Politics and Prose Plays Host to D.C. Nerdfighters

Brothers John and Hank Green perform at the Politics and Prose Nerdfighters event.

More than 900 children and teens — aka Nerdfighters — participated in a recent event featuring John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, Dutton Juvenile) and his brother, Hank Green, that was hosted by Washington, D.C.’s Politics and Prose Bookstore. John and Hank Green are the creators of Nerdfighters, a popular online YA community for self-proclaimed nerds to “gather and play” and “increase the awesome and decrease the suck.”

The Greens’ appearance was a two-in-one “performance” of sorts, as it promoted both Nerdfighters and John Green’s newly released book, said Heidi Powell, manager of the children’s and teens’ department at Politics and Prose. The event, which was held at a nearby Hyatt Hotel, featured music, readings, games, giveaways, and signings.

Hank Green, dressed in drag, sang and played guitar.

Several members of Nerdfighters in the D.C. area met for the first time in the summer of 2010, when Politics and Prose hosted a reading/signing by John Green and David Levithan, the authors of Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Dutton Juvenile). After the event, audience members created a Facebook group so local Nerdfighters could continue their conversations online.

In order for Politics and Prose to become a stop on Green’s 2012 tour, Powell submitted a proposal to his publisher, Dutton Juvenile, in which she cited the area’s growing fan base and assured a well-attended event.

John Green reads from The Fault in Our Stars.

“There is this community that is very well established,” said Dana Chidiac, a children’s and teens’ bookseller at Politics and Prose. “So it was easy for us to tap into that.” Tickets sold out a month prior to the event, she said.

The Greens’ January appearance was such a success that the D.C. area Nerdfighters Facebook group has doubled in size and the group plans to hold monthly meetings at Politics and Prose. Powell welcomes the teens and acknowledges that it’s a good way for young adults to stay involved with the store. (View a video from from the 2012 Tour de Nerdfighting.)