the United States and in the larger African diaspora. Boone argues that Van Der Zee’s works exist at the crossroads of art and the vernacular, challenging the distinction between canonical art photographs and the kind of output common to commercial photography studios. Boone’s account recasts our understanding not only of this celebrated figure but of photography within the arc of quotidian Black life.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Emilie Boone is an assistant professor of African American/African Diaspora Arts in the Department of Art History at New York University. She researches and teaches the art and visual culture of the African Diaspora with a focus on vernacular photography and global encounters.

Janée Moses, Assistant Professor of English, specializes in African American Literature, 20th-century black expressive cultures, and oral history theory and methodology. Her current book project is an intertextual study of black women’s life writing and performances that combines extraordinary pursuits and ordinary experiences to highlight the fullness of their lives. Her writing appears in publications including Rejoinder and BOMB Magazine. An established oral historian, Moses serves as the Director of BOMB Magazine’s Oral History Project, preserving the narratives of black visual artists in America.

Laurie Woodard began her professional career as a dancer with the Dance Theater of Harlem and completed her PhD in History and African American Studies at Yale University. She is an Associate Professor of History and Black Studies at The City College of New York. Her research focuses upon the intersection between the cultural and political realms and employs interdisciplinary methodologies drawing from cultural and sociopolitical history, critical race theory, and women and gender studies. Her work, which has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Mellon Foundation, and PSC-CUNY, has appeared in The Journal of African American History, The New York Times, and American Quarterly. She is the author of A Real Negro Girl: Fredi Washington and the New Negro Renaissance (Oxford University Press, 2024).

Vanessa K. Valdés is the Associate Provost for Community Engagement at The City College of New York. She is the author and editor of several books, including Diasporic Blackness: The Life and Times of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg.

NYC Book Launch: CEMETERY OF UNTOLD STORIES by Julia Alvarez with Angie Cruz & Elizabeth Acevedo

Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Doors: 6:00pm, Show: 7:00pm
United Palace
4140 Broadway, New York, NY 10033

Date: Wednesday, April 3rd | Doors: 6:00pm, Show: 7:00pm

Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria and the United Palace of Cultural Arts proudly present literary icon Julia Alvarez for The Cemetery of Untold Stories, her new inventive and emotional novel about storytelling and her homeland of the Dominican Republic, also available in Spanish.

Alma Cruz, the celebrated writer at the heart of The Cemetery of Untold Stories, doesn’t want to end up like her friend, a novelist who fought so long and hard to finish a book that it threatened her sanity. So when Alma inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic, her homeland, she has the beautiful idea of turning it into a place to bury her untold stories—literally, allowing them to talk back to her and talk to one another behind her back, rewriting and revising themselves. The Cemetery of Untold Stories asks: Whose stories get to be told, and whose buried? Readers of Isabel Allende’s Violeta and Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead will devour Alvarez’s extraordinary new novel about beauty and authenticity.

This exciting evening, held in Washington Heights, will feature a conversation between Alvarez and two fellow Dominican-American writers Angie Cruz (Dominicana, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water) and Elizabeth Acevedo (The Poet X, Family Lore). The conversation will be followed by a Q&A.

ASL and Spanish-language interpretation will be available. The event will be livestreamed in English and available with purchase of a ticket.

TICKETS:

  • $30 ticket with book IN ENGLISH
  • $22 ticket with book IN SPANISH (boleto con libro EN ESPAÑOL)
  • $10 companion ticket (no book)
  • $5 companion ticket for ages 12 & under
  • $8 livestream

Signing. There will be no signing opportunity at the event. Books purchased with a ticket will be signed before the event and available for pick up once you arrive. If you would like any additional books signed from the authors’ catalogs, please purchase the books ahead of time or at the event while supplies last. No books brought by attendees will be signed.

Group Sales. For group sales (schools and youth programs) of 15 or more, please contact Word Up directly at uptownreads@wordupbooks.com.

Accessibility. The United Palace is fully accessible via wheelchair and ramped for easy access. There is wheelchair seating in the first few rows. Accessible restrooms are available on the first floor.

Getting there. The United Palace is located at 4140 Broadway, New York, NY 10033 in Washington Heights. You may take the A Train to 175th Street & Fort Washington Avenue, the C Train to 168th Street & Broadway, and the 1 Train to 181st Street & St. Nicholas Avenue. There is no public parking; there are parking garages at 4162 Broadway, 4172 Broadway, 4070 Broadway, 554 174th St., 100 Haven Ave., 200 Haven Ave., 284 Audubon Ave., and 506 181st Street.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Word Up Community Bookshop’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Julia Alvarez left the Dominican Republic for the United States in 1960 at the age of ten. She is the author of six novels, three books of nonfiction, three collections of poetry, and eleven books for children and young adults. She has taught and mentored writers in schools and communities across America and, until her retirement in 2016, was a writer in residence at Middlebury College. Her work has garnered wide recognition, including a Latina Leader Award in Literature from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, the Woman of the Year by Latina magazine, and inclusion in the New York Public Library’s program “The Hand of the Poet: Original Manuscripts by 100 Masters, from John Donne to Julia Alvarez.” In the Time of the Butterflies, with over one million copies in print, was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for its national Big Read program, and in 2013 President Obama awarded Alvarez the National Medal of Arts in recognition of her extraordinary storytelling.

Angie Cruz is the author of the novels How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water, Soledad, Let It Rain Coffee, and Dominicana, which was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize and a Good Morning America Book Club pick. She is founder and editor in chief of Aster(ix), a literary and arts journal, and is an associate professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh.

Elizabeth Acevedo is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Poet X, which won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Carnegie medal, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and the Walter Award. She is also the author of With the Fire on High—which was named a best book of the year by the New York Public Library, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal—and Clap When You Land, which was a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor book and a Kirkus finalist. She holds a BA in Performing Arts from The George Washington University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. Acevedo has been a fellow of Cave Canem, Cantomundo, and a participant in the Callaloo Writer’s Workshops. She is a National Poetry Slam Champion, and resides in Washington, DC with her loves.

EN ESPAÑOL

Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria y el United Palace of Cultural Arts se enorgullecen de presentar a la icónica escritora Julia Alvarez y su nueva novela El cementerio de los cuentos sin contar. Una obra tan ingeniosa como emocionante que aborda el oficio de narrar y su conexión con República Dominicana, tierra natal de la autora.

Alma Cruz, una renombrada autora ha decidido ponerle punto final a su carrera, pero teme el destino de su amiga, una novelista arrastrada a la locura por un libro que jamás terminó de escribir. Por eso, cuando hereda un pequeño terreno en República Dominicana, a Alma se le ocurre la brillante idea de convertirlo en un lugar donde sepultar sus historias inconclusas. Quiere que descansen en paz en la misma tierra donde yacen sus raíces. Pero Alma no cuenta con que ahora es el turno de sus historias de dialogar con ella y entre sí; de reescribirse y revisarse por sí mismas. En el corazón de la novela yace la pregunta: ¿Qué historias merecen ser contadas y cuáles se quedarán sin contar? Quienes disfrutaron la lectura de Violeta, de Isabel Allende, y de Demon Copperhead, de Barbara Kingsolver, se deleitarán con esta maravillosa novela sobre la belleza y la autenticidad.

Este extraordinario evento, que se llevará a cabo en Washington Heights, contará con una charla entre Alvarez y dos destacadas escritoras dominicano-estadounidenses, Angie Cruz (Dominicana, Cómo no ahogarse en un vaso de agua) y Elizabeth Acevedo (Poet X, Sabiduría familiar). A la charla le seguirá una sesión de preguntas y respuestas.

Habrá interpretación en lenguaje de señas estadounidense (ASL) y en español. El evento será transmitido en vivo en inglés con la compra de un boleto.

BOLETOS:

  • $30 con libro EN INGLÉS
  • $22 con libro EN ESPAÑOL
  • $10 Boleto acompañante (sin libro)
  • $5 Boleto acompañante para menores de 12 años
  • $8 Transmisión en vivo

Firmas: no habrá firma de libros en el evento. La autora firmará los libros adquiridos con un boleto antes del evento y estarán disponibles en la entrada. Si desea libros firmados adicionales de los catálogos de los autores, le sugerimos comprarlos con anticipación o durante el evento, hasta agotar las existencias. No se firmarán libros traídos por los asistentes.

Ventas grupales: para ventas grupales (escuelas y programas juveniles) de 15 o más personas, por favor comuníquese directamente con Word Up a uptownreads@wordupbooks.com.

Accesibilidad: el United Palace cuenta con rampas de acceso para sillas de ruedas. Hay asientos adaptables para sillas de ruedas en las primeras filas. Baños accesibles disponibles en el primer piso.

Cómo llegar: el United Palace se encuentra en 4140 Broadway, Nueva York, NY 10033, en Washington Heights. Puede tomar el tren A hasta la calle 175 y la avenida Fort Washington, el tren C hasta la calle 168 y Broadway, y el tren 1 hasta la calle 181 y la avenida St. Nicholas. No contamos con estacionamiento público; hay estacionamientos en 4162 Broadway, 4172 Broadway, 4070 Broadway, 554 174th St., 100 Haven Ave., 200 Haven Ave., 284 Audubon Ave. y 506 181st Street.

Este programa cuenta con apoyo parcial de fondos públicos del Departamento de Asuntos Culturales de la Ciudad de Nueva York en colaboración con el Gobierno de la Ciudad. Los programas de Word Up Community Bookshop son posibles gracias al Consejo de las Artes del Estado de Nueva York con el apoyo de la Oficina del Gobernador y la Legislatura del Estado de Nueva York.

ACERCA DE LAS AUTORAS

Julia Alvarez vivió en República Dominicana hasta los diez años, entonces emigró a los Estados Unidos. Es autora de seis novelas, tres libros de no ficción, tres colecciones de poesía y once libros para niños y jóvenes. Ha sido maestra y mentora de jóvenes escritores en escuelas y comunidades en todo el país y, hasta su jubilación en 2016, fue escritora residente en el Middlebury College. Su obra ha sido ampliamente reconocida, galardonada con un Premio a la Líder Latina en Literatura del Instituto del Caucus Hispano del Congreso, el Premio al Patrimonio Hispano en Literatura, la Mujer del Año según la revista Latina, y ha sido incluida en el programa La mano del poeta: manuscritos originales de 100 maestros, desde John Donne hasta Julia Alvarez de la Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York. En el tiempo de las mariposas, que ha vendido más de un millón de ejemplares, fue seleccionado por la National Endowment for the Arts para su programa nacional Big Read. En 2013 el presidente Obama otorgó a Alvarez la Medalla Nacional de las Artes en reconocimiento a su extraordinario talento narrativo.

Angie Cruz es autora de las novelas  Cómo no ahogarse en un vaso de agua, Soledad, Let It Rain Coffee y Dominicana, preseleccionada para el Women’s Prize y selección del Good Morning America Book Club. Es fundadora y editora general de Aster(ix), una revista literaria y artística, y profesora asociada de inglés en la Universidad de Pittsburgh.

Elizabeth Acevedo es autora bestseller del New York Times por The Poet X, que ha ganado el Premio Nacional del Libro en la categoría de Literatura Juvenil, el Premio Michael L. Printz, el Premio Pura Belpré, la medalla Carnegie, el Boston Globe–Horn Book Award y el Premio Walter. También es autora de El ingrediente secreto de Emoni Santiago, considerado uno de los mejores libros del año por la Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York, NPR, Publishers Weekly y School Library Journal; y de Clap When You Land, libro que recibió el Boston Globe–Horn Honor Book y fue finalista de Kirkus. Tiene una licenciatura en Artes Escénicas de la Universidad George Washington y una maestría en Escritura Creativa de la Universidad de Maryland. Acevedo ha sido becaria de Cave Canem, Cantomundo y participante en los Talleres de Escritores de Callaloo. Reside en Washington D.C. con sus amores.