You might view Brooklyn’s admiration of itself with bemusement, or rising irritation, or feel that the sentiment is entirely justified (as I do). A friend of mine recently referred to Manhattan as “New York’s forgotten borough.” I’ve met my fair share of people devoted to Queens, and Manhattan, and even the Bronx (although no one who just *loves* Staten Island), but none of them can match the intensity of the fervor that Brooklyn lovers lavish on Brooklyn. Everything about Brooklyn is self-congratulatory, and it seems to inspire in its denizens a cheerleading quality that Brooklyn doesn’t really need. [Now, Staten Island is a place that *needs* cheerleaders.] But, I am completely infected by it and count myself so totally lucky that I live in Brooklyn, I feel sorry for people who don’t, even if they don’t seem to appreciate my sympathy.
All of this is just a lead in to tell you that the Brooklyn Book Festival is this Sunday, September 18th, and many members of the NYU Press marketing staff will be working the booth, me (Mary Beth), Betsy, and maybe Bernadette. We’re going to have stickers for our forthcoming book on ballroom dancing, Dance with Me, which are really shiny, we have some bookmarks, just in case you are running short of movie tickets to hold your place, and possibly even some enormous keychains. The keychains have yet to be assembled, but I am hopeful. We’ll also have candy.
Two titles publishing this fall have authors who teach in Brooklyn, Robert Cherry, author of the forthcoming Moving Working Families Forward, and Greg Smithsimon, author of the just published September 12. So, in the vein of Celebrating Brooklyn, and people who love Brooklyn, do come by the Brooklyn Book Festival this weekend and celebrate with us, by festooning yourself with shiny stickers. Is there a better way to show your love?
