Brooklyn to Celebrate Writers From Whitman to Whitehead

Several weeks ago, when the American Booksellers Association announced that the site of Hotel ABA at BookExpo America 2007 will be the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, in Brooklyn, the association's COO, Oren Teicher, described the borough as "steeped in literary tradition, with much to offer independent booksellers." A good part of that rich literary tradition and vast share of literary talent will be on display on Saturday, September 16, at the first Brooklyn Book Festival.

The festival grew "organically out of the fact that there are so many prominent authors either from Brooklyn or with some connection to it," said Eric Demby, communications director for Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. "There have been lots of well received novels about Brooklyn recently. The borough has a reputation as a literary enclave and has a really incredible literary history -- Walt Whitman, Marianne Moore, Norman Mailer, Paula Marshall, Richard Wright.... More recently Jonathan Lethem, Paul Auster, and Jonathan Safran Foer."

The festival will be held on September 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and will feature three outdoor stages as well as "Reading Rooms" inside the historic Borough Hall, with appearances and readings by over 50 authors, including Myla Goldberg (Bee Season, Anchor); Jhumpa Lahiri (The Namesake, Mariner); Jonathan Lethem (Motherless Brooklyn, Vintage); Rick Moody (Demonology, Little, Brown); Edmund White; (The Flaneur, Bloomsbury USA); Colson Whitehead (Apex Hides the Hurt, Doubleday); and Mo Willems (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Hyperion). Programming will also include music, a kids' stage, and more than 100 exhibitors, including bookstores, publishers, literary organizations, and more.

Participating bookstores include McNally Robinson Booksellers, Spoonbill & Sugartown, Booksellers, and St. Petersburg Bookstore.

Many of the authors, said Demby, will read passages from other writers who have influenced their work in the "Streets Are Talking" panel. Other panels will include a discussion of hip-hop lyrics as a form of literature, a discussion with cookbook authors, and a small press panel.

The lineup of over 50 authors is an impressive one for any festival, but particularly for the first time out. Demby said the Brooklyn Book Festival was able to attract the authors, in part, because "Brooklynite authors have pride in their borough. Highlighting the borough's literary culture was an easy sell."

Demby added, "Other than the huge wealth of authors, their diversity is important to note. The lineup reflects the cultural and ethnic diversity Brooklyn is famous for. And not just ethnic diversity, but a diversity of literary voices. There will be something for everyone. With so many different voices in our borough, everyone can find something to listen and relate to." --Karen Schechner