Area writers uncover D.C.’s bookish past

It was often the case that research on one writer led to another. Washington’s writers have a long history of supporting one another, Roberts says, by building tight-knit communities, hosting regular gatherings and publishing one another’s work.

“Instead of feeling like we have to compete with one another, we feel like the underdogs who have to support one another,” she says. Case in point: Roberts’s second book of poetry was published by Vera’s Vrzhu Press.

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(Marvin Joseph/WASHINGTON POST) - Kim Roberts and Dan Vera, the collaborators behind dcwriters.org.

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One significant stop on the virtual tour is former home of Georgia Douglas Johnson at 15th and S streets NW. Johnson’s poetry may not have changed the world, but her hospitality almost certainly did. For nearly 20 years during the Harlem Renaissance, she hosted a Saturday-night literary salon that brought together some of the greatest talents of the generation, including Zora Neale Hurston and Alain Locke.

In most cases, current homeowners were not aware of their famous literary predecessors. When Roberts and Vera were in Petworth, taking photos of the house where Philip K. Dick lived as a small child, an elderly woman opened the front door to greet them. She’d never heard of the science-fiction writer, but her grandson immediately recognized the movies made from his books, including “Minority Report.”

One of the most surprising names on the map is British writer Roald Dahl. Turns out the beloved children’s author, who wrote “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “James and the Giant Peach,” was dispatched to Washington as a spy during World War II. While keeping tabs on the mood in the capital, he lived near Embassy Row and became a published author for the first time, writing an essay on his experience in the war.

Vera and Roberts debated the inclusion of some writers, including Ezra Pound. The poet and editor resided in the city for 12 years, but not by choice. He was incarcerated at St. Elizabeths Hospital psychiatric hospital for treason. Still, he made a mark on Washington’s literary landscape, so he ultimately made the cut.

The site’s creators still consider the map a work in progress and have included a list of writers they’re trying to trace. The hope is that readers will help.

They also hope the information will give visitors a new perspective on Washington. “This city is more than what we assume it to be. And that’s powerful.”