What You Should Catch At: The Brooklyn Book Festival

How many times have you spent a Sunday night debating whether to catch reruns of Who’s the Boss, have a good cry while watching Precious, or listen to Dan Savage and the Tech-Savvy At-Risk Youth give advice to sexually-dysfunctional Midwestern lesbians?  I know, every Sunday, right?

Fear no more, freaks. On September 23^rd, your only dilemma will be whether to choose a mimosa or bloody mary for brunch -- the rest will be taken care of for you because the aforementioned authors will all be appearing in this weekend's Brooklyn Book Festival. Tony Danza, an author? Who knew?

The Brooklyn Book Festival is the largest free literary event in New York City, presenting an array of national and international literary stars and emerging authors.   With a line-up of 280+ authors and more than 104 panels, there is bound to be something for everyone – Judy Blume and Salman Rushdie readers alike. 

Best part? It’s free, ya’ll. For the first time this year, there will be “Clix not Tix,” meaning that all events will be sans any ticketing. Yay for no ticket lines! (and by "Clix," I'm assuming they either mean "fasten your seatbelt" or "we're going to use one of those handheld clicky things to make sure we don't let in so many people that the fire department shuts us all down for creating fire hazards.") 

Here are a few events that we recommend: 

1. "All in the Family" (AKA, Homegrown talent!)

Time: 10:00am

Location: Brooklyn Borough Hall Courtroom (209 Joralemon Street)

Park Slope makes a strong showing as our own Amy Sohn joins a panel of authors who put “their own spin on modern marriage parenting and childhood with protagonists who range from an Irish mother to a born-again Orthodox Jew. “ Sohn’s most recent novels, Prospect Park West and Motherland, are about women living in Park Slope. Think FiPS, but with less snark and nicer clothing.

2. "Artisanal Everything" (AKA, The Art of the #2 Pencil)

Time: 11:00 A.M.

Location:  Main Stage (Borough Hall Plaza)

There’s a little something for everyone on this panel, even pencil enthusiasts.  David Rees (How to Sharpen Pencils), the world's only artisanal pencil sharpener, discusses his pencil-making business (he hand-sharpens pencils for mail order customers), and the artisanalization of everything in Brooklyn, from mayonnaise to soda.

Tony Danza, circa 2011

3. "Tony Danza in Conversation with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz" (AKA, Who’s the Boss Meets Mr. Brooklyn) 

Time: 1:00pm

Location: Location:  Main Stage (Borough Hall Plaza)

With no further description about the session, we can only assume this will be a lively conversation which will end when Marty invites Tony to teach at a Brooklyn high school.   

4. "The Dark Side" (AKA, The Not-So-Precious Dark Side)

Time: 3:00pm

Location:  Main Stage (Borough Hall Plaza)

While 2009's Precious has become synonymous with the endearing Gabby Sidibe, one must not forget that the film was adapted from the novel Push by author Sapphire. In this panel, the novelist will discuss her new book, The Kid, as she teams up with authors Amelia Gray (Threats) and Dennis Lehane (Moonlight Mile) to speak about the process of writing characters with a dark and painful side. 

5. "The Sex Panel: Taboo in Pictures" (AKA, Sex, Comics and Screen Projections!) 

Time: 3:00PM

Location: Saint Francis Auditorium (180 Remsen Street)

For the more “visual” reader, check out Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Leela Corman (Unterzakhn), Molly Crabapple (Devil in the Details) and Bob Fingerman (From the Ashes) talk about sex and taboo in comics, from obscenity to art, and the delicious in-between. This panel will feature screen projection and -- woo hoo! -- viewer discretion is advised!