“Daphne’s Dive is the kind of place ‘where everybody knows your name.’…Ms. Hudes has a supple feel for characterization and a wide-ranging sympathy for life’s waifs and strays. And like the characters on Cheers, the regulars at Daphne’s make up an informal family with whose triumphs and troubles we come to sympathize.” —New York Times
“A slow-burning, vibrantly sketched portrait of a scruffy North Philly booze joint run by love-scarred Daphne…Most bartenders listen to others’ problems, but Daphne’s cheerful reticence about her own demons makes us lean forward.” —Time Out New York
“Daphne’s Dive led me to this conclusion: I’m just not spending enough time in bars. The one depicted here is the sort of hangout where you go not so much to drink but rather to engage with your extended family through triumphs and tribulations. Not to mention breaking out into the occasional spontaneous dance party.” —Hollywood Reporter
“Quiara Alegría Hudes finds humor as well as tears in Daphne’s Dive, a vibrantly sketched portrait of a North Philadelphia watering hole that a diverse group of friends call home.” —NY1
A revolutionary trying to shake up the status quo. A child looking for refuge from a violent home. An artist in search of some trash to paint. You’ll find them all at Daphne’s Dive, a neighborhood bar in North Philly, where a collection of misfits gather for cold beer and warm company. Known for her acclaimed Elliot Trilogy, Quiara Alegría Hudes continues to grapple with what it means to be an outsider while searching for empathy and connection in Daphne’s Dive.
Quiara Alegría Hudes is the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning play Water by the Spoonful. She wrote the book for the Broadway musical In the Heights, which received a Tony Award for Best Musical and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Recent work includes the musical Miss You Like Hell.
