The Brooklyn Public Library is offering a series of author talks throughout spring. These programs are offered free of charge and are open to the public, although reservations are recommended.
Authors include Ari Berman, Renée Watson, Xochitl Gonzalez and more, according to a news release.
Ari Berman Discusses Minority Rule with Chris Hayes
Monday, April 29, 6:30pm to 8pm
Center for Brooklyn History at Brooklyn Public Library
128 Pierrepont Street
Time and time again, the white conservative minority has effectively pushed back representative democracy through voter suppression, election subversion, legislative power grabs, immigration restrictions, gerrymandering and the whitewashing of history itself. This chipping away at democratic norms, at a fever pitch today, is a deliberate tactic deployed by the country’s conservative white minority in their crusade to entrench their power. In his new book Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People - And the Fight to Resist It, veteran voting rights reporter Ari Berman chronicles these varied manipulations, exposing their breadth, depth and impact. In conversation with Emmy-award winning MSNBC host Chris Hayes. RSVP here.
Renée Watson on skin & bones, with Jennifer Baker
Thursday, May 9, 6pm to 7pm
Brooklyn Heights Library
286 Cadman Plaza West
Award-winning and bestselling author Renée Watson will discuss her new novel skin & bones which explores sisterhood, motherhood, faith, love and ultimately what gets passed down from one generation to the next. In conversation with author Jennifer Baker, host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast. Books will be available for purchase from Books Are Magic. RSVP here.
Petr Nemrovskiy on Ukrainian Winter
Thursday, May 9, 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Sheepshead Bay Library
2636 E. 14th St
Petr Nemrovskiy is a Ukrainian-American former journalist who returned to Kiev last year to help others. Ukrainian Winter is a novel based on his experiences, exploring the themes of survival and endurance.
Ali Terese on Free Period
Tuesday, May 14, 4pm to 5pm
Brooklyn Heights Library
286 Cadman Plaza West
Teens and tweens only please
Debut YA novelist Ali Terese will chat about her book Free Period. The novel is a story of friendship and period equity complete with laugh-out-loud shenanigans, delightfully disgusting desserts and some world-changing craft.
Frank Rich Delivers Kahn Lecture for the Humanities
Wednesday, May 15, 7pm to 8:30pm
Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza
A writer-at-large for New York magazine, Rich was previously chief drama critic and an opinion columnist for The New York Times. In this unique talk, he flips the script by taking the pulse of the audience on questions relating to the precariousness of our times, and how history and other humanities can help us make sense of this chaotic world. Rich executive produced the long-running HBO series Succession and Veep, the limited series The Regime and White House Plumbers, and the documentaries Six by Sondheim and Becoming Mike Nichols. His books include The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina and the memoir Ghost Light. He has been awarded six Emmys, three Peabody Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Producer’s Guild Award. His journalism honors include the George Polk Award for Commentary and the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism from Harvard University. He has twice been a Pulitzer Prize finalist. The 2024 Kahn Humanities Lecture is made possible by the Kahn Endowment for the Humanities. RSVP here.
Xochitl Gonzalez Discusses Anita de Monte Laughs Last
Thursday May 16, 6pm to 7:30pm
Brooklyn Heights Library
286 Cadman Plaza West
A mesmerizing novel about a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite. Gonzalez is a best-selling author and winner of the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize. She will be in conversation with BPL Librarian Nurys Pimentel. Books will be available for purchase from The Center for Fiction. RSVP here.
Lisa Ko on Memory Piece in Conversation with Lisa Hsiao Chen
Thursday, May 16, 7pm to 8:30pm
Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza
In her new novel Memory Piece, Lisa Ko, the award-winning author of The Leavers, offers a visionary novel of friendship, art and ambition that asks: What is the value of a meaningful life? Ko will be in conversation with friend and fellow novelist, Lisa Hsiao Chen, author of Activities of Daily Living. RSVP here.
Steve Rowley Discusses The Guncle Abroad
Thursday, May 30, 6pm to 7:30pm
Brooklyn Heights Library
286 Cadman Plaza West
Best-selling author Steve Rowley discusses his new book, a sequel to his award-winning novel The Guncle. Patrick O’Hara is back. He feels on top of the world professionally. But some things have had to take a back seat. Looking down both barrels at fifty, Patrick is single again after breaking things off with Emory. But at least he has a family to lean on. Until that family needs to again lean on him. Books will be available for purchase from Books Are Magic. RSVP here.
