BKBF Lit-Star Lineup includes Jessica Abel, Daniel Alarcon, Elizabeth Alexander, Paul Beatty, Chris Hayes, Aleksander Hemon, Margo Jefferson, László Krasznahorkai, John Leguizamo, Jonathan Lethem, Laura Lippman, Terry McMillan, George O’Connor, R.J. Palacio, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gregory Pardlo, Wendy Pini, Salman Rushdie, Amber Tamblyn, Adrian Tomine, and hundreds more!
Special 10 th Anniversary events: Brooklyn Book Festival “CHILDREN’S DAY” Saturday, 9/19; Expanded literary-themed “Bookend” events happening city-wide!
BROOKLYN, NY—Tuesday, June 16, 2015 —At a lively evening event in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, the Brooklyn Book Festival (BKBF) and Brooklyn Book Festival Literary Council announced the sparkling initial line-up of the first 150 national and international authors slated to take part in the 10 th Anniversary Brooklyn Book Festival, NYC’s and the nation’s hippest event celebrating the written word. The festival welcomes back AT&T as its major sponsor.
The popular week-long September festival kicks off Monday, September 14th, with five weeknights of literature themed “Bookend” programs presented all over New York City, leading up to a spectacular weekend starting with a new Brooklyn Book Festival Children’s Day on Saturday, September 19th, and culminating with the flagship, fourteen-stage Brooklyn Book Festival on Sunday, September 20th—when 300 authors of beloved works of fiction and non-fiction (Mona Eltahawy, Lauren Groff, Marlon James, Phil Klay, Dennis Lehane, Jon Ronson), poetry ( Nick Flynn, Saeed Jones, Tracy K. Smith), and graphic novels participate in panels, readings and other creative performances of their work, and the center of the literary universe is truly Brooklyn!
See the full preliminary BKBF author List HERE and below. More authors are being added every day!—So be sure to follow the festival on Facebook , on Twitter at @BKBF and on Tumblr !
The city’s largest free literary festival, the Brooklyn Book Festival began as a start-up festival in 2006 presenting local authors and has grown exponentially, over ten years, into one of the country’s premier international book festivals, drawing tens of thousands each year to the global creative capital of Brooklyn, NYC.
“A decade in, the Brooklyn Book Festival has transformed the literary landscape of New York City in ways that we never imagined at the outset,” said Johnny Temple, publisher of Akashic Books and Chair of the Brooklyn Literary Council. “What started as a homegrown affair with a local flavor has blossomed into one of the world’s most prestigious international gatherings of writers and book lovers.”
“AT&T is thrilled to again be the presenting sponsor of the Brooklyn Book Festival as it celebrates its 10th Anniversary of bringing extraordinary free literary programming to New Yorkers of all ages,” said Marissa Shorenstein, President, New York – AT&T. “This year’s authors reflect the diversity of New York and the vibrant international spirit of the festival, and we’re excited to be part of the festival’s new children’s day as it shares and encourages the joy of childhood reading.”
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said of the festival: “As an avid bookworm and lover of the written word, I am thrilled to be part of the tenth anniversary of the Brooklyn Book Festival, the preeminent celebration of literature and literary culture in our nation. Authors from around the world will make this milestone a truly global affair, reflecting the unmatched diversity of our borough and its readers. I am also pleased that this year will include expanded children’s programming to help stoke a love of books in our youngest Brooklynites and their growing minds. The Brooklyn Book Festival has something for everyone this September, and I encourage newcomers to join the tens of thousands that will flock to Brooklyn Borough Hall, along with locations across Downtown Brooklyn and the rest of our city.”
SPECIAL 10 TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS: “CHILDREN’S DAY” & “BOOKENDS BEYOND BROOKLYN”!
~Brooklyn Book Festival Children’s Day, Saturday, September 19th, MetroTech Commons in Downtown Brooklyn
This year – in celebration of its 10th Anniversary – BKBF will present a dedicated Children’s Day for children who love books, on September 19th, from 10AM-4PM. The BKBF Children’s Day (for children ages 2 to 11) will showcase invited writers and illustrators at the centrally-located, beautiful MetroTech Commons in Downtown Brooklyn, on two tented stages and in the auditorium of NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. Favorite children’s and young adult book authors including, Edwidge Danticat, Kevin Henkes, Lenore Look, George O’Connor, Matt de la Peña, Jon Scieszka and current top ten New York Times bestsellers Chris Grabenstein, Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri, will present their popular board books, picture books, chapter books and middle-grade books through readings, performance, puppetry and music. Illustrators will arrive, markers in hand, to participate in a dueling draw-off not to be missed! Books by participating authors and other new and beloved children’s books will be on sale on BKBF Children’s Day with author book-signings after each program. BKBF Children’s Day will also feature other activities, workshops and a children’s marketplace of booksellers and publishers, and much more.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Brooklyn Book Festival as it celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a Children’s Day in MetroTech Commons,” said MaryAnne Gilmartin, President and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, owner of MetroTech Center. “The Brooklyn Book Festival Children’s Day brings authors, illustrators and children’s book sellers to this beautifully landscaped open space in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn for families to enjoy a day of readings, workshops and performances.”
~Bookends Beyond Brooklyn!
Kicking off the Brooklyn Book Festival week on September 14th are seven days of BKBF Bookend events, literary-themed activities taking place in clubs, parks, bookstores, theatres and libraries throughout the week. Bookends launch the full literary week with film screenings, parties, literary games and author appearances. In celebration of the 10th Anniversary, this year BKBF Bookends will expand into other boroughs and locations—bringing BKBF’s cultural programming to book-lovers all over the city. The schedule of more than sixty Bookends will be announced in August.
A FESTIVAL AS INTERNATIONAL AS NEW YORK CITY ITSELF!
Authors this year represent nations and cultures the world over— Mexico ( Yuri Herrera, Valeria Luiselli, Mario Bellatin, Guadelupe Nettel and Juan Villoro) to Barbados (Naomi Jackson), Trinidad/Canada (Andre Alexis), Congo (Fiston Mwanza Mujila) Bosnia/USA (Aleksander Hemon), Hungary (László Krasznahorkai), Israel (Yitzhak Gormezano Goren), Bulgaria (Georgi Gospodinov), Argentina (Andres Neuman), Chile (Alejandro Zambra), France (Pierre Lemaitre), Indonesia ( Eka Kurniawan), India (Aatish Taseer), and Switzerland (Christian Kracht)—with more international authors on the way.
About the Brooklyn Book Festival
The Brooklyn Book Festival is presented by the non-profit Brooklyn Book Festival, Inc. and the Brooklyn Book Festival Literary Council. AT&T is the major partner with additional support from the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Con Edison, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Forest City Ratner Companies. New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, New York State Council on the Arts, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, and TD Bank. Media sponsors are ABC7, Wall Street Journal and WNYC.
The Festival’s cultural and programming partners include BAM, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn Public Library, Cave Canem, Center for Fiction, National Book Foundation, New York Review of Books, PEN American Center, Poetry Society of America, St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, St. Francis College, and The Nation.
For more information about the Brooklyn Book Festival, visit http://davida425.sg-host.com or check out the official Facebook page and follow the Festival on Twitter at @BKBF, on Tumblr and on Instagram.
