Secrets of the Stacks of New York City
If you think all city libraries are similar, think again. NYPL’s Library for the Performing Arts houses one of the world’s most extensive research collections in theater, film, dance, music, and recorded sound; The Frick Collection’s library holds one of the world’s leading resources for art historical research; and Brooklyn Public Library serves as a […]
Booked & Banned
These are the books that readers refuse to put down. Join renowned authors Darcie Little Badger (Children of Owl), Camryn Garrett (In Between Days), and NYT-bestselling author Libba Bray (Under the Same Stars) in a candid conversation on banned books, free expression, and the stories that young adults deserve to read. Moderated by acclaimed author-illustrator […]
Bold Paths to Reform, presented by Brooklyn Law School
When the status quo isn’t working, ambitious political and economic reforms are needed. Mechele Dickerson’s The Middle-Class New Deal looks back to the creation of the American middle class as a solution to the economic distress of the Great Depression, laying out a plan to rebuild our modern middle class and expand economic opportunity for […]
Branching Out: On the Future of Environmental Storytelling, presented by Orion Magazine
The genre of environmental writing has been expanding in recent years. Writers for Orion Magazine have pushed the boundaries of the genre by exploring the surprising intersections between nature writing and other forms, themes, and subjects. Nonfiction writers and Orion contributors Meera Subramanian (A Better World Is Possible: Global Youth Confront the Climate Crisis), Maria […]
Phases of the Self
Artists spend their lives creating from the contradictions of being alive. In Brandon Taylor’s Minor Black Figures, a painter researching the career of a forgotten Black artist finds himself confronting questions about creativity, belief, friendship, and what it means to make Black art. In Davey Davis’s Casanova 20: Or, Hot World, two friends grapple with […]
Politics and the Responsibility of Writing, presented by New York Review Books
Amid the polarized politics and censored speech of our current moment, everyone with a platform is being urged to speak up. But do all writers have a responsibility to be political? What does political writing look like in today’s climate—and how effective is it? Three award-winning authors, academics, and regular contributors to The New York […]
At the Gate
Poets Cornelius Eady (Proof: Inaugural Poem Suite), Adrian Matejka (Be Easy: New & Selected Poems), and Tracy K. Smith (Such Color: New and Selected Poems) read and reflect on what they have inherited from Lucille Clifton’s poetry and the possibilities her work continues to open for poets today. Moderated by Brooklyn Literary Council Co-Chair Camille […]
Words That Go Ooo, Words that Go Ahh, Words that Go Eee with Jess Hannigan
Draw, rhyme, and match words that go OOO, EEE, and AHH! This activity is perfect for kids 3-8 years old with acclaimed author-illustrator Jess Hannigan (Spider in the Well, The Bear Out There, Words that Go).
Fantastical Floating Food Sculpture
Join authors and illustrators Pooja Makhijani (Bread Is Love), Steph Stilwell (Slice of Nice), and Tina Cho and Cindy Kang (Kimchi Fridge) in creating a hanging sculpture based on your favorite foods! Unleash your creativity to make mobiles using your favorite treats as inspiration.
Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest with Adam Gidwitz
Join Adam Gidwitz, author of A Tale Dark & Grimm, the Newbery Honor book The Inquisitor’s Tale, and the host of Grimm Grimmer Grimmest, one of America’s most popular kids’ podcasts, for a live taping! He’ll tell a funny, creepy fairy tale perfect for ages 5-10, with opportunities for the kids to contribute to the […]
R.J. Palacio & Brett Helquist – The Haunted Playground
Ghosts like to have fun too. On Halloween Night long after trick-or-treaters have gone to bed, the ghosts are free to relax and play in The Haunted Playground. In this spooky tale by R.J. Palacio and illustrated by Brett Helquist, learn what happens when two human kids dare to enter The Haunted Playground.
Bess Kalb – Buffalo Fluffalo & Puffalo
Fluffalo is back in this sweet and funny sequel. This time he’s joined by his new baby sibling, Puffalo. Fluffalo quickly learns that having a sibling by your side is tons of fun. Enter the world of Buffalo Fluffalo with national best-seller and Emmy-nominated comedy writer Bess Kalb.
The Fiction Impulse in Nonfiction Criticism
Three literary critics consider the boundary between fiction and nonfiction, literature and criticism. While Sarah Chihaya (Bibliophobia), Andrea Long Chu (Authority), and Jeremy Gordon (See Friendship) immerse themselves in others’ fictions as they work, they must approach these works from another literary tradition, that of literary criticism. But are the novelist’s and critics’ impulses really […]
The Poem Remembers
Poets Kwame Dawes (Sturge Town), Kimiko Hahn (The Ghost Forest: New and Selected Poems), and Patricia Smith (The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems) will read poems that explore narrative, personal history, and beauty. Introduced by poet Tina Chang (Hybrida).
Warning, This is Not a Test
If Americans once believed in the sturdiness of our democratic order, we are now seeing just how easily that system can crumble—in a matter of months not years. But as these panelists reveal, our rights, norms, laws, and institutions have always been more vulnerable than we recognize or care to admit. Clay Risen (Red Scare) […]
Let’s Get Real
If you haven’t noticed, teens are dealing with A LOT these days. Whether it’s finding unexpected romance, exploring bodily autonomy and navigating one’s family and heritage, join New York Times bestselling authors Ashley Woodfolk (Call Your Boyfriend, w/Olivia Cole) Ibi Zoboi ((S)Kin) and critically acclaimed author Melissa Kantor (Biology Lessons) as they discuss how they […]
Speculative Fiction and Faith
Whether we’re raised with or simply exposed to religious ideologies, their doctrines can shade our lives in unexpected ways. In Anna Meyer’s Saint Catherine, a young woman skips Catholic mass for the first time and wrestles with demonic possession in a coming-of-age story that finds her questioning her piety and agency. Mattie Lubchansky’s dystopian satire, […]
Ryan T Higgins – Norman and the Smell of Adventure (It Stinks)
Norman is a porcupine, and his best friend Mildred, is a tree. They do everything together. One day, Norman decides to embark on a new adventure, but Mildred has other plans. Annoyed with Mildred, Norman decides to set off on his own. Can their friendship withstand separation? NY Times bestselling creator Ryan T Higgins has […]
Abby Hanlon and Dory Fantasmagory
Beloved children’s book author Abby Hanlon welcomes you into the fantastical (or imaginative) world of Dory Fantasmagory with her latest installment to the series – Dory Fantasmagory: Can’t Live Without You. As always, Dory is looking to be the center of attention. Come dressed in your best Dory Fantasmagory look and try to steal the […]
Drawing through the Cosmos with James Yang
Join author and illustrator James Yang for a journey through the cosmos. In A Universe Big and Small: A Story About Carl Sagan, Yang takes readers on an adventure through the cosmos and shows us the universe through the eyes of a curious young Carl Sagan. Join Yang in a step-by-step drawing and collage workshop […]
Magic in Your Pocket?… art & storytime with Kristin Mahoney
It’s magic. Rocks become chairs for fairies to sit on, and flower petals are transformed into perfume in A Pocket Full of Rocks, a beautiful picture book by Kristin Mahoney. Grab a paint pen and join Mahoney for a creative project with natural materials including painting acorns and creating a drawing based on what you […]
Pictionary
Play along with some of the most talented players out there! Watch and guess as author-illustrators Debbie Fong (The Faraway Forest: Wally’s Route), John Patrick Green and Steve Behling (InvestiGators: Case Files) play the party game classic Pictionary! Hosted by Calista Brill (Creaky Acres), this interactive game is sure to get the whole family involved!
Adam Rex – Echo
Junior doesn’t need any more friends because he has his echo, but his world turns upside down when he meets someone who doesn’t think he’s always right. Is Junior ready to face the one person in his world who disagrees with him? Author and illustrator Adam Rex delivers a laugh-out-loud book highlighting the importance of […]
Breaking Genre: When Artists Don’t Stay in Their Lane, Presented by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop
From horror poets to literary sci-fi novelists, genre and form boundaries are more porous than ever, especially for Asian American artists and storytellers. This multi-disciplinary panel of Asian American authors and artists – Samira Asma-Sadeque, Siyang Lim, Katie Yee – who challenge normative conventions, from blending forms to redefining the limits of genre itself. What […]
What Does it Mean to Be the “Best”? On Writing, Winning, and What Comes Next
First awarded in 2006, The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize recognizes the best debut novel of the year. Hundreds of readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, and other members of The Center’s community help determine the longlist—which means the Prize reflects the diverse tastes, concerns, and imaginations of many people—but what does it really mean to […]
Tales, Tails, & Travel: A Creative Afternoon with Brooklyn Children’s Authors (In Person)
Celebrate the launch of Malcolm A. Dill’s newest book Marvin’s First Pet (11 AM – 1 PM) with read-alouds and signings by the author, puppy photo portraits by Aunt Hilda, and handmade crocheted pet fashion from Chila for Fun. A perfect blend of stories, creativity, and furry fun! Discover Mommy Poppins Travel Journal and Activity Book […]
Literacy Leaders: Families and Communities at the Heart of NYC Reads
Join the Office of Family and Community Engagement for an engaging presentation on NYC Reads. We’ll explore the power of literacy and its role in opening doors to student success. Discover how families, communities, and schools can work together to foster a strong reading culture that inspires young minds and shapes brighter futures.
Where I Live
East Flatbush middle school students of Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy will be reading from their published book of poetry, Where I Live, on the topics of place, identity, homelessness, and migration.
Mike Lowery – Pizza Shark: A Fin-tastic Feast
What happens when you plan a pizza party and there is no pizza? Prepare to meet Edgar the shark and his best crab friend, Lotta, as they bring together their deep sea friends to create the best ever underwater pizza party. Get ready for cheesy puns and laugh out loud humor from NYT bestselling author […]
If You Find a Leaf: Art & Storytime with Aimee Sicuro
Join author and illustrator Aimee Sicuro to create leaf collages. Inspired by the color and shape of each leaf, you can create a drawing that imagines what else your leaves could be. Join Aimee for a reading of If You Find a Leaf and a brief Q&A about how this book was made.
Secrets of the Stacks of New York City
If you think all libraries are similar, think again. NYPL’s Library for the Performing Arts houses one of the world’s most extensive research collections in theater, film, dance, music, and recorded sound; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a world-leading cultural institution devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused […]
New Works: A Poetry Reading
Poets Kay Gabriel (A Queen in Bucks County), Frederick Joseph (We Alive, Beloved), Megan Pinto (Saints of Little Faith), and Margaret Ray (Good Grief, the Ground) read from their new volumes of poetry. Introduced by Nikay Paredes, Academy of American Poets.
Uncovering New York
New York: There’s no city quite like it in the world, so naturally it comes with infinite histories of its own, personal, cultural, and political. Authors Ava Chin (Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming), Tanisha Ford (Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil […]
Relationships Under Stress
In K-Ming Chang’s Cecilia, a woman named Seven returns to her obsessive girlhood friendship with Cecilia, who has reappeared in her life, resulting in a fever of eroticism, grotesque desire, and violence. Chris Knapp’s States of Emergency intertwines a failing marriage with the failing world, charting how a relationship might come together (or fall apart) […]
Playing Like a Girl: The Double-Binds and Brilliant Subversions of Women in Popular Music
It’s the same old story, or is it? The unruliness of male performers is seen as proof of their irrepressible genius while their female counterparts are dissected and interrogated for seemingly every move they make. Who gets to act like a proverbial rockstar and who doesn’t? Who gets recognized and written into the story of […]
Not All That Glitters is Gold
Hari Kunzru’s Blue Ruin, Adelle Waldman’s Help Wanted, and Ryan Chapman’s The Audacity probe the dynamics of class in our ever-modernizing world. Blue Ruin follows an art school graduate whose promising future comes crashing down during the pandemic. Help Wanted follows the low-wage employees of Team Movement, whose lives cycle through grueling days of few […]
NBF Presents: Archival (R)evolutions
National Book Award–honored authors consider the power of archives and evolution—within literature, across genres, and in the building of literary communities. Moderated by Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. Presented in partnership with the Brooklyn Book Festival and the National Book Foundation.
A World of Living Colors with Jason Logan
Jason Logan, author of Make Ink and How to Be a Color Wizard, will host a workshop of Living Colors. Experiment with non-toxic foraged art supplies, including local rust, acorns, beet juice, and other finds while learning the science, art, and magic of color! All ages. Bring your curiosity.
Cece Bell – Animal Albums from A to Z
“Blame It On the Baloney” by the Barbershop Beagles! “Fleas in the Flapjacks, Fiddledeedee” by the Fabulous Foxes of Folk! “Sometimes the Soup Is Salty” by the Sensational Sloth Boys! These are just three of the 26 hilarious songs written by legendary El Deafo author Cece Bell for her new alphabet book, a special and […]
A Woman’s World
“Women are no longer willing to shut up,” the best-selling Japanese novelist Mieko Kawakami has said, and in her latest work, All The Lovers In The Night (translated by David Boyd), she continues to examine female agency in traditionally patriarchal societies, while Best of Friends, the latest novel from prize-winning Pakistani-British writer Kamila Shamsie, tracks […]
Oh, the Horror
In this panel, fear takes on new meaning. Allegra Hyde investigates the climate crisis and “global weirdings” as her fictive landscape in the short story collection The Last Catastrophe. Gabino Iglesias centers a hitman’s journey in The Devil Takes You Home. Victor LaValle merges horror, sisterhood, and a mysteriously fatal steamer trunk in Lone Women. […]
Cookbook or Memoir: Genre-bending with Asian American Food Writers presented by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop
Join Asian American food writers Eric Kim (Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home), Priya Krishna (Indian-Ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family), Abi Balingit (Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed), and Betty Ann Quirino (Every Ounce of Courage: A Daughter’s Reflections On Her Mother’s Bravery) as they talk about what it means to […]
Wordless storytelling with Balint Zsako!
How do you tell a story without using a single word? This was artist Balint Zsako’s challenge when creating Bunny & Tree, a 184-page wonder of purely visual storytelling. Act and draw to communicate wordlessly in this fun workshop with Balint!
Artist in Action: Award-winning illustrator Elisha Cooper
Watch a children’s book artist at work! Or, attempting to work. Elisha Cooper will try to create an ink & watercolor illustration before your eyes (a painting of a large dog, sitting under a tree, from his new book Emma Full of Wonders). Will he mess up? Possibly, yes! He will discuss how he makes […]
Storytime: Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang
Liddy can’t sleep—all she can think about is going to Dim Sum Palace with her family. While lying in bed, Liddy begins to smell something delicious and opens her door to find an actual palace of dim sum—dumplings, baos, and buns everywhere! In this whimsical debut picture book, X. Fang turns memories of childhood feasts […]
Storytime: Always Anjali by Sheetal Sheth
Anjali isn’t too happy with her name. She doesn’t like how it’s “different” from other names, especially when she is being teased by other kids. When Anjali demands that her parents let her change her name and they refuse, she must look closely at her identity, what it really means to be “different,” and how […]
Back-to-School in Bed-Stuy (In-Person)
Join READ 718, Brooklyn Book Bodega, and House of SpeakEasy for a back-to-school event celebrating young readers. United by a shared mission of building community, increasing book access, and fostering a love of reading, we invite families and booklovers to kick off the Bookends series. Featuring readings by Brooklyn authors and art-making workshops throughout the […]
New Works: A Poetry Reading
Poets Elisa M. Gonzalez (Grand Tour), Jen Levitt (So Long), and Airea D. Matthews (Bread and Circus) read from their new volumes of poetry. Introduced by Nikay Paredes, Academy of American Poets.
Looking Within
Across fiction and real life, self-actualization can start early. Whether it’s the story of a humanoid robot whose consciousness is awakened when he falls in love, the memoir of a biracial American trying to connect with their Mexican family, or a young adoptee whose passion for cosplay, comics, and animation helps them accept the monster […]
Echoes of Artistry
Join four authors whose books embrace creativity as a character. Catherine Lacey’s The Biography of X unravels an intricate tale of identity and speculative history; and John Wray’s Gone to the Wolves resounds with the rhythm of friendships forged through heavy metal. Explore how these authors weave the essence of music, art, and human connection into […]
Maggie Smith in conversation with Lauren Christensen
Author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Maggie Smith, uses her own personal experiences and expands to dissect traditional modern womanhood, patriarchal dynamics and power structures. She will be joined by moderator Lauren Christensen, New York Times book editor. Together, they will discuss self-exploration, what it means to discover power after loss and writing your own narrative.
Cookbook or Memoir: Genre-bending with Asian American Food Writers presented by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop
Join Asian American food writers Eric Kim (Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home), Priya Krishna (Indian-Ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family), Abi Balingit (Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed), and Betty Ann Quirino (Every Ounce of Courage: A Daughter’s Reflections On Her Mother’s Bravery) as they talk about what it means to […]
Oh, the Horror
In this panel, fear takes on new meaning. Allegra Hyde investigates the climate crisis and “global weirdings” as her fictive landscape in the short story collection The Last Catastrophe. Gabino Iglesias centers a hitman’s journey in The Devil Takes You Home. Victor LaValle merges horror, sisterhood, and a mysteriously fatal steamer trunk in Lone Women. […]
BKBF Presents: Story Time Mini-Marathon at McNally Jackson City Point (In-Person)
McNally Jackson and the Brooklyn Book Festival are thrilled to present story time as you’ve never experienced it before! Please join us on Sunday, September 24th from 11:00AM to 1:00PM as McNally Jackson hosts a free marathon story time event! Multiple best-selling local authors, including Galia Bernstein, Cindy Eagan, Frances Cha, and Monique James-Duncan, will be […]