I knew nothing about this and, of course, was not invited to the Brookyn Literary Reception and Mingle and I love receptions and mingles. Thanks to A Brooklyn Life for filling me in on the Brooklyn Book Festival on September 16th at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
In the end, the N.Y.W.O.P.s made it all worthwhile. That’s "nice
young women of publishing" to the uninitiated. Easily differentiated
from the crowd by "slightly intellectual hair, often involving bobby
pins," and frequently accompanied by G.Y.M.O.P.s (gay young men of
publishing), the Nywop has "a sexual allure" and spends most of her
time "being bookish," which mostly seems to mean reading proposals in
her living room with a glass of red wine in hand. At least, that’s
according to my new friend Andrew, whose pithy observations were both
preceded and followed by unequivocal remonstrations of book love.That’s what we’d all gathered for, anyway. The rather
ambitiously-named Brooklyn Literary Reception and Mingle brought out
publishing and library types, do-gooders, and writers — all for the
open bar and a promise of big things to come. We gathered (some might
say a bit prematurely) to herald the Brooklyn Book Festival,
a one-day event to be held of September 16, 2006, with the unfortunate
motto "smart, hip, and diverse," a motto I’m willing to forgive if,
indeed, I’m granted but a glimpse of committee member Maurice Sendak.
There are some big names backing all this up, after all. And, if it
goes according to plan, three outdoor stages, reading rooms, children’s
entertainment, musicians, and more than 100 vendors will round out the
day. To think: Borough Hall Plaza filled with books, Nywops, Gymops,
and of course their more common cousins, the S.Y.M.O.L.T.s* (straight
young men of literary tendencies), who can typically be spotted in
abundance preening their unshaven cheeks and adjusting their horned-rim
eyeglasses.A festival centered around books is a great thing (not to mention
the eye candy), and while some have questioned whether there is room
for yet another book festival in this city, my thoughts lie elsewhere.
Through the cacophony of Borough Hall’s
marbled dome, among the throngs of young and old and middle-aged, under
the beating of a September sun, will enough pause, enough silence exist
to give words their proper due? If the writers come, will anybody
listen? Can we promote ourselves and our loves without selling them
out? Does it even really matter?We’ll be there in celebration of words written and of words to come.
The famous and common alike will mingle and push and shove and get all
sticky with cotton candy. For the sake of all of it, this wanna-be
Nywop crosses her fingers and gives thanks. [The Written Nerd’s two cents on the affair.]
I, for one, am grateful for another Brooklyn Book Festival–I was a disappointed vendor in the Alternative/Small Press Brooklyn Book Fair that happened last month in Park Slope. It was a great idea badly organized, with no publicity; authors and publishers sat inside stifling heat waiting for readers who never came. Brooklyn deserves better, and I’m glad we’re getting it. Though it looks like I’m too late to participate at this new Book Festival, I’m certainly planning on attending. [Read the Prologue & First Chapter of Vincent Collazo’s novel “Sanity’s Bane” by clicking on his name below].
I’ve been reading OTBKB for a while to get the scoop on goings-on in our neighborhood, so it’s kind of a thrill to find myself mentioned here! Wish I would have known you were at the Mingle — it would have been great to say hello. I’m adding NYWOP, GYMOP, and SITMOLT to my arsenal of acronyms — thanks for a great post!