Brooklyn Bridge Park Announces ‘2014 Books Beneath the Bridge’ Series Line-Up

Patti Smith reads at a 2012 Book Beneath the Bridge event. Photo by Julienne Schaer
Patti Smith reads at a 2012 Book Beneath the Bridge event. Photo by Julienne Schaer

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy (Conservancy) has announced the full lineup for its third annual Books Beneath the Bridge series. This free summer literary series, which features outdoor readings curated by local, independent bookstores, will begin on July 7 at 7 p.m. and run for six consecutive Mondays at Pier 1’s Granite Prospect. The lead sponsor for the series is AT&T.

“We are pleased to be hosting Books Beneath the Bridge again this year as part of our free summer programming lineup,” said Nancy Webster, executive director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. “This event has quickly become one of our most anticipated programs at the park and we are happy to be welcoming yet another impressive lineup of authors this summer.”

“Thousands of people from New York and beyond visit this amazing park every year, and what better way to spend a summer evening than with great literature set against the beautiful New York skyline,” said Marissa Shorenstein, New York State President, AT&T. We hope that this series becomes an annual event for all park visitors for years to come.”

 Participating bookstores — which include Freebird Books, Greenlight, WORD, the powerHouse Arena, BookCourt and Community Bookstore — are charged with curating their respective evenings by selecting a theme and authors of their choice. In addition to hearing renowned authors read from their work, guests will have the opportunity to ask questions during Q&A and meet the authors during a book signing following the reading. Some readings will feature music and group drawing sessions and all are framed by views of the sunset against the New York Skyline. Each event is free and open to the public.

“One of the best things about being an independent bookstore in Brooklyn is getting to collaborate with new independent businesses that make the borough unique,” said Stephanie Valdez, co-owner of Community Bookstore. “In that spirit, we’ve asked the new Morbid Anatomy Museum, an arts organization opening in Gowanus dedicated to exploring where art and medicine and death and culture interlace, to curate a Morbid Anatomy reading with us.”

Event Details and Lineup:

Mondays, July 7 – August 11, 7 p.m.
Granite Prospect, Pier 1. Entrance at Old Fulton and Furman Streets or via the Squibb Bridge, Columbia Heights at Middaugh Street.

July 7: Freebird Bookstore
“Liberty’s Torch: The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty” by Elizabeth Mitchell

July 14: Greenlight Bookstore
Poetry Salon hosted by Angel Nafis featuring Shira Erlichman, Aracelis Girmay Saeed Jones, and Patricia Smith

July 21: The powerHouse Arena
“My Salinger Year” by Joanna Rakoff
“The Vacationers” by Emma Straub

July 28: Community Bookstore Park Slope
A Night with the Morbid Anatomy Museum: Readings from the Morbid Anatomy Anthology featuring Michelle Legro, Colin Dickey, and Evan Michelson.

August 4: WORD Brooklyn
Retelling Tales with Kate Bernheimer and Genevieve Valentine

August 11: BookCourt
Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop: Marie-Helene Bertino, Scott Cheshire, Robin Elizabeth Black, Courtney Elizabeth Mauk, Julia Fierro

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