Hello, coffee friends!
Until a few years ago, I didn't know as many literary coffee shop as I do now that my husband is a writer.
Until then, I hadn't realized the number of literary cafés there are in my country.
Over the years, I've been to several establishments of this kind, and it's truly a very successful and pleasant combination.
Among the favorite literary cafés I've visited is the one at the Boulevard's coffee shop & bookstore in Ciego de Ávila, which we visited this year as part of the delegation invited to the province's book fair.
The coffee shop is literally inserted into the bookstore. So, you find the books first, then the coffee. However, when it's time to drink your coffee, you have the books within reach.
I've been to other coffee shops, like the one in Guantánamo, where the lines between coffee shop and bookstore are more clearly visible. So they prioritize either the cafe or the bookstore, and while this serves a practical purpose, I don't think it works as well as the one in Ciego de Ávila.
However, the good thing about this type of establishment is that the arts merge in them for entertainment purposes: poetry readings, storytelling, book presentations, or simply where I find myself with a group of friends, and it always feels good and in a natural, intimate way.
Personally, I've always enjoyed playing in these types of venues.
I feel at ease when I play in a literary coffee shop.