Adrian Cepeda's summer vacations didn't involve much travel while growing up in Jackson Heights (a neighborhood in NYC's borough of Queens) during the 1990s and early 2000s. Though his mother couldn't afford to take him on fun trips while he was a kid, she nurtured in him a love for books, through which he adventured vicariously through fictional characters and fantasy worlds. Now 30 and known as the " Book Papi " to over 35,000 followers across social media, Cepeda hopes to spark that magical connection to summer reading through block parties he's hosting all summer long, outside of his store, the World's Borough Bookshop , which is located right across the street from where he grew up.
"Some people think books are really high brow and only for intellectual readers, but I want to make reading fun and bring books to the streets of my neighborhood," Cepeda says. "I also want to make reading fun for adults, and what better way to do that, especially in the summertime, than hosting parties outside with music and food? This helps me bring my community together." This Organization Centers Black Stories With Intentional Trips Across Latin America Since opening in August 2023, Cepeda has transformed the World's Borough Bookshop into a " Third Place " by creating a comforting meeting space apart from home, work, or school for locals and visitors alike to gather for author talks, yoga and meditation practices, arts and crafts, small-business markets, or even just a cup of coffee.
It's.
