Upcoming Book Events in Brooklyn

By Troy Segal

Over the next few weeks, book events abound in Brooklyn—not surprising, since the borough has been famous as a home for scribes, from Walt Whitman in the 1860s to Norman Mailer in the 1960s to Martin Amis today. Our picks of the pack follow, with a few bonus* BK events tossed in.

On the 100th anniversary of his birth, the writings of Trappist monk Thomas Merton (The Seven Storey Mountain, New Seeds of Contemplation, Ghandi on Non-Violence) are parsed in a panel discussion. Brooklyn Public Library – Central Library, Thursday, Jan. 22.

Artist Terrance Lindall, who’s illustrated everything from comic books to an acclaimed edition of Paradise Lost, expounds on his newest project, The Williamsburg Chronicles; an exhibit of PL-related art and editions is backdrop to his talk. Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Saturday, Jan. 24.

*Want more on art? A panel of museum professionals talk about “Recent Curatorial Approaches to Self-Taught Art”—that is, mounting exhibits of “outsider” artists. Brooklyn Museum, Thursday, Feb. 5.

Misty Copeland, shining star of the American Ballet Theatre, talks about overcoming the odds—a late start in dance, an impoverished childhood, her race—and signs copies of the just-released paperback edition of her memoirs, Life in Motion. Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration, Monday, Jan. 26.

*See more beautiful bodies in motion, as the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, presents modern interpretations of traditional Chinese choreography—including the ever crowd-pleasing Lion Dance. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Sunday, Jan. 25.

A civilized literary evening features a buffet dinner, followed by Dinaw Mengestu reading from his latest novel, All Our Names. The story of an affair between an Ethiopian foreign exchange student and a Midwestern social worker, it received a rave review from The New York Times last spring. Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Tuesday, Jan. 27.

*Prefer a liquid diet? See how some of Brooklyn’s best booze is made—with some sips at the end, of course—on a whiskey distillery tour. BLDG 92, Saturday, Jan. 17.

Randy Cohen, best-known for his 12-year stint as The New York Times’ The Ethicist columnist, coaxes a trio of tales out of Lev Grossman, Time writer and author of The Magicians trilogy. Brooklyn Historical Society, Wednesday, Feb. 18.