Mudleaf Coffee

Enormous café with outstanding coffee, delicious lunch offerings makes for a great occasional study-session treat

BEN NGUYEN Managing Editor

Across the street from a post office in Plano, there’s Mudleaf Coffee, a spacious coffee shop that just might be the next place for you to get your fix.

Located on the intersection of Parker and Independence, Mudleaf stands out for how big it is on the inside. It feels like there’s enough space inside to fit two coffee shops…or one and a half UTD Starbucks. Every kind of seating is available, and like Communion Coffee, it’s another “coffee shop with a merch store” setup. While it has more expensive coffee across the board than your average shop, the space is almost enough to make up for it.

Mudleaf’s space has just about everything you might ask for.

There’s enough room to fit a work group of four or five people together in one spot, and with hassle-free, no-signup-required wifi with 200 Mbps down and 22 Mbps up, there’s no worries about the connection. Even if you somehow need more space to work in, there’s a dedicated space called the “Mudroom” that’s available for reservation with a 14 foot long table and room aplenty. Fairly loud background music and a filled shop means that it’s perfect for those that like the ambient noise of conversation; for those in search for some peace and quiet, a smaller shop may serve your purpose better.

The coffee is begrudgingly good. Mudleaf charges 50 to 75 cents more than your average shop across the board, but the coffee is arguably good enough to warrant it. They rotate just enough of a variety of it’s worth the higher price is debatable for some, but if you’re willing to put in a few more cents for a clear increase in quality, then it might just be your cup of tea. Or coffee, rather—though they do have tea drinks as well!

The food is deceptively good, and the seven-dollar chip and sandwich combos are actually quite filling despite their size. The ham and cheese croissant sandwich with Dijon honey mustard was not too sweet and not too savory, with a good balance of flavors. More importantly, it filled my stomach despite seeming small at a first glance. However, at about $14, I personally wouldn’t go out of my way to get the whole package of an iced latte and a sandwich combo. Maybe just the coffee, or just a sandwich, but unless you’re working with a group for extended period of time here, I’d pick one of two.

Retrograde reads: P. Djèlí

Clark's novel 'Ring shout'

Lovecraft, cursed swords and white supremacy tell a chilling tale of post-war American South flavor options to keep people interested, and the “Wedding” syrup combination of almond and vanilla is a great standard flavor to keep people coming back. Whether

With a captivating cast and thrilling action, P. Djèlí Clark’s “Ring Shout” — alternately titled “Hunting Ku Kluxes in the End Times” — imagines the post-war American South as a place less haunted by its violent history and more actively brought to life. White mobs celebrate 1922’s re-release of “Birth of a Nation,” bootleggers stow whiskey in thick cotton bales and Black women hunt monsters.

That’s right, monsters: “Ring Shout” hosts some of the most skin-crawling descriptions of body horror this reviewer has had the displeasure of imagining, as the release of the Ku Klux Klan’s infamous “Birth of a Nation” summoned up beings from another world to feast on human hatred. The story kicks off in the middle of a KKK march, with three snipers checking it over for monsters walking among men. This is where we first meet the novella’s main trio.

All of them come together to fight the supernatural, delivering witty banter alongside a scathing criticism of white supremacy. Perhaps Clark is drawing an intentional parallel to the way Black women have historically led the fight for civil rights, from Rosa Parks and Marsha P. Johnson to modern pioneers like Tarana Burke.

Mudleaf Coffee is a good, higherend option for coffee and sandwiches. Its highest points are the spacious location and quality wifi, but as a single student trying to hunker down and get work done, it can be a bit pricey for regular visits. All in all, the coffee is definitely good enough for me to come back to for my every-once-in-a-while fix.

Maryse Boudreaux, a folktale-inspired heroine wielding a cursed sword and a vendetta against the Ku Kluxes for killing her family, narrates the main story. That alone is a compelling lead for any tale, but every one of Clark’s characters breathes life into the story’s setting. Maryse meets Sadie and Cordelia in a community of Klux-hunters living in Macon, each of which could star in a spin-off series. Cordelia Lawrence, going by “Chef”, is freshly returned from World War I, having fought with the Harlem Hellraisers disguised as a man; Sadie is a staunch conspiracy theorist, a great source of comedic relief and humanity in a story this dark.

Historic events play a large role in the narrative. Clark’s background as a historian and academic shines through his writing, which deftly weaves elements of African and American Southern folklore and events into a cohesive narrative. Inspiration for different facets of the story comes from a variety of sources. The Ku Kluxes are Lovecraftian, coming from a dark world parallel to this reality and feeding off of human hatred to grow more powerful. The matriarch of Macon’s KKK-hunting found family is a Gullah woman, using ring shouts — a spiritual dance form that blends Central and West African tradition with Christian prayers — to ward off the monsters.

I will admit: I was initially worried about this characterization of Klansmen as otherworldly monsters. “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” while a tremendous movie for fans of terrible movies, strikes the wrong note in scapegoating vampires for all-toohuman slaveholders’ crimes.

Clark makes it clear from the start, however, that these beings came as a result of human activity, and that the ultimate blame for racism, violence and the horrific acts of the Confederacy rests squarely on our shoulders.

Fans of “Lovecraft Country,” “American