Brooklyn Book Festival, Sept 16th

originally uploaded by nardell.

Brooklyn is an extremely literary city. I wonder if it is the fact that we get an extra 30 minutes both ways on the train to really think and read about the world. When I lived in Manhattan I barely had time to read a magazine article. Brooklyn is or was home to many famous writers and so last Friday, Marty Markowitz announced the lineup for the second annual Brooklyn Book Fair. It promises to be a blast and our very own Paul Auster will be honored at the Festival Gala on September 15th. Hope to see you there!

BOROUGH HALL — On Friday, May 4, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz announced publicly for the first time some of the renowned national and international authors who will participate in the second annual Brooklyn Book Festival, which will take place Sunday, Sept. 16, at Borough Hall. The distinguished authors who have confirmed so far are Chris Abani, Colin Channer, Staceyann Chin, Mike Farrell, Paula Fox, Amitav Ghosh, Myla Goldberg, Kimiko Hahn, A.M. Homes, Uzodinma Iweala, Phillip Lopate, Gloria Naylor, Mohammed Naseehu Ali, George Packer, Neal Pollack, Carl Hancock Rux, George Saunders, Robert Sullivan, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Ivan Valez Jr., Colson Whitehead, Mo Willems and Tia Williams.

Markowitz also announced for the first time that legendary Brooklyn author Paul Auster will be honored at the Festival Gala, an evening launch party on Saturday, Sept. 15.

“As a literary mecca, Brooklyn’s legacy is only growing,” said Markowitz. “I’m very excited that today’s Walt Whitmans and Hart Cranes and Betty Smiths and Paule Marshalls — who may have been born in Ghana or Guyana, in Jamaica or Jakarta, in Mexico or Minsk — are busy beaming their ‘Brooklyn attitude’ out to all corners of the globe.”

Markowitz joined members of the Borough President’s Literary Council, which organizes, produces, and promotes the Brooklyn Book Festival, as well as top authors, publishing-industry leaders, editors, and literary insiders.

Last year’s festival attracted more than 10,000 attendees to see top Brooklyn-based authors such as Jonathan Lethem and Jhumpa Lahiri, and visit more than 100 exhibitors and vendors.