The “beat” vibe is back in Worcester at Bedlam Book Café, where Nicole DiCello has gathered books and community to nourish both mind and body. A woman from the Midwest—who claims she would never live anywhere but Massachusetts now—Nicole has created a new hybrid café environment, like a cross between the relaxed feel of vintage Cambridge coffeehouses and the more contemporary juicing movement. Thirsting for that hangout where books, beverages and revolutionary ideas still meet? Bedlam Books has it.

Of course, there’s coffee, but this café in Crompton Place in the Canal District also offers a seasonal beverage and snack menu along with a sense of homecoming for anyone who longs to feel the weight of a book in hand while enjoying enchanting flavors from wholesome ingredients. You’ll find organic drinks made from carrots, various greens and, of course, beets. There, you can picture Allen Ginsberg sipping a smoothie that bears his name (kale, spinach, apple, parsley, mint) or Alice Walker savoring a blended drink of apple, lemon, ginger and açaí powder. And when even an English major can’t identify the author, there’s a ginger shot on the menu to shock your memory back to life.

Offerings this summer include watermelon juice, chai from Vermont that is both sweet and savory and Mason jar salads you can eat sitting outside under the sun. Chat with regulars of all ages—some who stop in to grab a drink on the run and others who linger to discuss the work of poets, authors and philosophers who dared to denounce, reveal and inspire generations.

bedlambookcafe.com