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Open a Book and Open Your Mind By Meghan Kelly Daly |
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The Julia de Burgos bookstore is brightly identified. |
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Nestled within the Golden Block of Philadelphia, the Julia de Burgos bookstore caters mostly to the population of residents within the community. This independent store carries a wide variety of cultural works, which include fiction and non-fiction, poetry collections and autobiographies. Because the majority of these books are written by Latin American and Caribbean authors, the Julia de Burgos bookstore is the only fully bilingual bookstore in the northeastern corridor of the country.
Julia de Burgos bookstore is a part of Taller Puertorriqueno, an organizational workshop, which aims to promote cultural growth within the community. The store’s brightly colored walls are not only lined with book shelves, but also cultural artworks that symbolize Puerto Rican heritage. Customers make the bookstore a destination in order to purchase greeting cards, jewelry, figurines, trinkets, posters and other ethnic goods. The name of the store is widely recognized among the Puerto Rican community. Julia de Burgos, often referred to as one of the most influential female poets in Latin American history, published her first verses when she was only 19 years old. Many Puerto Rican citizens and educators recognize de Burgos’ desire to promote social change in her written works.
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Maria Milles-Torres, a teacher in Philadelphia, recently attended the 20th Annual Book and Craft Fair held at the bookstore. She believes exposing youth to art at a young age is vital to the preservation and development of an ethnic community. “I’m an advocate for the arts,” she said, “but art is an important way of educating people about culture and different aspects of the culture.” |
 Children become associated with different art forms at the 20th Annual Book and Craft Fair at the Julia de Burgos bookstore on Oct. 7, 2006. |
Torres did not leave the store empty handed. She purchased a bracelet and a copy of “Maracas,” the newest collection of verses by award winning poet, Victor Hernandez Cruz. Cruz also attended the fair, and read several of his poems to the crowd. Coincidentally, Torres invited Cruz as a guest speaker to talk to students and teachers at Masterman High School. Cruz’ attendance in Philadelphia symbolized his passion to promote his heritage though poetry. Linking the creative minds to the youth can sometimes be a daunting task. Esperanza Altamar, Manager of the Community Programs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, attended the fair at the Julia de Burgos bookstore. She worked with children who also attended the fair and helped them create art projects that symbolized their heritage. |
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 Poetry is not only written in books. Verses are also written on the walls along the Golden Block. |
“Art is wonderful. Art is life,” Altamar said, “it can be very complicated, or it can be very simple, fun and basic. And at any level, the arts are important.” Because art not only contributes to the growth of the community, Altamar works with small organizations, including Taller and the Julia de Burgos bookstore, in order to sustain cultural awareness. “When bigger institutions work with smaller organizations,” she said, “amazing things truly happen.” |
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