Quantcast

Brooklyn Book Festival: Can’t miss events, including talks with Joyce Carol Oates and Terry McMillan

Brooklyn Book Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary with an impressive slate of discussions, readings and signings, featuring some of the biggest authors from the borough.

amNewYork dug through the countless events going on this Sunday in the Downtown Brooklyn area to show you, dear reader, five discussions we’re especially interested in.

The Writer’s Life

Get the inside scoop on what it takes to be a writer with Joyce Carol Oates (“The Lost Landscape”), Ben Greenman (“King George: Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You?”) and Pico Iyer (“The Art of Stillness”). The authors will be reading from their works as well as providing an insight into their inspiration. (11 a.m., St. Francis College Auditorium, 180 Remsen St.)

Brooklyn Public Library Presents Unequal Societies

Nobel Prize winner Joseph E. Stiglitz, author of “The Great Divide: Unequal Societies and What We Can Do About Them,” sits down with Daljit Dhaliwal to converse inequality and how this issue might be dealt with in the years to come. (3 p.m., Congregation Mt. Sinai, 250 Cadman Plaza W.)

David Simon and Nelson George in Conversation

Learn about how novelists are becoming involved in the world of television from David Simon (writer and producer on “The Wire,” “Show Me A Hero,” “Treme” and “Homicide”) and Nelson George (a writer on the upcoming Baz Luhrmann Netflix drama “The Get Down”). (4 p.m., Main Stage, Columbus Park)

The Nature of Sacrifice

Conflict and sacrifice are a common trait for the works of authors A.M. Homes (“May We Be Forgiven”), Joe Meno (“Marvel and a Wonder”) and Terry McMillan (“Who Asked You?”), who will be discussing and reading from their works. (4 p.m., Borough Hall Courtroom, 209 Joralemon St.)

Paul Holdengräber and Salman Rushdie in Conversation

Paul Holdengräber, host of “Live from the New York Public Library” and professional conversationalist, sits down for an in-depth discussion with the iconic author Salman Rushdie to discuss Rushdie’s life, career and his latest book, “Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights.” (5 p.m., St. Francis College Auditorium, 180 Remsen St.)

If you go: The Brooklyn Book Festival is on Sunday at various locations. For a full schedule of events, go to brooklynbookfestival.org.

_____

Also: Brooklyn Book Festival Children’s Day

Bring the kids out to Brooklyn this Saturday for the children’s part of the Brooklyn Book Festival. Here are some events to check out:

What a Character!

Get the scoop on some favorite characters from popular chapter books with authors Abby Hanlon (“Dory Fantasmagory”), Lenore Look (“Alvin Ho,” “Ruby Lu”), and Jon Scieszka (“Frank Einstein”). Noon, Young Readers Stage, MetroTech Commons

Greek Gods, Other Worlds and Natural Disasters

Mythic and thrilling worlds come alive as Kazu Kibuishi (“Amulet”), George O’Connor (“Olympains”) and Lauren Tarshis (“I Survived”) reveal how they bring action to life in the pages of their books. Followed by an audience Q&A. 2 p.m., Young Readers Stage, MetroTech Commons

Illustrators in Action

Get drawn into this live drawing competition with children’s book illustrators Aimee Sicuro (“Bright Sky, Starry City”), Kevin Sherry (“Monsters on the Run”), Kazu Kibuishi (“Amulet”), George O’Connor (“If I Had a Triceratops”), Frank Morrison (“Little Melba and Her Big Trombone”) and Raúl Colón (“Draw!”). 3 p.m., NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering Auditorium, 5 Metrotech Commons