Next week, beginning November 11, will be the first ever Independent Bookstore Week NYC — seven days of special readings and events organized by Independent Booksellers of New York City (IBNYC) — an alliance of local bookstores looking to keep Barnes & Noble at bay. With its roster of great neighborhood bookstores, such as Word, BookCourt, Free Bird and the new Greenlight Books in Fort Greene, Brooklyn is flush with activities for this special week, which will hopefully become an annual event.

The kickoff party is set to take place in DUMBO at the powerHouse Arena, (37 Main St.) on November 11 from 7 to 10 p.m. Authors speaking at the event include Kurt Andersen (Heyday), Jennifer Egan (The Keep), Michael Greenberg (Beg, Borrow, Steal), Josh Neufeld (A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge) and Sharon Zukin (Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places).

Brooklyn events to follow include:

The New York Review Classics 10th Anniversary Party at Greenlight Bookstore on November 13, 7:30 to 9 p.m. The party will celebrate NYRB Classics, which began publishing reissues of classic but previously out-of-print texts in 1999. Three authors will discuss classic texts for which they have written introductions: Jhumpa Lahiri (The Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth) will discuss and read from Mavis Galant’s story collection The Cost of Living; Matt Weiland (State By State) will expound on the joys of George Stewart’s quirky history Names on the Land; and L.J. Davis, one of the few living writers republished by NYRB, will read from his 1971 novel A Meaningful Life, a comic and cathartic urban masterpiece set in a crumbling Brooklyn brownstone. Greenlight Books is at 686 Fulton St.

Ride the B61 Bus or Bike to/from Freebird Books (Red Hook) and Word (Greenpoint) on Nov. 15. Eat, read and be merry at two events several waterfront neighborhoods apart. In simultaneous events featuring local food and local authors, the independent bookstores WORD and Freebird are challenging residents in each community to go the distance and to pedal or bus between locations.

Events will take place at both stores from 2 to 4 p.m. While Freebird hosts John Marciano, author and illustrator of Anonyponymous, who will share stories as roast chickens raised on his nearby Red Hook lot are served, WORDers will receive Randall and Peter de Sève, author and illustrator of the Duchess of Whimsey, and munch on grilled cheese sandwiches and sip milk from local vendors of the Greenpoint Food Market. Yeah, it’s a lot of traveling, but sustenance is being provided, so no excuses. Word is at 126 Franklin Ave. and Free Bird is at 123 Columbia St.

BookCourt will host Kevin Baker and Danijel Zezelj, creators of the graphic novel Luna Park on November 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. Mixing historical novel, immigrant fiction and crime thriller, Luna Park marks Kevin Baker’s return to Coney Island, the setting of his critically beloved Dreamland and features breathtaking art by Danijel Zezelj (Loveless) with to-die-for colors by Dave Stewart (DC: THE NEW FRONTIER). BookCourt is at 163 Court St.

Sex, Drugs, and Gefilte Fish: The HEEB Storytelling Collection at powerHouse Arena will have a reading with multiple authors on November 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. Editor Shana Liebman showcases the raconteurial gifts of a proud, searching, and irreverent new generation of American Jews with readings by Robbie Chafitz, Lynn Harris (Death by Chick Lit), Abby Sher (Amen, Amen, Amen), and Mike Albo (The Underminer).

Find out more about events all over the city for the first Independent Bookstore Week NYC at www.ibnyc.org

— P.N.

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