Brooklyn writers are banding together to be the latest voice against Bruce Ratner's vision for Atlantic Yards. A number of local wordsmiths have contributed to Brooklyn Was Mine, an anthology consisting of short essays and stories put together by two Vogue editor to benefit Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (a non-profit that fights development while uniting the community). From the press release:
"Brooklyn has given birth to some of America's greatest literary voices," note the anthology's co-editors, Chris Knutsen and Valerie Steiker. "Today, a new generation of authors has grown up or resettled here, a testament to Brooklyn's unique quality of life. These writers simply want to protect a community that has provided them with so much. Fortunately, the passion they feel for the place has yielded a vibrant collection of essays—and we are delighted that, with each book sold, something will be given back to Brooklyn."
The book is available (as of yesterday) for $15, and of the 20 contributions you'll find works from Jonathan Lethem, Jennifer Egan, Robert Sullivan, and Phillip Lopate -- who are all members of DDDB's advisory board. Egan's story, titled "Reading Lucy," follows "a woman who worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II and wrote almost daily letters to her husband overseas," while Lethem's "Ruckus Flatbush" is described as "a wild, dystopian ride into Brooklyn's future, meant to serve as a warning shot to the barbarians at the horizon."
Upcoming readings include one at Park Slope's Barnes & Noble on 7th Avenue next Wednesday (the 9th, at 7:30pm) and one at BookCourt on Court and Pacific in Brooklyn next Tuesday (the 8th at 7pm).
