When we decided almost a year ago to solicit contributions for a new
Politics & Prose anthology of works by local writers and artists,
we had no idea how many submissions we’d get. In fact, we wondered if
people still cared about old-fashioned literary journals in this
digital age or were even interested in a collection to be published by a
bricks-and-mortar bookstore. All we knew was what we wanted to call
it—District Lines—a name agreed upon by P&P staffers who
volunteered to bring the anthology to life.
Then the submissions started rolling in—essays, poems, sketches,
photographs, stories, remembrances, testimonials—all about local
places, people, and traditions. By the time the deadline came, we’d
received more than 100 works from writers and artists across the
Washington community. We were thrilled by the quantity, and even more
by the quality.
Our only requirement was that each submission be original and
previously unpublished and that each be related to a place, person, or
event in our community. We received entries by well-known writers and
artists and by some who had never been published before. And their work
did exactly what we hoped it would do—enlarge and enrich our
collective sense of community by exploring the most granular elements
of daily life in Washington.
In the pages of District Lines you’ll find one writer’s
memories of a castanet-playing handyman who was a fixture in
neighborhoods around Capitol Hill. There are poems about the Zamboni
machine at a Capitals hockey game, the Q Street bridge, how literary
inspiration comes from working at the Florida Avenue Grill, and the
mindset of children attending a funeral. Also in the mix are
reminiscences from the wife of a long-time White House plumber and from
one who remembers a particular Christmas tree lot on Georgia Avenue.
One writer describes seeing Effi Barry on a bus, and another—an
immigrant from China—recounts her experience living in Centreville,
Virginia.
These are just a handful of the exceptional and evocative works in
District Lines, which was printed on Opus, the store’s print-on-demand
machine, and made available to the public this week. As part of the
launch, we’ll also be hosting an author event on June 15 featuring
contributors to the anthology. This event will be a great opportunity
for local writers to read from their works and for customers to be
treated to a collective portrait of our community.
As store owners, we couldn’t be prouder of this P&P “first” and
of a small group of staff members who worked on the book. Organized by
our events and programs director, Susan Coll, these booksellers read
the submissions, made tough choices about which ones to include, helped
design the cover, worked on the lay-out of the book, and printed it on
Opus. District Lines would not exist without their energy, dedication, and passion for the cause.
Our only regret is that we couldn’t include every submission we
received. But on the bright side, we’re already planning Volume 1,
Number 2.
- Brad and Lissa
to register. 
at Tenley-Friendship Library, 
at Sixth & I
at Sidwell Friends School
at Sixth & I 