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D.C. Area Book News: Politics & Prose Icon Retires

January 11, 2013 by

Today’s inaugural post about Washington, D.C., area book news is something I hope will become an occasional blog feature in 2013. I hope you find these posts interesting and that you’ll feel free to contribute book news or tidbits from the D.C. area — of course, I’ll credit you in the post if you supply some news.

Local bookstore and icon of the D.C. book scene, Politics & Prose, was founded in 1984 by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade, but the store was sold in 2011 to Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine after a failed sale in 2005. Barbara Meade has been serving as an advisor to the current owners since the sale, and her frequent presence in the store was welcomed by the store’s faithful patrons. Moreover, her advice helped foster a smooth transition to the new ownership and helped Muscatine and Graham establish their own foundations in the book business.

barbara meadeHowever, recently, Meade has told the staff and others that she was officially retiring to make more time for her own reading. In a letter to the book community, Meade said, “I’ve been so tightly wrapped up in Politics & Prose for the last 29 years that I’ll never be able to totally leave. . . . So I’ll continue my involvement in the store by hosting events, hanging out in the coffeehouse, and leisurely browsing what’s new on the bookshelves. You may even find me sitting in a chair somewhere in one of P&P’s inviting alcoves, trying out a chapter before I commit to a book purchase.” Her departure as an advisor means that the latest incarnation of Politics & Prose can spread its new wings and fly solo.

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Kill Shakespeare by Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery Event

February 14, 2011 by

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.  Today’s normally reserved for lovers, poets, and married couples to share the joy of their relationships, and some even accomplish that with poetry from The Bard himself, Shakespeare.

In that way, today’s announcement is about Shakespeare because authors Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery will be at the Washington, D.C., Folger Shakespeare Theater on February 15, 2011, at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $15 each.

Both authors will discuss their suspense and adventure graphic novel, Kill Shakespeare, in which all of Shakespeare’s heroes team up to save a wizard named Shakespeare from the villains of his plays.

Here’s a synopsis of the novel:

Kill Shakespeare is an adventure that pits Shakespeare’s greatest heroes (including Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, Falstaff, Puck) against his most menacing villains (including Richard III, Lady Macbeth, Iago) in a quest to track down and kill – or save – a reclusive wizard by the name of William Shakespeare.  A combination of Lord of the Rings, Shakespeare in Love and the comic book series Fables, and told in modern-day English (with some Shakespeare expressions thrown in measure for measure), it is an adventure ull of action, drama, bloody violence, love, lust, comedy, double-crossing and cross-dressing – an adventure of Shakespearean proportions. . .

For those of you interested in learning more about the graphic novel, please check out this YouTube video:

Here are a couple of inside pages to view as well. Also, check out the blog.

If, you are in the D.C. area, you should stop by the Folger Shakespeare Theater to check out these authors tomorrow evening.

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Alex Cross’s Washington, D.C.

April 15, 2010 by

James Patterson‘s detective series featuring Alex Cross is set in the hub of government and intrigue — Washington, D.C.  I’ve lived in the area for nearly 10 years, and the most anyone ever sees of the city is The National Mall and the Smithsonian museums.

Alex Cross sees the underbelly of city as a cop, but he also enjoys his community near his home on 5th St. SE.  His kids have attended the Sojourner Truth School, and he volunteers at St. Anthony’s Soup Kitchen, which I believe is mirrored on a number of soup kitchens in the area.

When multiple homicides occur, Cross often is briefed at the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in the Henry J. Daly Building, which was named after Sgt. Henry “Hank” Daly. He also often runs into the FBI at Quantico and elsewhere.  Cross has crisscrossed the United States a number of times, but now he’s even traversed the ocean.

In Cross Country, Cross leaves his home base to catch a serial killer in Lagos, Nigeria the hub of corruption and crime.  Information is traded for American dollars or other currency in market stalls.  Meanwhile, a corridor exists between Nigeria and Sierra Leone where diamonds are traded for oil and gas — at least in Cross’s world.  Check out the Getty Image below of Lagos.

After reading a number of these novels, I think Washington, D.C., is an excellent location to have as a home base.  The city has a high crime rate and is the home of espionage and more, but in Cross Country, Cross experiences a few African nations that are even more horrifying and lawless.

I’m going to leave you with a little interview from James Patterson, and you can look forward to my review of Cross Country tomorrow.  Also, check out the other bloggers for Detectives Around the World Week.


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Don’t forget about the next stops on the National Poetry Month Blog tour at KCBooks and Author Amok.

Filed Under: Detectives Around the World 2010 Tagged With: , ,