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The Brooklyn Book Festival kicks off on Sunday with 9 days of free events
By
Ryan Kailath
Published Sep 24, 2023
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Courtesy Brooklyn Book Festival
By
Ryan Kailath
Published Sep 24, 2023
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The 18th annual Brooklyn Book Festival kicks off Sunday with a day of virtual programming, before moving to in-person events across the city next week.
You may know the completely free festival from its massive takeover of the plaza in front of Brooklyn Borough Hall each year, where booksellers and authors meet readers and fans under a sea of tents. That event takes place Sunday, Oct. 1.
But the events leading up to the festival day may also be exciting for bookworms.
The “virtual day” Sunday Sept. 24 began as a pandemic necessity, but has remained as a way to include authors from around the globe.
This year’s virtual events include a conversation between comedians Aparna Nancherla and Samantha Irby, a conversation about fatherhood in literature featuring acclaimed Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgård, and a conversation about cooking across the African diaspora with three chef authors.
A series of in-person events starts on Monday, including a zine-making workshop in Gowanus and a conversation with the Booker Prize-winning writer Ben Okri at the Africa Center in East Harlem.
A day of children’s events happens on Saturday Sept. 30, with interactive shows, art projects and child-friendly conversations. This day is especially beloved by teachers and educators, said festival founder Liz Koch, who has no relation to either the billionaires or the former mayor.
Koch said that celebrating independent publishing is one of the festival’s key priorities.
“It’s a great opportunity to discover new writers and be a little bit more adventurous than maybe what you would even see in a bookstore,” she said.
More than 200 publishers from across the U.S. and Canada will be at the outdoor festival event on Sunday, Oct. 1. It will feature panels and conversations across a wide range of topics, from genre horror to poetry and AI's impact on the industry.
The Brooklyn Book Festival kicks off Sunday at noon with virtual events and runs through Oct. 2. The in-person outdoor festival day is Sunday, Oct. 1 at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Learn more at www.brooklynbookfestival.org.
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Ryan Kailath
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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