Monthly Archives: September 2012
Tonight: Go Voter Support Session at Mac Support Store in Park Slope
Go Brooklyn Art is currently in the check-in grace period, which lasts until September 10, 2012 at 11:59pm EST. Nominations begin September 12, but during this interim period you can use the GO website.
You can still register as a voter:
Login to your account and enter artist codes to check in. If you were out seeing art this weekend writing down codes to enter them later, now is the time to get registered or login and enter the codes into the system.
Verify your phone. If you used text messaging to check in, you need to verify your cell phone and sync your text message check-ins. To do this, login to the website using your computer, click on the “Sync Phone” tab on your dashboard, enter your phone number (if it’s not there already) and click “Verify My Phone” – we’ll send a code to your phone that you’ll enter on a subsequent screen.
Confirm your check-ins. We suggest you confirm all your check-ins are properly listed and you can do this by logging in to the GO website; on your dashboard in the upper left corner of the left column, click on the “View Check-ins” button.
Any voter who visited at least five studios and used the artist codes to check in, will be eligible to nominate artists from the list of those they visited. It’s important to check in to every artist you visited so they will be on your nomination list. The nomination period begins on September 12; eligible voters will get an email with instructions.
If you find yourself having trouble, please file a support ticket or come to the tech support meetup tonight (Monday, September 10th) from 7-9pm @ The Mac Support Store (168 7th Street at Third Avenue, Brooklyn).
GO Brooklyn: Notes on an Ambitious Experiment
The inaugural voyage of GO Brooklyn Art, the Brooklyn Museum’s ambitious borough-wide open studio weekend involving nearly two thousand artists and many thousands of curious art lovers, was a true experiment in community art viewing and crowd sourcing.
Saturday began with a bang. Literally. There was a tornado in parts of Brooklyn and torential rains everywhere else. There was also a dearth of subway service to various parts of Brooklyn, which made subway travel very sketchy.
That said, the determined and the curious braved the humidity and journeyed to just about every corner of Brooklyn. In Park Slope there were more than eighty artists. About 35 visitor came through our apartment on Saturday and it was a thoughtful and interesting crowd of mostly strangers.
On Sunday, a gorgeous day, the turnout was far better. We saw at least twice as many people in our apartment. It was a non-stop parade of visitors from 11AM until just after 7PM and Hugh nearly lost his voice from talking about his photographs.
But he loved it.
About the crowd sourcing element: GO Brooklyn was meant to be a competition of sorts. Visitors were expected to check in at each studio and, after visiting at least five studios, vote on their favorite artists. Those artists with the most votes will be visited by Brooklyn Museum curators who will then select a few for a group exhibition in December.
My observation was that many of the visitors did not bother with the crowd sourcing element. Some found the smart phone and computer apps too “difficult” and never even signed in. Some couldn’t be bothered and just wanted to enjoy a day of walking around neighborhoods looking at art.
I did notice that people who visit art studios are often passionate about art and really enjoy talking to the artists, learning about the materials and processes and have many questions about how things are done and what it all means. An Open Studio event truly attracts a highly interactive and dynamic group of people.
I’m sure there will be many lessons learned from this wonderful and ambitious experiment. I hope the Brooklyn Museum will do it again next year. Thanks are due to all those who organized and coordinated these wonderful and enriching days for thinking about art.
Only the Blog at Two Moon Reading Series Starts October 10th
Announcing a new reading series in Park Slope: ONLY THE BLOG AT TWO MOON (Reading + Socializing + Drinks) curated by Louise Crawford.
Wednesday, October 10, at 7PM: F*ck! I’m in My Twenties with author/blogger Emma Koenig. In attempt to express the contradictions and anxieties that come with being over-educated, minimally employed, mostly single, and on your own, Emma Koenig turned to the blogosphere. In this collection of her most popular posts from her blog of the same name, Emma harnesses the power of illustrations, graphs, checklists, and flowcharts to explore this twenty-something life.
Tuesday, October 23, at 7PM: “The Family Thing” with Peter Matthiessen Wheelwright and Leora Skolkin-Smith author of “Hysteria.” Wheelwright will be reading from his new novel, As It Is On Earth.
Wednesday, November 7, at 7PM: Writers Who Sing, Singers Who Write featuring singer/fiction writer Peter Silsbee and singer/memoirist Mila Drumke.
Wednesday, December 5, at 7PM: Therapy with Ira Goldstein, who will read from his physical therapy stories, Louise Crawford will read from her book of poems 5:10 on Tuesday and hilarious non-fiction from Karen Ritter and Marian Fontana.
Go Brooklyn Art: Open Studio Sunday
On Saturday, Go Brooklyn Art, the borough-wide open studio event began with a torrential rainstorm and a tornado in some parts of Brookyn.
The weather (and the subway deficiencies) definitely kept some people away. But by the afternoon the weather had improved and we had a very generous turnout on Third Street .
In fact, a lovely group of people filled Hugh Crawford’s studio on Saturday. Thoughtful, curious, observant. Hugh had a nice day talking about his work with interested strangers.
It’s 11:09 AM on Sunday, we’ve already had one guest. Bernette Rudolph, a GO artist, came over to view Hugh’s work and to chat about GO. She had over fifty people in her studio yesterday and was quite pleased.
Saturday afternoon, I visited GO Brooklyn neighborhood coordinator Meril at Two Moon Art House & Cafe (on Fourth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets) which is the local Go Brooklyn info spot. She’s worked very hard to make this event happen and she deserves lots of credit for its success.
It’s a gorgeous day, no tornadoes in the forecast. Looking forward to another GO day.
Tornado Touches Down in NYC
The Tweets were flying: Tornado warning. Tornado in Brooklyn. Tornado, tornado, tornado…
At 11:20 AM this morning, a tornado touched down on the Belt Parkway. There have been reports of cars being flipped over in areas between Long Island and JFK Airport.
During a tornado, people should immediately go indoors and/or to the lowest floor of your building for shelter. Stay away from windows!
A tornado alert will be in effect until until 9 PM Brooklyn and Queens.
Ready, Set, GO: Open Studios R Us
Our couch was expelled from the living room because Hugh is using the living room, which is next to his home studio, for a display of his large photographs.
Today is the giant Go Brooklyn Art open studio weekend. Nearly two thousand artists in Brooklyn will open their doors to the public. The hordes will begin to arrive at 11AM and at this moment. I don’t feel ready.
I better make some coffee.
I am excited to see what the day will be like. Go Brooklyn Art is almost like trick or treating for curious art lovers. As on Halloween, I feel like we should have something to offer those who come. Candy corn? Wine? Cheese and crackers? Hugh’s “business” card?
Hugh was up most of the night. He should wake up soon and finish hanging photos. So far, the day looks beautiful. I am optimistic and excited…
Learn to Produce a Runway Show & Other Classes at Bklyn Brainery
Brooklyn Brainery hosts cheap classes on anything and everything, all determined by the things you want to learn and teach. It’s a place to experiment with all kinds of topics, hobbies, and ideas.
Book clubs on steroids.
Brooklyn Brianery is located in Carroll Gardens at 515 Court Street, a couple blocks from the lovely Gowanus Canal. Classes this fall include: Produce a Runway Show, Master Class in Vermouth and Martinis, Thinking Very Deeply About Comedy, Babeland’s Guide to Mindblowing Sex (September 9th), SEO for WordPress and More.
Teaching at the Brainery isn’t about being a world-reknowned expert on a topic, it’s just about being excited to help people learn the things you’re already excited about.
A Round of Applause for the Go Brooklyn Art Team
GO Brooklyn Art, the borough-wide open studio weekend is finally here!
On September 8th and 9th, more than 1800 artists across 46 neighborhoods in Brooklyn will open their studios to share their work from 11am to 7pm.
Here is a pictures of the Go Brooklyn Art Team, including two organizers, one project coordinator, 22 neighborhood coordinators, many volunteers, staff across Museum departments, and the registered artists—have spent innumerable hours gearing up for this weekend — and they posed for this enthusiastic team picture.
The team members you see in this photo will be out in force visiting studios and offering support at their information spot this weekend. The organizers say that even the Brooklyn Museum’s Director Arnold Lehman (who is pictured in the front row, third from left), Chief Curator Kevin Stayton, and many members of their curatorial team and other departments will be visiting artists as well.
Yes, this GO Weekend is a tad overwhelming with 1800 artists from which to chose your visits, but remember, you only need to visit at least five studios to nominate artists for the exhibition.
Here’s some advice from the team: “If you are a voter strategizing how to make the most of the weekend, one tip would be to visit the artists in your own neighborhood and then choose another neighborhood to discover. Consider starting at our main meet point at Borough Hall, which will be open from 11am to 7pm on both days, or pick up a map at one of the 30 info spots throughout Brooklyn (hours vary).”
A History of Park Slope in 20 Objects
On Sunday, the New York Times ran a History of New York in 50 Objects. This morning, Brooklyn Magazine ran a History of Brooklyn in 20 objects. Well, here’s the beginning of my history of Park Slope in 20 plus objects. Send in your suggestions. More illustrations to come.
1. Linden Trees
2. The Old Stone House, site of the first and largest battle of the Revolutionary War; and baseball field where Brooklyn Dodgers first played when they were a farm team.
3. Grand Army Plaza (1867)
3. Old First Dutch Reformed Church (1891)
4. The Montauk Club (1891)
5. Brownstones
6. Limestones
8. PS 321
10. Park Slope Food Coop (est 1973)
11. Connecticut Muffin
12. Stoop Sales
13. The Community Bookstore, writers, books, the lizard…
14. Stollers
15. Two Boots: a wad of pizza dough
16. Birkenstocks
16. Squad One
17. Purple wrapping paper from Little Things
18. Lisa Polansky’s shop
19. Yoga mats
20. Tea Lounge
22. Zuzu’s Petals (est. 1971)
23-40. Leopoldi’s Hardware, Jackie’s Fifth Amendment & Smith’s, O’Connors (if it survives), Bagel Hole, Seventh Avenue Donuts, Fifth Avenue Bingo Hall, Connie on Fifth, Neergaard Pharmacy, Frame houses (front & back).
Farther south: Sandy’s, Eagle Provisions, Luigi’s, Guerrero’s, McGovern-Weir greenhouse. Gone almost yesterday: Catene’s & Timboo’s.
Send in your suggestions…
Brooklyn Ranked #2 Most Expensive City in US
Hey, big whoop, Brooklyn has the great distinction of being the second most expensive city in the US, just behind Manhattan across the river.
That just makes my day.
The Council for Community & Economic Research, a Washington based group, are responsible for this particularly favorable statistic. The survey was mostly based on housing.
Honolulu, San Francisco, San Jose, Queens and Stamford. Conn are the runner up cities. The Council ranked 300 American cities looking at food, transportation, utilities and prescription drugs.
Way to go, Brooklyn.
Bernette Rudolph’s Art Classes for Children
Bernette Rudolph, the elder goddess of the Park Slope art scene, has been teaching art to children for many years. She’s quite wonderful with the kids and is able to unleash great torrents of creativity in her Third Street studio. (The photograph above is by Bernette).
Her small, focused classes are on Tuesday afternoons this fall. For more information, you can email Bernette at bernetterudolph(at)earthlink(dot)net.
An accomplished artist who works in a variety of mediums, she is one of the artists participating in Go Brooklyn Art, the massive open studio weekend with 2000 participating artists. On September 8–9, 2012, from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, curious art lovers are invited to pick up a GO map and start exploring as many open studios as time and energy permits.
Community members registered as voters can visit studios and nominate artists for inclusion in a group exhibition to open at the Brooklyn Museum on Target First Saturday, December 1, 2012.
Open Wide: Go Brooklyn Art Weekend Throughout Borough
On September 8–9, 2012, from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, artists across Brooklyn will open their studio doors, so that you can decide who will be featured in an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum.
This big, ambitious extravaganza is being organized by the Brooklyn Museum. Community members registered as voters can visit studios and nominate artists for inclusion in a group exhibition to open at the Brooklyn Museum on Target First Saturday, December 1, 2012.
Hugh Crawford is doing it. So are many, many others. Eighty artists in Park Slope alone, including Simon Dinnerstein, Bernette Rudolph, Jonathan Blum Hundreds more in other neighborhoods from Greenpoint to Coney Island. The painting pictured is by Artist Angeli Rasbury who is showing work in her Bed-Stuy studio on Halsey Street.
Sept 20: Young Writers Night at The Old Stone House
On Thursday, September 20th at 7PM, Brooklyn Reading Works presents Young Writers Night (Poetry, Fiction, & Song) at the Old Stone House.
This Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend event ,curated by high school senior Hannah Frishberg, will be introduced by Brooklyn Poet Laureate Tina Chang. One Teen Story will give out free issues of that new magazine.
Hannah has gathered together a stellar group of young writers and performers including songwriters Oliver Kalb, Lucio Westmoreland and Damo Smith, poets Nora Miller, Suli Rivera and Aya Aziz.
Every Book in the Bookstore Window is How Not To Read
Maybe you noticed that every book in the Community Bookstore window is the same book, a new tome called How Not To Read: Harnessing the Power of a Literature-Free Life.
Officially released on Sept. 4, the book by Dan Wilbur, is adapted from his popular blog, Better Book Titles, which he started in 2011. Here’s what that clever lad did. He used Photoshop to put joke titles on the covers of famous books.
“A People’s History of the United States” becomes “White People Ruin Everything.”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” becomes “This is the First Book I’ve Read in Six Years.”
You get the idea. And it’s very, very funny.
How Not to Read, is a mock self-help book, that helps readers master literature without ever needing to read another book ever again! The book includes:
• Tips for getting through anything you have to read by just reading every third word.
• How to fake it through a conversation about a book you haven’t read.
• How to use literary insults to make yourself sound smarter.
The author Dan Wilbur is a bookseller at the Community Bookstore in Park Slope and stand-up comic. His writing has been featured on Collegehumor.com, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and The Onion News Network.
Take a Class at 3rd Ward
Maybe it’s time to take a class at 3rd Ward, Brooklyn’s unique multi-disciplinary workspace and education center. Why not take advantage of their Wood Shop, Metal Shop, Photo Studios, Jewelry Studios and Coworking Space, or learn new skills in one of their many classes?
Whether you’re a beginner looking for a creative outlet, or a seasoned professional in search of a full-time workspace solution, 3rd Ward has a lot to offer.
Classes being offered this fall include: Introduction to Millinary, Build a Spacesuit, Intro to Makeup, DIY Snowglobes, DIY Printmaking, Image and Video Processing, Extraordinary Embroidery, Intro to Upholstery and much, much more.
No Words Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
Tom Martinez, Witness: The Joys of the Sullen
9th Annual Children of Abraham Peace Walk on 9/11
GO Visit Artists in Their Studios, Vote on the Work You Like Best
So this is what’s going down. This weekend, almost 2000 Brooklyn-based artists are opening their studios to the public from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.
This big, ambitious extravaganza is being organized by the Brooklyn Museum. Community members registered as voters can visit studios and nominate artists for inclusion in a group exhibition to open at the Brooklyn Museum on Target First Saturday, December 1, 2012.
Hugh Crawford is doing it. So are many, many others. Eighty artists in Park Slope, including Simon Dinnerstein, Bernette Rudolph, Jonathan Blum Hundreds more in other neighborhoods from Greenpoint to Coney Island.
No Words Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
The Society for the Prevention of Disparaging Remarks About Brooklyn
According to Brooklynite Sidney Ascher, Brooklyn was disparaged 2,6343 times in 1942.
Apparently, this was down from the 6,457 times it was disparaged in 1941. That was the year Ascher founded “The Society for the Prevention of Disparaging Remarks About Brooklyn.”
I found this information and this certificate on the WNYC website. WNYC received an NEH grant to digitize a vast archive of radio shows from the past. This project is called, Annotations: The NEH Preservation Project.
A friend, an author who lives in Park Slope, has been working on this preservation project.
Prominent members of “The Society for the Prevention of Disparaging Remarks About Brooklyn.” included writers Damon Runyon and Walter Winchell, Borough President John Cashmore, U.S. President Harry Truman, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, at least 10 members of Congress, hundreds of soldiers and sailors, and Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
D’Vine Taste Downsizes Into Single Storefront
I went into D’Vine Taste yesterday, where I buy challah, Lebanese olive oil, cheese, olives and various condiments, nd learned that they are downsizing by vacating one of the two storefronts they occupy.
It was back in 2005 when D’Vine Taste expanded into what was at the time a one dollar store next door. Now they’re going back to the shop’s original size. Indeed, they are survivors. The Lebanese siblings who own the shop will do whatever is necessary to continue selling delicious food to Park Slope locals.
For many years, D’vine Taste has been Park Slope’s middle-eastern answer to Zabars (minus the lox and bagels). At one time, it was practically the only place in Park Slope where you could get gourmet cheeses, sliced meats, pate, cornichons, a huge selection of olive oil and beers.
It’s always been a great source of middle Eastern specialties: pita bread, tabouli, babaganoush, spinach pie, and halvah They also have a great selection of spices, dried fruits and nuts sold by the pound.
Back in 2005, they expanded, I believe, to gird against the onslaught of sophisticated emporiums like Blue Apron and Union Market as they entered the Park Slope foodie landscape.
At the time Whole Foods, Fairway, and Trader Joe’s didn’t exist in Brooklyn. Yet. We’re still waiting for Whole Foods.
It was probably a financial risk for D’vine Taste to take on such a large space. Interestingly, they are now able to fit everything into the single storefront.
Is it crowded? You bet it is. But as I joked with one of the owners, it’ll be cozy.
D’Vine Taste is a classic old time Seventh Avenue establishment: quirky, idiosyncratic, eccentric. They do it their way. It’s not the most convenient place to shop or the most comprehensive but we love it because it’s ours.
In 2005 I wondered if they’d survive the coming of the large, customer oriented giants. The answer is a resounding yes. Their ability to stay agile and flexible when the chips are down speaks volumes about their willingness to change with the times.
But it’s their love of the food they sell that really keeps them in the game and in the hearts of their neighborhood customers.
Park Slope Political Author Jodi Kantor Live Tweets Michele Obama’s Speech
Last night, Michelle Obama delivered a stunning speech at the Democratic National Convention. In my opinion she hit the ball right out of the park and may have turned the election, which appears to be a dead heat .
While I watched it on TV, I was following Twitter and noticed that Jodi Kantor was live Tweeting the speech. Kantor is the author of The Obama’s, a book about the first couple in the White House. Connie Schultz of the New York Times wrote of the author: “Ms. Kantor is attuned to the nuance of small gestures, the import of unspoken truths. She knows that every strong marriage, including the one now in the White House, has its complexities and its disappointments.
Kantor’s Tweets were quite interesting. She may know more about POTUS, FLOTUS and their marriage than any other political writer. Here are Jodie Kantor’s Tweets in reverse chronological order.
–President Obama and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, watch on television the First Lady’s speech to the DNC tonight:
–Michelle Obama is telling Republicans, independents: yes, it’s OK, vote for him.
–Did you know that Barack Obama has written personal checks to struggling Americans? Extremely revealing. Reported by
–Take a sec to picture Barack Obama “strategizing about middle school friendships.” Very funny/sweet.
–Forget fancy clothes and vacations, this speech is full of humble touches—struggling parents, old cars, janitors who deserve respect.
–Michelle Obama is talking about two men in this speech—Barack Obama and (without mentioning his name) Mitt Romney.
–For years in Chicago, Michelle Obama encouraged her husband to get a more lucrative job.
–2nd best line of speech: “We were so young, so in love, and so in debt.”
–None other than @pbsgwen says the dress is Tracy Reese.
–Notice how cleverly she is reframing the fact that some of her husband’s choices were unpopular.
–Michelle Obama has heard many, many other people define her husband. Tonight is her turn.
–Best line of speech: “Being president doesn’t change who you are, it reveals who you are.”
–Implicit message: we may be president and first lady, but we’re like you. We are you.
–Many classic Michelle Obama beliefs in this speech– wealthy people aren’t better, they often just have more luck/opportunity/access.
–The president’s mom woke him at 4:30 am for English lessons, and Michelle Obama’s mom brought home workbooks so her kids would get ahead.
–Interesting line: “For my dad, that’s what it meant to be a man.”
–Romney, I see you your tuna pasta and I raise you Barack’s rusty car. #Michelle #DNC. (This was a retweet of a Frank Bruni tweet).
–Michelle Obama mentions her father Fraser, who died 2 decades ago, in every campaign speech. He is her lodestar.
–This is an expanded version of Michelle Obama’s standard speech, w/new poignant anecdotes and funny lines.
–For tonight we are supposed to forget about Michelle Obama as designer darling and fashion icon. This speech is about humble virtues.
–Also, the simple joys of being a political celebrity and commuting to DC. But OK.
–The Obamas don’t bring their girls on the campaign trail much these days, but they mention them again, again, again, again.
–A visibly more confident and experienced speaker than she was four years ago.
–This speech could be called “The Obamas Next Door.” It’s all about how they are regular folks who have experienced economic struggle.
September Issue of Brooklyn Rail Out on Paper and Web
I’ve always been fascinated by The Brooklyn Rail. It’s got a local vibe but it also celebrates a broad political, literary and artistic landscape that encompasses Brooklyn and the great beyond.
It’s smarter than smart and sometime a little intimidating in its erudite concerns. In other words, it’s challenging and compelling, which is a good thing. Even Paul Auster reads it. He writes,
“The Rail is the best publication of its kind in New York—and it keeps getting better. The Rail covers the waterfront in a highly responsible and original way, mixing controversial political journalism with poetry, the arts, and nearly everything else of importance in this complex, ever-changing city. Long may it flourish.”
This months issue is chock full of the local and the far reaching. There’s a teriffic essay by Dave Mandl called I was a Brooklyn Townie. In it he writes:
I’m from Brooklyn. I mean, I’m really from Brooklyn. I was actually born here—and 50 years ago at that; both of my parents were born here; I attended school in Brooklyn all the way through college, except for a brief stint in graduate school (Manhattan). I’ve lived in Brooklyn my entire life, except for a year and a half or so working in Europe when I was already around 40.”
I think my favorite part of the Brooklyn Rail are the interviews or conversations in the Books section. This month’s issue includes an conversation with my friend, Peter Matthiessen Wheelwright, author of the forthcoming As It Is On Earth, and journalist Scott Cheshire. About Peter he writes:
He is tall, affable, and the sort of guy who wears his intellect well, like an old denim shirt, comfortably, with a cool and unassuming style. We talked over coffee at the Housing Works Bookstore Café about his love of philosophy, Walker Percy, Deep Time, the power of stories, and how designing a building is not so unlike writing a novel.
Freelancers Union Founder Lives in Park Slope
It was with some fascination that I read in the Sunday Times column, Sunday Routine, that Sara Horowitz, founder of the Freelancers Union and Freelancers Insurance Company lives in a brownstone in Park Slope.
Because I am a card carrying member of the Freelancers Union and a participant in the Freelancers Insurance health plan, Sara is definitely on my radar. Actually, she’s something of a hero of mine as I admire her dedication to bringing affordable health care to freelancers.
And to think I could run into her on Fifth Avenue.
A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in 1999. Ms. Horowitz grew up in Brooklyn Heights and lives with her husband, Peter DeChiara, a labor lawyer and their daughter, Rachel, who is 12 .
Clearly, she’s a real Park Sloper. She belongs to the Ninth Street Y, where she schmoozes with the locals. “All the people who are working on campaigns are at the Y; I do a little political networking there.”
And she loves the Fifth Avenue Farmer’s Market. She writes: “My husband is the big food shopper; I’m more the farmer’s market shopper. He’ll make sure there’s lettuce in the house; I’ll make sure there’s arugula. I go to the farmer’s market on Fifth Avenue. We spend enormous amounts of money on gourmet popsicles in flavors like avocado and lime, or beet. My daughter loves the chocolate crepes.”
Best of all, she said in the Times’ interview that Freelancers Union is building a medical practice for independent workers, on Jay Street between Willoughby and Fulton. “The demolition’s been finished. The idea is that it will provide integrated health care, including primary care, yoga and wellness programs. We’re partnering with the people Atul Gawande wrote about in The New Yorker,” she writes in the article.
She’s definitely a visionary.
No Words Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
post labor day back to work edition
Two Murders at West Indian Day Parade
Millions joined West Indian Day parade grand marshal Harry Belafonte for the 45th annual Labor Day event, a prideful celebration of West Indian music, dance, culture and food on Eastern Parkway.
Sadly, after the parade, two men were stabbed to death and two others were shot in unrealted incidents.
According to the Daily News, at Eastern Parkway and Bedford Ave., Mallinckrodt Leandre, 27, of Monroe, N.Y., was stabbed in the neck and died. And on St. John’s Place outside a Chinese restaurant, another man, Gabriel Hernadez, 21, was fatally stabbed.
These fatalities echo last year’s parade when there was a shooting a few blocks off the route, which left a person dead and a police officer wounded. At least three other people also were shot in 2011.
Tom Martinez, Witness: West Indian Day Parade
Honey & Wax: A Different Kind of Rare Bookseller in Park Slope
It was only a matter of time before the first indie rare book dealer arrived in Park Slope. Sure, Brooklyn has always had great used bookstore like P.S. Books, Unnameable, Book Thug Nation. Park Slope used to have quite a few before high rents got the best of them. But Honey & Wax Booksellers, founded by Heather O’Donnell, is truly something new.
A Park Slope resident for 15 years (and a PS 321 parent), Heather studied English at Columbia and Yale, where she worked as a curatorial assistant in the Beinecke Library. After three years teaching at Princeton, she left academia for rare books, learning the trade in the flagship gallery of Bauman Rare Books.
In other words, Heather has major cred.
Last fall, she left to launch Honey & Wax out of her Park Slope dining room. She specializes in surprising copies of classic literature, “books with a social life and a secret past.”
“It’s a risk, but there’s a real opportunity now for a different kind of bookseller. I say this because all around me, I see the emergence of a different kind of collector. Digital text has made everyone newly aware of the qualities of the printed book,” she writes in an email. “Some people don’t miss those qualities, but others really do, and seek out printed books by choice.
On September 23rd, Heather will be the first rare book dealer ever to exhibit at the Seventh Annual Brooklyn Book Festival, the largest annual literary event in NYC. There she will be handing out the first Honey & Wax catalog, which features eighty books photographed in a friend’s Ditmas Park home, at the Brooklyn Book Festival.
She’ll also be displaying a wonderful selection of books, including some of her favorites: Walker Evans’s copy of The Waste Land, Graham Greene’s copy of George Eliot’s letters (with his handwritten indexes in each of the seven volumes), a signed first edition of Toni Morrison’s Beloved, a first edition of Countee Cullen’s Color, an inscribed first edition of Truman Capote’s Tree of Night and even a signed first edition of Maira Kalman’s Max Makes a Million.
Full disclosure: Honey & Wax Booksellers is a client of Brooklyn Social Media, my new PR and social media firm for entreprenuers and authors.