September 17, 2025 • 25 mins
Step into Philadelphia's only Spanish-English bookstore, where literature becomes a powerful bridge connecting communities and celebrating cultural heritage. The Julia de Burgos Bookstore, named after Puerto Rico's most celebrated poet, offers more than just books—it provides a sanctuary where Puerto Rican and Latinx voices take center stage.
Lisa Moser, the bookstore's passionate manager, shares her journey from language enthusiast to literary curator. With a background in Spanish and theology, Lisa discovered what she calls "the dream job I didn't know existed" at Taller Puertorriqueño, a 50-year-old cultural center where the bookstore resides. This non-profit organization serves as a vibrant hub for Puerto Rican culture through after-school programs, art exhibitions, community events, and its unique bookstore.
The emotional impact of representation resonates throughout our conversation. Lisa recounts how visitors sometimes tear up upon entering a space where every book reflects Puerto Rican or Latinx authorship—"these are the books I wish I had when I was a kid," one visitor shared. This poignant reaction underscores why children's books are their bestsellers, as parents seek to affirm their children's cultural identity from an early age.
Beyond the carefully curated book selection focusing on BIPOC, queer, and women writers, the store showcases handcrafted items from local artists and Puerto Rican artisans. These exclusive partnerships make them one of the only U.S. locations selling certain Puerto Rican-made goods. Every purchase supports Taller Puertorriqueño's community programs, creating a virtuous cycle of cultural preservation and education.
Philadelphia has the second-largest Puerto Rican population in the United States, giving the bookstore deep community roots. The bookstore collaborates with nearby schools (including one named after Julia de Burgos), hosts bilingual storytimes, and offers cultural tours. Lisa finds particular joy in making personalized recommendations, connecting visitors with books that reflect their unique experiences and interests.
Discover how this literary haven honors Julia de Burgos' legacy of anti-colonialism, feminism, and cultural pride while building bridges between languages, generations, and communities. Follow their journey on Instagram or visit shoptallerpr.org to explore their collection and support this vital cultural institution.
https://www.history.com/articles/puerto-rico-great-migration-postwar
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hi, my name is Mandy Jackson-Beverly and I'm a
bibliophile.
Welcome to the Bookshop Podcast.
Each week, I present interviewswith authors, independent
bookshop owners and booksellersfrom around the globe and
publishing professionals.
To help the show reach morepeople, please share episodes
with friends and family and onsocial media, and remember to
(00:33):
subscribe and leave a reviewwherever you listen to this
podcast.
You're listening to episode 307.
107.
Hi and thanks for listening tothe Bookshop Podcast.
I'm back in Ojai after afabulous week of in-person lunch
(00:53):
with the North Literary Seriesevents in Los Angeles and Santa
Barbara, California.
In LA, I chatted with thefabulous Paul Radnick about his
hilarious latest novel what IsWrong With you.
On Wednesday, I was inconversation with Chef Palak
Patel about her philosophy onfood and her superb vegetarian
(01:13):
cookery book Food Is Love.
On Thursday, I was back inSanta Barbara chatting with the
inspiring Anne Hood about herlatest novel, the Stolen Child.
Thank you to everyone whoattends these luncheons.
I'm in my third year of thisliterary series and still going
strong.
If you'd like to know moreabout the Lunch with an Author
(01:34):
literary series in Los Angeles,santa Barbara and, soon to be,
ojai, you can go to my websiteat wwwmandijjacksonbeverlycom.
Forward slash events.
I'll also be moderating a panelat the Boston Book Festival on
Saturday, october 25, 2025.
This festival offers anincredible and diverse array of
(01:58):
authors in conversation, ininterviews and on panels.
I hope to see you there.
Now, here's this week's episode.
The Julia de Burgos Bookstoreis the only Spanish-English
bookstore in Philadelphia andthe surrounding area.
In addition to Puerto Ricanliterature, they specialize in
(02:19):
books by Latin and LatinAmerican authors, with a special
focus on BIPOC, queer and womenwriters.
The store also sells handmadeand one-of-a-kind items made by
local Latina, latino Latinartists and artisans.
Any income from the store goesright back into the Talla Puerto
(02:39):
Raquinio, a non-profit culturalcenter that offers after-school
programs, youth artist programs, community events and more.
Hi, lisa, and welcome to theshow.
It's great to have you here.
Yes, thank you so much forhaving me.
Oh, my pleasure.
When I first saw the websitefor the Julio de Burgos
bookstore, I was enthralled withthe photographs.
(03:01):
It's so colorful.
But before we get into talkingabout the bookshop, let's start
with learning about you.
You hold a BA in Spanish andTheology and you've earned
certifications in TEFL, which isTeaching English in a Foreign
Language, and MedicalInterpreting, which I thought
was fascinating.
Are you originally fromPhiladelphia and what inspired
(03:23):
your interest in the Spanishlanguage and bilingual education
?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Yeah, so I was born and raised in Philadelphia.
I grew up in a bilingual churchwhich was very small and
close-knit it's actually wheremy parents met and so I was
always exposed to the Spanishlanguage really since birth,
through the church, and a lot ofour closest family friends when
I was growing up were PuertoRican.
But then when I started highschool is when I really started
(03:49):
to study Spanish and it camevery naturally to me.
I really loved it.
I went on to study it incollege and I really love
studying languages because Ithink communication is one of my
top values.
You know, I really love meetingnew people, connecting with new
people, hearing their stories,and there are so many people in
the world and in the UnitedStates that don't speak English,
and so to me it's been such agift, both the meaningful
(04:13):
relationships I've been able tobuild with people, but also just
the little day to dayinteractions that I wouldn't be
able to have otherwise if Ididn't speak Spanish.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah, and I think in this day and age, it has become
more and more important to learnanother language.
When I arrived in Los Angeles,I was just so taken with the
culture of the city and I was soexcited and I still am to live
in a state where there is somuch diversity.
(04:40):
In California, I don't thinkenough credit is given for
people coming to California, orcoming to the United States, or
anywhere for that matter, whospeak English and they also
speak Spanish.
My Spanish is just a littletiny bit like my French and
German, so, yeah, my hat goesoff to anyone who comes from
another country and learns tospeak English.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yes, a lot of people.
Even they speak an indigenouslanguage as their first language
.
Spanish might be their secondlanguage.
English would be their thirdlanguage.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Oh yeah, that's impressive.
Let's talk about what sparkedyour love of books and how did
that journey lead you tobecoming the general manager of
the Ulia de Burgos bookstore andI'm afraid my pronunciation is
not as beautiful as yours.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Well, I've always loved reading.
Since I was a little kid Lovedwriting too.
In school I always lovedwriting essays.
I think I've developed anincreased appreciation for books
just because my major incollege was just reading book
after book after book, and Ithink the books that I read was
really what expanded my thinkingand changed my mind a lot about
a lot of things and reallyshaped me as a person.
(05:50):
I'd say that was kind ofdisconnected from how I ended up
.
It was really just by chance,or maybe destined to be, that I
found this job.
I was working at a Mexicanrestaurant after college and
kind of looking to move on tosomething else, but really
didn't know what.
So you know, that's when I gotthe TEFL certification and I was
(06:10):
teaching English to some of myco-workers at the restaurant.
I did the medicalinterpretation program because I
thought maybe I would want togo into that.
But then one day my friend justsent me this Instagram post
that was a job opening at thisorganization I'd never even
heard of, called TallerPotriqueno, and I read the job
description and I just thoughtthat is the perfect job for me,
(06:32):
like it just combined myinterests and talents, like in a
way that I didn't know it waspossible for them to be combined
in one job, and I always saythat I never knew exactly what I
wanted to do, because this wasthe dream job that I didn't even
know existed.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I love that about life when you finally discover
something that you're justpassionate about doing, it's
exciting.
It's also one of the blessingsabout getting older, because you
have so much more experienceand you start to realize that
you can actually almost makeyour own job.
Yes, now the Julio de BurosBookstore is part of Taller
(07:07):
Puerto Carreño.
Can you share the mission andvision of this organization and
how those values shape thebookstore's purpose?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah, so Julio de Burgos Bookstore, it's not its
own separate entity, it's partof an organization called Taller
Puerto Rican, which is anon-profit Puerto Rican cultural
center here in Philadelphia,and so the organization has a
lot of different programs.
You know the mission is topreserve and promote Puerto
Rican culture, but also torepresent and support, like
(07:38):
other Latino expressions as well.
So we have a beautiful building, we have an education wing, so
actually right now we have asummer camp going on, we do an
after school program, we have alarge event space that people
rent for all different reasonsor will collaborate with other
organizations.
You know, like on this pastThursday they had a live salsa
band come or do a lot ofdifferent events, and then we
(08:01):
also have an art gallery as well, and then our bookstore.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Oh my goodness, it sounds fabulous.
And how is it funded?
It's funded through grants.
Oh my goodness, and that'sdifficult at these times.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I have a publishing question.
Are most of the bilingual booksthe store carries published in
the US, or do you sourceinternationally as well?
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, so most of them are published in the US.
We carry a good number of booksthat are published by small
presses in Puerto Rico and thenwe do have books that are
international but they'republished by editorials in the
US.
So, for example, like FeministPress or Charco Press publish a
lot of works in translation, andthen like Grupo Editorial,
which publishes a huge number ofbooks in Spanish from Latin
(08:47):
America.
So it makes them easy to order.
But I'm hoping in the nextcouple of years to go to the
International Book Festival inGuadalajara, mexico, to make
connections with some moreinternational editorials to be
able to get more internationalbooks.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Oh, that sounds fantastic.
And have you been to PuertoRico?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I have, yeah, so I had gone once before I got this
job on like a hurricane relieftrip and then I've gone back a
couple of times since then.
So another big part of ourstore, besides just selling
books, is that we sell likemerchandise and artesania, like
the can-made artisan goods fromPuerto Rico.
So we got to go a couple oftimes like as a business trip to
(09:29):
find like artisans and smallbusinesses to sell their
merchandise.
So that's been great and that'ssomething that makes the store
really special is there's a fewsmall businesses that make like
stickers and other things thatwe are one of either the only or
one of the only locations inthe United States that sell
their merchandise.
(09:50):
Otherwise you have to order itonline or in Puerto Rico.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
And do you find that most of your customers are
people within the Puerto Ricancommunity in Philadelphia, or do
you find that people are comingfrom all over the city to shop
at the bookshop?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
It's a mix of both.
We definitely I'd sayno-transcript.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I was particularly impressed with your art books.
In fact I ordered one and itarrived.
Nuyorican and DiasporicanVisual Art, a critical anthology
.
I hope I pronounced thatcorrectly.
Yeah, nuyorican and Diasporican.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Yeah.
So that book just came outrecently.
It's edited by Arlene Davilaand Yasmin Ramirez and it's a
very important book because itbasically documents the
Nuyorican and Diasporicancontributions to art.
So Nuyorican that's like PuertoRicans that migrated to New
York and like the generations ofPuerto Ricans born in New York,
(11:11):
and then Diasporican refers to,you know, the communities of
Puerto Ricans that live, like,elsewhere, aside from the island
, and so, yes, it documents thecontributions of Diasporican
artists, which are veryunderrepresented in the art
world.
You know it's underrepresented,underdocumented, same thing as
in the publishing industry, youknow, the percentage of Latino
(11:32):
authors and illustrators is verydisproportionately low.
And so it's an amazing bookbecause it documents this art.
But it's very special to usbecause there's actually a
chapter in it about Puerto Ricanarts in Philadelphia, written
by Johnny Irizarry, who is anartist and he was actually the
executive director of Talleryears ago and is so beloved in
(11:54):
the community.
But it talks about organization.
It talks about a lot of localartists.
Philadelphia has so manygorgeous murals, especially like
murals of Puerto Rican culture,and Philadelphia actually has I
believe it's the second largestpopulation of Puerto Ricans in
the US, like New York is numberone, and then Philadelphia and
(12:15):
Chicago are the next two.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
When I was researching Puerto Rico for this
conversation, I went to anarticle on historycom titled
Puerto Rico Great MigrationPost-War and it was really sad.
I'm going to put that link inthe show notes because I think
it's important for people tounderstand why the Puerto Rican
(12:38):
migration happened across thecenturies.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Yes, it's a pretty complex history of different
factors that caused Puerto Ricanmigration, factors that cause
like Puerto Rican migration.
You know like US colonialism is, you know, the main driving
factor.
And then you know citizenshipwas imposed on Puerto Ricans,
that they could then be draftedto, which I don't know if it was
World War I or World War II.
(13:02):
But yeah, it's a complexhistory.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Yes, it truly is, and it's sad, really, really sad.
I'd like to get back to themission and vision of Talla,
puerto Rican, and how thosevalues shape the bookstore's
purpose.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
And so we see that in our after school program, which
is very much like arts andculture oriented.
And then with the bookstore,you know our criteria is very
narrow we only sell bookswritten by Puerto Rican or
Latinx authors, and you knowthat's in line with the mission.
(13:43):
But also I think it's importantto have a space like that
because you know Philadelphiahas so many amazing
bookstoresstores.
You know we have generalinterest bookstores, you have
radical bookstores, you haveblack owned bookstores, like
there's a lot of greatbookstores, and so I feel like
our bookstore.
Really, you know we're in thisniche and you can come here.
(14:05):
You know exactly what you'regoing to find, what you're not
going to find, um, and it'sreally special people.
People actually get emotionalsometimes visiting because you
know you're not if you arepuerto rican, grew up maybe not
seeing your culture representedin many books that you read as a
kid and then you come here andto see every book on the shelf
written by either a puerto ricanor latino author, one person
(14:28):
actually, he.
He teared up when he was fromvisiting from new york and he
actually teared up when he wasvisiting from New York and he
actually teared up and he waslike these are the books that I
wish I had when I was like a kidand a teenager.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Lisa, I think you just nailed it People want to
see themselves on librarybookshelves and in independent
bookshops and in schools.
Yes, I just think it's soimportant more than ever now,
because our cultures areshifting within our countries.
Do you also carry bilingualbooks for children?
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yes, we do so.
Children's books are actuallyour top selling genre.
I think a big part of that isyou know parents that are
raising kids, that you know theywant to pass on the Spanish
language, or you know they wantto make sure that the child's
cultural identity is affirmedfrom a young age, and so, yes,
we do have a lot of books thatare bilingual.
(15:19):
For some reason, usually theypublish them like an English
version and a Spanish version,but I love when they have them
actually like bilingual bothlanguages on one page, because
that's what a lot of familiesare looking for.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
I'm about to become a first-time grandmother and I'm
actually buying those books formy new granddaughter to be.
I just think it's so importantthat children are raised
learning another language.
Let's talk about the curationof the bookstore.
How does it reflect thecommunity you serve, and do
schools bring students to yourbookshop to introduce them to
your community and to authors?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Yeah, so actually one of the programs that the
organization does is we hosttours for school groups, and so
we do neighborhood mural tours,we do workshops like Latin dance
or jewelry making and then wegive tours of our gallery as
well.
We have good connections withthe local schools and you know
I've built some relationshipswith local principals and
(16:17):
teachers.
I've done some book fairs atschool and, you know, with our
afterschool program too, there's, you know, the networks of
parents and some teachers too,and so, yes, we do host like
bilingual story times on apretty regular basis and I do
try to send that out to theteachers.
You know we have a lot ofpublic schools in the area, like
(16:39):
even within like a one mileradius, that have predominantly
Puerto Rican students.
Actually, there's an elementaryschool right around the corner
that's also.
It's called Juli de BurgosElementary School and they have
a big mural of her on the sideof the school.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Which brings me to this question.
It's called Julia de BurgosElementary School and they have
a big mural of her on the sideof the school, which brings me
to this question.
Julia de Burgos was a PuertoRican poet, journalist and
teacher, and also an advocatefor Puerto Rican independence.
I love that the store is namedafter her.
Can you talk a little bit abouther work and also, do you know
who decided on the name of thebookshop?
Speaker 2 (17:11):
I actually don't know who decided on the name,
because our organization isactually 50 years old and so the
store used to it was.
I think it started as Juli deBurgos Arts and Crafts Store and
then it became Juli de BurgosGift Shop, and that's actually
what it was called when Istarted the job.
The position was gift shopmanager and then we changed the
store in the last few years toJuli de Burgos Bookstore.
(17:34):
But she's the most famousPuerto Rican poet and a lot of
her poetry included themes aboutanti-colonialism and blackness
and feminism.
That's why our store also hasthe focus on BIPOC and women and
queer authors, kind of in honorof Julia Burgos and kind of the
(17:55):
values that she wrote about.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
One of the wonderful things that I've discovered
about doing the Bookshop podcastis all of the people I meet
from all over the world.
Plus, I'm introduced to writersand authors who I may not have
read before, and one of them wasJulio de Burgos, for which I am
eternally grateful, thank you.
Let's talk about books.
(18:18):
What are you currently reading?
Speaker 2 (18:19):
I'm reading a couple of things right now, but I'm
reading a book called this isthe Only Kingdom by Jaquira Diaz
.
It comes out in November or inOctober, but it's a Puerto Rican
author.
I actually got to meet her acouple months ago at like an
author's reception that I wentto, but it's a fiction novel
that's inspired by the placewhere she grew up, in Puerto
(18:40):
Rico, and it's like amulti-generational story.
It's inspired by salsa music,which I love, like each chapter
title is the name of a salsasong, which I think is pretty
cool, is the name of a salsasong, which I think is pretty
cool, and actually theprotagonist, one of the
protagonists, is a salsa artist.
So I've been enjoying that one.
I've been trying to balancemore fiction and nonfiction
recently.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Do you read much poetry?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
I actually don't, which is funny because Juli de
Borgo's bookstore named after apoet.
But no, I don't really readpoetry.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
I honestly think that poetry weaves itself in and out
of our lives.
In different decades we justdiscover certain lines of poetry
or a complete piece of poetrythat we can relate to at that
time in our lives.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Yes, I've heard people say that too.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Is there a book you always recommend to visitors of
the bookshop?
Speaker 2 (19:31):
There's a lot that I recommend.
Probably my go-to fiction novelwould be Cantoras by Caro de
Robertis.
They actually have a new bookthat just came out.
It's called so Many Stars butit's an oral history of
basically trans people of color.
So that just came out this pastyear.
But they have some fictionnovels and their book, cantoras,
(19:54):
was actually one of the firstbooks I read when I started
working here and it's just, it'sbeautifully written.
It's still one of my favorites.
But I'd say I don't really havea go-to because one of my
favorite things about this jobis finding like, the perfect
book for every customer.
So you know I said I loveconnecting with people and
hearing their stories.
I love that.
(20:14):
You know it's a smaller shop.
We usually don't have more than, like, one group of you know,
one person or a group of friendsat a time, and so I really get
to talk to people and a lot oftimes people you know share
their stories, share a piece oftheir identity, and I'm like oh,
I have the perfect book for you.
And that's one of my favoritethings to do is to make very
personalized recommendations andI do try to have something for
(20:36):
everyone.
And sometimes people ask like,oh, do you have a book about
this topic?
And if I don't, I'll researchit and I'll order, like whatever
books I can find about thattopic or about that intersection
of identities.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
I've heard from different bookshop owners and
booksellers that it does take atleast a year to figure out the
books that your community needsand wants to read, right, so it
sounds like it's that kind ofthing where you're always
learning about a new book thatyou want to bring in.
I wanted to ask you do youprefer to read in Spanish or
English, or do you readwhatever's available?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
I usually read in English.
I prefer to read the book inwhatever language it's written
in which I know.
Also, I know translation islike its own art and you know I
have heard of like certain booksthat it's like wow, the
translation is like reallystunning.
And so I think some books thatare worth reading in you know
the original and the translation.
But, yeah, most of the booksthat I've been reading recently
(21:31):
have been in English, but if I'mgoing to read, like a novel
from Latin America, I'd ratherread it in Spanish.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
There's a wonderful press in Canterbury I think it
is in England, and they arecalled Heloise Press.
The founder and owner, inaMarti, just has a knack for
choosing books from all over theworld and has them translated
into English.
I've loved the books fromHelise Press that I've read and
(21:58):
I highly recommend looking intothat press.
I was often reluctant to readbooks that had been translated
up until about eight years agoand once I discovered them I was
hooked.
I love the cadence of thewriting.
I love learning about thecountries where the author is
from and, of course, thelanguage where the book has been
(22:18):
translated from.
I found that reading books thathave been translated into
English almost give you a twofer.
You get the story that you'rereading about in the book, but
you also get the story of theauthor and the language.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Yes, and that's why that's another reason I love
studying languages is I feellike the language tells you so
much about the culture and aboutlike the.
You know just a different wayof thinking, a different
perspective on life, even justfrom like what words they use or
the way that the sentences areconstructed.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
And that brings up another question Do you carry
many local Puerto Rican authorsbooks in the store?
Speaker 2 (22:55):
We do.
Yes, there's one author, achildren's book author.
Her name is AlyssaReynoso-Morris and she has been
just the most phenomenal partnerand supporter of our store and
it's great.
You know, we support her booksand promote them and always host
her for events when she has anew book come out, and she also
has been like a huge supporterof us and telling people about
(23:15):
our store and has found usgrants in the past and it's just
a very beautiful partnership.
Yeah, so there are.
We do have a fair number oflocal authors.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Now for anybody who would like to order books from
the store, just as I did withNeorecan and Diasporican Visual
Art, a critical anthology.
How do they go about doing so?
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yes, so yes, we have an online store.
It doesn't have all of ourbooks online, but we're in the
process of getting them alllisted and it has a good number.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
And what is your store address and also the
website information.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Yes, so our address is 2600 North 5th Street,
Philadelphia, PA.
And then our website is it'sshoptayirprorg, and so the
organization's main website iscalled tayirprorg.
The store's website isshoptayirpr.
And then we're also very activeon Instagram.
That's actually where we postlike the most, you know, new
(24:11):
arrivals and bookrecommendations and things like
that.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
And I will make sure to put links to everything
you've just talked about in theshow notes.
Awesome, thank you, lisa.
I feel that the bookstore andthe local community is so lucky
to have you and, my goodness,you have landed on your feet in
a wonderful place.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
I love it here.
I feel so lucky.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Lisa, thank you for being on the show and I wish you
continued success.
Yeah, thank you so much.
It was lovely talking to you.
You've been listening to myconversation with Lisa Moser,
manager of the Julio de Burgosbookstore in Philadelphia.
To help the show reach morepeople, please share episodes
with friends and family and onsocial media, and remember to
(24:54):
subscribe and leave a reviewwherever you listen to this
podcast.
To find out more about theBookshop Podcast, go to
thebookshoppodcastcom and makesure to subscribe and leave a
review wherever you listen tothe show.
You can also follow me at MandyJackson Beverly on Instagram
and Facebook and on YouTube atthe Bookshop Podcast.
(25:17):
If you have a favorite indiebookshop that you'd like to
suggest we have on the podcast,I'd love to hear from you via
the contact form atthebookshoppodcastcom.
The Bookshop Podcast is writtenand produced by me, mandy
Jackson Beverly, theme musicprovided by Brian Beverly, and
my executive assistant andgraphic designer is Adrian
(25:38):
Otterhan.
Thanks for listening and I'llsee you next time.
Hi, my name is Mandy Jackson-Beverly and I'm a
bibliophile.
Welcome to the Bookshop Podcast.
Each week, I present interviewswith authors, independent
bookshop owners and booksellersfrom around the globe and
publishing professionals.
To help the show reach morepeople, please share episodes
with friends and family and onsocial media, and remember to
(00:33):
subscribe and leave a reviewwherever you listen to this
podcast.
You're listening to episode 307.
107.
Hi and thanks for listening tothe Bookshop Podcast.
I'm back in Ojai after afabulous week of in-person lunch
(00:53):
with the North Literary Seriesevents in Los Angeles and Santa
Barbara, California.
In LA, I chatted with thefabulous Paul Radnick about his
hilarious latest novel what IsWrong With you.
On Wednesday, I was inconversation with Chef Palak
Patel about her philosophy onfood and her superb vegetarian
(01:13):
cookery book Food Is Love.
On Thursday, I was back inSanta Barbara chatting with the
inspiring Anne Hood about herlatest novel, the Stolen Child.
Thank you to everyone whoattends these luncheons.
I'm in my third year of thisliterary series and still going
strong.
If you'd like to know moreabout the Lunch with an Author
(01:34):
literary series in Los Angeles,santa Barbara and, soon to be,
ojai, you can go to my websiteat wwwmandijjacksonbeverlycom.
Forward slash events.
I'll also be moderating a panelat the Boston Book Festival on
Saturday, october 25, 2025.
This festival offers anincredible and diverse array of
(01:58):
authors in conversation, ininterviews and on panels.
I hope to see you there.
Now, here's this week's episode.
The Julia de Burgos Bookstoreis the only Spanish-English
bookstore in Philadelphia andthe surrounding area.
In addition to Puerto Ricanliterature, they specialize in
(02:19):
books by Latin and LatinAmerican authors, with a special
focus on BIPOC, queer and womenwriters.
The store also sells handmadeand one-of-a-kind items made by
local Latina, latino Latinartists and artisans.
Any income from the store goesright back into the Talla Puerto
(02:39):
Raquinio, a non-profit culturalcenter that offers after-school
programs, youth artist programs, community events and more.
Hi, lisa, and welcome to theshow.
It's great to have you here.
Yes, thank you so much forhaving me.
Oh, my pleasure.
When I first saw the websitefor the Julio de Burgos
bookstore, I was enthralled withthe photographs.
(03:01):
It's so colorful.
But before we get into talkingabout the bookshop, let's start
with learning about you.
You hold a BA in Spanish andTheology and you've earned
certifications in TEFL, which isTeaching English in a Foreign
Language, and MedicalInterpreting, which I thought
was fascinating.
Are you originally fromPhiladelphia and what inspired
(03:23):
your interest in the Spanishlanguage and bilingual education
?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Yeah, so I was born and raised in Philadelphia.
I grew up in a bilingual churchwhich was very small and
close-knit it's actually wheremy parents met and so I was
always exposed to the Spanishlanguage really since birth,
through the church, and a lot ofour closest family friends when
I was growing up were PuertoRican.
But then when I started highschool is when I really started
(03:49):
to study Spanish and it camevery naturally to me.
I really loved it.
I went on to study it incollege and I really love
studying languages because Ithink communication is one of my
top values.
You know, I really love meetingnew people, connecting with new
people, hearing their stories,and there are so many people in
the world and in the UnitedStates that don't speak English,
and so to me it's been such agift, both the meaningful
(04:13):
relationships I've been able tobuild with people, but also just
the little day to dayinteractions that I wouldn't be
able to have otherwise if Ididn't speak Spanish.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah, and I think in this day and age, it has become
more and more important to learnanother language.
When I arrived in Los Angeles,I was just so taken with the
culture of the city and I was soexcited and I still am to live
in a state where there is somuch diversity.
(04:40):
In California, I don't thinkenough credit is given for
people coming to California, orcoming to the United States, or
anywhere for that matter, whospeak English and they also
speak Spanish.
My Spanish is just a littletiny bit like my French and
German, so, yeah, my hat goesoff to anyone who comes from
another country and learns tospeak English.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yes, a lot of people.
Even they speak an indigenouslanguage as their first language
.
Spanish might be their secondlanguage.
English would be their thirdlanguage.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Oh yeah, that's impressive.
Let's talk about what sparkedyour love of books and how did
that journey lead you tobecoming the general manager of
the Ulia de Burgos bookstore andI'm afraid my pronunciation is
not as beautiful as yours.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Well, I've always loved reading.
Since I was a little kid Lovedwriting too.
In school I always lovedwriting essays.
I think I've developed anincreased appreciation for books
just because my major incollege was just reading book
after book after book, and Ithink the books that I read was
really what expanded my thinkingand changed my mind a lot about
a lot of things and reallyshaped me as a person.
(05:50):
I'd say that was kind ofdisconnected from how I ended up
.
It was really just by chance,or maybe destined to be, that I
found this job.
I was working at a Mexicanrestaurant after college and
kind of looking to move on tosomething else, but really
didn't know what.
So you know, that's when I gotthe TEFL certification and I was
(06:10):
teaching English to some of myco-workers at the restaurant.
I did the medicalinterpretation program because I
thought maybe I would want togo into that.
But then one day my friend justsent me this Instagram post
that was a job opening at thisorganization I'd never even
heard of, called TallerPotriqueno, and I read the job
description and I just thoughtthat is the perfect job for me,
(06:32):
like it just combined myinterests and talents, like in a
way that I didn't know it waspossible for them to be combined
in one job, and I always saythat I never knew exactly what I
wanted to do, because this wasthe dream job that I didn't even
know existed.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I love that about life when you finally discover
something that you're justpassionate about doing, it's
exciting.
It's also one of the blessingsabout getting older, because you
have so much more experienceand you start to realize that
you can actually almost makeyour own job.
Yes, now the Julio de BurosBookstore is part of Taller
(07:07):
Puerto Carreño.
Can you share the mission andvision of this organization and
how those values shape thebookstore's purpose?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah, so Julio de Burgos Bookstore, it's not its
own separate entity, it's partof an organization called Taller
Puerto Rican, which is anon-profit Puerto Rican cultural
center here in Philadelphia,and so the organization has a
lot of different programs.
You know the mission is topreserve and promote Puerto
Rican culture, but also torepresent and support, like
(07:38):
other Latino expressions as well.
So we have a beautiful building, we have an education wing, so
actually right now we have asummer camp going on, we do an
after school program, we have alarge event space that people
rent for all different reasonsor will collaborate with other
organizations.
You know, like on this pastThursday they had a live salsa
band come or do a lot ofdifferent events, and then we
(08:01):
also have an art gallery as well, and then our bookstore.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Oh my goodness, it sounds fabulous.
And how is it funded?
It's funded through grants.
Oh my goodness, and that'sdifficult at these times.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I have a publishing question.
Are most of the bilingual booksthe store carries published in
the US, or do you sourceinternationally as well?
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, so most of them are published in the US.
We carry a good number of booksthat are published by small
presses in Puerto Rico and thenwe do have books that are
international but they'republished by editorials in the
US.
So, for example, like FeministPress or Charco Press publish a
lot of works in translation, andthen like Grupo Editorial,
which publishes a huge number ofbooks in Spanish from Latin
(08:47):
America.
So it makes them easy to order.
But I'm hoping in the nextcouple of years to go to the
International Book Festival inGuadalajara, mexico, to make
connections with some moreinternational editorials to be
able to get more internationalbooks.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Oh, that sounds fantastic.
And have you been to PuertoRico?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I have, yeah, so I had gone once before I got this
job on like a hurricane relieftrip and then I've gone back a
couple of times since then.
So another big part of ourstore, besides just selling
books, is that we sell likemerchandise and artesania, like
the can-made artisan goods fromPuerto Rico.
So we got to go a couple oftimes like as a business trip to
(09:29):
find like artisans and smallbusinesses to sell their
merchandise.
So that's been great and that'ssomething that makes the store
really special is there's a fewsmall businesses that make like
stickers and other things thatwe are one of either the only or
one of the only locations inthe United States that sell
their merchandise.
(09:50):
Otherwise you have to order itonline or in Puerto Rico.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
And do you find that most of your customers are
people within the Puerto Ricancommunity in Philadelphia, or do
you find that people are comingfrom all over the city to shop
at the bookshop?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
It's a mix of both.
We definitely I'd sayno-transcript.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I was particularly impressed with your art books.
In fact I ordered one and itarrived.
Nuyorican and DiasporicanVisual Art, a critical anthology
.
I hope I pronounced thatcorrectly.
Yeah, nuyorican and Diasporican.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Yeah.
So that book just came outrecently.
It's edited by Arlene Davilaand Yasmin Ramirez and it's a
very important book because itbasically documents the
Nuyorican and Diasporicancontributions to art.
So Nuyorican that's like PuertoRicans that migrated to New
York and like the generations ofPuerto Ricans born in New York,
(11:11):
and then Diasporican refers to,you know, the communities of
Puerto Ricans that live, like,elsewhere, aside from the island
, and so, yes, it documents thecontributions of Diasporican
artists, which are veryunderrepresented in the art
world.
You know it's underrepresented,underdocumented, same thing as
in the publishing industry, youknow, the percentage of Latino
(11:32):
authors and illustrators is verydisproportionately low.
And so it's an amazing bookbecause it documents this art.
But it's very special to usbecause there's actually a
chapter in it about Puerto Ricanarts in Philadelphia, written
by Johnny Irizarry, who is anartist and he was actually the
executive director of Talleryears ago and is so beloved in
(11:54):
the community.
But it talks about organization.
It talks about a lot of localartists.
Philadelphia has so manygorgeous murals, especially like
murals of Puerto Rican culture,and Philadelphia actually has I
believe it's the second largestpopulation of Puerto Ricans in
the US, like New York is numberone, and then Philadelphia and
(12:15):
Chicago are the next two.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
When I was researching Puerto Rico for this
conversation, I went to anarticle on historycom titled
Puerto Rico Great MigrationPost-War and it was really sad.
I'm going to put that link inthe show notes because I think
it's important for people tounderstand why the Puerto Rican
(12:38):
migration happened across thecenturies.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Yes, it's a pretty complex history of different
factors that caused Puerto Ricanmigration, factors that cause
like Puerto Rican migration.
You know like US colonialism is, you know, the main driving
factor.
And then you know citizenshipwas imposed on Puerto Ricans,
that they could then be draftedto, which I don't know if it was
World War I or World War II.
(13:02):
But yeah, it's a complexhistory.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Yes, it truly is, and it's sad, really, really sad.
I'd like to get back to themission and vision of Talla,
puerto Rican, and how thosevalues shape the bookstore's
purpose.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
And so we see that in our after school program, which
is very much like arts andculture oriented.
And then with the bookstore,you know our criteria is very
narrow we only sell bookswritten by Puerto Rican or
Latinx authors, and you knowthat's in line with the mission.
(13:43):
But also I think it's importantto have a space like that
because you know Philadelphiahas so many amazing
bookstoresstores.
You know we have generalinterest bookstores, you have
radical bookstores, you haveblack owned bookstores, like
there's a lot of greatbookstores, and so I feel like
our bookstore.
Really, you know we're in thisniche and you can come here.
(14:05):
You know exactly what you'regoing to find, what you're not
going to find, um, and it'sreally special people.
People actually get emotionalsometimes visiting because you
know you're not if you arepuerto rican, grew up maybe not
seeing your culture representedin many books that you read as a
kid and then you come here andto see every book on the shelf
written by either a puerto ricanor latino author, one person
(14:28):
actually, he.
He teared up when he was fromvisiting from new york and he
actually teared up when he wasvisiting from New York and he
actually teared up and he waslike these are the books that I
wish I had when I was like a kidand a teenager.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Lisa, I think you just nailed it People want to
see themselves on librarybookshelves and in independent
bookshops and in schools.
Yes, I just think it's soimportant more than ever now,
because our cultures areshifting within our countries.
Do you also carry bilingualbooks for children?
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yes, we do so.
Children's books are actuallyour top selling genre.
I think a big part of that isyou know parents that are
raising kids, that you know theywant to pass on the Spanish
language, or you know they wantto make sure that the child's
cultural identity is affirmedfrom a young age, and so, yes,
we do have a lot of books thatare bilingual.
(15:19):
For some reason, usually theypublish them like an English
version and a Spanish version,but I love when they have them
actually like bilingual bothlanguages on one page, because
that's what a lot of familiesare looking for.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
I'm about to become a first-time grandmother and I'm
actually buying those books formy new granddaughter to be.
I just think it's so importantthat children are raised
learning another language.
Let's talk about the curationof the bookstore.
How does it reflect thecommunity you serve, and do
schools bring students to yourbookshop to introduce them to
your community and to authors?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Yeah, so actually one of the programs that the
organization does is we hosttours for school groups, and so
we do neighborhood mural tours,we do workshops like Latin dance
or jewelry making and then wegive tours of our gallery as
well.
We have good connections withthe local schools and you know
I've built some relationshipswith local principals and
(16:17):
teachers.
I've done some book fairs atschool and, you know, with our
afterschool program too, there's, you know, the networks of
parents and some teachers too,and so, yes, we do host like
bilingual story times on apretty regular basis and I do
try to send that out to theteachers.
You know we have a lot ofpublic schools in the area, like
(16:39):
even within like a one mileradius, that have predominantly
Puerto Rican students.
Actually, there's an elementaryschool right around the corner
that's also.
It's called Juli de BurgosElementary School and they have
a big mural of her on the sideof the school.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Which brings me to this question.
It's called Julia de BurgosElementary School and they have
a big mural of her on the sideof the school, which brings me
to this question.
Julia de Burgos was a PuertoRican poet, journalist and
teacher, and also an advocatefor Puerto Rican independence.
I love that the store is namedafter her.
Can you talk a little bit abouther work and also, do you know
who decided on the name of thebookshop?
Speaker 2 (17:11):
I actually don't know who decided on the name,
because our organization isactually 50 years old and so the
store used to it was.
I think it started as Juli deBurgos Arts and Crafts Store and
then it became Juli de BurgosGift Shop, and that's actually
what it was called when Istarted the job.
The position was gift shopmanager and then we changed the
store in the last few years toJuli de Burgos Bookstore.
(17:34):
But she's the most famousPuerto Rican poet and a lot of
her poetry included themes aboutanti-colonialism and blackness
and feminism.
That's why our store also hasthe focus on BIPOC and women and
queer authors, kind of in honorof Julia Burgos and kind of the
(17:55):
values that she wrote about.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
One of the wonderful things that I've discovered
about doing the Bookshop podcastis all of the people I meet
from all over the world.
Plus, I'm introduced to writersand authors who I may not have
read before, and one of them wasJulio de Burgos, for which I am
eternally grateful, thank you.
Let's talk about books.
(18:18):
What are you currently reading?
Speaker 2 (18:19):
I'm reading a couple of things right now, but I'm
reading a book called this isthe Only Kingdom by Jaquira Diaz
.
It comes out in November or inOctober, but it's a Puerto Rican
author.
I actually got to meet her acouple months ago at like an
author's reception that I wentto, but it's a fiction novel
that's inspired by the placewhere she grew up, in Puerto
(18:40):
Rico, and it's like amulti-generational story.
It's inspired by salsa music,which I love, like each chapter
title is the name of a salsasong, which I think is pretty
cool, is the name of a salsasong, which I think is pretty
cool, and actually theprotagonist, one of the
protagonists, is a salsa artist.
So I've been enjoying that one.
I've been trying to balancemore fiction and nonfiction
recently.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Do you read much poetry?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
I actually don't, which is funny because Juli de
Borgo's bookstore named after apoet.
But no, I don't really readpoetry.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
I honestly think that poetry weaves itself in and out
of our lives.
In different decades we justdiscover certain lines of poetry
or a complete piece of poetrythat we can relate to at that
time in our lives.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Yes, I've heard people say that too.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Is there a book you always recommend to visitors of
the bookshop?
Speaker 2 (19:31):
There's a lot that I recommend.
Probably my go-to fiction novelwould be Cantoras by Caro de
Robertis.
They actually have a new bookthat just came out.
It's called so Many Stars butit's an oral history of
basically trans people of color.
So that just came out this pastyear.
But they have some fictionnovels and their book, cantoras,
(19:54):
was actually one of the firstbooks I read when I started
working here and it's just, it'sbeautifully written.
It's still one of my favorites.
But I'd say I don't really havea go-to because one of my
favorite things about this jobis finding like, the perfect
book for every customer.
So you know I said I loveconnecting with people and
hearing their stories.
I love that.
(20:14):
You know it's a smaller shop.
We usually don't have more than, like, one group of you know,
one person or a group of friendsat a time, and so I really get
to talk to people and a lot oftimes people you know share
their stories, share a piece oftheir identity, and I'm like oh,
I have the perfect book for you.
And that's one of my favoritethings to do is to make very
personalized recommendations andI do try to have something for
(20:36):
everyone.
And sometimes people ask like,oh, do you have a book about
this topic?
And if I don't, I'll researchit and I'll order, like whatever
books I can find about thattopic or about that intersection
of identities.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
I've heard from different bookshop owners and
booksellers that it does take atleast a year to figure out the
books that your community needsand wants to read, right, so it
sounds like it's that kind ofthing where you're always
learning about a new book thatyou want to bring in.
I wanted to ask you do youprefer to read in Spanish or
English, or do you readwhatever's available?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
I usually read in English.
I prefer to read the book inwhatever language it's written
in which I know.
Also, I know translation islike its own art and you know I
have heard of like certain booksthat it's like wow, the
translation is like reallystunning.
And so I think some books thatare worth reading in you know
the original and the translation.
But, yeah, most of the booksthat I've been reading recently
(21:31):
have been in English, but if I'mgoing to read, like a novel
from Latin America, I'd ratherread it in Spanish.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
There's a wonderful press in Canterbury I think it
is in England, and they arecalled Heloise Press.
The founder and owner, inaMarti, just has a knack for
choosing books from all over theworld and has them translated
into English.
I've loved the books fromHelise Press that I've read and
(21:58):
I highly recommend looking intothat press.
I was often reluctant to readbooks that had been translated
up until about eight years agoand once I discovered them I was
hooked.
I love the cadence of thewriting.
I love learning about thecountries where the author is
from and, of course, thelanguage where the book has been
(22:18):
translated from.
I found that reading books thathave been translated into
English almost give you a twofer.
You get the story that you'rereading about in the book, but
you also get the story of theauthor and the language.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Yes, and that's why that's another reason I love
studying languages is I feellike the language tells you so
much about the culture and aboutlike the.
You know just a different wayof thinking, a different
perspective on life, even justfrom like what words they use or
the way that the sentences areconstructed.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
And that brings up another question Do you carry
many local Puerto Rican authorsbooks in the store?
Speaker 2 (22:55):
We do.
Yes, there's one author, achildren's book author.
Her name is AlyssaReynoso-Morris and she has been
just the most phenomenal partnerand supporter of our store and
it's great.
You know, we support her booksand promote them and always host
her for events when she has anew book come out, and she also
has been like a huge supporterof us and telling people about
(23:15):
our store and has found usgrants in the past and it's just
a very beautiful partnership.
Yeah, so there are.
We do have a fair number oflocal authors.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Now for anybody who would like to order books from
the store, just as I did withNeorecan and Diasporican Visual
Art, a critical anthology.
How do they go about doing so?
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yes, so yes, we have an online store.
It doesn't have all of ourbooks online, but we're in the
process of getting them alllisted and it has a good number.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
And what is your store address and also the
website information.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Yes, so our address is 2600 North 5th Street,
Philadelphia, PA.
And then our website is it'sshoptayirprorg, and so the
organization's main website iscalled tayirprorg.
The store's website isshoptayirpr.
And then we're also very activeon Instagram.
That's actually where we postlike the most, you know, new
(24:11):
arrivals and bookrecommendations and things like
that.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
And I will make sure to put links to everything
you've just talked about in theshow notes.
Awesome, thank you, lisa.
I feel that the bookstore andthe local community is so lucky
to have you and, my goodness,you have landed on your feet in
a wonderful place.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
I love it here.
I feel so lucky.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Lisa, thank you for being on the show and I wish you
continued success.
Yeah, thank you so much.
It was lovely talking to you.
You've been listening to myconversation with Lisa Moser,
manager of the Julio de Burgosbookstore in Philadelphia.
To help the show reach morepeople, please share episodes
with friends and family and onsocial media, and remember to
(24:54):
subscribe and leave a reviewwherever you listen to this
podcast.
To find out more about theBookshop Podcast, go to
thebookshoppodcastcom and makesure to subscribe and leave a
review wherever you listen tothe show.
You can also follow me at MandyJackson Beverly on Instagram
and Facebook and on YouTube atthe Bookshop Podcast.
(25:17):
If you have a favorite indiebookshop that you'd like to
suggest we have on the podcast,I'd love to hear from you via
the contact form atthebookshoppodcastcom.
The Bookshop Podcast is writtenand produced by me, mandy
Jackson Beverly, theme musicprovided by Brian Beverly, and
my executive assistant andgraphic designer is Adrian
(25:38):
Otterhan.
Thanks for listening and I'llsee you next time.
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