Reasons to attend the 2009 Brooklyn Book Festival: 1) it’s one of the most hip, smart and diverse American literary events, 2) because Ben Marcus, Sarah Manguso, Thurston Moore, Heidi Julavits and Tao Lin are just some of the stars and emerging writers who will be talking/reading, 3) panels will talk about DFW , rappers and upward mobility, among a lot of other great things read and discussed, and 4) because it’s free (though for some events you need to secure tickets in advance).
While great things will be happening in several venues throughout the day, and you can see a full listing of the events and locations here, here’s a suggested itinerary (a personal cheat sheet with some Tough Draw Alternates). Enjoy!
10:00am – The Legacies of John Updike and David Foster Wallace – a panel of distinguished critics discuss their work. (Borough Hall Courtroom)
11:00am – The Future of Literary Fiction – Keith Gessen and T. Cooper will discuss, among other things, how digitization impacts the creative process. (Borough Hall Community Room)
12:00pm – Real Surreal – Definitely don’t want to miss Tao Lin and Ben Marcus reading from their latest work. Any rubric that brings together two writers seemingly at opposite ends of the literary spectrum is one worthy of note. (St. Francis College Reading Room)
Tough Draw Alternate 12:00pm – Poetry Pop and Hip-Hop – A panel including Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) and Matthew Zapruder will discuss how poets, songwriters and rappers push language in new and good ways. (St. Francis Auditorium)
1:00pm – Editor as Author – Discipline and Freedom – Heidi Julavits and Hannah Tinti, who tower as both editors and authors, couldn’t be more suited to discuss the roles that editors play in the lives of writers. (St. Francis College Reading Room)
Tough Draw Alternate 1:00pm – Rasskazy: New Fiction from a New Russia – Emily Gould (formerly of Gawker) will interview Rasskazy contributor Dmitry Danilov. Dale Peck and Francine Prose read. (International Stage)
2:00pm – Movin’ On Up – Don’t miss Lewis Lapham, storied editor of Lapham’s Quarterly, discussing the myth and reality of upward mobility. (Borough Hall Community Room)
Alternate 2:00pm – Life Stories – Sarah Manguso and Philip Lopate are among the authors who will be discussing bad breaks and tough choices in writing memoir. (Brooklyn Historical Society)
3:00pm – Literary Masters – Three highly-revered authors read: Paul Auster, Russell Banks and Francine Prose (St. Francis Auditorium)
4:00pm – Faith and Fiction – Chris Adrian, Rene Steinke and Benjamin Anastas discuss reconciling religion and the ambiguities of character. (St. Francis College Reading Room)
5:00pm – Happy Ending Reading Series – End your jaunt with some risk-taking writers and comedians Jonathan Ames and David Cross with music by Jonathan Coulton (Main Stage)
