“Places of Purpose”

“Places of Purpose: @BusboysandPoets in Connnector Society

Busboys and Poets is a community where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted…a place to take a deliberate pause and feed your mind, body and soul…a space for art, culture and politics to intentionally collide…we believe that by creating such a space we can inspire social change and begin to transform our community and the world. – BB&P Tribal Statement

What a statement!

Since 2005, Busboys and Poets has been a pillar in the DC poetic arts community. And no wonder! If the name doesn’t give it away, the inspiration behind the name sure will. A tribute to the late, great poet himself, Langston Hughes, Busboys pays homage to the once busboy turned acclaimed poet of the Harlem Renaissance era. 

Founded by Iraqi-American artist, activist, and restaurateur, Anas “Andy” Shallal, BB&P (as the locals say), has become a community resource for artists, activists, writers, and community builders of all kinds. So if you’re looking for something to do that will inspire, challenge, motivate, and uplift: Check out the event list HERE. 

Busboys is a stellar example of a business invested in building it’s surrounding community. Besides donating over 15% of their annual earnings to various organizations, they are also a member of “THINK LOCAL FIRST“, supporting DC’s local and independent businesses. 

The owner is so invested in building the DC community that he’s running for mayor! Seriously! Read more here. 

There are four regionally distinct locations to choose from and a fifth location on the way! If you are ever in the DC area, pay this spot a visit and tell them your connect sent you!

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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

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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

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Everest Base Camp #9

Quaint is the word. I am starving. The lack of sleep and exhaustion makes me famished. To my surprise, the menu at this tea house (as in every tea house along the route I come to learn) looks like any roadside diner along I-95 South. It’s even laminated. The only thing missing was, the “hi … Continued

Busboys and Poets Book Review: The Cooking Gene

Busboys and Poets Book Review: The Cooking Gene

In “The Cooking Gene,” culinary historian Michael Twitty sends his reader on a tantalizing journey starting at the kitchen table, leading his readers all the way to the cotton fields of Virginia and the plantations of North Carolina. He captures his audience by centralizing the topic of southern cuisine which depicts to the reader a … Continued

6. Langston Hughes in Cuba

Follow along for the Busboys and Poets Travel Tribe’s Cultural Exchange trip to Cuba (July 6-13, 2022) By Andy Shallal (@andyshallal CEO/Founder, Busboys and Poets) The Union of Writers and Artists is one of the oldest institutions formed after the Cuban revolution. The year was 1961. Its first president was Nicolas Guillen. Cuba’s national poet. Named … Continued