Word Up Community Bookshop/Libreria Comunitaria

Love this place! It’s for the people! I went to a great poetry slam here and had a hard time walking out without anything (ended up with a Junot Diaz book and feminist postcard). I will be back soon!

A wonderful community space and bookstore.
The volunteer staff is exceptional — always friendly, helpful, warm, etc. etc. etc.

LOVE that there’s a small community bookstore in the neighborhood. What a gem. The staff are super nice and helpful and this place truly feels like a cozy mom & pop shop. Most of our kids’ books are of the$ 0.50/$ 1/​$ 2 consignment, yard sale, or library sale variety, but definitely willing to pay a little more to support such a wonderful spot (and the prices were still very reasonable). We’ll definitely be back!

Really enjoyed my first visit to Word Up! Good books in English and Spanish, mostly used. Nice people, too.

Time Out magazine recently had a Best of 2013 edition and Word Up was listed as the «Best Pop Up Made Good». Aside from the slightly confusing title, its recognition is well-​deserved. In 2011, it was just a temporary space, but its popularity made it a permanent bookstore. It’s not hard to understand why!
— In an area with a lackluster NY Public Library branch and the mediocre Columbia bookstore, Word Up is a much needed resource for many in the neighborhood. This is a real community bookstore. When you step in, one of the first shelves you’ll see on the left is filled with the books of local writers. I love when establishments embrace local talent.
— Dollar books!
— Washington Heights has an incredibly high population of Spanish speakers, and this bookstore has a nice selection of books written in Spanish.
— Books are in clearly marked sections. For a small bookstore, they have quite a diverse selection: anthropology, fiction, memoirs, philosophy, and politics, just to name a few. The fiction section is not as long as I would like it to be, but I think with a little more time, it’ll grow.
— There is some sort of an event almost every single day! With exciting film screenings, concerts, literary readings, and community meetings, it’s easy to realize just how passionate they are about the arts. Patrons even have the opportunity to request their own event in the bookstore’s back area! Seee? Community bookstore.
— The space is on a corner, and is small but cozy. The employees are all volunteers and are wonderfully friendly.
— They have a Wordpress website which I find incredibly endearing.
Likelihood of another visit:
I first found out about Word Up from the Time Out article and gasped when I read its location. Since I work in the vicinity, I will definitely be back. I’m so glad that such a wonderful bookstore has opened up in such an underserved community. Best of luck, Word Up!

Last weekend I stumbled upon Word Up! To be honest I was really shocked to find a community bookstore in my neighborhood. I lived in WH for over a year now and I’ve been troubled by the lack of multi-​cultural multi-​ethnic community. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that there are pockets of this that do exist here.
I didn’t spend a lot of time checking out the selections, but from what I did observe they have a vast selection. What actually drew me into the store was the 1 dollar summer sale outside. Who can resist a dollar book sale?
I learned that Word Up has events as well. On Friday nights there is an open mic where anyone can come and share anything.
I’m not sure how often I’ll visit this bookstore, but I know it’s much needed in this neighborhood.

I’ve been waiting a while for this location to open and I’m really impressed with their new and improved space. I used to visit their former spot on Broadway and when they were shopping around for a new venue I had hopes they would find one sooner than later.
Needless to say, Word Up is back and with some huge upgrades. The bookstore is more spacious and easier to navigate and their checkout methods have gone from a pen and paper to an IPad tablet format which you can also pay by credit card with. They always have performances and musicians scheduled for different days and you can find so many talented local artists displaying their writing and artwork and generally being awesome. I always end up with a stack of promo cards for all different events going on either in Word Up or the surrounding neighborhood.
They offer a small selection of vinyl LPs (super affordable) where I’ve found some great music and everything from non-​fiction and philosophy to uptown authors and sketchbooks line the walls. If they don’t have what you are looking for they will special order it for you.
Word Up’s short absence seemed to leave a large void in the neighborhood judging from the anticipation of their reopening as they are an integral part of Washington Heights and very beneficial in what they offer. They function as a community center arranging children’s activities, open-​mic poetry nights and cultural expos as well as a platform for people to learn and share their creativity.