Book Date No. 06

A trip to Adanne with Bem co-founder Gabrielle Davenport.

I’m back with another book date, this time a blind-ish one. Gabrielle and I were set up by Kim Johnson, my third book date, who told me her friend had good taste in books. As these things go, we texted for a bit and eventually met up on a sunny afternoon in May at Adanne, a Black-owned bookstore in Bed Stuy. Gabrielle is the co-founder of Bem Brooklyn, a culinary bookstore that carries books across all genres as long as they’re written by Black people and deal with food in some way. After a successful crowdfunding campaign earlier this year, the two will be opening a physical location next year, which I’m very excited for. Also making this one free for everyone because a, it has been a while since I did a free one of these and b, I meant to get it up last month. Anyway, read all about our date, below!

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Please state your name for the record. 

Gabrielle Davenport. 

What do you do? 

I’m a bookseller. I run a store called Bem Books and More with my sister Danielle. 

Where are you from? 

I grew up in Oakland, California. I’ve been in New York for 15 years. 

How did growing up in Oakland shape you? 

Oakland has a strong political history that felt very present while I was growing up. It’s in the water. It’s part of how we operate and think about things. It’s a beautiful environment. It's really easy to enjoy spending time outside, and I spent a lot of time outside as a young person. There's also a lot of people who are artists or have their creative thing or hustle or whatever. That felt very present and it inspired me to dabble in various things as I was growing up, which I still do now. 

What was your young reading life like? How did you become a reader? 

I had a babysitter who turned into a nanny that my family basically adopted and is like my cousin now. She loves to tell the story about how when she would babysit me I would beg her to take me to the library because it's my favorite place to hang out. I don't really remember a time when I wasn't a reader. I’m told my sister taught me to read and I believe that 100 percent. My sister is seven years older than me, so she has influenced me in all kinds of ways.

I have very distinct memories of this one big chair in a room that wasn't the family room where we actually spent time. It was the other room that we only did Christmas in. You know what I mean? The fancy one where you don’t wear shoes. I have such vivid memories of curling up in that chair and reading Harry Potter for hours. I loved Harry Potter. I could insert myself in this other world. I remember being really enchanted by that experience. My whole family is full of readers. My dad—I still don't understand how he reads as quickly as he does—but he reads a lot and very quickly. My sister also got that gene. There was always conversation about what we were reading, whether it was newspaper or articles or actual books, but it was very much part of our discussions growing up. 

Did you read a lot as a teenager?

I did. I remember graduating out of Harry Potter feeling very grown because those were my childhood books and I was reading grown woman shit. I was one of those kids who actually read the books that we were assigned in English class because I love talking about them. Okay I didn’t finish all of them. Great Expectations? That shit was so long. That’s the only one I didn’t finish, but the rest of them I read. I don't remember reading a lot that wasn't assigned. I was playing basketball and running around and things like that. But I remember reading Beloved my sophomore year of high school I think, and it was earth shaking. It totally reoriented and deepened my understanding of myself as a Black woman and the United States and what goes on here. The memory of reading the book is so vivid I still remember some of the discussions we were having in class. One book that I remember reading outside of school as a teen was For Colored Girls. I remember sitting in my room in the dark with one tiny light and thinking, oh shit, this is wild. I love Ntozake Shange’s work. From high school through college, that was some of the most formative work that I read.

On that same note, what books have shaped you? 

Definitely Beloved. If I Can Cook You Know God Can by Ntozake Shange. It helped me define my identity and how I think about myself as an artist and creative. The form of that book is very juicy to me. I love that book. 

How many books did you read last year? 

Not as many as I would’ve liked. Seven, maybe. I’m reading sections of a lot of books but in terms of finishing, it was fewer. We've been so deep in building this business, which is about reading, but in many ways separate from reading, that I only recently have gotten back into a proper reading practice. 

Do you have a standout book from last year that you loved?

I read The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis, which is a cookbook and has a lot of narrative about her life. She's from Freetown, Virginia and eventually made her way to New York. She cooked at places like Gage and Tollner and was responsible for bringing, in many ways, what we think of as farm to table cooking. She was one of the first people really doing that in the US. She brought southern cuisine, not only soul food, but other techniques and ways of cooking to New York and other northern locales. It was really beautiful to read about her upbringing and what inspired her to get in the kitchen. She was born in the 1910s and she talked about spending time with her grandparents who were enslaved. And it's like, that was not that long ago. To read that and feel those connections in a way that's different from reading it in a novel was really cool.

What are you reading right now? 

I'm almost finished with Milkman by Anna Burns, which is wild. It's so imaginative. It's about the troubles in Northern Ireland. It's interesting to read about living in occupied land during a war. In the book there are no names. It’s all relational to the main character, so like, second brother in law. It’s stream of consciousness. I listened to some of it on a long drive coming back from DC and it was much easier for me to get into the rhythm of the writing after having listened to it. The way that she threads the humor with the extremely dark and dehumanizing things going on is really expert. There's a lot of finesse in this book. I recently started The Final Revival of Opal and Nev, which I’ll probably return to after I finish Milkman. 

Do you have a favorite cookbook? 

Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin. That one is really rich. One I haven’t gotten to cook from but really want to is My Everyday Lagos: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora by Yewande Komolafe. She's an amazing writer. There's stuff in there that I want to get into but haven't yet. Not even necessarily my favorites, but cookbooks that were formative to me in childhood: Patti LaBelle has a cookbook that I remember my mom had, Patti Labelle's Lite Cuisine: Over 100 Dishes with To-Die-For Taste Made with To-Die-For Recipes and B. Smith’s Cooking and Entertaining for Friends. It’s like a time capsule. 

How would you describe your reading taste?

I've been on a real novel kick, which has been delightful. With Bem, we came into this work because we love food and we love books. Not because I'm a food expert, not at all. We wanted to build a space where we could be with other people who also love food and books. I felt like I needed to read as much nonfiction as possible to get acclimated. I read a lot of Jessica Harris. But it’s been really nice to read fiction again. Right now my book taste is anything I can get immersed in. I need to go somewhere with the characters. I read some of Plantains and Our Becoming by Melania Louisa Marte, a book of poems that’s very transportive and beautiful. 

Okay onto the books we bought! Why these? 

She Begat This: 20 Years of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Joan Morgan

Joan Morgan is an OG hip hop feminist. I wrote my undergrad thesis about her and Brittany Cooper and Tricia Rose. It was about the positionality of being a Black woman of a certain age writing about hip hop. I've read When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost, and I've read a bunch of her articles, but not another book by her. I recently watched a documentary about Roberta Flack, Roberta. Roberta Flack popularized “Killing Me Softly” before Lauryn Hill really ran with it. There's an amazing moment in this documentary where Roberta Flack is performing with The Fugee and it's so iconic. The nineties fashion, she has these crazy fucking glasses. It's so good. Anyway, I'd been wanting to read this since it came out and I never got to it. 

Shirley Chisholm: The Last Interview: And Other Conversations by Shirley Chisholm

I recently watched this movie about Shirley Chisholm, and it was lovely to learn more about her. Of course, I was loosely familiar with her work and her legacy, but I want to know more. The introduction is by Barbara Lee, which I didn't realize when I picked it out. Barbara Lee was my representative in Oakland. 

Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions: A Novel in Interlocking Stories by Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi 

I've heard so many good things about it and I’ve been recommending it. I haven’t been able to read the whole thing but I've been wanting to for a long time. 

Where do you get your reading recommendations?

From my sister. She's still the main one telling me what to read. Also from friends, newsletters like yours. Then best of lists and articles. Obviously there's an endless TBR list from what we carry. I would love it if I’m able to say I've read some of every book we carry. That's a lifelong project. 

Who in your life has the best reading taste?

Kim Johnson. She has a consistent reading practice that I really respect and admire. And my dad. His taste is very wide ranging. I don't know how his brain works, but his retention is outrageous. He reads a book and can tell you everything about it. His taste has impacted me and continues to. It’s pretty cool that at 60-something he's still discovering stuff and finding things that are new and interesting to him. 

What’s your reading routine? 

My routine looks like reading on trips: on the train or Amtrak or planes. I love being in transit and reading. If I go somewhere and read, I sit in the park or go to a cafe. Reading at home gets really challenging. I either sit down and fall asleep or get distracted. It's a lot of stuff to look at and do in my house all the time. But sometimes I read before bed.

Is there a delineation between things you're reading for work and things you're reading for the shop and things that you're reading personally?

Anything I read that's by a Black person is for work, but it really feels like it's all for work. 

Do you have any reading accessories?

Not really. I have a Bem bookmark that I use all the time. That's really it. I do listen to music while I read. 

Oh, interesting. What do you listen to?

I'll listen to jazz without words.

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

Greenlight was my first indie bookstore as an adult that I really identified with. Book Culture in Morningside Heights was my college bookstore. I spent a lot of time just wandering around in there. My favorite bookstore at home is Walden Pond Books on Grand Avenue. It has creaky wooden floors and the aisles are nice and narrow. They also have a really good record collection in the front. And we're not open yet, but the Bem that lives in my imagination is my favorite bookstore too.

What are you going to do about bookshelves for the store? 

The bookshelves that we have now and have used for all of our popups we got for free on Facebook Marketplace. They're amazing and they roll. We are currently figuring out what our interiors are going to look and feel like. The space already has some built-ins, which is nice. 

Do you ever reread books?

The writer I've reread the most is Ntozake Shange. I'll go back to find a particular passage that I remember striking me. I often find that I remember it a little differently than what's actually on the page, and that's always interesting.  I revisit cookbooks and reread the head notes. 

Hardcover or paperback? 

Both. It depends on the book. I don't feel strongly about one way or the other. I'm not a person who won't carry around a hardcover because it’s too heavy. It’s more about the physical size of it.  I have small hands. Like with Milkman. I have it in paperback, but it's a dense book. It's very heavy and I can't hold it properly with one hand.

How do you carry your books?

I recently got this little sling joint. I'm not going to remember the name of the brand, unfortunately, but it's orange and it's really cute and fun. I got it because in a former life, I biked a lot. I basically gave my bike away on the sidewalk by accident, but that's a separate story for another day. Anyway, I got it because it's kind of triangular shaped and the perfect size to fit my water bottle, a book and my wallet. That's really all I need. 

How do you store your books? 

I've been on a very unfortunate DIY shelving path. It’s ongoing. Lots of holes in my walls and bad advice from people at Home Depot. I have some IKEA shelves, a kitchen table full of books. I am going to finish this shelving project in my bedroom. It’s going to be delightful. It’s going to be victorious.

What are you thinking deeply about right now?

I'm thinking about ownership and what I want that to mean to me, and how to be an ethical landlord. I am thinking a lot about Palestine and what's happening here in response to that. I'm really consumed with this phase of the business that we're in and I’m excited to be consumed by it. There have been other moments where I'm like, okay, I need to have some space outside of this. Right now is not one of those moments. It’s kind of nice to just be like, this is it. Blinders on. We're going to make this happen. And music. Always about music. I process the world through sound. So much of my experience is changed by the sonic environment that I'm in. I love finding connections between the things that I'm doing in the rest of my life and the music I'm listening to, or talking to the people I love about the music they're listening to. 

What's your favorite extracurricular activity?

I bought a piano during Covid because there's a lot of free pianos to be had on the internet. I paid to move it and now I have a little upright piano in my house. It's nice to have a reason to be playing music again. I recently joined a queer gospel choir called Lavender Light, and it is such a joy to be joining that community and have an excuse to sing again regularly. We have a lot of performances, so look out for a stage near you.