A morality tale, set in DUMBO

By Chuck O’Donnell

DUMBO is now the stuff of legend.

In the new short comic book story, “DUMBO, A Pagan Walks Among Us,” the neighborhood gets its own fable, thanks to musician JG Thirlwell’s careful cadence and artist Jen Ferguson’s protean pallet of pencils, watercolors, inks, pastels and acrylics.

The two DUMBO neighbors collaborated on the piece for “Cousin Corinne’s Reminder #3,” an anthology published by BookCourt that champions Brooklyn’s authors, photographers, artists and cartoonists, including novelist Emma Straub and comic book artist Josh Neufeld.

“I was asked to write something about Brooklyn and I thought it would work to write about something that illustrates the changing face of Brooklyn,” said Thirlwell.

His story begins with couples sipping coffee as they stroll down the street, passing mothers out for leisurely walks with their kids in today’s “dainty DUMBO” — a safe haven for poets and indie filmmakers. Then the story flashes back to the balmy Saturday afternoon when Thirlwell was slashed on the hand by a mugger on York Street when he first moved here in the 1980s.

The police soon apprehend a man they’re pretty sure cut Thrilwell. But Thirlwell is presented with a moral dilemma when he isn’t sure he can identify the man. Does he go along with the cops, who strongly suggest which man in the lineup he should pick? Or does he listen to his nagging conscience that whispers he might be sending the wrong man to jail?

Ferguson saw Thirlwell’s story of as an urban fable, so she gave the comic book a little bit of an “Alice in Wonderland” whimsy by depicting the characters as rabbits.

“Employing the rabbit characters fits squarely in the tradition of the fable, where anthropomorphized creatures tell a moral or folk tale,” said Ferguson.

“Besides,” she said, “I just like to draw rabbits.”

“Cousin Corinne’s Reminder # 3” release party at BookCourt [163 Court St. between Pacific and Dean streets in Cobble Hill, (718) 875-3677], July 14 at 7 pm. Free. For info, visit bookcourt.org.

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The 'Maine' event

By Meredith Deliso

At nearly 400 hardcover pages, “Maine” is the least convenient beach read. But it’ll be worth toting around this summer.

In fact, J. Courtney Sullivan’s follow-up to her best-selling debut, “Commencement,” is shaping up to be a major beach read this summer, thanks in part to its setting — a summer at a Cape Neddick vacation home — but also its engaging, fully realized characters.

The ambitious novel (there’s a reason it’s 400 pages) follows three generations of Kelleher women — the fear-instilling but beautiful mother, Alice; her daughter, Kathleen, the black sheep of the family who’s moved across the country to work on a worm farm; her seemingly perfect, doll house-obsessed stepdaughter, Ann Marie; and her granddaughter, Maggie, a writer living in Brooklyn Heights who is pregnant, and freshly broken up with her boyfriend.

The cross-generation set-up allowed the Park Slope writer to explore a theme integral to her work.

“I am fascinated by the idea of how women develop personally in the context of the world that they are raised in, and live in as adults,” said Sullivan. “Everything I’ve written so far, I’ve looked at that.”

“Maine” has also provided the author to explore such heavy hitters as alcoholism, sibling rivalry and Catholic guilt, in a novel that can be achingly sad and refreshingly funny.

Sullivan is already at work on a new book — this one tackling the institution of marriage — and can be found almost daily at the Brooklyn Writers Space.

“It’s one of the most fabulous things about Brooklyn, it has totally saved me,” said Sullivan. “When I started writing full time, I always had this dream of working from home, sitting at the kitchen table, drinking tea and writing all day. But there are so many distractions when at home. At the Writers Space, you wouldn’t hear a peep.”

“Maine” is still very much on her mind, though, and Sullivan will be at Cobble Hill’s BookCourt tomorrow for a reading, which won’t be short on bringing some Maine flavor to Brooklyn — there will be lobster rolls.

J. Courtney Sullivan at BookCourt [163 Court St. between Pacific and Dean streets in Cobble Hill, (718) 875-3677], June 14 at 7 pm. Free. For info, visit www.bookcourt.org.

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The accidental writer

 By Meredith Deliso

Songwriter Alina Simone’s landed the best gig of her life — and it has nothing to do with music.

The South Slope songstress, who previously hadn’t written anything seriously beyond a blog post, celebrates the release of her new memoir, “You Must Go and Win,” this month.

The collection of essays are owed, in part, to Eric Chinski, the editor-in-chief at Farrar, Straus & Giroux who discovered the singer while listening to his PJ Harvey station on Pandora a few years back.

“I was struck by her voice and fell in love with her music,” said Chinski. “Her voice is just so overwhelmingly good.”

Chinski soon realized there was potential in her written voice. After reaching out to Simone to say what a big fan he is, they became friends and he heard more about her life — her father’s exile by the KGB in the Ukraine, revisiting her homeland with her philosopher husband decades later, the ups and downs of striving to make it as a musician in New York.

Soon, a book deal followed, and Simone set aside the next year-and-a-half of her life to writing.

“It’s probably one of the weirdest thing if not the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to me,” said Simone. “I was not even on the cusp of writing a book, or an article or a short story or anything.”

The resulting book is a collection of funny, cynical essays on meeting sketchy producers off of Craigslist, her obsession with Skopsy, a Russian castrati set, and battling fleas in her Williamsburg apartment.

Simone concurrently celebrates the release of a new album, “Make Your Own Danger,” but it appears she has caught the writing bug — bad. She recently finished a screenplay about a home organizer in New York City, and is deep into a novel about a woman searching for a passion in New York City and decides to become a DIY filmmaker.

“I don’t know if I have enough life material to do [autobiographical essays] again, so I’m trying different styles,” said Simone. “I feel like I put my best adventures in this book for now.”

Yes, for now.

Alina Simone at WORD [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383-0096], tonight at 7:30 pm. Free. For info, visit www.alinasimone.com.

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Your favorite new read — picked by your favorite bookstore

Who can you always count on when you’re in a bind and need a good book? Your neighborhood bookstore, of course, whose employees read all the newest books before you do. That’s why we’re running this semi-regular column featuring must-reads, handpicked and written about by the staff at some of our favorite independent bookstores in Brooklyn.

The BookMark Shoppe’s pick: “The Postmistress”

This novel by Sarah Blake follows the lives of three women during World War II. Two women in the sleepy town of Franklin, Mass., listen to the news being delivered by Frankie Bard in London. Filled with personal heartache and hope and devastation that comes with war; this is a must read.

— Bina Valenzano, co-owner, The BookMark Shoppe [8415 Third Ave. between 84th and 85th streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 833-5115].

Greenlight’s pick: “When God Was a Rabbit”

The main character in Sarah Winman’s novel is sacrilegious in the way that only a child can be (case in point, she names her pet rabbit “God” because she hasn’t yet learned that it’s uncommon to do so). This is a book about a family told through the young daughter’s voice. She has a brother whom she’s crazy about, in the slightly oppressive way that only a little sister can adore a big brother. Set in England, spanning childhood to adulthood, the voice of Elly sticks in your head long after reading it. She’s a singular, precocious narrator with an unconventional family that feels real upon reading about them.

— Rebecca Fitting, co-owner, Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246-0200].

WORD’s pick: “Vaclav & Lena”

I had to pry myself away from this one. Haley Tanner captures the voices of these characters so aptly, their evolution from children to teenagers is perfectly handled, and the plot tugs your heartstrings without ever descending into sentimentality. It reminded me of “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” in both its ability to tackle difficult issues and its young adult crossover potential. It’s a gorgeous debut that captures the spirit of the immigrant experience in New York, as well as the joys and pains of first loves and first revelations. 

— Jenn Northington, events manager, WORD [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383-0096].

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The 'Summer' of Siri

 By Meredith Deliso

Siri Hustvedt could really use some science fiction in her life.

The writer, teacher, poet, and lecturer is the busiest she’s ever been, one week flying off to speak at the Sorbonne on the psychobiology of trauma, the next  participating in a book club with Jennifer Egan and Margot Livesey, and the one after that giving a reading.

“I’m so busy, that’s my only problem,” said Hustvedt, who reads at Cobble Hill's BookCourt tonight. “I wish I had three selves at the moment.”

In that scenario, one self, at least, would be writing. The longtime Park Sloper (and wife of fellow novelist Paul Auster) recently released her fifth novel, the heady, yet zippy, “The Summer Without Men.”

The summer in question belongs to Mia Fredricksen, a poet who, after her husband leaves her for a younger woman, suffers a breakdown and flees Brooklyn to her Minnesota hometown to recover among a land of women that includes a group of sage widows and, on the opposite spectrum, catty teenage girls whom she winds up teaching.

Despite its serious start, the novel finds the writer stretching her funny bone thanks to Mia’s caustic, ironic voice — much a departure from Hustvedt’s “rational, calmer” one — which calls her husband’s adulterer “the Pause,” as Hustvedt dives into the deep well of inspiration that is love, marriage, and gender differences.

“I’ve never written a character with that kind of voice,” said Hustvedt. “I’ve heard reports of people on planes laughing out loud while reading it. That makes me very happy.”

Hustvedt is already deep into her next work of fiction — the provocatively named “Monsters at Home” — though no doubt will be pulled towards essays and lectures on neurobiology, trauma, psychoanalyst — whatever suits her fancy. When not hitting the keys, she can be found browsing the aisles at her local Blue Apron Foods, or in her backyard garden, tending to her rhododendrons, roses and azaleas.

“When I’m gardening, the thing that I call my internal narrator, the voice in my head that’s generating inner speech, seems to turn off entirely,” said Hustedt. “It’s a relief, because I’m constantly manufacturing sentences in my head.”

Suffice it to say, she must not do a lot of gardening.

Siri Hustvedt reads at BookCourt [163 Court St. between Pacific and Dean streets in Cobble Hill, (718) 875-3677], tonight at 7 pm. Free. For info, visit www.bookcourt.org.

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Your favorite new read — picked by your favorite bookstore

Who can you always count on when you’re in a bind and need a good book? Your neighborhood bookstore, of course, whose employees read all the newest books before you do. That’s why we’re running this semi-regular column featuring must-reads, handpicked and written about by the staff at some of our favorite independent bookstores in Brooklyn.

The BookMark Shoppe’s pick: “Cleopatra’s Daughter”

Many know the tragic ending to the real life story of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. But not many people know the story continued on with Cleopatra’s children. Follow Cleopatra Selene, daughter to Cleopatra, as she is forced to leave her home land of Egypt, into the harsh lands of Rome and defend her family name and honor in this new book by Michelle Moran.

— Bina Valenzano, co-owner, The BookMark Shoppe [8415 Third Ave. between 84th and 85th streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 833-5115].

Greenlight’s pick: “It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine’s Path to Peace ”

This is a book that surprised me, it is a very special, moving, and affecting read. While training to be a Marine, the tireless Rye Barcott juxtaposed his life and was simultaneously working to found a NGO in one of the poorest slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Partnering with local community members who formed a tight bond, Barcott involved people in the surrounding community to initiate change from the ground up, and in “It Happened on the Way to War,” he tells, and honors their story. Really, words can’t justify how moving this book is. Humanity at its best.

— Rebecca Fitting, co-owner, Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246-0200].

WORD’s pick: “Matterhorn”

Hailed as one of the best novels on the Vietnam War when it came out last year, “Matterhorn” by Karl Marlantes is now out in paperback. This book absolutely blew me away, and I don’t mind telling you I’m not much of a war-novel reader. While the novel tackles big issues — the politics of war, racism in the troops, all the blood and guts you can stand and then some — it’s Marlantes’ attention to the small, almost invisible details of daily life during war-time that makes it so affecting. Long, intense and worth every single second you’ll spend reading it.

— Jenn Northington, events manager, WORD [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383-0096].

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Birthday for Boulevard Books

By Meredith Deliso

Don your party hats — Boulevard Books is having a birthday bash.

The Dyker Heights bookstore is marking its one-year anniversary on May 21 with cocktails, cigars, music and readings. And at a time when bookstores seem to be closing left and right, it’s a cause for celebration.

Tatiana Nicoli opened her shop in June in the bookstore-deprived neighborhood as a way to connect with people — even naming it Boulevard Books because “the boulevard tends to be where everyone gathers.” It seems to have worked.

“Your acceptance as a community have been the core of Boulevard’s survival,” Nicoli wrote to her patrons this week. “Here’s to many more years of serving you and the Dyker Heights community.”

For now, you can enjoy readings from three diverse authors at the party: Suzanne Corso, author of “Brooklyn Story,” “Adults” phenom Alison Espach, and Jane Bordon, a comic behind the memoir, “I Totally Meant To Do That.” Because it wouldn’t be a proper bookstore birthday without a book signing, or three.

Boulevard Books [7518 13th Ave. between Bay Ridge Parkway and 76th Street in Dyker Heights, (718) 680-5881], May 21, 7 pm. Free.

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Your favorite new read - picked by your favorite bookstore

Who can you always count on when you’re in a bind and need a good book? Your neighborhood bookstore, of course, whose employees read all the newest books before you do. That’s why we’re launching this semi-regular column featuring must-reads, handpicked and written about by the staff at some of our favorite independent bookstores in Brooklyn.

The BookMark Shoppe’s pick: “Viola in the Spotlight”

Adriana Trigiani is perhaps one of my favorite authors of all time … and I read a lot of books each week. Her writing instantly draws you into each character. Trigiani has a flair for writing about family drama that will have you laughing and crying through to the end. In her latest young adult novel, “Viola in the Spotlight,” the title character finds her way back to Brooklyn for the summer, but is home where she really belongs? Pick up a copy and find out for yourself! Better still, Trigiani will be at The BookMark Shoppe on April 19 at 7 pm, when you can meet her and pick up my other favorites by her, including “Lucia Lucia,”  “Very Valentine” and “Queen of the Big Time.”

— Bina Valenzano, co-owner, The BookMark Shoppe [8415 Third Ave. between 84th and 85th streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 833-5115].

Greenlight’s pick:  “Witches On The Road Tonight”

The Greenlight staff is crazy about “Witches On The Road Tonight,” the new novel by our neighbor, Sheri Holman. The author of book club favorite “The Dress Lodger” writes engrossing and accessible fiction that also addresses the big themes of class, gender, politics and culture through unique and compelling characters. This novel is partly about American fears, from witches in 1930s Appalachia to cheesy 1980s horror movies to the terrifying 24-hour TV news cycle of the 21st century. It’s also deliciously atmospheric, suspenseful, heartbreaking and sometimes spooky — it will stick with you like last night’s strange dreams.

— Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, co-owner, Greenlight Bookstore [86 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246-0200].

WORD’s pick: “A Visit from the Goon Squad”

WORD agrees that Jennifer Egan’s experimental novel is one of our favorite books, and since its recently out in paperback, you really have no more excuses not to pick it up. Egan takes some big risks in this novel — one chapter is entirely composed of PowerPoint slides, one takes us briefly into the future, the cast of characters is huge and varied — and pulls them all off. The last two chapters in particular are a one-two punch to the emotional gut. Don’t let the phrase “linked story-set” scare you off! Pick it up and dive in.

— Jenn Northington, event manager, WORD [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383-0096].

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Get pitching

By Meredith Deliso

Book ideas are like belly buttons — everyone has one. But not everyone knows how to make a solid book pitch.

Enter Pitchapalooza, the “American Idol” of books that is coming to Greenlight Bookstore in Fort Greene tomorrow. Then, author hopefuls can pitch to a panel of publishing experts, where they’ll get feedback.

The good ones will get more.

“In the real world of publishing, for an unknown writer, you’re lucky to get a minute in front of a great agent or publisher,” said David Henry Sterry, who wrote “The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published” with his wife, Arielle Eckstut, and has brought Pitchapalooza to over 20 cities since starting it last fall.

No matter the city, the game is the same: “contestants” are randomly picked out of a hat and then have one minute to do their pitch, which then gets critiqued by the panel including Sterry and Eckstut — is there too much plot? Too little? Not enough characterization? Marketplace potential? The person with the most promising pitch gets introduced to an agent.

Kurt Christenson will be among the Pitchapalooza hopefuls trying for his shot at literary gold. The Clinton Hill-based writer hopes to pitch his book, “Tower of Brahma, a “part pulpy adventure, part Beat Poet novel” about his journey from late 20s suburban office worker to 30-something writer in New York City.

“My work is often too ethereal and poetic to be considered by most publishers, so I’m looking for one that might be more along my lines,” said Christenson.

Greenlight owner Jessica Stockton Bagnulo had people like Christenson in mind when she decided to bring in Pitchapalooza.

“Part of our mission as a bookstore is to be a community resource, and a place where people can come together over books; offering a fun way for authors to get connected to potential publishers and readers seemed like a perfect fit for us,” she said. “And it’s always exciting to host a contest!”

Pitchapalooza at Greenlight Bookstore [86 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246-0200], March 30 at 7:30 pm. For info, visit www.greenlightbookstore.com.

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About a boy

By Meredith Deliso

When you just publish a book, it helps to have some distractions from all the publicity, reviews and Amazon rankings. Luckily, Ben Dolnick has plenty.

The Fort Greene author is on his fourth or fifth attempt at “War and Peace,” is starting to obsessively gear up for the 2012 election, and, of course, is constantly writing.

“My method seems to be just flailing away and writing tens of thousands of words, most of which get thrown out,” said Dolnick, who this month celebrates the release of “You Know Who You Are.”

That method seems to work. In the follow up to his debut novel, the enjoyable, much praised “Zoology” (2004) about an 18-year-old who falls in love while working at the Central Park Zoo, Dolnick felt compelled to rewind a bit and tackle childhood.

“I felt like I had a lot about childhood I hadn’t gotten to say,” said Dolnick, 28. “I had a frantic feeling — I’m never going to be closer to childhood than now, so I better write it down.”

As is his preferred strategy, Dolnick started aimlessly putting down everything he remembered about the ages from 8-20. The result is a coming-of-age story about one Jacob Vine, a relatable boy growing up in 1980s Maryland, that’s informed by moments both big and small – the death of his mother, his first crush, the unspoken rules of teenagers, the strained relationship with siblings. It’s a solid, elegiac novel that has a touch of the requisite teenage angst, but also some refreshing dark humor.

“Jacob wondered, occasionally, whether the fact that his mother was dying was a help or a hindrance, on balance, when it came to his getting a girlfriend,” states one passage of the book.

At home in the themes of family and relationships, Dolnick, not surprisingly, is a big fan of writers like Alice Munro — that master of the short story. And though he’ll write the occasional essay, he’ll never stray from the novel.

“It seems to be the form that has the most give in it — you can really shape things with a lot of freedom,” said Dolnick. “For some reason, I tend to think in more novel-sized chunks.”

Ben Donick at Greenlight Bookstore [86 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246-0200], March 24 at 7:30 pm. Free. For info, visit www.greenlightbookstore.com.

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Spring has sprung!

Our annual guide to all the music, nightlife, books and events that will make spring a season to remember is out you — in fact, you can find it here. And it all begins with the beautiful spectacle that is the cherry blossom season at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (pictured).

That's not all — you also won't want to miss our spring restaurant preview, and find out what will be on the menu as some of your Brooklyn favorites.

Photo by Paul Martinka

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Brownstone Brooklyn, the book

By Meredith Deliso

It’s fun to ridicule Park Slope, but gentrification didn’t begin with the Bugaboo.

For a full understanding of Brooklyn’s transformation from industrial borough to land of hip bars, yoga studios and wildly expensive brownstones, you need to go all the way back to the post-World War II landscape, when neighborhood names, including the all-encompassing “Brownstone Brooklyn,” were just entering the vernacular and community groups just formed.

“It’s a history of post-war New York that’s been largely untold,” said Suleiman Osman, a George Washington University professor, pictured at right in the heart of Brownstone Brooklyn - his native Park Slope.

Naturally, that’s where Osman begins in his engaging, comprehensive new book, “The Invention of Brownstone Brooklyn,” which takes a historical look at Brooklyn from the post-World War II years until the late 1970s.

It’s a period ripe with complex forces at work — the arrival of a new middle class (so-called “brownstoners”) who, filled with idealist, romantic views of authentic urban living, reclaimed blighted neighborhoods, in turn raising rents and displacing long-time tenants. They’re the hallmarks, and, in this case, origins, of gentrification, a force that’s been at work here long before there was a well-known word for it.

“There was never a time when you could point to Brooklyn and say, ‘This is Brooklyn,’ ” said Osman. “It’s always been dynamic and shifting over time.”

One of the lasting contributions of that time, though, was neighborhood names, including Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and, of course, the overarching Brownstone Brooklyn, coined in the early 1970s and proliferated by neighborhood groups, real estate agents and activists alike.

As he traces the invention of Brownstone Brooklyn, Osman’s story ends where it might start to become more familiar to readers — the emergence of an anti-gentrification movement in the 1980s — but not before asking a few questions.

“Was this movement a success?” said Osman, who may answer that question at Greenlight Bookstore on March 14. “And what’s the end of the story?”

Sounds like a sequel in the making.

Suleiman Osman discusses “The Invention of Brownstone Brooklyn” at Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246-0200], March 14 at 7:30 pm. Free. For info, visit www.greenlightbookstore.com.

Photo by Tom Callan

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Brit lit at BookCourt

By Meredith Deliso

It’s a British invasion at BookCourt!

Two notable cross-pond scribes will hit the Cobble Hill bookstore on Thursday for a fun night of satire and music — with a little reading thrown in.

Author Jonathan Coe’s book, “The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim,” is a England-set satire about the disconnectedness of modern life.

Then Wesley Stace — the former Englishman who music lovers know by his nom de guitar, John Wesley Harding — will celebrate his new book, “Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer,” a murder mystery about a 19th-century composer who kills his wife and her lover the night before his opera premieres.

The British folk tradition figures prominently in the historical drama, so Stace might break out his guitar.

“I don’t think as an author you should feel yourself required to do a tap dance just because you can, but there is one song, ‘Little Musgrave,’ that is very pertinent to my book and would eloquently set up the scene,” said Stace.

Cheers, mate.

Wesley Stace and Jonathan Coe at Book Court [163 Court St. between Pacific and Dean streets in Cobble Hill, (718) 875-3677], March 10 at 7 pm. Free. For info, visit www.bookcourt.org.

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Adventures in taxidermy

By Meredith Deliso

Hey, Brooklyn taxidermists, you’re doing it wrong.

The animal preservation hobby has seen a resurgence of late, thanks to the popularity of taxidermy contests, classes at the Observatory in Gowanus, and its general proliferation in restaurants, bars and stores (Urban Outfitters, anyone?).

But for the real thing, budding taxidermists should take a page from Melissa Milgrom — literally.

Her new book, “Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy,” follows eccentric naturalists and gifted museum artisans — all devoted to preserving the dead in the most lifelike way possible.

It’s a far cry from the local version consisting of kitschy contests or artsy classes — where taxidermy is defined as dressing up dead mice like dolls.

“In Brooklyn, we have a more expansive definition of taxidermy,” said the Brooklyn Heights author, who derides such taxidermy contests as the “American Idol” of taxidermy. “There’s a couple here, but I would put them more in the artist camp.”

For a taste of the real thing, head to powerHouse Arena in DUMBO on Thursday, where the author celebrates the paperback release of her book with a lecture ranging from the Victorian-era Mr. Potter’s Museum of Curiosities to Damien Hirst’s taxidermic cows.

“Taxidermy has a fascinating history. Darwin did taxidermy,” said Milgrom. “Today it’s kind of a lost art form, but there’s definitely an appreciation of it again, even if it’s twisted.”

Melissa Milgrom at powerHouse Arena [37 Main St. at Water Street in DUMBO, (718) 666-3049], March 10 at 7 pm. Free. For info, visit www.powerhousearena.com.

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Think you know sex? The Victorians were even better at it

By Meredith Deliso

Forget modern pornography — the Victorians had the good stuff.

“Contemporary pornography is kind of boring,” said Deborah Lutz, an English professor at Long Island University who specializes in erotica. “There’s something about Victorian pornography, it’s kind of unusual to us. I like to talk and write about sexuality when it’s historical.”

In her new book, “Pleasure Bound: Victorian Sex Rebels and the New Eroticism,” the Greenpoint-based writer dispels well-worn myths about prudish Victorians by revealing 19th-century erotic writings, paintings and the people who made them. (Read an excerpt here.)

“I was surprised at how open the London homosexual activities were,” said Lutz. “There were gay brothels, street cruising, public bathrooms, gay pornography.”

There were, of course, still some prudes — sodomy was illegal, and dressing in drag could get you arrested for indecency (paging Mr. Wilde!). But Lutz still had plenty of material to work with in her research, including personal letters, published erotica, art and poems.

There were Dante Gabriel Rosetti’s sensual paintings, Algernon Charles Swinburne’s tales of visiting flagellation brothels, explorer Richard Burton’s how-to manuals on sex positions. Our very own Walt Whitman was a particular fascination of the Victorian set, thanks to his “Calamus” poems in “Leaves of Grass” about “the manly love of comrades.”

These people figure prominently in Lutz’s book, which is a highly seductive and equally informative discourse on the art, literary and taboo-breaking bohemian scene of the time.

“I really wanted to paint a picture of what it was like to be a sexual radical in Victorian London,” said Lutz.  “I wanted to bring the time period alive.”

Lutz will repaint that picture at Greenlight Bookstore this Wednesday, when she talks with noted sex writer Susan Crain Bakos about issues in “Pleasure Bound” and connect them to present-day practices.

“Deborah’s book is a titillating look at Victorian erotica, as well as a serious exploration of the influence of the wild 19th century underworld on the great cultural creations of the era,” said Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, co-owner of Greenlight. “We think it’s a great post-Valentine’s Day event — a little naughty, a little sexy, and very smart.” 

Deborah Lutz at Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246-0200], Feb. 23 at 7:30 pm. Free. For info, visit www.greenlightbookstore.com.


Photo by Stefano Giovannini

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'Married' to it

By Meredith Deliso

To say Emma Straub is busy is an understatement.

A typical day may find the writer making posters through M + E, the printing business she runs with her husband out of their Prospect Lefferts Gardens studio, volunteering at the non-profit Girls Write Now, and, of course, writing.

Over the past five years or so, she’s managed to eke out a collection of witty, sharply observed short stories, whose recurring themes of love, loss and alienation belie the author’s sunny disposition. That compilation, “Other People We Married,” which includes her acclaimed novella, “Fly-Over State,” comes out next month, and she celebrates with a reading at BookCourt this Thursday.

Oh, did we mention she works there, too?      

“Whenever I get to do anything at BookCourt, it’s like extra fun,” said Straub, who usually stands out at the Cobble Hill bookstore thanks to her vintage hair accessories. “It’s like a giant dollop of whipped cream. I love that I get to work there. It’s almost too wonderful.”

And there’s that sunny disposition.

Emma Straub reads from “Other People We Married” at BookCourt [163 Court St. between Pacific and Dean streets in Cobble Hill, (718) 875-3677], Jan. 27 at 7 pm. For info, visit www.bookcourt.org.

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The newest 'Noir'

By Meredith Deliso

There’s a new “Noir” in town.

For nearly 10 years, Akashic Books has been pushing out title after title of its “Noir” crime series, beginning with the first — “Brooklyn Noir” — in 2004, with more than 40 titles in as nearly as many cities since.

Truth be told, we’ve only really cared about the Brooklyn editions, but the latest edition would be criminal to ignore. Published one year after the devastating earthquake, “Haiti Noir” features brand new essays by some of the best Haitian voices, edited by the most celebrated of them all – Edwidge Danticat.

“She was an obvious choice for us. Her work demonstrates a deep understanding of the power of dark fiction,” said Akashic publisher Johnny Temple.

On Thursday, contributors Marie Lily Cerat and Ibi Aanu Zobo join Danticat at the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library to read from the collection, which Akashic had been working on for over a year before the earthquake struck.

“That tragedy actually had nothing to do with inspiring the book — though certainly it has given the book more relevance to readers,” said Temple. “We hope that this books gives them the understanding that Haiti is a country that has produced some really wonderful writers, even if not all of them are well known (yet!).”

“Haiti Noir” reading at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch [Flatbush Avenue at Eastern Parkway in Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope, (718) 230-2100], Jan. 27 at 7 pm. Free. For info, visit www.akashicbooks.com.

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Your guide to Fort Greene

By Meredith Deliso

Francis Morrone is slowly becoming a borough expert, neighborhood by neighborhood.

The historian has two neighborhood guides under his belt — for Park Slope and Fort Greene/Clinton Hill, both published through the Brooklyn Historical Society — and he is currently at work on guides for Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights at the behest of the respective neighborhood civic associations.

“Brooklyn has become over the years a specialty of mine,” said Morrone, a Chicago native who has lived in Park Slope for 30 years. “It’s inexhaustible.”

When he talks at Greenlight Bookstore in Fort Greene tonight, though, the focus will be on that corner of this amazing borough, home to Fort Greene Park, the Pratt Institute, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, and once home to Walt Whitman to Spike Lee.

The main focus of the book is the neighborhood’s social history. And here’s a little gem: Poet Marianne Moore famously left the neighborhood after 36 years in 1966 due to rising crime, leading the New York Times to announce the “twilight” of the neighborhood. At the same time, jazz musicians were moving in, and in one building — 245 Carlton Ave. — housed Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard and Eric Dolphy (who even has a song called “245”).

“That’s like Beethoven, Mozart and Bach all sharing a house,” said Morrone. Some “twilight”!

Francis Morrone presents “The Fort Greene and Clinton Hill Neighborhood and Architectural History Guide” at Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. at S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246-0200], Jan. 12 at 7:30 pm. Free. For info, visit www.brooklynhistory.org.  

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