BK BOOKFEST: Just the Kickoff

Electric Lit is just $4,000 away from our year-end fundraising goal of $35,000! We need to hit this target to get us through the rest of 2025, and balance the budget for 2026. Please give today! DONATE NOW.

Aside from running out of batteries just a few pics in (thanks for being my back-up, iPhone) and taking almost no notes (sparse scribbles about silver foxes), covering Greenlight’s Brooklyn Indie Party, the kickoff event for Brooklyn Bookfest, went off without a hitch.

“Celebrating the spirit of independence” were A Public Space, Akashic Books, Archipelago, Armchair/Shotgun, BOMB Magazine, Hanging Loose Press, Ig Publishing, Melville House, One Story, powerHouse Books, Tin House, and EL, with Johnny Temple and Dave Tompkins on the turntables.

1. Scene at the EL Office prior to BK Indie Party. Looks like tea time, but it’s not. 2. Scene at Greenlight, taken on approach to wine line, which ends on the other side of this crowd.

1. Colson Whitehead is the one not looking at me. 2. Poets Ken Walker & Ted Dodson, pictured here being excited about The Copper Canyon listening party on Sun.

1. Stephen O’Connor, Author & Silver Fox, with Books. More at Book Culture this Thurs. 2. Holy shit! Melvin van Peebles and musician ‘Moist’ Paula Henderson.

1. EL Editor Scott Lindenbaum being twins with lit girl around town Elliott Holt. 2. Scott moving on to the next One Story lady, author and editor Marie Bertino.

1. Author Jonathan Ames, being famous at Bookfest 2009 with David Cross. 2. Author Jonathan Ames, Bookfest 2010 (left) & Author and Rumpus Editor Stephen Elliott (right, going in FTW).

1. A fun little group pic: (From right) Authors Chloé Cooper Jones, Tom Gratton, Amelia Kahaney, Conjunctions Editor J. W. McCormack, and friend. 2. EL Crew, blurry but excited.

Anna Prushinskaya is The Outlet’s Editor.

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Thank You!