Tonight: Alex Ross and Sasha Frere-Jones!

Monday, November 15, 7:30 pm
Alex Ross, author of Listen to This, talks with New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones

Alex Ross’s award-winning international bestseller, The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century, has become a contemporary classic, establishing Ross as one of our most popular and acclaimed cultural historians. His new collection Listen to This, which takes its title from a beloved 2004 essay in which Ross describes his late-blooming discovery of pop music, showcases the best of his writing from more than a decade at The New Yorker. These pieces, dedicated to classical and popular artists alike, are at once erudite and lively; whether his subject is Mozart or Bob Dylan, Ross shows how music expresses the full complexity of the human condition. Ross chats about pop and classical criticism with Sasha Frere-Jones, his fellow New Yorker music writer as well as an author and musician.

Click here for calendar page and book buying information.

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Tonight: The Brooklyn Rail with Carl Hancock Rux!

Friday, November 12, 7:30 PM
The Brooklyn Rail presents Pieces of a Decade: Brooklyn Rail Nonfiction 2000-2010
With readings by Carl Hancock Rux and others
Introduction by Rail editors Theodore Hamm and Williams Cole

The Brooklyn Rail was first published in 2000, with the goal of providing an open forum for criticism of the arts, politics, and the world around us, in a form that could be read on the L train into Manhattan. The free paper has grown exponentially since then, publishing everything from mini-manifestoes, hard-edged position pieces, and telling interviews to extended critical treatments and in-depth analyses of the offbeat artistic works. The Rail celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new anthology and a month of literary events, culminating in an event at Greenlight with local author, performer and Rail contributor Carl Hancock Rux.

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Tonight: Reading & Dive Bar Crawl!

Wednesday, November 10, 7:00 PM
Ben Westhoff presents New York City's Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in the Big Apple Discussion and Dive Bar Crawl

PLEASE NOTE: this event begins at 7:00 PM rather than the usual 7:30.

Fort Greene-based independent press Ig Publishing has partnered with journalist Ben Westhoff to fulfill a deeply-felt need: a comprehensive list of the city's cheap and dirty drinking establishments. New York City’s Best Dive Bars takes you on a tour of the five boroughs’ dingiest, awesomest watering holes; it's a great resource whether you’re looking to live dangerously or simply get plastered on a budget. Following a discussion of the book, Westhoff will lead intrepid bargoers on a tour of the dives to be found in our own neighborhood. (Just be sure to buy the book before you leave the store, because chances are you won't make it back tonight.)

BONUS: Come to tonight's reading and get a coupon for 30% off at Der Schwarze Kölner, Fort Greene's own German beer garden!! It's not actually very divey, so it probably won't be on tonight's tour, but if you are a beer fan it's a must-do in the neighborhood, and we're delighted to give you the chance to drink some more for cheaper!

Tonight: Alia Malek!

Monday, November 8, 7:30 PM
Alia Malek presents A Country Called Amreeka: U.S. History Retold Through Arab-American Lives
Reading and Slide Show

Fort Greene-based journalist and civil rights lawyer Alia Malek is the daughter of Syrian immigrants, and for years she found herself being asked by Americans to translate the Middle East and by folks in the Middle East to explain America. Her first book, A Country Called Amreeka, just published in paperback, is the story of the last forty-plus years of American history, told through the eyes of Arab Americans. Each chapter describes a familiar event in U.S. history and invites readers to live that moment in time in the skin of one Arab American. Join us for a reading and discussion with Malek of the contemporary Arab American experience and its importance in understanding our nation and our world, including a slide show featuring some of the characters featured in the book.

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Tonight: New York City Gardens!

Thursday, November 4, 7:30 PM
Photographer Betsy Pinover Schiff presents New York City Gardens
Discussion and slide show

New York based photographer Betsy Pinover Schiff presents a gorgeous new collection in New York City Gardens, which celebrates New York's tradition of garden culture through images and discussions of 30 of the city’s most outstanding gardens – including some right here in Fort Greene! The collection includes world-famous botanical gardens and richly recultivated urban spaces; luxurious penthouse terraces and innovative art gardens without soil or plants; gardens designed by noted landscape architects, and others created over decades by talented homeowners themselves. The New York Times calls the book "ambrosial"; don't miss the chance to meet the photographer as she presents a slide show of images from the book, speaks about her work and autographs copies.

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Tonight: Maira Kalman!

Tuesday, November 2, 7:30 PM
Maira Kalman presents And The Pursuit of Happiness
Discussion and Slide Show

Beloved illustrator, author, and designer Maira Kalman is the author of The Principles of Uncertainty, illustrator of the bestselling edition of Strunk and White's Elements of Style, and the creator of a number of books for children. Her new book, And the Pursuit of Happiness, is Kalman's yearlong investigation in words and pictures of democracy and how it works, as serialized in the New York Times. Energized and inspired by the 2008 elections, on inauguration day Kalman traveled to Washington, D.C., launching a national tour that would take her from a town hall meeting in Newfane, Vermont, to the inner chambers of the Supreme Court. The observations she makes as she travels charm and inform, and her route is always one of fascinating indirection. At this Election Day event, Kalman shows slides of the images from the book and talks about her journey as a citizen and artist at Greenlight.

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Tonight: David Winner!

Thursday, October 28, 7:30 PM
David Winner reads from The Cannibal of Guadalajara

Fort Greene author David Winner is the author of several works of short fiction, and has been nominated for a Pushcart award and had a short film of one of his stories shown at the Cannes Film Festival. His new novel The Cannibal of Guadalajara won the 2009 Gival Press Novel Prize, and has received advanced praise from National Book Award winners Shirley Hazzard and John Casey. David reads from his book at Greenlight this evening – join us in congratulating an award-winning local author!

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Tonight at Greenlight: Charles Burns!

Friday, October 22, 7:30 PM
Charles Burns presents X’ed Out

The creator of the acclaimed and influential graphic novel Black Hole presents the first volume in an epic masterpiece of graphic fiction with his new book X’ed Out. Influenced by both Tintin comics and William S. Burroughs, the full-color comic tells the story of Doug, who wakes to a weird buzzing noise and a visit from his long-dead cat. The comic has never been serialized, so the freaky adventure that follows is all new! Burns will show slide show images from his work and talk about X’ed Out at Greenlight.

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Tonight at Greenlight: Steamboat Comedy!

Thursday, October 21, 7:30 PM
Steamboat: A Literary Humor Series
Hosted by Bob Powers and Jason Reich
Featuring Tim Carvell (Planet Tad), Tom Leopold (Milt & Marty), and Ritch Duncan (The Werewolf’s Guide To Life)

On the third Thursday of every month, join Bob Powers (author of Happy Cruelty Day) and Jason Reich (former writer for The Daily Show), as they welcome the city's best humor writers for a night of wine-addled text-based hilarity. This month’s offerings include Tim Carvell, Daily Show writer and author of the forthcoming Planet Tad; Tom Leopold, who has written on countless classic sitcoms and most recently is one of the authors of Milt & Marty: The Longest Lasting, Least Successful Comedy Writing Duo in Showbiz History; and Ritch Duncan, co-author with Bob Powers of The Werewolf's Guide to Life: A Manual for the Newly Bitten (just in time for Halloween.)

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Tonight: National Reading Group Month Celebration!

Tuesday, October 19, 6:30 PM
The Women’s National Book Association hosts a National Reading Group Month celebration
Panel discussion and book signing featuring Susan Henderson (Up from the Blue); Sheri Holman (The Dress Lodger); Rick Moody (The Four Fingers of Death); Emily St. John Mandel (The Singer’s Gun); and Jackson Taylor (The Blue Orchard); moderated by Rosalind Reisner (Read On: Life Stories and Jewish American Literature)
Reception with refreshments and reading group signups before and after discussion

National Reading Group Month (NRGM) was launched in 2007 by the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA), to highlight the role of book groups in American cultural and literary life, and to enable more readers to get connected with reading groups in their community. Greenlight is proud to host the third annual WNBA-New York City chapter NRGM event with a star-studded panel of local authors talking about their work. At the reception preceding and following the panel, readers will have the chance to sign up to get information about Greenlight’s in-house reading groups (which will begin meeting in January), connect with other local reading groups, or register their existing reading group with Greenlight for special group discounts. Join us to observe National Reading Group Month and kick off Greenlight’s brand-new reading group programming!

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Tonight: David Rakoff!

Thursday, October 14, 7:30 PM
David Rakoff reads from Half Empty

Belovedly cynical humorist and wit David Rakoff (author of Fraud and Don’t Get Too Comfortable) returns to Greenlight to present his newest collection, Half Empty. The book ranges from the personal to the universal, combining stories from Rakoff’s reporting and accounts of his own experiences to defend the commonsensical notion that you should always assume the worst, because then you’ll never be disappointed. Whether he’s lacerating the musical Rent for its cutesy depiction of AIDS or dealing with personal tragedy, his sharp observations and flair for the absurd will have you positively reveling in the power of negativity.

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The Greenlight Tote Bag and You!

Sometimes dreams do come true.

This time, the dream is a tote bag with the logo of your favorite Fort Greene independent bookstore emblazoned upon it.

Yes! At long last, we've created a Greenlight Bookstore totebag, just in time for our one year anniversary! The totes are long-handled and made of recycled cotton, and feature the Greenlight logo on one side and the iconic "g" on the other.

When can I get my hands on a tote bag, you ask?

The answer: this Saturday, October 16, as Greenlight Bookstore turns one year old!

The tote bags will retail for $9.95. But as an added incentive for making a birthday purchase at Greenlight Bookstore on Saturday:

If you spend $100 at Greenlight on October 16, you can get a totebag for free!

So join us on October 16 for your first shot at the new Greenlight totes. We're hosting a party for kids and families at 10:30 AM with cake and balloons, and a more grown-up event at 7:30 PM with champagne and toasts from authors and neighbors. The totes -- and the spend $100, get one free offer -- are available all day long.

It's yet another reason to join us on October 16, and another way to show your Greenlight pride on the streets of the city. See you on Saturday when the dream comes true!

Tonight: Julia Glass!

Wednesday, October 13, 7:30 PM

Julia Glass reads from The Widower's Tale

Julia Glass is the author of the National Book Award winning novel Three Junes, and her fiction explores familial and romantic relationships with a compassionate and lyrical sensibility. Her new novel The Widower's Tale brings to life a complacently prosperous world where no one is immune to unexpected change, and once again plumbs the human heart brilliantsly and movingly.

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Tonight: William "Upski" Wimsatt!

Monday, October 11, 7:30 PM
William Upski Wimsatt presents Please Don’t Bomb the Suburbs

As a potty-mouthed graffiti writer from the Southside of Chicago, William "Upski" Wimsatt electrified the literary and hip-hop world with two of the most successful underground classic books in a generation, Bomb the Suburbs (1994) and No More Prisons (1999), which combined sold more than 90,000 copies. In his new book Please Don’t Bomb the Suburbs, Wimsatt weaves a first-person tour of America's cultural and political movements from 1985 to 2010 – a story about love, growing up, a generation coming of age, and a vision for the movement young people will create in the new decade.

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Tonight: BOMB All-Stars Literary Reading!

Wednesday, October 6, 7:30 PM

BOMB All-Stars Literary Reading

With readings by contributors Barbara Browning, Christian hawkey, and Kim Rosenfield

Introduction by BOMB editors

Launched in 1981, BOMB Magazine publishes interviews between artists, writers, actors, directors, and musicians, as well as a literary supplement called First Proof that publishes fiction, poetry, and original artwork. As Fort Greene neighbors to this unique literary magazine, Greenlight Bookstore is proud to host BOMB's fall launch event. Fiction writer Barbara Browning and poets Christian Hawkey and Kim Rosenfield will be on hand to read from their recent pieces and to celerate the magazine's cultural contributions.

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