Nonfiction,  Published Submissions

How One Bookstore Owner Is Creating More Representation for Youth in the Community, by Rishab Subramanya

After seeing limited literature in his childhood that represented him, Adrian Cepeda aims to represent the neighborhood’s diversity by providing a space where youth can identify with their cultures and foster a love of reading.

Stepping into the World’s Borough Bookshop, there is a fascinating display of book covers with titles by authors from around the world, including Desi, Latino, Arab, and Black works. On the right is a mural by local Latina illustrator Andrea Pardo with the phrase “The World is Yours,” depicting a hand holding a globe in a field of flowers. On a corner of Jackson Heights, this is the first Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, commonly referred to as BIPOC, bookstore in Queens. It’s small but stuffed; there are nearly 500 books from floor to ceiling.

 

Adrian Cepeda, the store’s owner, stands in the center, chatting to customers on various topics, from his childhood to local restaurants. Dressed in blue athletic shorts and a Mickey Mantle t-shirt, Cepeda smiles. The World’s Borough Bookshop is one of the few BIPOC bookstores in New York. Jackson Heights is one of the nation’s most culturally diverse neighborhoods, and the bookstore aims to showcase that diversity.

 

With library budget cuts across the city, the work of bookstores like The World’s Borough Bookshop becomes increasingly essential. Starting in 2024, libraries across the city face 58.3 million dollars in budget cuts. The Queens Public Library system has been severely affected. According to Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, the Queen’s Public Library system will see a $17 million cut. Libraries provide various services, from internet access to publishing facilities, as well as a place for the safety of unhoused people. As of March 2024, access to those services has severely diminished, with most libraries only open five days a week instead of the standard six. “Every good neighborhood, for it to thrive, needs a library or bookstore,” Cepeda said.

 

A native of Queens, growing up only a block away, Cepeda saw little representation of himself in literature. He is of Ecuadorian origin, and it was only until his senior year of college that he read his first BIPOC book, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz, which narrates a Dominican boy’s experience growing up in New Jersey. He remembers feeling enlightened. “It was the first time I saw myself, a young Latino chubby boy in a book,” he said. Yet, there was also a distinct sense of anger. “It took too long.”

Adrian Cepeda, 30, owner of the World’s Borough Bookshop, sells books from authors around the world.

For several years after, Cepeda worked in higher education, but the dream of starting his own bookstore never left his thoughts. Initially setting up small pop-up markets in Queens, Cepeda said that the community was very receptive to the mission and continues to be. In 2022, Cepeda started applying for grants, including the Queen’s Economic Development Corporation’s Tech + Innovation Challenge. After a year’s worth of attempts, he finally won the grant. “It was even more vindication that it was time to open it up.”

 

Established in August 2023, the bookstore is already fulfilling Cepeda’s vision. Boisterous middle schoolers consider the place a prime after-school hangout location. Adults nearby recount their experiences growing up in Queens decades ago and how the scenery has shifted dramatically. Adrian Cepeda, 30, owner of the World’s Borough Bookshop, sells books from authors around the world. One wall prominently features specific titles. Cepeda recounts how many of the authors conduct events and book signings at the bookstore, exposing the neighborhood to the voices behind the works.

A recent book signing for author Sonali Kohli at the bookstore brings many members of the Jackson Heights community.

One of these is author Sonali Kohli. On a recent Friday, the World’s Borough Bookshop hosted a book signing event for Kohli, whose recent book, Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won, recounts the stories of three teen activists in California who started their movements. The event, taking place in the cool, late afternoon breeze, was marked by a sense of belonging. From established journalists to families visiting Jackson Heights to children frolicking freely in the streets, each approached Kohli with the same enthusiasm and passion, excited to see how the voices and stories of the youth could be amplified. Kohli handed out free books to anyone under 18, signing each with personalized messages like “Find your movement.”

 

For Kohli, communities like the one in Jackson Heights are the ones she’s impacting. “I want it to go to communities, and I want to celebrate it,” she said of her book. Kohli, of Desi origin, was awestruck when she saw a shelf full of Desi authors. “Everything in there is so beautifully curated for the community.”

 

Cepeda wants Queens to be the epicenter of all literature, specifically BIPOC voices. From throwing a festival highlighting the voices of Queens to being a finalist for the David Prize, an award for New Yorkers making change, Cepeda aims to use his influence to create more representation for people around New York. Yet, apart from the ambitions, it’s the small moments, the individual sparks, that sustain his work. “When kids are wandering around, they force their parents to come in,” he said.

Acknowledgment: I thank my mentors, New York Times foreign correspondent and photojournalist Andy Isaacson, and investigative journalist Georgia Gee, for guiding me through the entire process of creating this piece.

– Rishab Subramanya

Rish is a senior at the Energy Institute High School, Houston, TX. He trained at the School of The New York Times during summer 2024, during which he worked with two renowned journalists: New York Times foreign correspondent and photojournalist Andy Isaacson and investigative journalist Georgia Gee. He is passionate about STEM, and his first full-length author research paper was accepted to the International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition for fall 2024.