Fall 2025: A Note from Hope, publisher, BeInkandescent magazine —In our continuing coverage of the National Guard in DC, we share this note below from our friends at Solid State Books: solidstatebooksdc.com.

Click here to read what one of DC’s most celebrated chefs, Jose Andres, says about the current situation — and the real reason diners are reluctant to come into town for a meal.

Scroll down for a letter from the owners of Solid State Books: Jake, Scott, Sarah, and the whole SSB team, solidstatebooksdc.com

Hello Friends: The last three weeks in DC have been hard. With federal law enforcement including ICE, and the FBI harassing businesses and arresting our neighbors, and umpteen National Guard troops standing around doing nothing, it has been tense. However, we need to remember that one of the surest ways to stand up to authoritarians is to loudly and publicly build community and to experience joy in the face of despair. We hope that Solid State Books can be a place for you to build community in the coming weeks, either by joining us for a book club, event, or just stopping by to browse and chat. Read on for more ways to connect with your neighbors and fight back against hopelessness and tyranny.

Free DC! Looking for a way to get involved in the resistance? Free DC is a renewed campaign to protect Home Rule and win lasting dignity for our communities. They have a bunch of great resources and ways to get involved right now to help end the occupation. Sign up for an orientation session to get started and join your neighbors in creating a truly Free DC.

Event Highlights: Saturday, September 20th is H St. Festival! We will have our classic spin-the-wheel game set up outside, and inside, we will be offering a blind date with an ARC (advanced reader copy) when you buy a book. Please note we will also be closing early that day (6 PM), so stop by during the day to celebrate!

Book Club Highlights: The Reading the City book club is back after a summer hiatus! The book club will meet at our H St. location on September 3rd to discuss The Containment by Michelle Adams. The Reading the City book club is led by neighbor and urban policy journalist Emily Badger, and encompasses a wide range of nonfiction books about housing, transportation, architecture, poverty, urban history, politics and more. The book club meets monthly on the first Wednesday of the month at 7 pm.

Yours in Books: solidstatebooksdc.com