Feed Your Head.

Autumn is a wonderful time of the year. With the release of the summer heat comes relief. The leaves change color, the air gets crisp, and you aren’t sweaty for the first time in months. But there is another wonderful thing that happens every fall here in Brooklyn: the annual Brooklyn Book Festival! Go visit and collect some good reads to feed your head during those grey, winter doldrums not too far on the distant horizon.

It will be held from September 24th to October 2nd at Brooklyn Commons Metrotech. Go feed your head!

The Brooklyn Book Festival’s Mission.

The Brooklyn Book Festival is truly New York City’s largest, free, literary fair. What’s more, it is a celebration of published literature, connecting readers with local, national, and international authors. The festival presents original programming, featuring new and established authors. Featuring themed readings, panel discussions, vendors, and book signings, there is a lot there to feed your head.

The History of the Brooklyn Book Festival.

Founded by then president of Brooklyn, Marty Markowitz, it was first held in September of 2006. It was started to address the need for a major, free, literary event in New York City. Initially it catered only to adult readers. Eventually, however, Children’s Day was incorporated into the Brooklyn Book Festival roster. Authors featured at previous years include the likes of Salman Rushdie, Rosanne Cash, Howard Bloom, and John Reed.

Who will feed your head at this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival?

This year’s Brooklyn Book Festival will feature such exciting authors as George Abraham, Melissa Albert, Galia Bernstein, Jessica Elefante, Anand Giridharadas, Chris Hayes, Daniel Hornsby, and many more. Annually the BoBi award is presented to an author whose writing best speaks of the Brooklyn experience. The recipient of this year’s BoBi is Hilton Als. He has written several books, one being The Women, White Girls. It features his analyses of literature, art, and music through the lens of race and sexual identity.

Surely there will be tasty morsels for everyone at the 2023 Brooklyn Book Festival.

Events to feed your head.

The Brooklyn Book Festival officially launches on September 24th along with their Virtual Festival Day. Saunter from tent to tent, browsing hundreds of iconic and independent writers at Brooklyn Commons in Metrotech. Children’s Day will be held Saturday, September 30th from 10am to 4pm at Brooklyn Commons at MetroTech. Festival Day & Literary Marketplace will occur on October 1st at multiple locations throughout New York City simultaneously.

Additionally, there are a slew of Bookend events at different locations throughout New York City.

There will be the Story Time Mini-Marathon, geared toward children 5 – 8 years old. A Night of Ancient Mystery, Mozart, & Merriment will be an unforgettable night of suspenseful stories, conversation, and music. Ken Burns will discuss one of the most influential writers of the 20th Century at Selected Shorts: Ken Burns Presents Willa Cather’s America. There are these, and so many more to feed your head at the Brooklyn Book Festival 2023.

Literature and reading are so crucial to our development and mental health. Through fiction we learn how to be better people while being entertained. With journalism we can learn from mistakes that others have made and how to avoid them by taking direct action. Reading and writing truly grants us access to and allows us to shape the world in a way that is incomparable.

At a time when reading is on the decline, The Brooklyn Book Festival is keeping the culture of reading alive. We are eternally grateful for that.

Go feed your head! As always I, and the team here at Brooklynites, thank you for reading. Click back soon. <3

Read more about the Brooklyn Book Festival:

https://brooklynbookfestival.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Book_Festival

Read about JG Thirlwell’s score for the show Archer:

https://brooklynites.nyc/dark-humored-archer-is-ending/

Go visit one of Brooklyn’s oldest bars:

https://brooklynites.nyc/brooklyns-oldest-bars/