Word Up welcomes historian Stuart Schrader to discuss his new book Blue Power: How Police Organized to Protect and Serve Themselves (out April 14, 2026), a history of police unions that reveals how American law enforcement built a political movement that made cops untouchable. In conversation with Schrader will be Philip V. McHarris, author of Beyond Policing.
Community Potluck with Caroline Choe (Independent Bookstore Day). In an attempt to remind folks there is still love, life, and safety in our community spaces, especially in such a turbulent time, chef Caroline Choe, author of Banchan: 60 Korean American Recipes for Delicious, Shareable Sides, is hosting a community potluck at Recirculation.
To celebrate Independent Bookstore Day, Word Up welcomes author Lauren Derby to celebrate her new book Bêtes Noires: Sorcery as History in the Haitian-Dominican Borderlands. After the reading, there will be a performance from Orchestre Moto. Orchestre Moto, a New York and Los Angeles-based band dedicated to showcasing the Congolese sound.
