-The Millions
Opening Night Party for Brooklyn Book Festival Bookends thrown by Tumblr, Electric Literature, The New Inquiry and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
Photos by Kai Twanmoh
These beautiful dancers and dozens more pictures from Monday night’s party at events.tumblr.com.
- Camera: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
- Aperture: f/3.5
- Exposure: 1/100th
- Focal Length: 18mm
20th September 2012
Reblogged From events
Notes: 5
“Sybil Davidson has a genius I.Q. and has been laid by at least six different guys…”
Anyone? Anyone…?
It’s the first line of Forever by Judy Blume. Everyone always talks about Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret? And “we must, we must, we must increase our bust,” but it was Forever that I read again and again until it was in 3 separate pieces, and then read it some more.
Forever taught me everything I know about love and sex. Well, no, I know more now. But Forever shaped my young worldview. It taught me that sex was about love, but not necessarily about marriage. That it was about commitment, but not necessarily life-long commitment. That you could love someone as a teenager, and it could be real, and wonderful, and important, and worthwhile, and it could end and you could move on, and that was okay too.
So that was my mindset when I met Jared, my first for-real boyfriend. He was tall and smart and rich and Jewish — everyone said my mother must be thrilled. My mother was horrified. “Oh my God, Rachel, he’s so…CONVENTIONAL!”
We lost our virginities in a stunning display of simultaneous non-orgasm, and proceeded to have a very lovely First Relationship.
At some point, I bought him a copy of Forever. The cover had changed, from the gold-tone locket illustration of my decimated 1970s copy to a photograph of a pretty blond that made me want to stab someone. Still, I had no apprehension about giving him the book – it was about the importance of young love, about the power of emerging sexual awakening, and most of all it was hugely important to me.
He hated it. Haaaaaated it. Somehow, despite having the book entirely memorized, I had neglected to notice that the couple breaks up at the end, when she meets someone a little bit older, more worldly, more interesting. They see each other one last time at a stationery store. “I wanted to tell him I’d never be sorry for loving him…” Uunnff it’s so good. But okay, yes, potentially horrifying to an infatuated 19-year-old.
So here’s how I decided to fix this: I stole the book back. I stole it back, and I cut out the last few chapters with an exacto knife. The whole part that makes the book nuanced and realistic and different from other teen romances. I rewrote the ending, and glued that in instead. It included sentences like “Oh god, I love you” I told him. “And we belong together. And I don’t ever want to be apart again.” The last words were “happily ever after.”
So I took this frankenbook, and I wrapped it up, and tied a ribbon around it, and gave to it him for his birthday, about a year and a half into our relationship. He loved it, he said it was perfect, it was the most wonderful, beautiful thing anyone had ever given him.
We broke up two weeks later.
To kick off the literary festivities prior to the literary Festival, Tumblr, Electric Literature, The New Inquiry and the Los Angeles Review of Books threw a party. (Book people love parties.) Shindigger, being notionally bookish ourselves, followed the parade of tote bags until we reached the Williamsburg event space Public Assembly. After getting a temporary tattoo stamped on our inner wrist, we entered the darkened hall.
The drinks were cheap, the music loud and the lights dim as publishing professionals, indie writers, indie booksellers and indie magazine editors shouted above the DJ to discuss Important Contemporary Fiction and trade industry gossip.
“Anything by Lorrie Moore speaks to a certain kind of person,” novelist Jami Attenberg said when we asked her what books she recommends. “Junot Díaz is a fucking genius—can I say that?” We were unsure if she meant the sentiment or the swear.
(via Getting Lit: Brooklyn Book Festival Kicks Off | Observer)
I’m reading in this event tonight, about sex, love, and children’s books. If you’re not Brooklyned out or Racheled out, please come see it!
(via Vol. 1 Brooklyn)
On September 18th, we present to you the Greatest 3-Minute Book Stories Ever. Like, ever. (Also, this just happens to be the Vol. 1 Brooklyn 3rd birthday party, so we’ve invited some of our favorite people around. Our amazing readers will be:
Kathleen Alcott (author of The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets)
Matt Dojny (author of The Festival of Earthly Delights)
Rachel Fershleiser (literary wizard at Tumblr, Six-Word Memoirs)
Jacob Silverman (journalist, critic, and three-day Jeopardy! champion)
Dan Wilbur (bookseller at Community bookstore, author of How Not to Read)
Christopher Beha (author of What Happened to Sophie Wilder)
Karolina Waclawiak (author of How To Get Into the Twin Palms, Deputy Editor at The Believer)
Paula Bomer (author of Baby and Nine Months)
Elissa Schappell (author of Blueprints for Building Better Girls)
Nick Moran (social media editor for The Millions)
Tumblr, Electric Literature, The New Inquiry, and the Los Angeles Review of Books invite you to celebrate the Brooklyn Book Festival Bookends Opening Night!
Three top web-based literary publications (and Tumblr super-users) invite you meet your internet friends in person for chatting, drinking, and dancing to kick off the most bookish week in Brooklyn. Music from DJs Abby Klein and Doc Delay and drink specials enhance the East Coast vs. West Coast faceoff — and everybody wins!
Monday 9/17 at 7pm, Public Assembly, 70 N 6th Street, Brooklyn NY. See you there!
Don’t forget to wear your best dress and your dancing shoes. We will see you Monday!
“The Brooklyn Book Festival starts off its week of programing with a book party that doesn’t really include any books or people reading that is co-hosted by Tumblr, Electric Literature, The New Inquiry, and the LA Review of Books. It’s basically all the coolest lit. kids getting together to set up one really great party. Pretty good chance you will end up meeting at least three people with book deals, a few folks with massive Twitter followings, and see a lot of great glasses.”
(via Opening Night Party for the Brooklyn Book Festival Bookends Events - Flavorpill Brooklyn)
Oh hey Flavorpill guess what?? Word Brooklyn will be at this party selling BOOKS that have been hand-selected by the publications hosting this party and by the amazing Word staff. BOOKS! That you can get drunk and dance and then buy at our party! Bring your money and your brains and your passion for Brooklyn’s incredible independent bookstores! BOOKS!
Tumblr, Electric Literature, The New Inquiry, and the Los Angeles Review of Books invite you to celebrate the Brooklyn Book Festival Bookends Opening Night!
Three top web-based literary publications (and Tumblr super-users) invite you meet your internet friends in person for chatting, drinking, and dancing to kick off the most bookish week in Brooklyn. Music from DJs Abby Klein and Doc Delay and drink specials enhance the East Coast vs. West Coast faceoff — and everybody wins!
Monday 9/17 at 7pm, Public Assembly, 70 N 6th Street, Brooklyn NY. See you there!
In one week we will be chatting and dancing and drinking $3 Gin & Juice and Brooklyn Lager. West Coast vs. East Coast: Who will win??
A Brooklyn Book Festival 2012 Bookend Event.
Flavorpill says: “The Brooklyn Book Festival starts off its week of programing with a book party that doesn’t really include any books or people reading that is co-hosted by Tumblr, Electric Literature, The New Inquiry, and the LA Review of Books. It’s basically all the coolest lit kids getting together to set up one really great party. Pretty good chance you will end up meeting at least three people with book deals, a few folks with massive Twitter followings, and see a lot of great glasses.”
I say: “I can’t wait to see you!”
Tumblr, Electric Literature, The New Inquiry, and the Los Angeles Review of Books invite you to celebrate the Brooklyn Book Festival Bookends Opening Night!
Three top web-based literary publications (and Tumblr super-users) invite you meet your internet friends in person for chatting, drinking, and dancing to kick off the most bookish week in Brooklyn. Music from DJs Abby Klein and Doc Delay and free drink specials enhance the East Coast vs. West Coast faceoff — and everybody wins!
Monday 9/17 at 7pm, Public Assembly, 70 N 6th Street, Brooklyn NY. See you there!
Open bar, East Coast + West Coast dance party and, um, books. RSVP here. Or just show up. You’re going to regret it if you don’t.
YOU GUYS YOU GUYS YOU GUYS!
