For the Babies

Literacy theorists, child educators, and all-around bloggers, take note: there's a great new blog on our radar called For the Babies...

Written by Leensa Fufa, the blog has been going since February. It's about, well, literacy theory, child education, and all-around blogging. An excerpt:

My fondest memory of literacy involves road trips with my sister and her godmother. My sister and I memorized Shel Silverstein poems to pass the time… and earn money! My sister’s godmother was very generous and I still have Tree House memorized. Now I recite it to my students.

Leensa writes about an experience perusing the aisles at the Busboys and Poets store, here:

I love this Busboys & Poets Books! Although small and somewhat crowded, I find its collection of books rich and refined. The affiliation with Teaching for Change ensures thoughtful and deliberate selection of books.

Leensa also admits to a tendency that's becoming increasingly dominant among even the most avid of book-lovers: going to the bookstore to look for interesting titles, then picking up one's selections from Amazon for the sake of economy.

Hey, that's the modern world. The number of viable, community-oriented bookstores decreases by the year, as national and international retailers consolidate their hold on the market. Choice increases but it comes with a price.

At Busboys and Poets, we remain a vital space, but it would be much more an uphill struggle in such an environment if we strove to exist as a bookstore alone. So we have the restaurant; we have visiting authors; we have the Langston Room.

It's a privilege to be able to play host to the vibrant community of writers, poets, activists, educators, and literary enthusiasts here in Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area. There is truly a great movement underway, and what it needs to grow is community.

So please do come down to spend some time with us. Browse the shelves, view a reading, maybe sample a delicious panini-- and also, for community's sake, won't you please consider buying a book?