September 4, 2012
2012 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL: A RECORD 280+ AUTHORS, MORE THAN 104 PANELS CONFIRMED FOR
SEPTEMBER 23; OVER 50 “BOOKEND” EVENTS MAKE A FULL-WEEK FESTIVAL
Paul Auster, Carol Higgins Clark, Tony Danza, Jimmie Walker, Edwidge Danticat, Pete Hamill, Joyce Carol Oates, Colson Whitehead, Dennis Lehane, Esmeralda Santiago, Terry McMillan, Sapphire, Billy Collins, Earl Lovelace, Christopher Hayes, Dan Savage, Isabel Wilkerson, Pankaj Mishra, Karl Ove Knausgård, Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez, Adrian Tomine, Gordon Korman, R.J. Palacio, Judith Vorst, Libba Bray and many, many more to headline Festival
On Sunday, September 23, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., a record 280+ top national and international authors and participants will join bibliophiles, booksellers and literary organizations on 14 stages at Brooklyn Borough Hall (209 Joralemon Street) and Plaza, Columbus Park, St. Francis College, Brooklyn Heights Public Library, Brooklyn Law School, the Brooklyn Historical Society and St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church for the seventh annual Brooklyn Book Festival. The Festival is supported by AT&T, which is providing an exciting new app to help guide Festival-goers (details to be announced shortly!).
All Festival events on Sunday, September 23, are free and—for the first time this year—there will be “Clix not Tix,” meaning no more tickets or ticket lines. Additionally, for the first time ever, the expanded “Bookend” literary-themed events comprise a full week of more than 50 happenings at venues that include clubs, bookstores, theaters and libraries across the borough from September 17 – 23. Most Bookend Events are free (a few charge a modest admission).
This year’s Best of Brooklyn, Inc. Award—the “BoBi”—recipient will be announced on Monday, September 10th. Each year this prestigious award acknowledges the work of an author who has had a broad impact on the world of literature.
The Brooklyn Book Festival, one of the premier literary events in the country, is an initiative of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council. This hip, smart, diverse—and free—gathering attracts thousands of book lovers of all ages to enjoy authors and the Festival’s lively literary marketplace, and presents a dazzling array of national and international literary stars, emerging authors and programming—from lowbrow to highbrow!
According to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, “Brooklyn, or ‘Book-lyn’ as I like to call it, has more writers per square inch than almost anywhere else in the country, all contributing to our growing reputation as the epicenter of the literary universe—where authors from across the globe gather each fall for the Brooklyn Book Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious free literary festivals. “This year, the Festival expands from four days to an entire week of exciting and diverse literary offerings, and we’re thrilled to have the Festival supported by AT&T. No ‘seven year itch’ here—the seventh annual Brooklyn Book Festival will prove to be our most popular yet. So whether you find it nearly impossible to put down your book or e-reader, or just like the occasional ‘good read,’ be sure to make your plans now and ‘book’ September 17-23 for the 2012 Brooklyn Book Festival.”
“With an entire week of literary events celebrating the written and spoken word, the seventh annual Brooklyn Book Festival will be bigger and better than ever,” said Johnny Temple, chair of the Brooklyn Literary Council. “The Festival has matured into one of the world’s premier literary destinations, attracting renowned authors, publishers of all sizes, musicians, humorists, graphic novelists, and all of the creative forces that make up our eclectic and constantly evolving literary universe.”
“The Brooklyn Book Festival is one of New York’s favorite fall traditions and AT&T is proud to support another successful year,” said Marissa Shorenstein, president, AT&T New York. “AT&T is especially excited to announce the development of a new app to guide Festival-goers among the record number of national and international authors.”
Visit www.brooklynbookfestival.org for the latest information on the Brooklyn Book Festival.
The 2012 Brooklyn Book Festival is presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council, initiatives of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and is proudly supported by AT&T. Additional partners include the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and St. Francis College. Target is the official sponsor of the Children’s Area. Sponsors include: Astoria Federal Savings, Boar’s Head Brand, Citi, Con Edison, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, East River Ferry and National Grid. 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. Media partners include ABC, Time Out New York, The New York Times and WNYC.
Cultural and programming partners are BAM, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Public Library, Cave Canem, The Center for Fiction, London Review of Books, The Nation, the National Book Foundation, The New York Review of Books, PEN American Center, and the Poetry Society of America.
-30-
CONTACT: Mark Zustovich, 718-802-3832; mzustovich@brooklynbp.nyc.gov
Programming highlights of the 2012 Brooklyn Book Festival
Visit www.brooklynbookfestival.org/BBF/FestivalEvents for updates
Ice or Salt: The Personal in Fiction. W.B.Yeats wrote, “All that is personal soon rots; it must be packed in ice or salt.” Authors Siri Hustvedt (Living, Thinking, Looking), Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård (My Struggle) and Sheila Heti (How Should a Person Be?) will consider how writing technique—“ice or salt”—transforms the personal into art that connects to a broad audience. Moderated by Phillip Lopate.
Characters on Characters. Best-selling literary lions Walter Mosley, Edwidge Danticat and Dennis Lehane discuss their unforgettable characters and the darkness that often enshrouds them. The program will also feature short readings, and will be moderated by Harold Augenbraum of the National Book Foundation.
Poets Laureate Past and Present. Tina Chang (Brooklyn Poet Laureate), Billy Collins (US Poet Laureate 2001-2003), Ishmael Islam (NYC Youth Poet Laureate) and Philip Levine (former US Poet Laureate 2011-2012) read from and perform their work. Introduced by Alice Quinn, Poetry Society of America.
Mystery Writers of America’s New York Chapter presents The Royalty of Suspense. International bestselling suspense writers Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark in a program that is sure to leave you on the edge of your seats. Moderated by Rosemary Harris (Pushing up Daisies).
Tony Danza Apologizes to Teachers. Actor Tony Danza in conversation with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.
Worlds Built over Time. This all-star panel brings together the narrative geniuses of Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adrian Tomine (New York Stories) and Gabrielle Bell (The Voyeurs) to discuss how they’ve developed characters, stories, and imagined worlds over serial publications. Moderated by Bill Kartalopoulos, co-organizer, Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. Featuring screen projection.
Isabel Wilkerson in Conversation with Amy Goodman. Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson discusses themes from her bestselling National Book Critics Circle Award-winning The Warmth of Other Suns, which views the Great Migration of the 20th Century as an epic tale of immigrants journeying to new and unfamiliar lands. In conversation with Amy Goodman (The Silenced Majority Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance, and Hope), host and executive producer of “Democracy Now!” public radio and TV news program.
Literary Lions. Readings by Pete Hamill (Tabloid City), Edwidge Danticat (Create Dangerously) and Paul Auster (Winter Journal). Whether their point of view is a palimpsest of Brooklyn fiction or set in other places, they have each lived in Brooklyn and been influenced by it. Followed by Q & A. Introduced by Johnny Temple, publisher, Akashic Books and Chair of the Brooklyn Literary Council.
A Fiction Triumvirate: McFadden, Oates, Whitehead. Three of America’s finest authors read from their work, followed by Q & A. Bernice L. McFadden, Joyce Carol Oates and Colson Whitehead, introduced by Rob Spillman, Tin House.
Marriage and Monogamy. With marriage equality on everyone’s lips, it still seems valid to ask the questions, “Why marriage?” and “Why monogamy?” Our authors weigh monogamy, marriage, its alternatives, and what it all means for how we live today. Syndicated sex columnist and author of The Commitment, Dan Savage, has advocated “monogam-ish” relationships; anthropologist Christopher Ryan, Ph.D. (Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality), argues that monogamy isn’t inherent to humans; Kristin Davis (The Manhattan Madam’s Guide to Sex), aka “The Manhattan Madam,” will provide her insights into the tangled web of sex and commitment; and Eric Klinenberg (Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone) examine what these changing attitudes look like at a societal level. Moderated by Kate Bolick (upcoming Among the Suitors: Single Women I Have Loved).
Calabash Presents. Jamaica’s legendary Calabash International Literary Festival celebrates 50 years of Jamaican independence with readings by premier Jamaican-born novelists and poets Chris John Farley (Kingston Noir), Jacqueline Bishop (Snapshots from Istanbul) and Ishion Hutchinson (Far District). Moderated by Calabash co-founder Kwame Dawes.
BOCAS Presents. Trinidad’s groundbreaking annual NGC Bocas Literary Festival comes to Brooklyn to celebrate 50 years of Trinidad & Tobago independence with readings by Earl Lovelace (Is Just a Movie), Victoria Brown (Minding Ben) and Anton Nimblett (Sections of an Orange). Moderated by Nicholas Laughlin, BOCAS organizer and editor of the Caribbean Review of Books.
A Blues for Middle School. Middle School is no cake walk. There are heartaches, bad days, the quest to find the meaning of life, plus mystery and wonder. Join NYT bestselling authors Wendy Mass (Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life) and R.J. Palacios (Wonder), Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark and Grimm) and debut author Sheela Chari (Vanished) as they discuss how their funny, daring and courageous characters take on heartache, bad days, vanishing instruments and locked boxes to solve mysteries, discover the wonder, and even make a new friend or two. Moderated by Paul Acampora.
Ghosts, Goddesses and Wolves. A ghost becomes a goddess. A girl morphs into a wolf. Two friends awaken as something other. Science fiction and fantasy is filled with transformations. Meet the authors of enchanting novels in which teens go through life-changing experiences: critically-acclaimed Kendare Blake (Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares); New York Times best-selling Andrea Cremer (Nightshade series) and award-winning Malinda Lo (Ash and Adaptation). Moderated by Jessica Shirvington (Entice).
Notable authors and participants
Visit www.visitbrooklyn.org/BBF/Authors for updates
Non-Fiction
Tony Danza, Thomas Frank, Christopher Hayes, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Dan Savage, Jimmie Walker, Rebecca Walker, Isabel Wilkerson, E.O. Wilson, James Wolcott, Naomi Wolf
Fiction
Paul Auster, Carol Higgins Clark, Mary Higgins Clark, Edwidge Danticat, Jessica Hagedorn, Pete Hamill, Dennis Lehane, Earl Lovelace, Jaime Manrique, Terry McMillan, Joyce Carol Oates, Stewart O’Nan, Francine Prose, Esmeralda Santiago, Karen Thompson Walker, Colson Whitehead
International
Pankaj Mishra, Karl Ove Knausgård, Luis Alberto Urrea
Poetry
Tina Chang, Billy Collins, Kwame Dawes, Philip Levine, Sapphire
Comics and Graphic Novels
Gabrielle Bell, Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez, Derek Kirk Kim, Carla Speed McNeil, Adrian Tomine
Youth and Children
Andrea Cremer, Gordon Korman, R.J. Palacio, Jon Scieszka, Judith Vorst
