The Brooklyn Book Festival’s (BKBF) 10th Anniversary year is in full swing! BKBF brings together hundreds of acclaimed authors for NYC’s hippest event celebrating the written word. The festival welcomes back AT&T as its major sponsor. The city’s largest free literary festival launched in 2006 and has grown exponentially into one of the country’s premier international book festivals, drawing tens of thousands each year to the global creative capital of Brooklyn, NYC.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said of the festival: “As an avid bookworm and lover of the written word, I am thrilled to be part of the tenth anniversary of the Brooklyn Book Festival, the preeminent celebration of literature and literary culture in our nation. Authors from around the world will make this milestone a truly global affair, reflecting the unmatched diversity of our borough and its readers. I am also pleased that this year will include expanded children’s programming to help stoke a love of books in our youngest Brooklynites and their growing minds. The Brooklyn Book Festival has something for everyone this September, and I encourage newcomers to join the tens of thousands that will flock to Brooklyn Borough Hall, along with locations across Downtown Brooklyn and the rest of our city.”
CREATIVITY IN ENGINEERING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (CrEST) – The CrEST program emphasizes hands-on, lab-based demonstrations, experiments, and projects that offer important learning experiences related to circuitry, electronics, mechanical systems, physical computing, robotics and other STEM disciplines. The CrEST program was designed by NYU-Poly’s Center for K-12 STEM Education, and the curriculum is adapted from courses taught at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) by Dustyn Roberts, a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at NYU-Poly. (Saturday, Sept. 19th @ 12:00pm; Workshop Spot, 4th Floor, NYU MetroTech Center)
“STEM is the present and the future for our youth, so it’s great to get them hands-on with technology that might jumpstart a world of possibilities for them.”
LEMONADE SOLD OUT – Join Candi Sparks for a fun, financial literacy workshop for kids. Her book Can I Have Some Money? has been featured in Parents Magazine, iVillage.com, and Black Enterprise. (Saturday, Sept. 19th @ 2:30pm; Workshop Spot, 4th Floor, NYU etroTech Center)
“One of my primary goals as Borough President is to advance financial education for all, including our youngest spenders and savers.”
BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL RECEPTION FOR LIBRARIANS – The Brooklyn Book Festival welcomes librarians to a special morning event featuring R.J. Palacio, author of Auggie & Me and NYT’s bestsellingWonder. Greetings by Deborag Schwartz, Executive Director, Brooklyn Historical Society. Introduced byLinda E. Johnson, President and CEO, Brooklyn Public Library. Librarians Only. (Sunday, Sept. 20th @10:00am; Brooklyn Historical Society Library, 128 Pierrepont St.)
“Our librarians are gatekeepers to a world of possibilities and exploration for children and adults alike, and it’s great to see them recognized.”
NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS PRESENTS: CIVIL RIGHTS & POLICING – In a discussion moderated byRobert Silvers, Editor of The New York Review of Books, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, essayist and novelist Darryl Pinckney, and Laurie Robinson, Co-Chair of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and Member, Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections, will reflect on and discuss issues of race and bias as they relate to law enforcement, civil rights, and whether the recommendations of the White House Task Force, if implemented, can practically address and dismantle sources of conflict, deepening racial divisions, and high rates of incarceration in African-American and Latino populations in the U.S. (Sunday, Sept. 20th @ 11:00am; North Stage, Cadman Plaza East)
“I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts as a NYPD veteran and a policing reform advocate on this panel discussion about race and bias in American law enforcement.”
RETURN OF THE QUOTABLES! – Back by popular demand, Troupe brings on the quotes – but the audience must identify the authors! Win Festival prizes. (Sunday, Sept. 20th @ 12:00pm; Brooklyn Law School Moot Courtroom, 250 Joralemon St.)
“Who doesn’t love literary trivia?!”
THE SEARCH FOR THE DISCUSSIBLE BOOK – Reading Group Choices (RGC) will provide tips on how to start and maintain a reading group, and how to choose discussible books. Attendees will receive copies of RGC’s 2016 edition. Following the discussion, authors featured with Reading Group Choices will tell you about their books through a few fun rounds of author-speed-dating! The participating authors are: Naomi Jackson (The Other Side of Bird Hill), Akhil Sharma (Family Life), Maggie Thrash (Honor Girl), and Rebecca Dinerstein (The Sunlit Night). Space Limited. (Sunday, Sept. 20th @ 1:00pm; St. Francis College Workshop Room, 180 Remsen St.)
“A good reading group is hard to find, so it’s great to get a helping hand in starting your own!”
WAR STORIES – Three authors discuss depicting war through fiction. Mark Doten’s The Infernal tells the story of the War on Terror through a variety of voices, from Condoleeza Rice to Mark Zuckerberg. Sara Novic’s Girl at War looks at the Yugoslav War’s through the eyes of a young survivor. Christopher Robinson’s War of the Encyclopaedists (co-authored with Gavin Kovite) considers the gap between civilian and military life. Moderated by Maaza Mengiste. (Sunday, Sept. 20th @ 2:00pm; Brooklyn Law School Student Lounge, 250 Joralemon St.)
“One of the most important things a writer can do is illuminate hard and painful realities in our world, like the challenges of war and those caught in it.”
BEST OF BROOKLYN – The Brooklyn Book Festival pays homage to the Festival’s literary heritage each year by presenting the BoBi Award to an author who exemplifies the spirit and character of Brooklyn. Join 2015 BoBi Honoree Jonathan Lethem (Lucky Alan: And Other Stories), in conversation with past BoBi honoreesEdwidge Danticat (Claire of the Sea Light) and Pete Hamill (Snow in August) as they talk about a writer’s life and being part of, and influenced by, Brooklyn’s literary lineage. Moderated by Johnny Temple, Brooklyn Literary Council Chair. (Sunday, Sept. 20th @ 3:30pm; St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church, 157 Montague St.)
“Meet three of Brooklyn’s greatest modern authors and hear about how our borough has shaped their words.”
DAVID SIMON AND NELSON GEORGE IN CONVERSATION – Authors and TV writers/producers David Simon (The Wire, Treme, Homicide) and Nelson George (The Lost Treasures of R&B, The Get Down) discuss the growing reliance on novelists as writers for television series, as well as other challenges of working in multiple formats and genres. Moderated by Farai Chideya, author of Innovating Women: The Changing Face of Technology. (Sunday, Sept. 20th @ 4:00pm; Main Stage, Columbus Park)
“The creator of The Wire AND one of Brooklyn’s great filmmakers? This is a must-see event.”
BROOKLYN PLACES AND SPACES – Brooklyn is the home of the Brooklyn Cook Festival and so much more! The 4th largest “city” in America has its own new guide! Arabella Bowen, Fodor’s Editor in Chief, will be on hand to introduce Fodor’s Brooklyn, which features reviews by notable neighborhood residents and tips, maps and best bet recommendations. Paired with Oriana Leckert, author of the compendium of culture and subculture book, Brooklyn Spaces. The program offers the insider low-down about Brooklyn. Moderated byCarlo Scissura, CEO and President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. (Sunday, Sept. 20th @ 5:00pm; Main Stage, Columbus Park)
“I’m proud to be part of Fodor’s brand-new guide to Brooklyn; whether you’re a long-time local or a first-time visitor, check it out for yourself!”
About the Brooklyn Book Festival – 9/14-9/21: Children’s Day, Saturday 9/19 / Festival Day, Sunday, 9/20
The Brooklyn Book Festival is presented by the non-profit Brooklyn Book Festival, Inc., and the Brooklyn Book Festival Literary Council. AT&T is the major partner with additional support from the Amazon Literary Partnership, Brooklyn Borough President’s Office, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Con Edison, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Forest City Ratner Companies, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, NYU, and TD Bank. Media sponsors are ABC7NY and WNYC.
The Festival’s cultural and programming partners include BAM, Congregation Mt. Sinai, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn Public Library, Cave Canem, Center for Fiction, National Book Foundation, New York Review of Books, PEN American Center, Poetry Society of America, St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, St. Francis College, The Nation, and the Whiting Foundation.
- Bookend events (here) – Monday, 9/14 through Monday, 9/21
- Children’s Day events (here) – Saturday, 9/19
This year – in celebration of its 10th Anniversary – BKBF will present a dedicated Children’s Day for young readers, on September 19th, from 10AM-4PM. The BKBF Children’s Day (for children ages 2 to 11) will showcase invited writers and illustrators at the centrally-located, beautiful MetroTech Commons in Downtown Brooklyn, on two tented stages and in the auditorium of NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. - Brooklyn Book Festival Day events (here) – Sunday, 9/20
Be sure to visit http://www.brooklynbookfestival.org or check out the official Facebook page, follow the Festival on Instagram (@bkbookfest), on Twitter (@BKBF), and on Tumblr.
