Greetings, friends.
The headquarters of the Nicolás Guillén Foundation in Las Tunas dates back to 2002, when I was just a child. However, even back then, when I wasn't even thinking about becoming a writer, I was already participating in literary events held there.
Since its very founding, that cultural center has always had a café. I think many of us from Las Tunas have said this: coffee and literature always go hand in hand.
But that café back then isn't the same as it is now. Over these twenty-plus years, it has had different owners, each with their own style, recipes, and interests. Some were artists, others weren't. Some, like the current owner, aren't artists, but they have great artistic sensibility and like to have the place full of artists.
Perhaps that's why this design is quite bohemian, rustic yet comfortable, with an abundance of natural elements, fresh, pleasant, and with various seating options, from tables to armchairs, rocking chairs, or sofas, as if we were in our own home.
And that is precisely the idea behind having a café at the foundation: to make us feel at home.
Perhaps that's why it's not the biggest coffee shop in the province. It's true that it's not a large establishment, nor does it have the extensive coffee menu we all might wish for. That's true, but it is a place designed for artists to have a space to talk about our projects, about our lives; a place to work calmly and peacefully.
It's a place for us. Therefore, for more than 20 years, I have not stopped coming.