The Perfect (Free) Weekend-Part One (Sunday September 14, 2008) The Brooklyn Book Festival

The next chapter (and a particular favorite of mine!) in the Cheap Chick's never-ending story of New York City cheapness is the upcoming Brooklyn Book Festival. It's a fantastic (and FREE) one-day event held in the fall that celebrates New York City literary offerings. There are five outdoor stages as well as other area venues set up for a variety of happenings in Brooklyn's Borough Hall area. Events include readings, panel discussions, and performances, and past author appearances have featured Jonthan Lethem, (Motherless Brooklyn,) Dave Eggers, (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,) Pete Hamill (Fovever), and Jhumpa Lahiri (The Namesake.) Fellow bibliophiles can browse among stacks of books, and other literary-related items displayed at various vendors including Housing Works bookstore, and other publishers, and organizations.

This year some notables include Dorothy Allison: Bastard out of Carolina, Russell Banks: The Reserve Susan Choi: A Person of Interest, Joan Didion: The Year of Magical Thinking, Nathan Englander: The Ministry of Special Cases, Jonathan Franzen: The Corrections, Pete Hamill: Forever, A.M. Homes: The Mistress’s Daughter, Chuck Klosterman: Downtown Owl, Jonathan Lethem: Fortress of Solitude, Phillip Lopate: Two Marriages, Alice Mattison: Nothing is Quite Forgotten in Brooklyn, Terry McMillan: Waiting to Exhale, Sarah Mlynowski: Bras & Broomsticks, Elizabeth Nunez: Prospero's Daughter, Sandra Tsing Loh: A Year in Van Nuys, Naomi Wolf: The End of America, Gail Carson Levine: Ella Enchanted, Cecily von Ziegesar: Gossip Girl, Jacqueline Woodson: Feathers, Chris Raschka: Charlie Parker Played Be Bop Jon Scieszka: Time Warp Trio, Betsy Lewin: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type, and Mo Willems: Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity.

Cheap Chick Info: Event is totally free, and runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location and Subway Info: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Borough Hall; R to Court Street; A, C, F to Jay Street/Borough Hall (these trains will let you off right near the festival.)