The Brooklyn Book Festival, New York City's largest free literary event, returns this September, reports The Brownstoner.
The nine-day festival from September 25 to October 3 is known for presenting new literary voices and fostering unique conversations. The event will feature events throughout Brooklyn, as well as a Virtual Festival Day on September 25. This is the festival’s second year with hybrid programming since going fully virtual in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Authors Tiphanie Yanique, Ryan La Sala, Ada Calhoun and Wo Chan, among others, have been named as part of a long list of writers participating in the festival’s main event — Festival Day and Literary Marketplace — taking place October 2 in Downtown Brooklyn’s Columbus Park.
And during a virtual prologue on July 28, festival organizers announced Esmeralda Santiago as the recipient of this year’s Best of Brooklyn Award.
“Brooklyn has long held the dreams of generations,” said Santiago. “My own ambitions grew in its hard streets, fueled by the miles of books in its public libraries. To return to Brooklyn is to find myself as a girl and young woman searching for a future in these United States. Hunched over a book borrowed from the library, I sought clues for how to be here without losing myself in a new culture and foreign tongue. Books helped me to navigate those challenges. Brooklyn’s long history inspiring writers gave me the confidence to persevere.”
Organizers have also announced a tentative selection of authors for the festival’s hugely popular “Bookend” events. And with the full lineup to be announced in the weeks leading up to Brooklyn Book Fest, there is much to be awaited.
For more up to date information on this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival, visit brooklynbookfestival.org.
