Politics and Prose: Visit a Legendary Bookstore

Coco in the Politics and Prose Children and Teen section

Community helps people get to know each other better. Reading can introduce people to new ideas and worlds. When these are combined, places such as community-based bookstores can help people learn new things in a comfortable, familiar space. Politics and Prose is an independent bookstore located in Washington, D.C., that values these principles. It has a wide selection of books and hosts many community events such as author visits, school trips, and book-based trivia nights.

Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, the store was originally located in Chevy Chase, a neighborhood in D.C. They first started with a small number of employees. Over time, the store grew into a new location. Community is one of the main reasons Politics and Prose grew. When the bookstore changed locations, the entire community showed up to help them move to the new location.

I recently visited Politics and Prose on a field trip with my classmates for an event featuring Padma Venkatraman, the award-winning author of The Bridge Home. The event was very informative. We listened to the author share more about her life and book. We learned what it is like to live in India, and the different customs and cultures there. She also told us about what it is like to be an author, including the writing process.

 

Scholastic Kid Reporter Coco Moon in front of Politics and Prose

To learn about this bookstore and its unique history of helping kids and adults learn to love to read, I spoke with Leah Meadvin, the assistant manager of the Children and Teens Department. Here is a brief look into our conversation that has been edited for length and clarity.

What is your favorite part of being the Children and Teen Department Assistant Manager?

I think children and teen books cover good questions and topics. The art in graphic novels is really engaging so it is nice to work with those kinds of books and to work with kids. I also like the events we do here because they really engage kids and teens.

Can you tell me about Politics & Prose history in the DC community?

We value community and want everyone to feel safe in our space and enjoy getting to read.

What kind of events happen at Politics and Prose?

We recently had a really great young adult event that was about the graphic novel WE Could Be Magic and we also sometimes have picture book events.

What book genres are most popular among the kids and teens at Politics and Prose?

Fantasy is definitely popular at Politics and Prose because kids like to go into different worlds and really explore. 

Why do you think events at Politics and Prose are so special?

 I think they are special because people get to talk to the authors and the authors can talk to them. We like to create unique events and experiences through our events for people.