Knights of the Long Table

There are a whole bunch of Chatty Cathy’s at Politics & Prose—and I’m not just referring to the full-time employees who love talking your ear off about their new favorite reads. (Offering personal recommendations is, after all, part of the job description.) Since the store’s cash registers and Information Desk are located front and center, no doubt the booksellers will start a conversation with you the second that you walk through the doors. And if by chance you happen to evade them, don’t worry, a large selection on the right wall toward the front of the store features “New and Recommended Nonfiction” (italics added for emphasis). But as you keep wandering, you’ll notice that the space and its contents are just as loquacious as the workers.

When Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade opened Politics & Prose in 1984, they aimed to create a place where people could share their ideas about books and important issues. Today, the indie’s new owners, Brad Graham and Lissa Muscatine, have tasked themselves with continuing this mission and positioning the shop as “a marketplace for ideas.” But Graham and Muscatine aren’t the only forces at play; the store’s interior design is also responsible for maintaining an informed dialogue.

Take, for instance, the selection of nonfiction titles within the store. When you walk into Politics & Prose and turn right, the first three sections you’ll find are Current Events, New and Recommended Nonfiction, and Biography and History. (These sections are featured above.) The particular sequence of these genres suggests a sort of collective investigation, as if the books within these categories are speaking to one another. For instance, a reader can peruse contemporary issues from a national perspective or an individual one (but, really, isn’t the personal political?) and then explore the ways in which history informed or ignored those topics.

Even more telling of the bookstore’s dedication to dialogue is the wide array of book groups hosted by Politics & Prose. The particular texts used by each group are prominently displayed in the very center of the first floor, as if the store revolves around a tradition of discussion.

When communicating with Muscatine about the bookstore’s interior arrangement via email, she quickly listed the different genres located on each floor without any mention of merchandise or additional structures. However, when talking about the lower level, she noted the presence of “a long table where our book groups meet.”

The first time I read this phrase, I thought Muscatine’s emphasis of the long table was a little silly; it seemed like such a random detail amidst the greater genre inventory. But, upon closer examination, Muscatine’s special acknowledgement of the long table signifies her pride in her roles as both a bookseller and a book collector.

In “Unpacking My Library,” Walter Benjamin writes that “inheritance is the soundest way of acquiring a collection. For a collector’s attitude toward his possessions stems from an owner’s feeling of responsibility toward his property” (66). Muscatine, as well as Graham, are the purchasers, or inheritors, of Politics & Prose, an institution that is essentially a mass collection of books. Upon acquiring the store, Muscatine said that both she and Graham “care about the role of discourse in a democracy,” a phrase suggestive of the two owners’ sense of civic duty with respect to the contents of their store. They want to use the literature within their “library” to facilitate conversation. The long table allows them to perform this task, making the object an important component of the booksellers’ collection.

Speaking of democracy, it’s worth mentioning the Washington, D.C. section within the bookstore. Since Politics & Prose is located in the nation’s capital, housing a collection of D.C.-related texts makes sense. In fact, one of the shop’s book groups called District Reads devotes itself to the discussion of books specifically about the capital and its history.

These D.C. texts call to mind a quote from “On Collecting Art and Culture” by James Clifford. He writes about the formation of a sense of self through literal and figurative entities, stating that “identity is a kind of wealth (of objects, knowledge, memories, experience)” (218). The D.C. books at Politics & Prose constitute a form of social commentary on Washington, D.C. identity, suggestive of the ways in which residents view themselves, their city, and their collective history.

This commentary becomes even more telling when you realize that, at one point, the Washington, D.C. section contained Obama bobble heads. This kind of merchandise speaks to the capitalist ideologies underlying the bookstore as an economic institution, nuancing Muscatine’s aforementioned portrayal of Politics & Prose as a “marketplace” for the exchange between goods and currency.

Bill Clinton Chatting with a Customer at Politics & Prose
Bill Clinton Chatting with a Customer at Politics & Prose

In an attempt to push the dialogue even farther, Politics & Prose holds about 400 author events annually. (Keep in mind, there are only 365 days in a year.) Many of these events are book readings followed by Question and Answer sessions. Past visiting authors include former U.S. President Bill Clinton and nonfiction writer Patti Smith, and book subjects range from education to climate change to the Middle East. Understanding that guests have historically leaned toward the left, Graham and Muscatine make a conscious effort to host more conservative authors. In this way, they can craft the most robust, comprehensive, and inclusive discourse.

The Question and Answer sessions during these events are crucial for the flourishment of healthy conversation, serving as an invitation for both authors and readers to debate and discuss relevant, contentious topics. In this way, the people frequenting Politics & Prose become part of the store’s collection. Benjamin notes that a book collection is a “living library,” and the guests of Politics & Prose are an integral part of the bookstore’s vitality (66). Along with the words within the texts themselves, the people of Politics & Prose quite literally give the bookstore its voice.

So, with all this emphasis on political discourse, why the heck does Politics & Prose carry such a large selection of greeting cards?

Yes, that’s correct, greeting cards. Shelves full of colorful cards appear toward the back of the store, waiting to be purchased by customers. The inclusion of this type of merchandise seems really strange—until you realize that a card is a form of verbal communication between a sender and a receiver, just as a book is one between an author and a reader.

The presence of so many greeting cards reminds me of a line from Reluctant Capitalists. Quoting an indie bookseller, Laura Miller notes that the independent bookstore “functions… as a place, in this society, to exchange ideas in a way that nothing else does” (220). The same is true for letters. Many writers throughout history, including Samuel Richardson (1689-1761) and Mary Shelley (1797-1851), have used the epistolary format when composing their works. Centuries later, authors are still writing in this style—evidenced by this neat article about contemporary epistolary novels. Politics & Prose represents this literary tradition—using books, and greeting cards, as a type of correspondence and a medium for intellectual exchange.

Below you’ll find the floorplan for the First Floor of Politics & Prose, followed by the floorplan for the Lower Level. Feel free to “walk around the store” and begin your own dialogue with the interior space.




Sources

 

Texts

Benjamin, Walter, and Hannah Arendt. Illuminations. New York: Schocken Books, 1986.

Clifford, James. The Predicament of Culture: Twentieth-century Ethnography, Literature, and Art. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988.

Miller, Laura J. Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006.

 

Pictures

Bill Clinton < http://cache3.asset-cache.net/gc/51028369-former-u-s-president-bill-clinton-talks-to-a-gettyimages.jpgv=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=OCUJ5gVf7YdJQI2Xhkc2QMe9fPldBXFk7EUDlJUXlLWVtnFV6Q6OorxDc4baIT%2Fh96gYHN39o7h1VVHqvPhJMg%3D%3D>

 

Google Maps

Politics & Prose <https://www.google.com/maps/place/Politics+%26+Prose+Bookstore/@38.9553438,-77.0700071,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7c9b992f1a9f7:0xb82a9184a0d413af>

 

Articles and Links

Ballard, Jenna. “Bustle.” Bustle. Bustle, 13 Aug. 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2016. <http://www.bustle.com/articles/34809-11-contemporary-epistolary-novels-that-are-a-blast-to-read>.

Book Groups. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2016. <http://www.politics-prose.com/book-groups>.

Brown, Emma. “Carla Cohen Dies; Co-founder of D.C. Bookstore Politics and Prose.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 21 Mar. 2016. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/11/AR2010101102811.html?sid=ST2010101102828>.

Events. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2016. <http://www.politics-prose.com/events>.

Hodges, Lauren. “A Community Spine.” The Los Angeles Review of Books. The Los Angeles Review of Books, 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2016. <https://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/community-spine/?utm_medium=twitter&utmsource=linesandgraphs>.

Politics & Prose Bookstore. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2016. <http://www.politics-prose.com/>.

Community Via Individuals: Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade

Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade, 1984
Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade

Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade had chutzpah.

As a precocious child, Cohen insisted upon attending her father’s Americans for Democratic Action meetings that were held in her living room; as a vocal individual, she eventually got herself kicked out of those meetings; and as a persistent personality, she secretly listened to subsequent meetings from the stairwell.

Then there’s Meade, who all alone at four years old, perhaps in pigtails and Mary Janes, marched her little body across R. Street to the Georgetown public library because she wanted to read. Keep in mind, some four-year-old kids aren’t even potty-trained.

Two girls drawn to prose and politics, eventually maturing into two women co-owning the independent bookstore (you guessed it!) Politics & Prose. In the space between 1984 and the present day, depicted in the timeline below, Politics & Prose became Washington, D.C.’s preeminent cultural hub. The history of this indie and of the individuals who cultivated it illustrate the interplay between person and community.

Cohen, who passed away in 2010, was heavily invested in her community. She served on a number of government committees that focused on community planning and housing. While passionate about her work, Cohen, a liberal, was not fond of Ronald Reagan. She resigned from her government position with his presidential election in 1981. Hungry for a new career, she determined to open her own bookstore.

Cohen submitted an ad for a bookstore manager to the Washington Post, and Meade responded to it. The manager of Foggy Bottom’s Moonstone Book Cellar and the previous owner of Potomac’s Bookstall, Meade was the perfect applicant. Soon, she became an equal partner with Cohen.


When brainstorming names for the indie, Cohen believed that the word, politics,” fit well with the storefront’s Washington location. The concept reminded her of the Broadway number, “Politics and Poker,” which then inspired “Politics & Prose.”

But “poker” wasn’t an irrelevant term, as the economic climate of Chevy Chase, Maryland, (the town that borders Chevy Chase, Washington D.C., the neighborhood in which Politics & Prose resides, and shares a similar affluent aesthetic) and the publishing industry positioned the bookstore as a true gamble. A document entitled “The Town of Chevy Chase: Past and Present,” published in 1990 by the community’s History Committee, describes a series of store closings and location changes for well-established independent shops between 1982 and 1986. For example, Community Paint and Hardware opened its storefront in 1880, but closed in 1986 so that the town could build a high-rise in its place.

Additionally, chain bookstores were gaining traction in the business world. In 1977, Crown Books opened its first store in the Washington suburb, Lake Arbor. By mid-1982, Crown Books boasted 81 locations, many of them situated in Washington, D.C.

Yet, despite this ominousness, Politics & Prose not only survived but thrived as both an individual business and a societal phenomenon, essentially due to Cohen and Meade’s innovation. Speaking of these two women, Washington-based literary agent Raphael Sagalyn said, “One cannot exaggerate the influence of these two people on Washington. I would suggest that they have had as much influence on the community life of this city as any two people ever could.” But how?

An Active Community
An Active Community

Always emphasizing the collective, the dynamic duo differentiated Politics & Prose as a place where people could come together and talk about literature. In 1993, the store opened a coffeehouse, providing customers with a space in which to enjoy good food and good conversation. Cohen valued mealtime discussions even outside of the shop, frequently hosting dinner parties and seders at her home.

In 1989, the storefront moved across the street to 5015 Connecticut Avenue. Picture this: as evidence of the community’s involvement with the indie and the indie’s effect on the community, a police officer literally stopped traffic while neighborhood volunteers helped the employees carry boxes of inventory from the old store to the new one.

Gabrielle McNally
Gabrielle McNally
Jason Rosenhouse
Jason Rosenhouse

Cohen and Meade began a massive visiting author tradition at Politics & Prose, and the store now hosts author readings every night. These events created an intimate space for the discussion of prose and ideas. Furthermore, they reflected Cohen and Meade’s dedication to the individual. While both women booked established authors, the owners took risks on emerging writers whose work they found promising. These decisions afforded budding authors the opportunity to distinguish their verbal talents to a receptive audience.

In 2010, the two announced that they were selling Politics & Prose, a decision promptly largely by the worsening of Cohen’s malignancy. This news caused national alarm. In The New Yorker, Hendrik Hertzberg hoped, or rather prayed, that the new owners would embody the same “hands-on, brains-on, hearts-on personal dedication” employed by Cohen and Meade.

This response reminds me of a quote from Escaped Into Print by Christopher Morley. He writes, “Literature and the great personalities who commit literature start sometimes very strange vibrations” (47). While Morley is speaking of authors, this phrase becomes even more resonant when applied to booksellers, especially Cohen and Meade. The intense reactions elicited by the owners’ decision to sell their store is demonstrative of the two women’s roles as cultural and political forces, vibrations or oscillations that emanated from the storefront of Politics & Prose and out into the national sphere.

On October 11, 2010, Carla Cohen passed. Politics & Prose hosted a memorial for their beloved founder. As testament of Cohen’s significance to Washington, the event was recorded and published on C-SPAN.

The Founder
The Founder, Carla Cohen

Motivated by the task of filling very large shoes, Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine, approved by Meade and Cohen before the latter’s passing, purchased Politics & Prose in June of 2011.

New Owners, Lissa Muscatine and Bradley Graham
New Owners, Lissa Muscatine and Bradley Graham

Using the technological advancements of the modern age, Graham and Muscatine have furthered their predecessors’ dual commitments to the community and the individual. In 2011, Politics & Prose acquired an Espresso Book Machine named Opus. (Even the machine becomes individualized.) For a fee, the print-on-demand mechanism allows customers the opportunity to self-publish their work.

Additionally, Opus serves a community function. In 2013, Politics & Prose began releasing District Lines, an annual anthology that publishes the work of local authors.

In Chevy Chase’s intellectual, high-brow neighborhood, Opus aims to democratize literature, affording the power of publication to all, or at least to those who can afford it. By doing so, Politics & Prose approaches Marion Dodd’s conception of the bookstore as “an arsenal of democracy” (Brannon 5). In fact, commensurate with Barbara Brannon’s connections between bookshops, print culture, and freedom of the press, the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association established the Carla Cohen Free Speech Award. This prize honors a children’s book that epitomizes the First Amendment.

Opus The Espresso Book Machine
Opus The Espresso Book Machine

Cohen’s legacy is also observed through the Carla Furstenberg Cohen Literary Prize. Founded in the aftermath of Cohen’s death, this award recognizes extraordinary pieces of fiction and nonfiction by authors writing their first or second book.

These literary prizes are perhaps the best explanations of Cohen and Meade’s success; even posthumously (in Cohen’s case) these women satisfy the ancient mythology of the bookseller. Laura Miller writes, “As part of their desire to spread a genteel culture, the regular bookseller of the early twentieth century took pride in improving people’s lives by introducing them to ‘good’ books” (57).

Likewise, Cohen and Meade were extremely particular about the kind of literature they stocked in their store and recommended to their customers. With spunk and spirit, Cohen often redirected her customers’ selections when they aimed to purchase a less-than-perfect text, saying, “Why would you want to read that; it’s dumb.” She would then rummage through shelves, grabbing a worthier title, and remark, “You would enjoy this a lot more—and it’s a far better book.”

In this way, Cohen and Meade branded themselves as makers of taste and as cultivators of politically conscious citizens. Granted, the location of Politics & Prose, peppered with professors and politicians, allowed them to fulfill a stereotypically snooty role. And this role does complicate the bookstore’s position as “an arsenal of democracy;” through her brash, yet personalized, suggestions, Cohen limited, or at the very least influenced, the populace’s freedom of choice in terms of their book selections.

But what saved Politics & Prose and perpetuated its impact on Washington, D.C., I think, is the very human quality—the very mortal quality—of Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade.

The Dynamic Duo
The Dynamic Duo; Cohen & Meade

Works Cited

Links

Booksmith. “Carla Cohen of Politics & Prose Bookstore, Washington DC.” YouTube. YouTube, 19 Apr. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQrFBm6Bk74>.

Brown, Emma. “Carla Cohen Dies; Co-founder of D.C. Bookstore Politics and Prose.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/11/AR2010101102811.html?sid=ST2010101102828>.

Hertzberg, Hendrik. “Politics & Prose & Perfection & (I Hope) Permanence.” The New Yorker. Conde Nast, 09 June 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.newyorker.com/news/hendrik-hertzberg/politics-prose-perfection-i-hope-permanence>.

“In Memorium – Carla F. Cohen (1936-2010).” Politics and Prose. N.p., 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.politics-prose.com/carla>.

“Memorial for Carla Cohen.” C-SPAN.org. C-SPAN, 21 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.c-span.org/video/?296926-1%2Fmemorial-carla-cohen>.

“New Owners.” Politics and Prose. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.politics-prose.com/new-owners>.

Politics & Prose Bookstore. N.p., 2016. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.politics-prose.com/>.

Righthand, Jess. “Print Your Own Book at Politics & Prose.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/print-your-own-book-at-politics-and-prose/2011/12/12/gIQAwwXjwO_story.html>.

Torbati, Yeganeh June. “Bookstore in Capital Seeks Its Next Chapter.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 June 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/us/23prose.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1>.

“The Town of Chevy Chase: Past & Present.” The Town of Chevy Chase. N.p., 1990. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.townofchevychase.org/184/The-Town-of-Chevy-Chase-Past-Present>.

Wilwol, John. “What I’ve Learned: Politics & Prose’s Barbara Meade | Washingtonian.” Washingtonian. Washington Media Inc, 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.washingtonian.com/2013/03/28/what-ive-learned-politics-and-proses-barbara-meade/>.

Video

Politics & Prose. “Politics & Prose 30th Anniversary Video.” YouTube. YouTube, 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPhOwiE_vAg>.

Image in Timeline

Politics and Prose Logo <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Politics_and_Prose.jpg>

Google Maps

Politics & Prose Bookstore <https://www.google.com/maps/place/Politics+%26+Prose+Bookstore/@38.9554664,-77.0718584,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7c9b992f1a9f7:0xb82a9184a0d413af>

Photographs

Barbara and Carla in Black and White <http://www.politics-prose.com/sites/politics-prose.com/files/barbaracarla.jpg>

Politics and Prose <http://www.politics-prose.com/sites/politics-prose.com/files/30.jpg>

Brad and Lissa <http://www.politics-prose.com/sites/politics-prose.com/files/bradlissa.jpg>

Carla Cohen <http://static01.nyt.com/images/2010/10/12/us/OBIT-COHEN/OBIT-COHEN-popup.jpg>

Barbara and Carla in Color <http://15128-presscdn-0-60.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/IMG_1537_1.jpg.optimal.jpg>

Opus The Espresso Book Machine <https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6041/6256317164_b132e2154c_b.jpg>

Gabrielle McNally <http://static1.squarespace.com/static/54e6226be4b0a4a2246532c1/t/561d7004e4b0be465244c65a/1444769815180/McNally_Statue?format=2500w>

Jason Rosenhouse < <https://whyevolutionistrue.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/11295599_10152953493305698_5288965846788805780_n.jpg?w=552&h=367>

Texts

Brannon, Barbara A. The Bookshop as “An Arsenal of Democracy”: Marion Dodd and the Hampshire Bookshop during World War II. New York: Bibliographical Society of America, 1998. Print.

Miller, Laura J. Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption. Chicago: U of Chicago, 2006. Print.

Morley, Christopher. Ex Libris Carissimis. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1961. Print.

A Place for the POTUS

I have always been a sucker for alliteration, especially when it’s tactful. That being said, I find the name of Washington, D.C.’s preeminent independent bookstore, Politics & Prose, particularly pleasant to pronounce. But this name serves a much more significant function than aural whimsy. The words “politics and prose” indicate the way in which this bookstore is both a product and a perpetuation of its place within the nation’s capital.

[slideshow_deploy id=’4940′]

Situated at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW in the affluent neighborhood of Chevy Chase, which is located within the greater Northwest Washington area, Politics & Prose shares an environment with political landmarks like the White House, cultural attractions like the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, and educational institutions like American University. These physical structures embody Washington, D.C.’s historical and national significance. The locations combine to create, what scholar Tim Cresswell describes as, a “[site] of history and identity” (5). Piggy-backing off of that idea, political geographer John Agnew notes that “places… are material things,” comprised of tangible objects and buildings (Cresswell 7). Applying these theories to the capital, D.C.’s stores, monuments, museums, and government offices become representations of the evolution of the United States as a country, in addition to symbols of both the definition and conception of the word, “American.”

Reptile House at Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Reptile House at Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Panda at Smithsonian Zoological Park
Panda at Smithsonian Zoological Park

When analyzing David Harvey’s theory regarding the implications of place, Cresswell writes that “places just don’t exist;” rather, “they are always and continually being socially constructed by powerful institutional forces in society” (57). Washington, D.C.’s landscape informs Politics & Prose, as the store’s name is an obvious nod to the city’s connection with the federal government. However, despite the common misconception, the bookstore’s content is not limited to politically-oriented texts and commodities. Rather, the name “Politics & Prose” characterizes the politically-charged atmosphere of the place to which the indie belongs.

The surrounding neighborhoods (depicted in the map of Washington, D.C. 20008) have a total population of 27,590 people. These residents are well-educated; 87.5% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and 57.4% have a graduate or professional degree. In this way, the city’s educational institutions help influence the creation of an intellectual, literate place. The majority of the population is white. The median household income for this area is $100,953, and only 3.2% of the population is unemployed.

Races in Washington D.C., 20008

Educational Attainment, Washington D.C., 20008

 

A variety of small businesses, local restaurants, and chain stores stand alongside Politics & Prose on a commercial strip of Connecticut Avenue NW. Some shops include a tailor, a dry cleaners, a CVS Pharmacy, and a takeout subs and pizza joint called Besta Pizza—an arguable declaration, but I’ll get to that shortly.

Many of the restaurants in this area, such as Little Red Fox, Buck’s Fishing and Camping, and Jake’s American Grille, serve an array of American-style dishes. This culinary aesthetic seems fitting, given that these eateries are located in Washington, D.C. and cater to Americans.

In fact, when brainstorming names for a niche bookstore in the nation’s capital back in 1984, then owner Carla Cohen sought a “Washington-sounding name that wasn’t pretentious;” a name of the people, by the people, and for the people… who read (“The Story of Politics & Prose”). Cohen’s concept echoes scholar Laura J. Miller’s argument that independent bookstores “position themselves as the true representatives of the populace” (115). In light of this rather republican idea, the name “Politics & Prose” situates the bookstore as a place for U.S. citizens, while the actual storefront grounds the business as a place atop American soil.

Now getting back to pizza. As a Long Island native, I will always maintain that the best pizza comes from New York. However, perhaps the coolest part of this neighborhood, aside from Politics & Prose, is Comet Ping Pong. Located a few storefronts down from the bookstore, this innovative pizza place features multiple ping pong tables that customers can play with while they eat and hangout.

Comet Ping Pong

The hip, charming combination of food and fun realizes Yi-Fu Tuan’s conception of place as a “pause in movement” that allows for a “location” to become a meaningful space (Cresswell 8). Amid the hustle and bustle of urban life, especially in a city as fast, dynamic, and intense as the nation’s capital, Politics & Prose, as well as its surrounding businesses and cultural landmarks, provide people with respite from a hectic reality. Shoppers at Politics & Prose can grab a cup of coffee at the café, sit down in a comfy chair, and enjoy a good book. Their movement literally stops, transforming an arbitrary space into a place for relaxation. Even President Barack Obama indulges in this type of break every now and then, visiting Politics and Prose on Small Business Saturday.


 

Sources

Charts

“20008 Zip Code Detailed Profile.” City-Data. Advameg, Inc., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://www.city-data.com/zips/20008.html>.

Maps and Images

Google Maps: Politics & Prose, Comet Ping Pong, Washington D.C., 20008, 5073 Connecticut Avenue NW, Smithsonian National Zoological Park

“Google Maps.” Google Maps. Google, n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://maps.google.com/>.

Text

Cresswell, Tim. Place: A Short Introduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub, 2004.

Miller, Laura J. Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006.

“The Story of Politics & Prose.” Politics and Prose. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2016. <http://www.politics-prose.com/our-history>.