The Brooklyn Book Festival (BKBF), New York City’s largest free literary event, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a nine-day celebration of book culture, turning the city into a hub for readers of all ages.
The festivities, running from Sept. 14 to Sept. 22, begin Sept. 14 with the traditional “Virtual Festival Day,” connecting readers and authors worldwide. Participants include Mozambican writer Mia Couto, horror author Cassandra Khaw, Pulitzer Prize finalist Karen Russell, illustrator Mary Catherine Starr, and award-winning Aboriginal writer Alexis Wright.
Highlights of the book lovers’ rave include the family-friendly Children’s Day on Saturday, Sept. 20, featuring beloved children’s authors and illustrators such as Nick Bruel, Rita Williams-Garcia, John Patrick Green, Abby Hanlon, Ryan T. Higgins, Meg Medina, Jarrett Pumphrey, and Ibi Zoboi. The bustling Festival Day & Literary Marketplace will follow on Sunday, Sept. 21.
Festival Day, the flagship event, showcases literary stars and fan favorites including Joyce Carol Oates, pioneering graphic memoirist Alison Bechdel, National Book Award winner Sigrid Nunez, New York Times bestselling speculative fiction author Nnedi Okorafor, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Việt Thanh Nguyễn. Eight indoor and outdoor stages at venues such as Brooklyn Borough Hall, Brooklyn Law School, and Columbus Park will host lively conversations and debates from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Literary Market — the largest book market in the Northeast with more than 250 publishers — is a book lover’s dream. Visitors can discover new authors, independent publishers, and literary organizations housed in hundreds of tents across Columbus Park and Borough Hall Plaza.
Part of the festival’s nine-day literary celebration are more than 50 Bookend Events across all five boroughs, organized by dozens of cultural partners and featuring hundreds of authors reading from Sept. 14 to Sept. 22. The full schedule of these events will be announced later in August.
Brooklyn Book Festival producer Liz Koch described the festival, which takes place in neighborhoods citywide, as “New York City’s festival.”
“Brooklyn is home to the world and welcomes national and international authors, as well as reflecting the incredible writers living and being inspired in Brooklyn and throughout the city,” Koch said.
This year’s Best of Brooklyn (BoBi) Award — presented annually to authors whose work embodies the spirit of the borough — will honor award-winning historical fiction and fantasy novelist Marlon James. The Jamaican-born, Brooklyn-based author of “A Brief History of Seven Killings” and “The Book of Night Women” will be celebrated at a special ceremony this fall.
The festival’s official poster was designed by illustrator and community organizer Sarula Bao, whose work has appeared on the cover of The New Yorker and who has worked with clients including Google, Apple, Facebook, New York Magazine and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Bao, director of the small press and initiative Endless Editions and the Brooklyn Art Book Fair (BKABF), drew inspiration from her own experiences with BKBF.
“The poster was inspired by my own visits to the Brooklyn Book Festival and the vibrant excitement of being surrounded by incredible publishers and fellow readers,” Bao said. “BKBF is a vital site for book community building and connection!”
Launched in 2006 to fill the need for a major literary event embracing New York City’s diverse constituencies, the Brooklyn Book Festival celebrates two decades of literature. Its free and low-cost programs connect readers with local, national, and international authors, publishers and booksellers.
Johnny Temple, co-chair of the Brooklyn Book Festival Literary Council, reflected on the festival’s growth.
“When we launched the Brooklyn Book Festival in 2006, we didn’t know if it would be a one-time event or if it would become an annual celebration,” Temple said. “We most certainly had no idea, at all, that twenty years later the festival would be stronger than ever! Indeed, this year’s BKBF is an embarrassment of wide-ranging literary riches, with dynamic programming for every single person, young or old, who joins us to revel in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s books, or any other genre that tickles your fancy.”
For the full author lineup, schedules and streaming details, visit brooklynbookfestival.org.
