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Calling all bookworms! Brooklyn Book Festival announces 2013 program

Over 340 authors, more than 90 panels and readings, over 60 ‘Bookend’ events

August 22, 2013 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
colum mccann courtesy Brendan bourke.jpg
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On Thursday, Aug. 22, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and the Brooklyn Literary Council announced programming for the eighth annual Brooklyn Book Festival, supported by AT&T, to be held on Sunday, September 22, 2013, from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Hundreds of top authors and participants, both national and international, will join bibliophiles, booksellers and literary organizations on 14 stages, including the Target Children’s Area and Youth Stoop, featuring more 90 panels, workshops and readings; sites include Brooklyn Borough Hall and Plaza, Columbus Park, St. Francis College, Brooklyn Law School, the Brooklyn Historical Society as well as St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church.

All Brooklyn Book Festival events on Sunday, September 22rd are free and will once again feature a “Clix Not Tix” system, meaning no more tickets or ticket lines. In addition, over 60 “Bookends”, unique literary-themed events that include film screenings, parties, literary games and author appearances, will be held at clubs, bookstores, parks, theaters and libraries throughout the borough from September 16th until the 22nd. 

This year, the Brooklyn Book Festival will feature a record number of international authors, hailing from Spain, Israel, Argentina, South Africa, Lebanon, Jamaica, France, Ireland and elsewhere, evidence of Brooklyn’s growing stature as an international literary hub.

“It’s that special time of year again when Brooklyn gets ‘bookish’ and shows the world why our borough is the literary capital of the world with more writers per square inch than anywhere in America,” said Borough President Markowitz. “The eighth annual Brooklyn Book Festival is shaping up to be another best seller. With over 60 “Bookend” events, hundreds of authors and dozens of panels, this year’s festival is literally leaping off the page. Make your plans now and ‘book’ September 22nd on your calendars because the 2013 Brooklyn Book Festival is going to be a real page turner.”

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The Brooklyn Book Festival, the largest free literary event in New York City and the Northeast’s largest book festival, is presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council, initiatives of Borough President Markowitz, and is proudly supported by AT&T. This hip, smart, diverse—and free—gathering attracts thousands of book lovers of all ages. Last year, more than 40,000 visitors and media from around the world converged on Borough Hall to enjoy the Brooklyn Book Festival’s lively literary marketplace and a dazzling array of national and international literary stars, emerging authors and programming, from lowbrow to highbrow.

For added convenience, thanks to AT&T, smartphone users can once again use the Brooklyn Book Festival app to plan their day and choose from the hundreds of exciting events taking place. In addition, for the first time, attendees can recharge their mobile devices at one of the eight AT&T charging stations during Sunday’s events.

“Following the success of last year’s festival, AT&T is proud to again be the presenting sponsor of this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival, a literary experience that brings together New Yorkers of all ages and from all five boroughs,” said Marissa Shorenstein, New York State President of AT&T. “This year’s event is even more exciting with the return of our free app, which offers a digital guide to the week’s activities, and the debut of AT&T Street Charge, enabling festival goers to recharge their mobile devices at one of the eight AT&T solar powered mobile charging units located throughout the venue. Now, festival-goers will be able to enjoy all the Brooklyn Book Festival has to offer thanks to our festival app and charging stations, providing a unique experience free from concern of dying batteries while in search of the festivals’ many hidden literary gems.”

This year’s Best of Brooklyn, Inc. Award—the “BoBi”—recipient is the beloved young adult book author Lois Lowry, who penned countless classics like “The Giver” and “Number the Stars.” Each year, this prestigious award acknowledges the work of an author who has had a broad impact on the world of literature.

“We are so proud to add Lois Lowry to the prestigious list of BoBi winners, which includes Edwidge Danticat, Pete Hamill, Jhumpa Lahiri, Walter Mosley, John Ashbery and Paul Auster,” said Johnny Temple, the chair of the Brooklyn Literary Council. “Ms. Lowry is our first winner whose books are primarily geared toward young adults, and she combines so well with our other 2013 bookmark honorees Sapphire, Nick Flynn, the late great Harvey Shapiro, and Adrian Tomine to beautifully represent Brooklyn’s literary legacy.”

Major partners of the Brooklyn Book Festival include the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and St. Francis College. Additional sponsors include: Astoria Federal Savings, Boar’s Head Brand, Citi, Con Edison, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, and Target. The Festival is also supported with grants from the Brooklyn Community Foundation, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC & Company Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts. The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel. Advertising partners include the Joey Company. Media partners include ABC and Time Out New York/Time Out New York Kids.  

Cultural and programming partners are BAM, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Public Library, Cave Canem, National Book Foundation, PEN American Center, Poetry Society of America, St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, St. Francis College, The Nation, and The New York Review of Books.

Brooklyn Borough Hall is located at 209 Joralemon Street between Court and Adams Streets in Downtown Brooklyn. For information, call 718-802-3846.

For more information on the Brooklyn Book Festival, visit www.brooklynbookfestival.org, and follow the Festival on Twitter #BKBF and Facebook.

 

Programming Highlights of the 2013 Brooklyn Book Festival

Visit www.brooklynbookfestival.org/BBF/FestivalEvents for Updates

Art Spiegelman and Jules Feiffer in Conversation: Pulitzer-Prize winning graphic novelist Art Spiegelman’s newest release, Co-Mix, is a career retrospective that covers his work from Raw to Maus to the New Yorker (and Garbage Pail Kids in between). Joined by Jules Feiffer (Out of Line: The Art of Jules Feiffer), also a Pulitzer winner, they debate the purpose and impact of comics art, its history and development, and their visions of its future. Featuring screen projection.                  

Basketball: The Nets, the Knicks and the New Era of NYC Basketball: NYT sports columnist William C. Rhoden, sports writer Jake Appleman and Rick Telander (Heaven Is a Playground) will discuss New York basketball past, present, and future.

Brooklyn Book Festival Presents Lois Lowry, 2013 BoBi Honoree: Author of the internationally beloved The Giver and Number the Stars, in conversation.

Celebrate Banned Books Week! Join YA authors Francesca Lia Block, Lauren Myracle and David Levithan in a provocative and thoughtful conversation about censorship. No strangers to controversy, Block’s books (Weetzie Bat, Baby Be Bop, Girl Goddess #9: Nine Stories, I was a Teenage Fairy and Witch Baby) have been actively challenged by censors, and Myracle has ranked number one on the American Library Association’s top 10 most frequently challenged books list from 2007-2011.  NYT bestselling author David Levithan, (Two Boys Kissing), Editorial Director at Scholastic. Moderated by Betsy Bird, NYPL.

Comics/Quick-Draw: Comics Quick Draw! Three cartoonists face off in this fast-paced battle of the sharpies. Drawing from audience suggestions, the award-winning and reader-adored Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Platypus Police Squad: the Frog who Croaked), Eisner Award-winner Raina Telgemeier (Drama), and Printz Award and National Book Award-winner, Gene Yang (Boxers & Saints) will battle with pen and pad. And, everybody wins; finished art will be gifted to some of the lucky young people in attendance. Moderated by Calvin Reid (Publishers Weekly Comics World).

The Faces of Brooklyn: New York’s coolest borough is home to hipsters, people who dislike hipsters and literary stars—among them, Brooklyn enthusiasts Pete Hamill (The Christmas Kid), Adelle Waldman (The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.) and Adrian Tomine (New York Drawings). These powerhouses plant uniquely different characters in a nostalgic Brooklyn, a contemporary Brooklyn and a colorful Brooklyn that jumps off the page. Moderated by Penina Roth (Franklin Park Reading Series).

Idols, Gods, and Kings: Literary forces Teddy Wayne (The Love Song of Jonny Valentine), Tom Wolfe (Back to Blood) and Cristina García (King of Cuba) explore the concept of power with three very different casts: an eleven-year-old superstar’s road to fame; the varied, shady folks running an election in Miami; and a fictionalized Fidel Castro and his vengeful exile. Moderated by Greg Cowles (The New York Times).

Personal Stories, National Memory: Fiction can be as narrow or contained as a single consciousness, or open up and embody something intrinsic to an era or nation. Alexander Maksik (A Marker to Measure Drift), probes the shattered inner world of a Liberian war refugee; Colombian author Juan Gabriel Vásquez (The Sound of Things Falling) captures the dread and violence of his country’s drug war years, and Oonya Kempadoo (All Decent Animals) offers a polyrhythmic, panoramic view across contemporary Trinidadian society. Moderated by Anderson Tepper. Vásquez courtesy of the Colombian Film Festival New York.

Poets Laureate Past and Present Reading: Tina Chang (Brooklyn Poet Laureate), Ashley August (New York Youth Poet Laureate), Marie Howe (New York State Poet Laureate) and Charles Simic (US Poet Laureate 2007-08) read from their work. Introduced by Alice Quinn, Poetry Society of America.

St. Francis Presents the Finalists of the St. Francis College Literary Prize: Carol Anshaw (Carry the One) David Vann (Dirt), Jamie Attenberg (The Middlesteins), Tony D’Souza (Mule) and Christopher Tilghman (The Right-Hand Shore). Moderated by Tim Houlihan, Provost, St. Francis College, and Peter Cameron, juror, SFC Literary Prize.

The Secret Lives of Girls: There’s a wide range of mystery in a girl’s life: understanding it all comes with learning the secrets they hide in their hearts. This is captured by New York Times bestselling authors Lauren Myracle (The Infinite Moment of Us), Meg Cabot (Awaken) and Sharon M. Draper (Panic). Join these three superstar young-adult authors as they discuss the ups and downs of girlhood, whether it’s independence, love or finding one’s voice.

The So-Called ‘Post-Feminist, Post-Racial’ Life in Publishing: Best-selling author Deborah Copaken Kogan sparked a firestorm with her explosive essay in The Nation, and her experience as a 21st-century female author was marked by slut-shaming, name-calling and an enduring lack of respect. Poet, activist and author of sixteen books, Sonia Sanchez (Homegirls and Handgrenades) has consistently addressed the lack of respect for the struggles and lives of Black America. Author and founder of Feministing, Jessica Valenti, has devoted considerable time to transforming the media landscape for women. Moderated by Rob Spillman, Tin House.

Who? New! The Brooklyn Book Festival picks five of the year’s most impressive debut novelists who will read from their work: A.X. Ahmad (The Caretaker), Caleb Crain (Necessary Errors), Ursula DeYoung (Shorecliff), Michele Forbes (Ghost Moth), and Ayana Mathis (The Twelve Tribes of Hattie).

 

Notable Authors And Participants

Visit Www.Visitbrooklyn.Org/BBF/Authors for Updates

Comics and Graphic Novels

Jules Feiffer, Faith Erin Hicks, Jeff Smith, Paul Pope, Art Spiegelman, Adrian Tomine

 

Fiction

Edwidge Danticat, Jennifer Gilmore, Pete Hamill, Tao Lin, Lois Lowry, Ayana Mathis, Colum McCann, Claire Messud, Francine Prose, Chang Rae Lee, Tom Wolfe

 

International

Oonya Kempadoo, Jamaica Kincaid, Patricio Pron, Juan Gabriel Vásquez

 

Non-Fiction

Hilton Als, Mark Binelli, David Graeber, Eddie Huang, Phillip Lopate, Chase Madar, Michael Moss, George Packer, William C. Rhoden

 

Poetry

Tim Hernandez, Mary Howe, Charles Simic, Sapphire, Quincy Troupe

 

Youth and Children

Katherine Applegate, Meg Cabot, Sharon M. Draper, Tom Lichtenheld, Lauren Myracle, Patrick Ness, Jane Yolen

 


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