This was an official

2024 Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend Event!

Who was our Mystery Guest? Scroll down to find out!

The Reading & The Room

We love the space at Someday Bar in Brooklyn! Many thanks to Megan Rickerson for hosting us, and to Kelly and Justin!

Crystal & Nora

Crystal Hana Kim at the mic

Explaining the lack of chamoes

MsBpink

Crystal reading

Guest Guy & Ms. Brooklyn

Joy!

MsBgreen water

Komail Aijazuddin

Komail and Manboobs

MsBrooklyn & Alvaro

Komail reads

KomailReads

Nora Reads

MsBrooklyn & the Kristels

Crystal Reads

MsBrooklyn

Nora & her LiteraryCocktail

MsssBrooklynn

#LiteraryCocktails
by Megan Rickerson

We like to deliver our #LiteraryCocktails with a flourish, related to the author’s work, of course…

Burning Dove for Crystal Hana Kim & The Stone Home ~delivered with a dove on fire and garnished with a chunk of chamoes speared with a knife, much like the one from the novel.
Escape Essentials for Nora Lange & Us Fools ~delivered by a one-eyed monster.
Singular Sensation for Komail Aijazuddin & Manboobs: A Memoir of Musicals, Visas, Hope, and Cake ~delivered by our Mystery Guest, revealed to be Nancy NoGood, who performed Dance 10, Looks 3, a song the memoirist sings in the opening of the book (when he is four!).

In honor of our inclusion in the Brooklyn Book Festival as a Bookend event, Megan created the Eendraght Maeckt Maght*, aka The Bookend, sourced from Brooklyn ingredients—Fort Hamilton Trippy Tea Gin and Annie Witherspoon’s Lavender Simple Syrup.

* Eendraght Maeckt Maght is the motto of Brooklyn, NY, from the Dutch. It means, “In unity, there is strength.” Support our community members, the good folks at Annie Witherspoon by shopping here.

Reaction!

Lovely

Heartwarming

Nancy & Komail & Singular Sensation

EscapeEssentials

Escape Essentials

Nora & her LiteraryCocktail

Crystal reads her #LiteraryCocktail recipe

Dove, Burning

Burning Dove

Crystal and her LiteraryCocktail

Explaining the lack of chamoes

Lisa flies the Burning Dove

Open Mic Readers:

Jan Garden Castro is an author, a poet, an art historian, a co-founder of River Styx, and an avid bicyclist living in Brooklyn. Jan read one of her accidental sonnets; it was a sensual dream to listen to.

Nik Chang Hoon Nadeau is a nonfiction writer and poet based in Minneapolis. So far his favorite part about Brooklyn is the matcha pudding at the Mikado sushi restaurant off Atlantic Ave and Clinton St. He cleverly played with form and had us lol-ing.

Jill Drum is working on her memoir, and she read one true tale from it. Her Brooklyn connection is her Masters Degree from Brooklyn College in A.S.D.

Evalyn Lee is a London-based poet and recovering CBS News producer. She read her poem “Robin,” an ode to our own Robin Martin.

Patrick McCarthy Pat is a Chicago-raised, Brooklyn-based writer who uses humor and heart to tell stories. His favorite Brooklyn book is Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem. His take on a town council meeting revealed the unusual motivations of the usual suspects.

Open Mic Nik Nadeau

Open Mic Patrick McCarthy

OpnMc JillDrum

Open Mic Jill

Open Mic Jan Garden Castro

Open Mic EvalynLee

Oopen Micc EvalynLee

Rapid-Fire Q&A

After authors discussed their work and their process, they shared their worst review or rejection tales. As a grand-finale, our Mystery Guest, revealed as Nancy NoGood, performed “It’s Only a Book Review” to the tune of “Paper Moon.” She brought down the house and won the hearts of our authors too! Thank you, Nancy!