In the 2023-2024 academic year alone, PEN America found over 10,000 instances of book banning in school libraries across the United States. For four days, a speakeasy in Alexandria will raise awareness about the issue— and serve craft cocktails named after literary classics.
The Banned Book Speakeasy, which will last from Wednesday, April 23 to Sunday, April 27, will be hosted by hotel restaurant The Study at Morrison House and the Virginia Library Association— a collaboration that Morrison House area marketing manager Bailey Kormick calls a “no-brainer.”
“We really wanted to take time, as a hotel and a restaurant that has a literary theme, to pay tribute to a lot of voices that are getting lost right now in the media, schools, and education,” she says. “This is an opportunity to celebrate those voices and to celebrate those stories.”
Despite her team’s enthusiasm about the idea, Kormick acknowledges that they were “not experts” on the subject, and needed the help of a partnering organization. To get the concept off of the ground, Kormick tapped Virginia Library Association executive director Lisa Varga.
“Typically, when we receive phone calls about banned books, it’s usually me gearing up for a tough conversation or dealing with someone’s anger,” says Varga. “To get a message from Bailey that was so positive and supportive was so refreshing.”
Together, the two developed the speakeasy’s final business model: a four-day cocktail bar with a cozy, “dark-academia” feel, guarded by a Morrison House librarian, featuring on-theme drinks served through floor-to-ceiling banned bookcases. Guests will place their orders on mock library slips, which will be returned to them embossed with The Study’s logo when they leave.
Throughout the speakeasy’s run, $1 from each cocktail sold will go to the Virginia Library Association. On the day of its conclusion, which falls during the Old Town Book Fair: Adult Edition, banned books will be available for purchase with a 50% donation to the Association. Donations, says the team, will be used to provide scholarship funds for librarians and augment book budgets for libraries that have seen retaliatory cuts for refusing to remove certain books from their shelves.
At the speakeasy, sip on drinks like the Handmaid’s Tale, The Color Purple, and the To Kill a Mockingbird. The team doesn’t is keeping the exact preparations secret, but expect unconventional spirit infusions and artful presentation. Upscale bar bites will also be available, like plantain tostones topped with octopus and cheesy corn fritters served with serrano aioli.
As collaboration prepares to launch, Kormick and Varga hope that the speakeasy will raise intrigue and eyebrows— as well as deeper awareness about the extent of book banning in Alexandria and beyond.
“I think people hear about banned books, and they see maybe the stack of five or 10 books in your average media story, but there are so many more,” says Varga. “The idea of filling a space with banned books will have such a visual impact for people. They will be stunned by the books that they see in those areas.”
The Banned Book Speakeasy will be open from 5 PM to 10 PM on Wednesday, April 23 through Saturday, April 26, as well as Sunday, April 27 from 10 AM to 3 PM.
