Nicholas Alexander Brown is the Bookish Friend We All Need in Our Lives
Nicholas and I met last year during a series of immigration book discussions he organized with Lupita (Lupita.Reads) and the Washington Performing Arts. Personally, the book discussion was a wonderful starting point in the D.C. literary community. Inspired on this series, I even added Reyna Grande’s book into my master’s thesis. During this time, I realized I had just met a remarkable multitalented literary citizen and supporter. Nicholas is the Chief Operating Officer for Communication and Outreach for the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System and an adjunct faculty for library and information science at Catholic University.
In his interview, he offers a great variety of how we can help libraries and others. “Libraries could use help promoting their amazing free online resources,” he says. “Each public library system in the area has a wide range of fantastic eBooks, audiobooks, databases, apps, and educational resources that can help with everything from career development to supporting virtual learning for K-12 students.” He also suggests helping worthy causes such as Capital Area Food Bank and World Central Kitchen.
Nicholas gives marvelous book recommendations on social media (and also in this interview below). You can follow him on Facebook: facebook.com/nabrown88 or on Twitter/Instagram: @frenchhorn88. He also has been streaming live videos of their dog walks on Dolly’s Instagram @DollyPartonMadison. “I think it’s mostly entertaining for me to narrate (LOL),” he says. You can see a photo at the end of this piece.
His personal motto is “Life is short. Go on the trip, buy the book, and pursue the adventure (even if it means some credit card debt). Don’t let second-guessing yourself hold you back.” Check out his interview where he tells us more about Dignidad Literaria and his take on this pandemic.
Tell us more about yourself
I previously worked at Washington Performing Arts, Library of Congress, and was a French horn player in the 215th Army Band. In addition to my career in libraries and arts administration, I am a conductor, choral singer, and musicologist. I’ve lived in the D.C. area for 8 years and am originally from Boston. My mom is from Honduras and I was fortunate enough to grow up bi-cultural. My partner Chris is a special education teacher for D.C. Public Schools and we have two dachshund mix rescue pups, Dolly Parton Madison and Teddy Kennedy Obama. We’re a very bookish family and we’ve loved getting to know so many wonderful people through the literary scene, from the dedicated folks who operate our beloved local indie bookshops (shout-out to Emily @ East City Bookshop and Liz and Jonathan at Politics & Prose) and all of the mind-blowingly amazing libraries in the area. We also love D.C. United and the Nationals!
What does Dignidad Literaria mean to you?
Over the past couple of years, I’ve learned a lot from friends, colleagues, and books about the wide range of “Own Voices” stories that examine the many different experiences of the Latin community in the U.S.
Lupita (of Lupita Reads) and I organized a series of immigration book discussions for a project at Washington Performing Arts that created a meaningful dialogue around the way immigration experiences are depicted in literature. Through that experience, I was particularly grateful to come to know the work of Reyna Grande and Luis Alberto Urrea. The Latin-American experience is not monolithic, and certainly not represented authentically or comprehensively by authors who come from non-Latino backgrounds. Dignidad Literaria is a collective of people who share a common commitment to celebrating the work of authors whose work is representative of their own cultural backgrounds and lived experiences, while identifying and advocating against systemic biases, ignorance, and discrimination in the publishing industry, media, and mainstream literary community.
Tell us about your canceled events due to our current crisis
At the Library, all of our in-person events have been canceled since March 13 and will remain canceled until we reopen. We typically have upwards of 800 events per month, so this has been a significant reduction in our services. We have rapidly shifted to developing virtual programs, ranging from read-alouds for children and a census town hall to book talks and community conversations.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen out there during the pandemic?
We’re lucky in Prince George’s County to have many different shopping options. While our local Wegmans has been a madhouse with customers stockpiling, we also have new Lidl stores that have been well stocked and are much less overrun with customers. There are also many great local ethnic supermarkets that deserve our support. The thing that has mystified me the most about this public health crisis is how inconsistently municipalities, states, and the federal government are implementing measures to keep folks safe. A coordinated and clear national mandate that is based on the strengths of local communities is really necessary if we want to flatten the curve. The amount of partying that has been happening in places like Florida is discouraging, as some people seem to only care about themselves. Maryland has demonstrated great leadership at the local, county, and state level, especially when compared to other states.
How does your literary community normally look like? And how does it look like now?
Typically, my literary community interacts at author talks, book club gatherings, and on bookstagram. Right now bookstagram is the main avenue for connecting, but I’ve started some virtual book club sessions and am developing virtual literary programming for PGCMLS.
Do you have any anxiety tips to share with the rest of us?
My one anxiety tip is that we shouldn’t think of managing anxiety as a finite task. It’s an ongoing process that requires us to adapt on a daily and sometimes hourly basis, based on our personality traits and whatever we’re dealing with.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
This is hard! So many favorite comfort foods! Lately, pupusas and traditional ice cream sundaes have been my go-to comfort foods.
What are you currently reading? Any books that you would like to recommend us?
I’m currently reading Here for It by R. Eric Thomas, which is a poignant (and unpretentious) collection of essays.
I highly recommend My Time Among the Whites by Jeanine Capo-Crucet. It’s on point with the depiction of what some Latinos deal with when interacting with other cultures in America. I also enjoyed The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper, which is a new YA book that has LGBTQ+ characters without the plot being a coming out story.
Any TV shows/movies that you would like to recommend us? (We’ll add them to our social distancing list)
Pose is the show that should be required viewing for everyone right now. I also highly recommend The Two Popes (the film on Netflix).
What type of music is in your playlist?
I listen to a lot of Latin, top 40s, EDM, and musical theatre for fun (and when writing), and then classical, jazz, opera for more focused listening.
Can you concentrate to read/work?
Since I’m over communications, programs, and digital engagement for the Library I’ve been slammed with work. We have a great team at PGCMLS (shout-out to the Digital Services Team in particular) and a small group of us have been ensuring that the Library continues to serve customers, with everything from health information to drive-up WiFi outside our buildings (while they’re closed). I have found it challenging to unwind enough to focus on my pleasure reading on weekday evenings, given how consumed I am by work. Teleworking is a great option in times like this, but it can really eliminate whatever boundaries exist between being at work and being at home. I do most of my work at home in my home office, so I do what I can to separate things.
Have you thought about what would you do if you get cabin fever?
I’m usually out at cultural events, museums, or sports games, so being stuck at home is a challenge. We have plenty of books and the dogs are great to have around. The only real option for balance has been reading and getting outside for walks. This whole experience validates my typical approach to trying to experience life to the fullest every day, as you never know what lifestyle changes are going to be required (temporary or otherwise).
How can we keep each other safe?
We need to connect and check-in with folks digitally and by phone, especially those who are isolated and live alone. Self-care also needs to be in focus, even more so than when we’re in our usual work routines.
And as I promised:
