On Sunday, September 13, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn Literary Council and Brooklyn Tourism welcomed thousands of book lovers to the fourth annual Brooklyn Book Festival, a huge, free public event presenting over 220 authors participating in panel discussions and readings, young adult and children’s programming and a literary marketplace of more than 150 booksellers, publishers and literary organizations. Readings were held at Brooklyn Borough Hall, in Borough Hall Plaza and Columbus Park, at St. Francis College and the Brooklyn Historical Society. The Brooklyn Book Festival “Best of Brooklyn” or “BoBi” Award for outstanding contributions to literature was presented to Haitian author Edwidge Danticat, at the Festival Gala on Saturday, September 12.

“Now more than ever before, Brooklyn is Booklyn,” said BP Markowitz. “And whether browsing for books, listening to your favorite author read from his or her work, or attending one of the fascinating panels made up of literati of every stripe, the Brooklyn Book Festival was the place to be for booklovers from around the world.”

Scheduled readings at the Brooklyn Book Festival included Paul Auster (Man in the Dark), Russell Banks (The Reserve), Francine Prose (Goldengrove), Jonathan Ames (The Double Life is Twice as Good), Tao Lin (Shop Lifting from American Apparel), Yona Zeldis McDonough (Breaking the Bank), Nicholson Baker (The Anthologist), Ben Marcus (Notable American Women), David Cross (I Drink for a Reason) and Rakesh Satyal (Blue Boy), and poets Anne Carson, Sonia Sanchez, Philip Schultz and Arthur Sze.

Scheduled discussion panels included Jonathan Lethem and Mary Gaitskill in Conversation; Faith & Fiction with Benjamin Anastas, Rene Steinke and Chris Adrian; The International Graphic Novel with Guy Delisle (The Burma Chronicles), Peter Kuper (Diario de Oaxaca: A Sketchbook Journal of Two Years in Mexico) and Sarah Glidden (How To Understand Israel In 60 Days Or Less), moderated by Matt Madden; Satire and Comic Relief in 2009 with Jeffrey Rotter (The Unknown Knowns), Gary Shteyngart (Absurdistan) and Sloane Crosley (I Was Told There’d Be Cake), moderated by New Yorker editor Ben Greenman (Superworse); The Great Recession with Justin Fox (The Myth of the Rational Market), Naomi Klein (The Shock Doctrine) and Kai Wright (Drifting Toward Love), moderated by New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis; Independent Media Voices with Amy Goodman (Standing Up to the Madness) and Pamela Newkirk (Letters From Black America); Editor as Author: Discipline and Freedom with Heidi Julavits (The Uses of Enchantment), Hannah Tinti (The Good Thief), Sarah Rainone (Love Will Tear Us Apart) and Donald Breckenridge (You are Here); Rasskazy: New Fiction from a New Russia with Francine Prose (Goldengrove), Dale Peck (Sprout), Anya Ulinich (Petropolis) and Vadim Yarmolinets (Led Zeppelin ‘Jericho 86-89’); Inside Music with George E. Lewis (A Power Stronger Than Itself) and Greg Milner (Perfecting Sound Forever), moderated by Sukhdev Sandhu (Night Haunts); Love, War and Adventures in Babysitting…Transforming Stories into Comics with Raina Telgmeier (The Babysitters Club graphic novel series), Danica Novgorodoff (Refresh, Refresh) and George O’Connor (Journey into Mohawk Country); and The ACT-I-VATE Renaissance with members from both DEEP6 and XOXOs Studios, featuring Dean Haspiel, Mike Cavallaro, Tim Hamilton, Joe Infurnari, Simon Fraser, Molly Crabapple and Mike Dawson.

This year the festival explored realms of popular romance with scheduled panels that included Love: The Unstoppable Bestseller, a panel of romance authors discussing the longevity of the industry: Rochelle Alers (Man of Fate), Anna DePalo (The Billionaire in Penthouse B), Donna Hill (Temptation & Lies) and Sarah Wendell (Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels); and entered the worlds of Poetry, Pop, and Hip-Hop with rapper Lupe Fiasco, musician Thurston Moore, poet Tracie Morris and poet Matthew Zapruder (The Pajamaist), moderated by Touré; and learned about Feeding Love in NYC with Giulia Melucci (I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti), Michelle Maisto (The Gastronomy of Marriage) and Jonathon Deutsch (Gastropolis, Food & New York City); as well as American Food with Mark Kurlansky (editor, The Food of a Younger Land), Jennifer 8. Lee (The Fortune Cookie Chronicles) and Liz Thorpe (The Cheese Chronicles). Moderated by “Serious Eats” blogger Ed Levine.

Looking back at few of the greats recently lost, the festival featured a Tribute to Norman Mailer with author and journalist Pete Hamill, Paul Holdengräber and Norris Church Mailer; as well as a reflection on the Legacies of John Updike and David Foster Wallace, with Lev Grossman (The Magicians) and Salon book critic Laura Miller (The Magician’s Book). Moderated by David Ulin, editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review.

Robust international programming on the schedule included Africa in the Age of Obama, with Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenyan author and director of the Chinua Achebe Center), Mohammed Naseehu Ali (Ghanaian musician and author of The Prophet of Zongo Street) and Breyten Breytenbach (South African poet, painter, author), moderated by Rob Spillman, editor of Gods and Soldiers: The Penguin Anthology of Contemporary African Writing; and a panel featuring Rawi Hage and Claire Messud in conversation.

“The Brooklyn Book Festival continues to support publishers big and small as well as authors around the world,” said Johnny Temple, chair of the Brooklyn Literary Council. “Our fourth annual Festival was our best one yet—more diversity, more literary superstars, more up-and-coming voices.”

The Target Children’s Area kept 2-year-olds to 9-year-olds captivated with book readings, a performance of children’s classics by the Troupe Theatre and author signings. Included in the scheduled lineup were Judi Barrett (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Pickles to Pittsburgh); picture book author Mo Willems, creator of the world’s most famous pigeon and the early reader Elephant and Piggie; Victoria Kann, co-author of the delicious, cupcake-filled Pinkalicious and current bestseller Goldilicious; syndicated cartoonist Tom Tomorrow, who pokes fun at conformity with his first picture book The Very Silly Mayor; Brooklyn’s own Ayun Halliday, who entertained children with Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo; Nick Bruel, creator of laughs and mayhem in Bad Kitty Gets a Bath; Peter and Randall de Seve (The Duchess of Whimsy); poet and illustrator Christopher Myers (Black Cat, Jabberwocky); duo Maureen Sullivan and Alison Josephs, whose adventurous dog, Carlos, visits Grand Central Station and Coney Island in Ankle Soup and Custard and Mustard; and Sahar Simmons, creator of the series Briana’s Neighborhood.

The festival’s Youth Stoop, geared toward readers ages 10 – 18, boasted an array of bestselling authors and a menu of genres to please any appetite from fantasy and vampires to graphic novels and fiction about love. Best selling author Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux; Because of Wynn Dixie) read and discussed her new book The Magician’s Elephant together with Michael Buckley (The Sisters Grimm). For teenagers, or teenagers at heart, the festival presented National Book Award finalist Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak; Chains); and M.T. Anderson (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, National Book Award winner). Dealing with tough issues in their books were Coe Booth (Kendra), Gayle Forman (If I Stay) and Matt de la Pena (We Were Here). Masters of heartbreak and longing at the festival included Anna Godbersen (The Luxe) and Aimee Freidman (Sea Change, a love story with a hint of enchantment). Graphic novelists Danica Novgorodoff (Refresh, Refresh), George O’Connor (Journey into Mohawk Country) and Raina Telgemeier (The Babysitter’s Club) spoke about their work, and fans of vampires and the supernatural were also entertained by authors at the festival.

New York Comic Con (NYCC) had a powerful presence at this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival, with its premiere pop culture convention and stars at a colorful and exciting programming area that included a performance tent, guest presentations, guest autographing sessions and a dedicated marketplace area. NYCC’s participation is a positive way to spread further awareness of comics and graphic literature while providing free interaction and entertainment for thousands of NYCC fans.  

“The Brooklyn Book Festival is an awesome gathering and I have had tremendous respect for the festival from the moment it started,” said Lance Fensterman, vice president and show manager for New York Comic Con. “We are proud to bring an intense graphic lit and pop culture presence to such a great festival. I am sure this will provide our customers with the opportunity to connect directly with lots of new fans. Plus, it’s all for free! This is a win-win in every respect.” 

The Brooklyn Book Festival is also proud to expand its partnership with St. Francis College, which has created a $50,000 literary prize for an author’s fourth book of fiction. The winning author, Aleksandar Hemon (Love and Obstacles), was honored at the Brooklyn Book Festival Gala. Other finalists included Chris Abani (Song For Night); Jim Krusoe (Girl Factory); and Arthur Phillips (The Song Is You). The distinguished jury included Michael Chabon, Heidi Julavits, Jonathan Lethem, Ben Marcus and Ayelet Waldman.

“The Brooklyn Book Festival is a wonderful opportunity for the students and faculty of St. Francis College to participate in the exciting and growing literary life of Brooklyn and New York City,” said Tim Houlihan, vice president for Academic Affairs and academic dean at St. Francis College. “We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with the Brooklyn Book Festival.”

Also announced at the Gala was the formation of the Borough President Poet Laureate Advisory Committee, which is charged with appointing a new Brooklyn poet laureate to succeed the late Ken Siegelman. The committee members include Dionne Mack-Harvin, Brooklyn Public Library; Anthony Vigorito, member of Brooklyn Poetry Outreach and associate of Ken Siegelman; Rob Casper, Poetry Society of America; Julie Agoos, Brooklyn College; and Linda Susan Jackson, Medgar Evers College.

The 2009 Brooklyn Book Festival was presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council, initiatives of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. Sponsors included the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation; the NYC & Company Foundation; New York Comic Con; Astoria Federal Savings; Citi; Boar’s Head Provisions; the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge; and Time Out New York, media sponsor again this year. Cultural partners were BAM; the Brooklyn Historical Society; Brooklyn Public Library; and the National Book Foundation. Programming partners included Housing Works Bookstore Café; PEN American Center; Poetry Society of America; The New York Review of Books; St. Francis College; and The Nation.

For more information about the Brooklyn Book Festival, visit www.visitbrooklyn.org or check out the official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-Book-Festival-Official-Site/20650359836. On Twitter, follow the Brooklyn Book Festival at bkbf. For photos of the Brooklyn Book Festival, visit www.flickr.com/brooklynbookfestival09.