20 Must-See Events at the Brooklyn Book Festival!
11) SEX SEX SEX and COMICS COMICS COMICS. GO GO GO!
3:00 P.M. The Sex Panel: Taboo in Pictures.
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. What inspires and informs their work and drives their characters (and readers)? From obscenity to art, and the delicious in-between. Featuring screen projection, with viewer discretion advised! Moderated by Heidi MacDonald. Saint Francis Auditorium (180 Remsen Street)”
12) Three remarkable authors and an introduction by Rob Spillman of the awesome Tin House. You will feel like a dweeb if you don’t go to this. Nobody likes to feel like a dweeb, do they?
3:30 P.M. 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. Saint Ann and the Holy Trinity Church (157 Montague Street)”
13) Brooklyn is in great shape. Other cities are not. Though, probably, the rent is lower. Hear about some of those cities at this panel. Feel bad for those cities, but then remember how much your rent costs and start feeling a little bad for yourself.
4:00 P.M. Tales of a Few Cities.
While New York and other cities have survived the Great Recession, cities like Camden teeter on the brink of collapse. Which cities will thrive in the new economy? Who (or what) will rescue the places in decline? Chris Hedges (Days of Destruction) analyzes Camden; David Harvey (Rebel Cities) explains the fate of New York and other global powerhouse cities; Mark Binelli (upcoming Detroit City is the Place to Be) reflects on Detroit. Moderated by former NY Times columnist and Demos fellow Bob Herbert. Moderated by Ted Hamm. Brooklyn Historical Society Library (128 Pierrepont Street)”
14) Woody Guthrie lived much of the later years of his life out on Coney Island. Celebrate Guthrie’s life and music during the 100 year anniversary of his birth.
4:00 P.M. Woody Guthrie—This Land is His Land.
This year marks the 100th centennial of the birth of Woody Guthrie. Nora Guthrie (My Name Is New York: Ramblin’ Around Woody Guthrie’s Town) and Robert Santelli (This Land Is Your Land: Woody Guthrie and the Journey of an American Folk Song) in conversation about his life and influence. North Stage (Borough Hall Plaza/Columbus Park)”
15) Do you ever wish you lived in NY in the 80s? When it was all dirty and humming with creativity? And rats? Well, I’ll tell you, it was pretty great. Hear more about that from all these amazing authors. Try not to get too upset that you missed it.
4:00 P.M. Creative Life in NYC – Art, Music and Creative Culture in the 70’s 80’s and Beyond.
James Wolcott (Lucking Out: My Life Getting Down and Semi-Dirty in Seventies New York), Nile Rodgers (Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny) and Cynthia Carr (Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz) discuss art, music, and creativity in NYC through the decades. Moderated by Will Hermes (Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever). Brooklyn Law School Student Lounge”