Instagrammers-in-Residence: Housing Works
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe is one of downtown New York’s most vital cultural institutions, presenting an eclectic mix of events — from readings and concerts to comedy nights and storytelling competitions – featuring many of today’s most exciting artists. The bookstore is staffed almost entirely by volunteers and 100 percent of its profits go to Housing Works, Inc., which provides housing, healthcare, job training, and advocacy for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. As an independent cultural center, it offers patrons a unique opportunity to join the fight against AIDS and homelessness simply by buying or donating books; eating at our cafe; coming to concerts, readings, and special events; or volunteering on our staff.
Hello Real Pants followers! It’s us, your friendly neighborhood @housingworksbks. Our public programming team will be dispatching this week from sunny soho, NYC, to tell you about the life of a bookstore, cafe, and event space that acts as a community hub and a fundraising agent for Housing Works’ advocacy, healthcare, and housing for homeless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.
Here’s a throwback to last night’s amazing event with Felicia Day and Lev Grossman. We packed over 300 people in our space and sold over 400 books in one evening for the much-anticipated memoir by geek queen Felicia Day. We were definitely tired by the end of it, but it was a major blast!
Below our beloved Crosby Street bookstore lives an endless trove. We receive an amazing amount of book donations every week, much of which are stored downstairs and sold online as a significant part of our fundraising enterprise.
Not only does our cafe have delicious coffee, pastries, sandwiches, beer, & wine, it also comes with some wit.
After dark, @housingworksbks closes its doors and puts on its dancing shoes for weddings and private parties! Get in touch if you are in the market for a bookstore wedding.
There are few things as heartwarming as hosting 200-ish book lovers into our space to listen to a reading by one of our favorite authors. Here is a recent night where Caroline Zancan read (for our debut novelist summer smash).
- Thanks so much to Real Pants for letting us takeover for this week! We hope you’ll follow along with our adventures at @housingworksbks and come by for a book, a beer, or an event to be a part of our fight to end AIDS and homelessness in NYC.
Natalia Castells-Esquivel is a writer from Mexico based in Atlanta. Her poetry and nonfiction have been published in places like Santo y Seña, Loose Change, and Thought Catalog. She is currently a copywriter, Editor of Community Engagement for RealPants, and cofounder of StoryDrop, a city-wide literature collaboration. Also, she makes really good scrambled eggs. Really.
Latest posts by Natalia Castells-Esquivel (see all)
- Instagrammers-in-Residence: Alban Fischer - October 6, 2015
- Instagrammers-in-Residence: Jarod Roselló - September 30, 2015
- Instagrammers-in-Residence: Edward Mullany - September 21, 2015
