Modeled after the National Endowment of the Arts’ Big Read program, Uptown Reads aims to engage as many Uptown neighbors as possible by helping create events in different spaces—reading circles, talks, potlucks, storytelling, walking tours—with event support from Word Up.
Angie Cruz is a New York born Dominicana who traveled to and from NYC to D.R. for most of her formative years. Her first novel, Soledad (2001) and second novel, Let It Rain Coffee (2005) were both published by Simon & Schuster. Her novel, Dominicana, forthcoming this Fall 2019 with Flatiron Books, was inspired by her mother's arrival story. To research this novel Angie scoured many photo albums and this inspired the digital photo archive accessed through instagram: @dominicanasnyc. Angie is currently an Associate Professor at University of Pittsburgh. The co-founder and editor of the literary journal, Aster(ix). She divides her time between Pittsburgh, New York and Italy. She is featured in the mural on the side of Word Up, "The Living History of 165th St.," created by Colective Amaranta.
PARTICIPATE IN UPTOWN READS
ORGANIZE AN EVENT:
Whether you are an established book club or planning a one-off event, we can help! Register your event by emailing uptownreads@wordupbooks.com with your name, event title, date, time, venue, address, and description, and you can take advantage of discounts, swag, promo help, and other enhancements for your event. Some of the things we can supply are listed below. If you have any additional suggestions, please feel free to get in touch with us!
EVENT IDEAS:
- Book club/reading circle: A classic and easy way to organize an event would be to hold a book club meeting (or reading circle) by setting up a time when a group of people you contact—whether they are friends, coworkers, or other associates—can meet to discuss Dominicana. You can set multiple meeting dates and assign specific parts to be read before each meeting, or you can just set one meeting when everyone can discuss the entire book. The organizer or another moderator may prepare questions for the group to get the conversation started. You may even choose to work in time to read excerpts together during the book club meeting. If people wishing to participate in the book club have not yet read the whole book by the time of the meeting, that is okay! They can still join and participate in the discussion, or they can simply listen and be inspired to read further. Linked here is a Reading Group Guide that Flatiron Books has created.
- Food-based event: Ana is often cooking in Dominicana, thinking about what she might cook, or sharing excess food with her building neighbors. If you want to host an event that feeds both your mind and your belly, then consider enhancing your reading by gathering friends and colleagues for a potluck, with foods in the book, or other traditional meals from the Dominican Republic.
Click image to download recipes
- An event with your own stories, in words and images: To research Dominicana—which was inspired by her mother’s arrival story—Angie scoured many photo albums and eventually created a digital photo archive accessed through instagram: @dominicanasnyc. If you want to host an event that makes space for your own stories, and those of others in your community, consider an event that involves one or all of the following: having attendees bring their old photos, which you can scan through apps such as Google's PhotoScan, and submitting to Angie’s archive; having attendees write down their own arrival stories, in either a writing workshop or a more casual event; having attendees tell their stories as part of an open mic event.
- A party with the songs from the event! Listen to the Spotify playlist that Angie created with songs from the book, here.
BOOK CLUB FACILITATORS: Your group may already have someone who can moderate or facilitate a book club meeting or reading circle. However, if you would like to be paired with a neighbor who can facilitate a reading circle for your group, please get in touch at uptownreads@wordupbooks.com!
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: Listen along to music from the novel on the Dominicana A Novel playlist, created by Angie Cruz.
BUTTONS: Flatiron Books has generously provided some goodies that you can distribute at your events! Register your event on the Uptown Reads website to reserve a set of buttons, and other swag.
DISCOUNTS: For book clubs, reading circles, and other events registered on our Uptown Reads webpage, we can provide:
- A promo code on our website, exclusively for members of your book club members, to buy Dominicana at www.wordupbooks.com at a discount.
- Register your book club on the Uptown Reads website and your book club members can get discounts for in-store purchases of Domincana, at our storefront at 2113 Amsterdam Ave.
- Deeper discounts for bulk orders of 10 copies or more, billed through the event organizer.
READING GUIDE: Download the Reading Guide, created by Flatiron Books, here.
Please email uptownreads@wordupbooks.com for more information.
ATTEND AN EVENT:
Thursday, September 5, 2019 @ 7pm SOLD OUT
Dominicana Book Launch with Angie Cruz
Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center
530 West 166th St.
Laura Gomez (Orange is the New Black) will introduce the book and lead a Q&A between Angie Cruz and actress Coral Peña, audiobook narrator of Dominicana.
Enjoy a happy hour with music by DJcensura, and wine and food by Chef Farys of Pop & Pour.
Photo Album
Tuesday, September 24, 2019 @ 7-9pm
"Dominicana" A Reading and Discussion With The Author: Angie Cruz
City College of New York
Shepard Hall Room 250
160 Convent Ave
Presented by: City College of New York MFA Program in Creative Writing, Dominican Studies Institute, Black Studies Program, Word Up Community Bookshop, Flatiron, Office Of Student Engagement, & Classical and Modern Languages & Literatures.
Friday, November 8, 2019 @ 6:30pm
#DominicanWriters Book Club: Dominicana House Party
Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center
530 West 166th St.
Tickets: $10
Join Dominican Writers Association for a regular 'ol house party where they enjoy music, discuss Angie Cruz's book Dominicana, try some recipes from the book and purchase some book-related merchandise.
Friday, December 13, 2019 @ 7pm
A R R I V A L S T O R I E S Open Mic / Micrófono Abierto
Buunni Inwood
4961 Broadway, New York NY 10034
A celebration of our immigrant stories through community art-making and an open mic! Storytelling, music, poetry, art, and everything in between. Hosted by Reza Salazar, with art-making facilitated by Josefina Hernandez. Food and drink will be available for purchase from Buunni before the event.
Presented by Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) and Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria, in collaboration with Buunni Inwood, NYC Small Business Services/Neighborhood 360, and Washington Heights BID.
