BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL 2007 TAKES NATIONAL AND
GLOBAL FOCUS, MAINTAINS HIP LOCAL FLAVOR
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

Major free event: A.M. Homes, George Packer, Edwidge Danticat, David Bouley, Pete Hamill, Chuck Klosterman, Gloria Naylor, Jonathan Lethem, Jon Scieszka, Gail Carson Levine, Francine Prose, Mo Willems, Reverend Run, Melissa Marr, Uzodinma Iweala, Colson Whitehead,
Mary Gaitskill, Kimiko Hahn, Charles Hynes, and more!

 New writers, interviews, works-in-progress, children’s authors, Define-a-Thon, top chefs, civil liberties discussion, “On the Road” 50th anniversary, Brooklyn history, graphic novels, Sekou Sundiata tribute, investigative reporting, “The Big Read” featuring “To Kill a Mockingbird,” African literary renaissance, fiction, fantasy, comics, and beyond!

On Sunday, September 16, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Borough President’s Literary Council and Brooklyn Tourism host the second annual Brooklyn Book Festival, which builds on the festival’s success, adding top national and international authors and establishing it as a major literary destination.

The 2007 festival will again be a day-long, free event at Brooklyn Borough Hall and Plaza in Downtown Brooklyn, from 10am to 6pm, featuring readings and panels on multiple indoor and outdoor stages, a Target Children’s Pavilion, an Independence Community Foundation Young Writers Pavilion, and more than 100 exhibitors, including bookstores, publishers, and literary organizations. The festival is expanding, adding the beautiful Brooklyn Historical Society as a new venue. As part of the day’s events, the Brooklyn Public Library will kick off its borough-wide “Big Read” featuring Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

“Last year’s Book Festival proved that Brooklyn is a literary epicenter of New York City and America,” said Borough President Markowitz. “With our marquee authors from Brooklyn and now around the world, this year’s event again puts our unrivaled diversity of voices on display, and makes reading and writing as hip as being a Brooklynite. When it comes to books, Brooklyn holds the title—period!”

Collectible “Brooklyn Bookmarks” highlighting Brooklyn literary icons and promoting the Brooklyn Book Festival will be available beginning August 21st at Brooklyn Public Library branches and bookstores.

On the eve of the festival, Saturday, September 15, Brooklyn literary legend Paul Auster will be the guest of honor at the Book Festival Gala VIP event, followed by a free public screening of the 1995 film Smoke, for which Auster wrote the screenplay. (Gala/screening details will be announced at a later date.)

The program list is attached. More details will be available as the event approaches, with programs subject to change. Updated information is available at www.brooklynbookfestival.org and (718) 802-3846.

Cultural partners: Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Academy of Music, the National Book Foundation, and Housing Works. The festival is presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Borough President’s Literary Council, initiatives of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. Time Out New York is the media sponsor. The Children’s Pavilion is sponsored by Target. Young Writers programming is made possible by a grant from Independence Community Bank Foundation. Additional support provided by the NYC & Co. Foundation.