Some of the authors participating in Word bookstore’s “Word Association” initiative 6/15 – 6/21 to raise funds for various foundations. (Via Word Bookstore)
A new charitable initiative at Word Bookstore (126 Franklin St.) will donate 10% of the purchase price of authors’ books to the social justice cause of their choice. Word Association launched on Monday and showcases 20 American authors through June 21.
Brooklyn authors including Emily Gould and Emma Straub selected Planned Parenthood as their organization, Carmen Maria Machado and Nicole Dennis-Benn elected the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) as their cause, and sales of titles by Hanif Abdurraqib and Mira Jacob support AYO! NYC. Books can be purchased online for shipping, or to pick up outside of the Greenpoint bookstore.
“We sell books primarily, but we’re a community bookstore and have to try and think about all the different ways we can serve our shared communities,” explains bookseller Jeff Waxman about Word Association. He defines community as not just Word shoppers, but Brooklynites, New Yorkers, and really, “everyone else they meet.”
“Community book selling is about who we’re with. If we’re going to be an independent store, and talk about how independent stores are different, this is how we do it. You can get books anywhere, but when you get them from us, we take are of the people who need taking care of,” says Waxman.
The concept for Word Association started when Word closed for COVID. Sales stayed steady, thanks to community support, and most full-time staff didn’t have to lose their jobs. In the midst of the crisis, Waxman soon realized that “the government is not going to save us,” and he wanted to support “all the aid organizations that are doing the work that people need, performing all the services that a good government should.”
A post shared by WORD Bookstores (@wordbookstores) on Jun 14, 2020 at 6:30pm PDT
Eager to give back to lower profile organizations this spring, Word reached out to authors, asking which causes they champion and created a list. After the first round of fundraising ended in May, Word spent two weeks focusing on raising money for BailProject.org. Continue reading →
June may be waning, but the Pride events keep a-comin’. On Friday, June 28, intimate hair salon The Karcher (760 Manhattan Avenue) is hosting a queer storytelling event with drinks and socializing to follow. Come to the second story hair boutique from at 8 PM this Friday for “What Happens to Boys In Chelsea, A Queer Story Told by Foster Lawrence.”
The Karcher has increasingly become a community events space, and this Friday will further bolster their efforts. The storytelling portion will last about 30 minutes, and then the guests will mingle and enjoy wine donated from the nearby Dandelion. The event will also provide attendees with information for how community members to get involved with SAGE, the country’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of older LGBTQ+ adults.
Stop by on Friday for good stories, good neighbors, and good wine!
One of my favorite things about Greenpoint is its literati culture: WORD (126 Franklin St) for its impeccable catalogue and ongoing readings, Archestratus (160 Huron St) for its love of cuisine, connection, and experience, and of course, Booklyn (37 Greenpoint Ave, Ste C4) for their mission to promote books as art.
While Booklyn has been a wonderful hub in Greenpoint, the non-profit received an amazing opportunity to move into the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, following a successful Kickstarter campaign where they raised more than $19k. With the new space, Booklyn will be able to double their facilities and expand their supportive and nurturing community. The non-profit plans to start an archive and distribute programs for educational institutions. Plus, their new space even has room for events, further paving the way for an art gallery and events. As a Greenpointer, I’ll be sad to see them go from our ‘hood, but I’m rooting for their glorious new journey that will further support communities in arts, culture, and expression.
So Greenpointers, let’s toast them to a connection with a new neighborhood and a new community! On February 22 – 24, Booklyn (37 Greenpoint Ave, Suite C4) will be hosting a weekend of farewell parties marking the last exhibition in their Greenpoint location before they move to their new space. Check them out, and say goodbye and good luck! Continue reading →
Love. It’s such a powerful emotion that shapes so many facets of our lives. From romance and sparks to deep friendship and compassion, there are all types of love that color our experiences and emotions. From meeting your main hang or your best friends in a bar on Franklin Street, or just falling in love with your neighborhood.
That being said, we want your poetry, Greenpointers. Some of us might have fallen in love once, or maybe we’re falling in love several times a day. No matter what your experience is, it’s time to send us your musings.
The winner of our poetry contest will be published on Greenpointers on Valentine’s Day. So, creative scribes: send us your best lines and stanzas about love and Greenpoint.
Want to submit to us? Read the guidelines below and send your poem via the Google Form.
Given the constant deluge of disheartening headlines this year, we could all use a laugh, couldn’t we? Tara Jepsen, author of the newly released novel, Like a Dog (City Lights Publishers), plans to provide just that in conversation with Beth Lisick at WORD bookstore (126 Franklin St) today (December 5th) at 7pm.
“Even when we’re not living under a kleptocracy like we are now, my gift and what I always want to do is give people a soul-soothing moment,” Tara said. “I just hope to give people a little relief and make them laugh.”
Tara is an LA-based writer, actor, sketch comedian, and rad feminist skateboarder who has appeared on the Emmy-award winning series Transparent. She and Lisick have been collaborating on comedy projects together since 1999, including their original web series Rods and Cones, released by Jill Solloway on Wifey.tv, and their queer cabaret Sister Spit. Tara also, alongside Miriam Klein-Stahl, illustrator of the Rad Women book series, co-founded queer skateboard brand Pave the Way Skateboards. Despite years of writing short stories and comedy, Like a Dog is Tara’s debut novel.
“I thought since I was a little kid that I would be a novelist. When I was on tour with Sister Spit in the 90s I just started farting around and writing stories,” she said. “I’m a total fucking ham and always have been, so this just seemed like the natural evolution of what I’ve been doing.”
Despite the news of each new piece of horrendous legislation, it’s been helping me to remember that reading and writing are a form of social justice. April is National Poetry Month, and as celebrated poet Mary Oliver wrote in her new book of essays, Upstream, “…The poem was made not just to exist, but to speak—to be company.”
This spring, let your community be your company. Greenpoint is brimming with writers and artists who are using their voices to build spaces where you can share, listen, learn, and make a plan for moving forward; keep reading for three places you can join in the conversation.
Perhaps you just heard of The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker – either randomly browsing the shelves at Word Bookstore (126 Franklin St.) or you stopped by the author’s reading at the cozy shop. What happens when you meet your best friend at university? Meet Mel and Sharon in The Animators, two women who forge a kinship and friendship in art school and endure the trials and tribulations of living and working in Brooklyn while making a path for themselves as animators. They’re on the brink of success with their first full-length feature film while living in a fragile world full of urgency, love, sex, and drugs.
Greenpointer’s Art Editor, Andy P. Smith, is hosting a panel discussion tonight at his alma mater, Pratt Institute, on the topic of The Future of Digital Publishing.
Featuring a roster of panelists, including Annalisa Merelli (Reporter at Quartz), Dylan Thuras (Founder of Atlas Obscura), Hanna Hurr (Managing Editor of Mask Magazine), and Anna Merlan (Senior Reporter, Investigative Unit at Gizmodo Media Group), this event is sure to be evocative, innovative, and hopefully instructive and stimulating!
Attendees will also receive free Moleskine notebooks and products, though first come, first served. And a Smart Writing Set will be raffled off to one lucky winner.
This event is free and open to the public, though space is limited.
Tonight, St. Vitus hosts an evening in celebration of the new book FINDING JOSEPH I: AN ORAL HISTORY OF H.R. FROM BAD BRAINS. This event features a screening of the H.R. film by James Lathos, book signing, and a QandA with H.R., Lathos, and FINDING JOSEPH author Howie Abrams.
Presented by CLRVYNT, Lesser Gods and WORD Bookstore, this event is sold out but a very limited amount of $29 tickets will be released at the doors at 6pm.
In a neighborhood where we like to keep it real, Pete McGuinness’ legacy lives on in much more than McGuinness Blvd. He was larger than life and one of the most colorful characters in local Greenpoint lore.
This is just a small glimpse of the character and life of Pete McGuinness and there is so much more interesting information in local historian Geoff Cobb’s latest book “The King of Greenpoint.”
Tonight he will be reading and will answer questions during a fun night of history and booze at Shayz Lounge (130 Franklin St) starting at 7PM!RSVP here.
