This Saturday Marks The 10th Anniversary Of The Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival

A diverse group of writers, from award-winning poets to budding 10-year-old storytellers, will read their work at the Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival on Saturday, August 23.

A project of the New York Writers Coalition (NYWC), this year marks the 10th anniversary of the event. The festival concludes six weeks of free writing workshops for 6- to 18-year-olds, and reflects the diversity and literary pedigree of Fort Greene.

“Fort Greene has a really amazing and colorful and storied literary history, dating back to Walt Whitman in the 19th century,” said Johnny Temple, a co-founder of the event and publisher and editor-in-chief of Akashic Books.

Beginning with just 20 or so participants in 2005, the summer program has grown to include 70 children and now a reading group for parents. They come from neighborhoods across Brooklyn and as far as New Jersey, representing the many racial and economic backgrounds of New York City.

The workshops are free of charge and taught by trained volunteers. Snacks and writing materials are provided. All participants have to do is show up and write.

NYWC provides free workshops around the city to promote writing in underserved communities. Some workshops are public and open to everyone, and others are at places like Rikers Island. The spirit of the festival is in keeping with these efforts, and has remained constant as it has grown.

“A big part of our mission is to provide a voice from writers who aren’t heard from often enough,” explained Rose Gorman, program manager for NYWC who coordinates the workshops and reading event.

Over the years the festival has attracted writers such as Jhumpa Lahiri and Jennifer Egan, among others. This year’s writers include Sapphire, poet and author of Push, which was made into the Academy Award-winning movie Precious; Vanessa Gabb, poet and founder of Five Quarterly; and award-winning poet and children’s author Willie Perdomo. Gaylord Fields, music journalist and radio host, will emcee the festival.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary, NYWC will bring back several writers who have led workshops or read at the festival before, including Sapphire. Poet Angel Nafis has taught workshops in the past, and Danny Simmons, co-creator of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, will also return.

Many of the children have also participated in years past. One of the festival volunteers, Najaya Royal, is 17. She took her first workshop when she was 7.

“We’d love to see more lit fests in other parks around the city and have the young people who’ve been a part of this festival become featured readers and workshop leader as adults,” said Aaron Zimmerman, a co-founder of the event and executive director of NYWC.

The festival will conclude with a party at Greenlight Bookstore, where there will be wine, cake, and time to mingle with authors of all ages. Greenlight has been involved in the festival since 2010, not long after it opened.

“I hope to see the Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival continue to gain prominence and notoriety as a major summer literary event in the city,” said Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, co-founder of Greenlight Bookstore, “and draw attention to the work of NYWC as well as great writers, especially people of color, who are part of the New York literary scene.”

Organizers recall a few dramatic moments from past festivals, such as a reading by provocative writer Amiri Baraka concluding his provocative poem, Somebody Blew Up America, with a prolonged shriek until the microphone cut out. But the heart of the festival is ensuring that young voices are heard and that the community participates.

“I think events like this that tie books directly to community are very important,” added Temple. “I hope that it can be a model for literary engagement.”

The Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival begins at 2pm at the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument on Saturday, August 23 (in case of rain, the event will be held at BRIC Media House Ballroom at 647 Fulton Street). The after party beings at 4:30pm at Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton Street.

Top photo by Melvin Reeves

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