Tag Archives: Word Up Community Bookshop

Word Up: Rising in the Heights with Carmen Cancél & Jainardo Batista

Saturday, June 14, 2025 – 11:00am to 12:00pm
Word Up Community Bookshop / Librería Comunitaria
2113 Amsterdam Ave. & 165th St.
New York, NY 10032

Puerto Rican musicians soprano Carmen Cancél and singer/ percussionist Jainardo Batista of “Buena Vista Social Club” join forces with Leadlights Ensemble for an unforgettable event of music and storytelling, featuring One Sweet Song by Jyoti Gapal, ill. by Sonia Sanchez. **Please note the time of this event is 11 a.m.**

Rising in the Heights is a festival of free outdoor public arts performances curated by Leadlights Ensemble in partnership with Word Up Community Bookshop. The festival celebrates the rich artistic contributions of Latinx and Black cultures and promotes children’s literacy through music and bilingual storytelling. Free copies of the featured book will be available.

This project is made possible in part with funds from UMEZ Arts Engagement, supported by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ); and Creative Engagement, supported by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council and the Howard Gilman Foundation. UMEZ Arts Engagement and Creative Engagement are administered by LMCC.

Rising in the Heights: Music & Storytelling with Hip Hop Artist Randy Mason

Rising in the Heights: Music & Storytelling with Hip Hop Artist Randy Mason

Date: June 27, 2025, 5-6 p.m.

Location: Word Up Community Bookshop, 2113 Amsterdam Ave.

Presenter: Leadlights Ensemble

Website: https://leadlightsensemble.weebly.com/

 

Description: Hip hop artist Randy Mason and keyboardist Jamell Ogbanna join Leadlights Ensemble for an afternoon of hip hop, rhyme, and string music, featuring “My Block Looks Like” by Janelle Harper. Free copies of the book will be available.

Rising in the Heights is a festival of free outdoor public arts performances curated by Leadlights Ensemble in partnership with Word Up Community Bookshop. The festival celebrates the rich artistic contributions of Latinx and Black cultures and promotes children’s literacy through music and bilingual storytelling. Free copies of the featured book will be available.

This project is made possible in part with funds from UMEZ Arts Engagement, supported by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ); and Creative Engagement, supported by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council and the Howard Gilman Foundation. UMEZ Arts Engagement and Creative Engagement are administered by LMCC.

 

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Rising in the Heights es un festival de espectáculos artísticos públicos gratuitos al aire libre, organizado por Leadlights Ensemble en colaboración con Word Up Community Bookshop. El festival celebra las valiosas contribuciones artísticas de la cultura latina y afroamericana y promueve la alfabetización infantil a través de la música y la narración bilingüe. Habrá ejemplares gratuitos del libro presentado.

Este proyecto es posible en parte gracias a fondos de UMEZ Arts Engagement, con el apoyo del Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ); y Creative Engagement, con el apoyo del Departamento de Asuntos Culturales de la Ciudad de Nueva York (DCLA), en colaboración con el Consejo de la Ciudad de Nueva York y la Fundación Howard Gilman. UMEZ Arts Engagement y Creative Engagement son administrados por LMCC.

Rising in the Heights: Randy Mason & Jamell Ogbonna

Friday, June 27, 2025 – 5:00pm to 5:45pm
Word Up Community Bookshop / Librería Comunitaria
2113 Amsterdam Ave. & 165th St.
New York, NY 10032

Hip hop artist Randy Mason and keyboardist Jamell Ogbonna join Leadlights Ensemble for an afternoon of hip hop, rhyme, and string music, featuring My Block Looks Like by Janelle Harper. Free copies of the book will be available. 

Rising in the Heights is a festival of free outdoor public arts performances curated by Leadlights Ensemble in partnership with Word Up Community Bookshop. The festival celebrates the rich artistic contributions of Latinx and Black cultures and promotes children’s literacy through music and bilingual storytelling. Free copies of the featured book will be available.

This project is made possible in part with funds from UMEZ Arts Engagement, supported by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ); and Creative Engagement, supported by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council and the Howard Gilman Foundation. UMEZ Arts Engagement and Creative Engagement are administered by LMCC.

Word Up: Dedicated to Mike Deegan (Screening of Conversations)

Saturday, June 14, 2025 – 4:00pm to 6:00pm
Word Up Community Bookshop / Librería Comunitaria
2113 Amsterdam Ave. & 165th St.
New York, NY 10032
The event will be dedicated to Mike Deegan, a friend, a painter, and a Lantern Community Services’ resident. It will include the screening of Conversations, a short film by Yael Ben-Zion, featuring Michael Deegan and Maaji Newbold, followed by a panel discussion with Veronica Liu of Word Up, and Marcus Moore, Maaji Newbold, and Yael Ben-Zion, who collaborated with Mike on the project Being There.
This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with 30 max attendees. Please register in advance.
In compliance with Word Up Community Safety guidelines, all attendees for this event must wear a mask inside.
Word Up Community Bookshop is located at 2113 Amsterdam Ave. (& 165th St.) in Washington Heights, NYC. You can take the 1 train to 168th St and the A/C train to 163rd or 168th St.

Word Up Recirculation: Second Saturday Skill Share: Visible Mending

Saturday, September 13, 2025 – 2:00pm to 4:00pm
RECIRCULATION A project of Word Up
876 Riverside Drive (near 160th St.)
New York, NY 10032

register

Join us at Recirculation for a sewing workshop about visible mending! Bring items you would like to repair and/or to which you wish to add a decorative patch. Basic sewing supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring your own.

Second Saturday Skill Share is a new program from Word Up Community Bookshop / Librería Comunitaria to share community knowledge. Each month will feature a new skill from a community member.

This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with 50 max attendees. Please register in advance. 

In compliance with Word Up Community Safety guidelines, all attendees are encouraged to stay masked at all time.

Recirculation, a project of Word Up Community Bookshop, is located at 876 Riverside Drive (near 160th St.) in Washington Heights, NYC. You can take the 1 train to 157th St., A/C train to 163rd St., and the M4 and M5 to Broadway and 159/160th.