Summertime has arrived and the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is celebrating in a major way. June marks the beginning of their Summer Reading Initiative, which the whole family can enjoy. All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Summer Reading ’08
Summer Reading Kick Off Celebration, June 5, 12 p.m., Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, 718-230-2100; for all ages: Come one, come all to the biggest celebration of them all. Catch the reading bug with Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library and Queens Library as they kick off summer reading with tons of fun, free activities for kids of all ages.
At 12 p.m., enjoy a big top of fun with performers from the Big Apple Circus. At 1 p.m., you will be tricked and treated by amazing magicians. And at 2 p.m., stop by the new Dweck Center for a screening of the Bee Movie.
And, of course, when you sign up for summer reading, you’ll get great booklists, sign up goodies and much more.
For Adults
Classes & Workshops
Cartooning Workshop, June 10, 6:30 p.m., Williamsburgh Library, 240 Division Avenue, 718-302-3485: Lauren R. Weinstein teaches you to design, pencil, and ink your own mini comics using traditional tools.
ConEdison Power Breakfast: The Branding of Brooklyn, June 18, 8:30 a.m., Business Library, 280 Cadman Plaza, 718-623-7000: Learn how Brooklyn can be positioned to create sales across the country.
Fatherhood Resource Fair, June 18, 11:30 a.m., Central Library, Second Floor Meeting Room, Grand Army Plaza, 718-230-2100: Learn about community services available to men and their families. Presented by the Caribbean Women’s Health Association.
Knitting Workshop, June 18, 6 p.m., DeKalb Library, 790 Bushwick Avenue, 718-455-3898 and Mondays, 4 p.m., Bushwick Library: Learn or perfect this skill.
11th Annual Entrepreneur Expo, June 21, 11 a.m., Business Library, 280 Cadman Plaza, 718-623-7000: Network with other entrepreneurs, find business support services and learn about free classes and programs.
Arts & Crafts for the Home, June 21, 3 p.m., Bedford Library, 496 Franklin Avenue, 718-623-0012: Learn how to make beautiful and simple home decorations with ribbons.
Polish Language Class, Mondays, 10:30 a.m., Greenpoint Library, 107 Norman Avenue, 718-349-8504: Learn basic Polish. All levels welcome.
Exhibitions
All exhibitions run June 17-August 30 at Central Library, Grand Army Plaza, 718-230-2100 (unless otherwise noted)
Art Imagination, June 1-July 31, Kings Bay Library, 3650 Nostrand Avenue, 718-368-1709: Enjoy works by Igor Bezchastnov, Yakov Kleynerman, Lucy Kotlyar and Olga Tsytsarina.
Along the Way: Book art and sculptural bases by Barbara Barnes Allen, which are a link to what she has seen and felt around her.
Fairy Tales Retold – Images by Fay Ku: Inspired by the myths, ghost stories and fairy tales of various cultures.
Journeys: Suitcases transformed into sculptural expressions by Chanika Svetvilas using found objects, text and mixed media to critique cultural consumerism.
New York Waters – Profiles from the Edge: Photographic portraits featuring the world of waterfront trades by award-winning photographer Randy Duchaine.
Twilight on the Waterfront: Brooklyn’s Vanishing Industrial Heritage: Photographs by Nathan Kensinger documenting Brooklyn’s changing waterfront over the past five years.
Visual Poetry in Artists’ Books: Fragmented words become images and images become words in these photos, drawings and calligraphic marks in folded pages by Marilyn R. Rosenberg.
Film Screenings
Chinese Movie: Xia Ri Ju Chang, June 4 & 18, 2:30 p.m., McKinley Park Library, 6802 Fort Hamilton Parkway, 718-748-8001: Enjoy this free screening.
Crossing Delancey, June 10, 1:30 p.m., Ryder Library, 5902 23rd Avenue, 718-331-2962: Enjoy this free screening.
Music & More
Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert: Abaca String Quintet, June 16, 6 p.m., Midwood Library, 975 East 16th Street, 718-252-0967: Enjoy a unique blend of eight-string guitar, mandolin, violin, viola and double bass.
Healthy Tai Chi, Mondays, 10 a.m., Kings Bay Library, 3650 Nostrand Avenue, 718-368-1709: Learn from a tai chi master. Registration required.
Readings & Discussions
Brooklyn Independents: The Mutating City, June 5, 7 p.m., Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, 718-230-2100: Authors Kevin Powell, Luc Sante, Favianna Rodriguez, William Upski Wimsatt and Josh MacPhee debate the truths and consequences of the mutating city.
The Accidental, June 9, 2 p.m., Brighton Beach Library, 16 Brighton First Road, 718-946-2917: Discuss this novel by Ali Smith.
Philosophy Discussion Group, June 13 & 27, 3:30 p.m., New Utrecht Library, 1743 86th Street, 718-236-4086: Discuss topics chosen by the group.
Author Talk: Tracy Brown, June 18, 6:15p.m., New Lots Library, 665 New Lots Avenue, 718-649-0311: Brown discusses her novel “White Lines.”
A Thousand Splendid Suns, June 19, 2 p.m., Central Library, Second Floor Meeting Room, Grand Army Plaza, 718-230-2100: Discuss this novel by Khaled Hosseini about two women coping with 30 years of war in Afghanistan.
Guyanese Writers in the Diaspora, June 22, 4 p.m., Flatbush Library, 22 Linden Boulevard, 718-856-0813: New works of eight Guyanese authors are showcased in this exciting presentation.
Wandering Jews of Brooklyn, June 24, 6:30 p.m., Williamsburgh Library, 240 Division Avenue, 718-302-3485: Lecture presented by New York author and architect Oscar Israelowitz.
Book Discussion: Fidel Castro: A Spoken Autobiography, June 25, 6:30 p.m., Walt Whitman Library, 93 Saint Edwards Street, 718-935-0244: Discuss this book with others who have read it.
General Information
BPL’s eResources, such as eBooks and eVideos, catalog information and free homework help, are available to customers of all ages 24 hours a day at their website, www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.
