Looks like Brownstoner and Atlantic Yards Report are having a field day trashing last night’s Blogfest and me. Brownstoner wasn’t even there. He didn’t go on principle and is basing his reporting on Norman Oder’s blog post. Here Brownstoner really gives it to me:

An email we received a few weeks ago described a program whereby bloggers would be given a Flip video camera and some other Absolut swag in return for blogging and tweeting about the new brand of vodka. A number have done so and we’ve yet to see a single instance of disclosure; nor has the event’s organizer, Louise Crawford of Only The Blog Knows Brooklyn, been forthcoming about the backroom deals. (Here‘s where she should have mentioned the payola deal.) This wasn’t just a matter of a company donating some booze and getting to hang their banner in return; there’s nothing underhanded about that. It was a full-fledged sell-out with paid-for but undisclosed editorial pimping.

Brownstoner doesn’t think I adequately disclosed that Absolut gave me a bottle of vodka and a Flip camera in return for a posting about the stoop life. Obviously Brownstoner isn’t against sponsorship or advertising but “promotional blog posts and tweets for remumeration that are not identified as such.”

I couldn’t agree with him more.

I NEVER posted or twittered a promotional blog post about Absolut. Nor do I plan to. Yes, I posted about Blogfest but always mentioning that the event was sponsored by Absolut.

The piece I wrote that appears on my blog and on Absolut’s Facebook page is about my definition of the stoop life. It’s a moody piece about life on Third Street, watching my kids grow and hearing the second plane hit the second tower on 9/11.

I never mention anything about Absolut in the story. In the intro I wrote:

When Absolut Vodka, in honor of the release of Absolut Brooklyn and their collaboration with the Brooklyn Blogfest, asked me to write a post for my blog about the stoop life, this is what came to mind…

Maybe I should have been more specific about the Flip camera and the bottle of vodka but I still wasn’t writing anything about the vodka (or even the event).

I have to admit I wear a lot of hats these days and the last few months have been consumed with organizing Blogfest, a broken ankle and a root canal (and working, being a mom and all the rest). If I was remiss about disclosing my getting a $129.99 Flip camera on Monday, June 7, 2010 I apologize for any confusion that might have caused.

As to the $29.99 Vodka bottle that came a couple of weeks ago: Hugh took a sip but I didn’t. I haven’t been in the mood for vodka lately. In fact, I’m not much of a vodka drinker (more of a white wine person).

In the swirl of activity that went into the Blogfest planning I barely paid any attention to the “Ask Letter” they sent and the “swag” items they were giving out. I don’t feel obligated to do anything on their behalf. I see how it could be miscontrued as payola but that was the last thing on my mind. I know that might have been careless but I was really busy planning Blogfest.

One more thing: Norman Oder’s accusation that the bloggers on the panel and those included in the Blogs Aloud section were chosen by Absolut is patently ridiculous. Norman Oder never suggested that the panelists and those included in the Blogs Aloud section were chosen by Absolut. I misunderstood. The following bloggers are good writers and that’s why they were included in Blogs Aloud:   Luna Park Gazette, Brooklyn Mabel, A Year in the Park, The Murder Book, The Audacity of Pope, Clinton Hill Chill, Bed Stuy Banana, Old First, Miss Masala, Brooklynometry, The Writer and the Wanderer, Pardon Me for Asking, A Cake Bakes in Brooklyn, Found in Brooklyn, A Brooklyn Bachelor, Callalillie, The City Birder.

Finally, I agree that having a sponsor at Blogfest commercialized the event. It was a gamble that I was willing to take. I also knew that I would learn a lot from the experience.  Whether or not it was a good choice remains to be seen. But it was an adventure and I’m always up for one of those.

–Louise Crawford

Yeah, I agreed to let Absolut sponsor the Brooklyn Blogfest because usually I pay for most of it out of my pocket plus some admissions fees (and a small number of donations plus plenty of volunteers and in-kind contributions).

Full disclosure: one year Robert Guskind contributed $200 towards paying for the space rental god bless him. For other Blogfests bloggers have loaned me small amounts of money. Two years ago, Petra of Bed Stuy Blog donated $100 but I never cashed the check because it was written to the Lyceum and I’d already paid them.

The in-kind contributions of time and talent from Adrian Kinloch for the photo blogger video, Blue Barn Pictures for the video opener, stage management by Larry Lopata, set design by Dede Kavanaugh, panel coordination by John Guidry, Blogs of a Feather coordination by Mike Sorgatz and Atiba Edwards, the poster by Mike Sorgatz, moderating of the panel by Andrea Bernstein, entrance coordinator Kim Maier and the work of a lot volunteers are just amazing and much appreciated.

Thank you all.

But a lot of the costs still do come right out of my pocket. I’m sorry for not wanting to go broke on it. And it’s not like OTBKB has all that real estate advertising like Brownstoner. Wish I did but…

Absolut paid for the drinks, the food (though I had to arrange it and I gave newbie Fourth Avenue restaurant, Oxaca, the job). They did a great job and the food was delicious. The fee Absolut gave me paid for some but not all the operating expenses.

The Lemon/Spike section of the night had a kind of crackle to it, an electricity that was fun. It was cool when it looked like Spike and Marty were going to get into a row about the Knicks vs. the Nets. I had a hard time cutting off Spike to begin the Q&A and he turned to me and said: “Chill, I’ve got this covered, Miss.  That was pretty funny/embarrassing.

Sure, the inclusion of Borough President Marty Markowitz may have put some people off. He is a highly divisive figure in Brooklyn due to his support of the Atlantic Yards but his purpose was to give me one of those Proclamations and I was happy about that.

To paraphrase what I said in my opening remarks: Brooklyn is a place where people strive to know their neighbors, their politicians, their artists, their educators, their developers, their social activists, and those they agree – and disagree with.

Blogfest is a highly democratic and diverse event. Sometimes it’s like a see saw that goes this way and then that.

There have been years when the Develop Don’t Destroy crowd dominated the Blogfest. Although  I agree with their views on the Atlantic Yards project, there was criticism from other kinds of bloggers that Blogfest isn’t just for political activists.

But that just goes back to what I LOVE about Blogfest. It is an opinionated and spicy event and last night it was alive with an obviously diverse and opinionated mix of people and ideas.

The elements created by me and my wonderful Blogfest collaborators actually did include the many diverse voices of Brooklyn. For instance, Blogs Aloud, the dramatic reading from blogs, included many points of view as did the The Big Picture, which was chock full of images of social activism and protest Brooklyn-style. The panel discussion, led by WNYC’s Andrea Bernstein, was also a really interesting discussion with panelists, Atiba Edwards of FOKUS and Visual Stenographer, Faye Penn of Brokelyn, Heather Johnston of sogood.tv, Petra Symister of Bed-Stuy Blog and Jake Dobkin of Gothamist.

Finally, I was comfortable with my working-relationship with Absolut. It was definitely a  balancing act to keep Blogfest true to its essence, an annual gathering of Brooklyn bloggers. Obviously there’s some disagreement about how well I balanced things. There’s definitely a learning curve associated with having a sponsor and maybe the event tipped too far to the side of Absolut. I can’t tell. The evening is a bit of a blur (all those sponsor martinis). This is a criticism I will take VERY seriously and think about in the weeks and months ahead as I ponder doing next year’s Blogfest.

As for a quid quo pro: I am happy to reveal what Absolut offered the bloggers and me in the name of full transparency. In fact, I told Absolut that they should give the bloggers something for their participation and that people would want to be very transparent about that. I got a Flip Camera and plan to give it to one of the volunteers who was so helpful yesterday (I wish I had 30 Flip cameras).

They gave me exactly one bottle of Absolut Brooklyn.

They paid for all the liquor and food at the after-party. I can tell you what the food cost: $755 plus tip. I paid for the delicious skirt steak hero from Fairway that was approximately $120 plus delivery. I don’t know what they spent on the bar service.

They also contributed to some of the operating expenses of the event, which was a huge help to me because this is an expensive endeavor. There were lots of extra costs that they DID NOT cover like fees for a producer, extra security for a free, hard liquor event and event insurance, space rental, video rental, technicians, table rentals, chairs, etc.

Apparently I will be included as a Blogger of the Week on the Absolut Facebook page, which I think is cool because it will hopefully expand my audience. My piece is not about Absolut but partially about 9/11 and hearing the second plane hit the second tower of the World Trade Center from my stoop.

Yes, I was invited to the VIP gala but I probably won’t be able to attend because I’m presenting a Brooklyn Reading Works event on Thursday night (June 10^th at 8PM) at the Old Stone House in Park Slope with the great novelist Martha Southgate, author of Third Girl from the Left, which won the Best Novel of the year award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association in 2006. Lauren Grodstein and Danielle Evans will also be reading from their work. It should be a great event and you’re all invited!

Will all of this “payola” convince me to say that I heart Absolut Brooklyn even if I don’t? I don’t think so. (Personally I don’t like the strong apple fragrance).

Will this make me a “drink the Kool Aid follower of Absolut?”

Nope.

Does this mean I will only order Absolut for the rest of my life?

Nope.

Does this mean they can buy me?

Not a chance.

I am featured this week in the City Room’s Taking Questions column. Heck, there’s a lively conversation about last night’s Blogfest. Norman Oder of Atlantic Yards Report asked this question and I will respond today on the NY Times site and here. But not yet because I’m tired from last night’s fabulous Blogfest. This is just one voice of  many points of view that is showing up at City Room today.

Louise, I understand that it takes money and energy to put on the Blogfest.

But I and others thought that the sponsorship by Absolut hijacked the event this year.
http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2010/06/blogfest-meets-shillfest-as-spike-lee.html

Do you have any second thoughts about that?

Also, Absolut recruited bloggers–people who work “closely with you on Blogfest”– to join them in “a viral, underground effort” to spread the news about the Absolut Brooklyn campaign, offering them:

· A feature as our “Blogger of the Week” on ABSOLUT VODKA’s Facebook page

· VIP access to a celebrity event in Brooklyn

· Special call-out as a key collaborator during the Blogfest

· Gift of a Flip camera

· Gift of product that has yet to hit store shelves
http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2010/06/so-how-did-absolut-recruit-bloggers-to.html

Note added June 10, 1010: There was no special call out of “key collaborators” during the event. Maybe that was a fantasy on the part of Absolut but it never happened. The shout-out at the end of the program was a random list of bloggers who registered for the event. I think the writing in the letter quoted above from Absolut is a bit overzealous and hopeful.

Thanks to everyone who came to the Brooklyn Blogfest last night. It’s always a blast to see how the evening unfolds. The program was, I thought, a nice blend of the planned and the serendipitous. There were moments that really crackled with energy and aliveness such as performer/spoken work artist Lemon Andersens’s entrance and his beautiful Ode to Brooklyn (thumb drives with this performance were given out to participants).

Spike Lee’s appearance was also fresh and fun. He calmly took to the podium and spoke about his childhood, observations about the changes in the borough, filmmaking, why he moved to Manhattan and more. He was there to “promote” his collaboration with Absolut on Absolut Brooklyn but he smartly didn’t try to sell the audience but just talked about his connection to Brooklyn and its stoop life.

Towards the end of the Q&A with Spike, I called on Marty Markowitz, who surprised Spike with a question about moving back to Brooklyn. Markowitz then presented me with a Proclamation declaring June 8th, 2010 5th Annual Brooklyn Blogfest Day.

I must say, Marty made the nicest speech to me about my blog and my Blogfest. I was touched.

This year’s Blogfest definitely had a boisterous middle. But the opening segment, Blogs Aloud was also spellbinding. The talented Charlotte Maier, Natalie Paul and Aaron Costa Ganis read selections from great writing on blogs. I loved the way they brought those blogs to life with their voices and energy and really made the words and content SING.

And I mustn’t forget to mention the very creative Dee Jay Van Veder who added so much to the readings with his cool, sometimes funny musical selections and fabulous party music.

Adrian Kinloch’s The Big Picture, Tribute to Brooklyn Photo Bloggers was an absolutely wonderful 6 minute montage comprised of more than ten photographers set to pulsating electronic music composed by Kinloch (It is on Adrian’s blog, Brit in Brooklyn and on OTBKB this morning as well).

The panel discussion moderated by the expert (and I mean expert) Andrea Bernstein, WNYC award-winning journalist was dynamic and really interesting.

A video opener by Blue Barn Pictures was a great way to start the show…

(I have to run out but will add more to this later this morning with links to all the talented people who helped and information about the show…_

Tonight Norah Jones and her band opens of the 2010 season for Celebrate Brooklyn, the music/film/spoken word (which this year is comedy) festival held in the bandshell in our very own Prospect Park.  This is kind of a homecoming for Norah, who recently bought a house in Cobble Hill, but as far as I know hasn’t yet moved there.

If you haven’t seen Norah’s show in a while or haven’t heard her recent album, The Fall, be prepared for some changes.  Yes, Norah will play piano on a few songs, but will spend much more time playing a Wurlitzer keyboard and a candy apple red Fender Mustang electric guitar.  And the songs from The Fall are more upbeat than some of Norah’s previous stuff.

Joining Norah in her band are Brooklyn’s Smokey Hormel on guitar, drummer Joey Waronker, keyboard player John Kirby, bassist Gus Seyffert, and multi-instrumentalist Sasha Dobson (a personal favorite of mine and Norah’s close friend) on guitar, percussion and backing vocals.

Here are some tips about getting into the show tonight:

Entrance: For this show the only entrance will be the one at Prospect Park West and 11th Street.

Lines: It’s going to be crowded and there’s going to be a line, so get there early. The doors will open at 6:30pm.

Give $3: That’s the contribution that Celebrate Brooklyn asks and they put on great shows every year. This year a bunch of their corporate sponsors didn’t pony up, so you should. $3 for Norah? That’s more than a bargain.

Seats: There are about 2000 seats (with the front section roped off for the folks who paid $325 each to attend a pre-show fundraiser). The earlier you get on line, the more likely it is you’ll get a seat.  But if you want to make a picnic out of this, bring a blanket and sit on the grass hill in the back of the bandshell area.

Food: No cans, bottles, coolers or alcoholic beverages can be brought in. Everything else (foodwise) is OK.

Norah goes on at 8pm; there’s no opening act announced.

–Eliot Wagner

“Where better to take the pulse of this rapidly growing community of writers, thinkers and observers than the Brooklyn Blogfest?” ~ Sewell Chan, The New York Times

How many bloggers does it take to fill the Brooklyn Lyceum? Come find out TONIGHT (June 8 at 7:00 PM) when the borough’s most opinionated and dedicated bloggers and special guests Spike Lee and performer Lemon Andersen sound off about how and why Brooklyn remains such a rich source of material and inspiration.

But forget about filling the room. Here’s the real question the Brooklyn Blogfest will answer: How many bloggers does it take to wrap their arms around New York’s most happening borough? So, whether you are a blogger, wannablogger, reader, or media maven, you’ll want to come see for yourself. And meet up with this year’s most tenaciously keen tribe of bloggers as they gather to celebrate all the reasons Brooklyn is such a potent source of runaway creativity.

Since it was founded in 2005, the Brooklyn Blogfest has established itself as the nexus of creativity, talent, and insight among the blogosphere’s brightest lights. This year will be no different as a panel of blogging’s best disect the unique brand of entrepreneurial creativity flourishing here. Also on tap: a video tribute to Brooklyn’s most visionary photo bloggers, special networking sessions for like-minded bloggers (i.e. Blogs of a Feather), the return of the ever-popular Shout-out, when bloggers are invited to share their blogs with the world, and a roof-raising after-party with ABSOLUT^® VODKA cocktails, food and music.

“The borough of Brooklyn has always been front and center in the world of blogging,” says Louise Crawford, founder of the Brooklyn Blogfest and onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn.com. “Whether you live by a blog, blog to live, or live to blog, you’ll want to come out on June 8.”

We’re expecting a big crowd so come by early, doors open at 6:30 PM but you can line up at 6PM. If you didn’t pre-register you can still get in..

The Brooklyn Lyceum

227 Fourth Avenue at President Street in Park Slope Brooklyn

THIS EVENT IS FREE

The 2010 BROOKLYN BLOGFEST is sponsored by ABSOLUT^® VODKA

On Thursday, June 10th at 8PM at the Old Stone House in Park Slope Brooklyn Reading Works presents “People Make Mistakes,” an evening of fiction curated by Martha Southgate. Lauren Grodstein, author of A Friend of the Family, Danielle Evans, author of the upcoming short story collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, and Martha Southgate, author of Third Girl From the Left will read.

Martha Southgate is the author of Third Girl from the Left, which was published in paperback by Houghton Mifflin in September 2006. It won the Best Novel of the year award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. It was shortlisted for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award and the Hurston/Wright Legacy award. Her previous novel, The Fall of Rome, received the 2003 Alex Award from the American Library Association and was named one of the best novels of 2002 by Jonathan Yardley of the Washington Post. She is also the author of Another Way to Dance, which won the Coretta Scott King Genesis Award for Best First Novel. She now teaches in the Brooklyn College MFA program.

Lauren Grodstein’s books include the novels A Friend of the Family and Reproduction is the Flaw of Love, and The Best of Animals, a story collection. Her pseudonymous Girls Dinner Club was a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. Her work has been translated into German, Italian, French, Turkish, and other languages, and her essays and stories have been widely anthologized. Lauren teaches creative writing at Rutgers-Camden, where she helps administer the college’s MFA program. She lives with her husband and son in New Jersey.

Danielle Evans was born in Northern Virginia in 1983. Her short fiction has appeared in Best American Short Stories 2008 and will appear in Best American Short Stories 2010, The Paris Review, Phoebe, Black Renaissance Noire, and The L Magazine. She received a BA in Anthropology from Columbia University, an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and the Carol Houck Smith Fellowship from the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing. She has taught in the creative writing program at Missouri State University, and has recently joined the faculty at American University in Washington, DC. Her first short story collection, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, will be published in September and she is working on a novel entitled The Empire Has No Clothes. Both are forthcoming from Riverhead Books.

When: June 10, 2010 at 8PM — Where: The Old Stone House (theoldstonehouse.org)on Fifth Avenue and Third Street in Park Slope — $5

Folk City was THE club in the New York City music scene back in the day.  The owner of Folk City was Mike Porco, and tonight, his grandson, Bob Porco, will present a show in honor of Folk City’s 50th anniversary at The Village Underground, which is in the building where Folk City spent most of its years until it closed in the late 80s,  with more than 40 Folk City alumni performing.  Details and a video of The Roches talking about the place and singing Face Down at Folk City are over at Now I’ve Heard Everything.

–Eliot Wagner

On Thursday, June 10th at 8PM at the Old Stone House in Park Slope Brooklyn Reading Works (brooklynreadingworks.com) presents “People Make Mistakes,” an evening of fiction curated by Martha Southgate. Lauren Grodstein, author of A Friend of the Family, Danielle Evans, author of the upcoming short story collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, and Martha Southgate, author of Third Girl From the Left will read.

Martha Southgate is the author of Third Girl from the Left, which was published in paperback by Houghton Mifflin in September 2006. It won the Best Novel of the year award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. It was shortlisted for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award and the Hurston/Wright Legacy award. Her previous novel, The Fall of Rome, received the 2003 Alex Award from the American Library Association and was named one of the best novels of 2002 by Jonathan Yardley of the Washington Post. She is also the author of Another Way to Dance, which won the Coretta Scott King Genesis Award for Best First Novel. She now teaches in the Brooklyn College MFA program.

Lauren Grodstein’s books include the novels A Friend of the Family and Reproduction is the Flaw of Love, and The Best of Animals, a story collection. Her pseudonymous Girls Dinner Club was a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. Her work has been translated into German, Italian, French, Turkish, and other languages, and her essays and stories have been widely anthologized. Lauren teaches creative writing at Rutgers-Camden, where she helps administer the college’s MFA program. She lives with her husband and son in New Jersey.

Danielle Evans was born in Northern Virginia in 1983. Her short fiction has appeared in Best American Short Stories 2008 and will appear in Best American Short Stories 2010, The Paris Review, Phoebe, Black Renaissance Noire, and The L Magazine. She received a BA in Anthropology from Columbia University, an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and the Carol Houck Smith Fellowship from the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing. She has taught in the creative writing program at Missouri State University, and has recently joined the faculty at American University in Washington, DC. Her first short story collection, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, will be published in September and she is working on a novel entitled The Empire Has No Clothes. Both are forthcoming from Riverhead Books.

When: June 10, 2010 at 8PM — Where: The Old Stone House (theoldstonehouse.org)on Fifth Avenue and Third Street in Park Slope — $5

Don’t miss this BIG musical treat at the Tea Lounge on Monday, June 7th at 9PM at 837 Union Street, Brooklyn, New York

The Joshua Shneider Easy-Bake Orchestra is a 17 piece ensemble comprised of some of NYC’s most illustrious and adventurous improvisors, interpreting the music and arrangements of Joshua Shneider.

The Tea Lounge gig, Size Matters, is part of the Monday night Big Band series curated J.C. Sanford. Please check the schedule for other great bands.

Josh Shneider and the EasyBake Orchestra will perform new compositions. The wonderful (and I mean wonderful) Saundra Williams will be singing with the band. Saundra has sung with Victor Wooten, Phish, and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings among many others. Saundra can currently be seen in the new movie “Phish 3D”.

My hyper-local reporting has suffered because of a hyper-intense focus on the Brooklyn Blogfest and for that I apologize. These past weeks have been a blur of planning as I’ve been slammed with all the detail work that goes into producing an event of this size. Which isn’t to say that I don’t have a FANTASTIC group of collaborators because I do I do. In some ways I love the planning process as much as the event. But the event is way fun, too, because it’s cool to see how things really turn out.

This year promises to be really fun. I just previewed The Big Picture, our annual tribute to the great photographers of Brooklyn edited by Adrian Kinloch, and it’s a beautiful and breathtaking video. I can’t wait for all of you to see it.

Blogs Aloud is a dramatic reading by three actors of great blog writing. I am super excited about this segment. The actors are great, the writing is great and I think the crowd is gonna love it.

The panel moderated by award winning WNYC journalist Andrea Bernstein should be fantastic, too. Panelist are Jake Dobkin of Gothamist, who is always fun, Faye Penn of Brokelyn, Petra Symister of Bed Stuy Blog, Heather Johnston of So Good. TV and Atiba Edwards of Visual Stenographer and an arts and community organizer.

And then there’s Spike Lee and performer Lemon Andersen and his spoken word ode to Brooklyn.

Oh yeah: Blogs of a Feather, the breakout groups that are really the networky and fun,social part of the evening.

And did I mention the after party sponsored by Absolut Brooklyn? What a party.

What I love is all the serendipitous things that happen at Blogfest, the social interaction, the inspiration, the advice, the ideas…

June 4-13 at Brooklyn Heights Cinema and indieScreen in Williamsburg: The 13th Brooklyn International Film Festival

Note: indieScreen is a brand new entertainment space located on the Southside of Williamsburg, Brooklyn that features a sophisticated A/V room, a restaurant, and a full bar. “The space has been created for all those New Yorkers seeking out the best in film, music, live entertainment, and cuisine,” they write on their website.

Sex and the City 2 and Solitary Man at BAM

THEATER

This Thursday thru Sunday and through June 13th: Toy Theater Festival at St. Ann’s Warehouse Check their website for details.

MUSIC

Friday, June 4 at 7PM: Opera on Tap at Barbes

Saturday, June 5 at 9PM at Barbes: One Ring Zero is led by Michael Hearst and Joshua Camp. The Brooklyn-based band has released six CDs, including their critically acclaimed album, As Smart As We Are, a book-cum-CD, featuring songs with lyrics contributed by such authors as Jonathan Lethem, Margaret Atwood, Paul Auster, Dave Eggers, A.M. Homes, Rick Moody, Neil Gaiman, Myla Goldberg and Denis Johnson.

BEER GARDEN

Every Friday at BKLYN YARD: Each Friday evening the Yard becomes a waterfront Beer Garden. Locals can stop in to enjoy a rotating selection of hand-crafted beers and music provided by local DJs / bands.

LOCAL PRODUCE FESTIVAL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS

Launched in 1993, The Local Produce Festival of the Performing Arts originated as a weekend marathon of music, theater and dance which now takes place annually in various indoor and outdoor venues around Park Slope. For more information, check out the Spoke the Hub website.

FAMOUS ACCORDIAN ORCHESTRA

Saturday, June 5 at 6PM: Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival the Famous will be playing at Coffey Park in Red Hook. Note: The Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival is produced annually by Dance Theatre Etcetera, and presents work by professional and student groups, free to the public.

FIRST SATURDAY AT THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM

Target First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. Funny Face directed by Stanley Donen with Audrey Hepurn and Fred Astaire (surely one of the best musicals ever).

My husband says that Z’EV is an amazing performer. But beyond that he has trouble explaining. He used to hear him back in the 1980’s and seems tempted to go hear him tomorrow night at Issue Project Room at 8PM.

At 5PM he will be conducting a special FREE master class focusing on: “The mytho-poetics of audiology:  ear drum / hammer-stirrup-anvil / labyrinth, drum as traditional trance inducer / the smithy – pythagoras & shamanism / labyrinth as image of return – Initiation, acoustics & psychoacoustics, a phenomenology of sound & consciousness”

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see a legend in experimental sound, text, and visual art.

“Z’EV has been exploring ‘spacial poetics’ while creating percussive mayhem since the 1970’s. He is responsible for tons of solo releases and has collaborated with the likes of the Hafler Trio, John Cage, and Psychic TV; he last visited FMU over 25 years ago while living in NYC and working with Glenn Branca and Rudolph Grey among others” – Brian Turner, WFMU

Can you find me in the above picture? It’s sort of a Where’s Waldo kind of game. I’m on the left side of the picture. Only part of my face is showing.

On Wednesday, June 2, the Brooklyn Literary Council, top authors, publishing industry leaders, editors and literary insiders joined the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office to announce more than a hundred of the renowned national and international authors already confirmed to participate in the fifth annual Brooklyn Book Festival, which will take place this fall, Sunday, September 12, 2010, in and around Borough Hall and Columbus Park.

I was there and I enjoyed the white wine, the crudites and my conversation with Electric Literature co-editor, Scott Lindenbaum (full disclosure: they advertise on OTBKB).

In celebration of the Festival’s fifth anniversary, the Brooklyn Book Festival “Bookends” Partnership—made up of cultural institutions and performance venues—will present literary-themed events throughout Brooklyn on Friday, September 10; Saturday, September 11; and the day of the Book Festival on Sunday the 12th. Partners include BAM, Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Public Library, Littlefield, Light Industry/Triple Canopy, the Bell House, Book Court, WORD, Freebird, Greenlight Books, Boulevard Books & Café, PEN American Center and powerHouse Books. Programming and events will be announced in August.

I am hoping that there will be a Brooklyn Reading Works event connected with the Bookends partnership. The authors to be included in the BBF include:

BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL 2010 AUTHORS

Nick Abadzis
Dorothy Allison
Steve Almond
Kurt Andersen
Lemon Andersen
Sam Anderson
Jabari Asim
Russell Banks
Sandra Rodriguez Barron
Colin Beavan
Jennifer Belle
Alafair Burke
Joyce Carol Oates
Rosanne Cash
Continue reading Authors Announced for Brooklyn Book Festival →

Sad news: BKLYN Yard, the place for fun, pop-up events all summer long, is closing down. Here is a letter I received today from MeanRed Productions, producers of those great events at the yard right next to the Carroll Street Bridge. My sense is that some of the events they’ve got planned for this summer will be re-located to other locations.

To our Yardies…

Over the past four years, we have worked hard to create BKLYN Yard. You watched us grow from a small unknown independent venue into a space that hosted the best tacos in NYC, incredible talent (Lee Scratch Perry, Kaiju Big Battel, Dan Deacon & Jose Gonzalez to name a few), the Sunday Best dance series, the Gowanus Harvest Fest, the BK County Fair, Score! Pop-Up Mega Swap, Parked: Food Truck Festival, and countless lobster bakes, pig roasts, BBQs and more. This past Memorial Day Weekend, we were so proud to open our doors and display all the hard work we have been putting into the space to make this summer even better…from our new bar, to our atm, to our bocce court. Thousands of you came out and supported us and made it one of the most beautiful weekends we have had yet, so we are sad to announce, that last weekend was the final weekend of BKLYN Yard in our Carroll Gardens home.

Our landlord of the past four years, who used to share our vision for BKLYN Yard, notified us on Tuesday May 1st, that they would no longer honor our lease which had been in place since early this year. They chose not to give us an opportunity to renegotiate, and requested that we take what we have built, and terminate all of our confirmed plans and schedule for BKLYN Yard this summer.

BKLYN Yard is a labor of love for MeanRed, rooted in our core company values: Love for artists, food, music and community. We are sad to see our passion project go in its brightest year, and are sad to let down all the people who have support and worked with us for the past 3 summers.

But if there is one thing we pride ourselves in, its our ability to think outside the box, to take a leap when there is no net, and to reach our highest visions. We wouldn’t be who we are if we let hurdles keep us down. If we can turn a dim sum restaurant into a nightclub, a loft into a members-only club, and a toxic yard into a beautiful summer oasis… we can do anything.

Rest assured, our renegade spirit and love for pop-up spaces will come alive again this summer — very possibly with the same collaborators and programming you see on our current schedule… And very possibly even better than we had planned before.

Doug Singer, Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter’s Sunday Best series will continue on at another location, including this Sunday with DJ Koze. You can keep an eye on them at  www.sundaybestnyc.com

In the meantime, we want to say:

Thank you for sharing in BKLYN Yard. We hope you’ll continue on this crazy ride with us as we bring you what’s next. Stay tuned, we will pop-up where you least expect it, with the words:

“Built by BKLYN Yard”
With love,