Word Up Partners With Lin-Manuel Miranda, AmEx to Give Away Books

Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria, located in the neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City, announced on Instagram that it is partnering with actor Lin-Manuel Miranda and American Express to give away books on Saturday, September 14.

“Come by and just say you are here after seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tweet, and you’ll get a free book! No purchase necessary. Really! See you at the shop!” the store posted.

On September 10, Miranda, who lives in Washington Heights, tweeted his thanks to American Express for sending him a care package while filming in Wales and announced that the two were teaming up to do giveaways at three of his favorite neighborhood shops: Word Up, 809 Restaurant, and San Marko Formals.

AmEx posted on Instagram, “Lin-Manuel Miranda knows the creative power of collaboration and how a community can inspire great work — that’s why he’s been such a big supporter of @wordupbooks in his hometown of Washington Heights, #NY. @wordupbooks is not only a bookshop, but a community space for creating, organizing, meeting, or just a quiet place to read.”

“We try to focus on normalizing the stories that aren’t usually told,” Word Up volunteer Emmanuel Abreu told American Express. “When you come in here, you see all these different faces getting together for the same reason, for the love of books and the love of their community.”

Of Miranda, Abreu said, “He doesn’t just appreciate his neighborhood, but he supports local shops and community organizations all the time. And we truly appreciate that.”