June 14 2013 Fri BDE.pdf - Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Book BeatBrooklynNY-Centric Novel toLaunch in Bay RidgeFrom Touchstone/Simon & SchusterIn “Astor Place Vintage,” anovel by New York-based writerStephanie Lehmann (TouchstoneBooks/Simon & Schuster),the past and present intertwinethrough the stories of two women—onelonging to succeed in arapidly modernizing world andthe other clinging tightly to yesterday.Lehmann will celebratethe release of her novel – whichhas received rave reviews fromesteemed writers and critics – inBrooklyn on June 27, with a readingand signing at Bay Ridge’sBookMarke Shoppe.When Astor Place Vintageshop owner Amanda Rosenbloomvisits the Manhattan apartmentof aging socialite Jane Kelly, shethinks she is on just another callto appraise and purchase clothingfrom a wealthy, elderly woman.Yet after discovering a century-oldjournal concealed in the lining ofa fur muff, Amanda is irresistiblydrawn into the life and times of Olive Wescott, a young woman whomoved to New York with her father in 1907.Twenty-year-old Olive lives in a time when Victorian ideals thatlimit a woman’s sphere to marriage and motherhood are just beginningto give way. She has ambitions to become a department storebuyer, but when her father dies, Olive is left on the brink of povertyand must take a low-paying job as salesgirl at the Siegel-Cooper DepartmentStore. (The building still stands today as a Bed, Bath & Beyondon 18th Street & 6th Avenue.) Olive is determined to survive, andeven thrive, in her drastically reduced circumstances.As Amanda continues to read Olive’s journal, her own life begins tounravel until she can no longer ignore the haunting words. With thelease on her shop set to expire and her love life falling apart, Amandais even more frustrated by questions that linger beyond the diary’s finalentries. As she begins to piece together the truth, Amanda finds that sheis connected to Olive in ways neither could have imagined and, by understandingthe past, is finally able to embrace her own future.With historical photographsand details throughout, Astor PlaceVintage takes readers on a fascinatingtour of New York City both atthe turn of the century and today.* * *The June 27 event will begin at7:30 p.m. The BookMark Shoppeis located at 8415 3 rd Avenue in BayRidge.* * *Stephanie Lehmann received herB.A. at U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. inEnglish from New York University.She has taught novel writing at Mediabistroand at Salon.com, whereher essays have been published. LikeOlive and Amanda, she lives in NewImage courtesy of Touchstone/Simon & SchusterNew York-based writer StephanieLehmann will appear in Bay Ridgeon June 27 to read from her newbook “Astor Place Vintage.”Photo by Charity De MeerYork City. Visit AstorPlaceVintage.com to learn more.Daily coverage of Brooklyn writers,books and book events can be foundin print (Brooklyn Daily Eagle) andonline (brooklyneagle.com) anda dedicated blog, www.brooklynbookbeat.comBrooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Announces2013 Books Beneath the Bridge LineupIn its second year, program will feature Colum McCann,Colson Whitehead, and Ayana Mathis, among othersA literary crowd gathered last year to hear Patti Smith read at a Books Beneath the Bridge event.Heights Theater Company OffersFree Reading of ‘The Triumph of Love’Theater 2020, a BrooklynHeights-based professional theatercompany, will present thisSaturday a free reading of PierreMarivaux’s "The Triumph of Love",adapted by Rod McLucas. Beginningat 1:30 p.m. at the BrooklynHeights Branch of the BrooklynPublic Library, the reading of thisclassic comedy is part of Theater2020’s Hearthside Reading Series.Marivaux is part of the greatFrench canon that includesMoliere, Racine and Beaumarchais.The Triumph of Love is hisbest-known play, and has beenproduced all over the country byprominent regional theatres.By Samantha SamelBrooklyn EagleBooks and bridges have longbeen defining components ofBrooklyn’s identity, characterizingthis scenic literary hub. A consummatemix of some of the borough’sfinest qualities, Books Beneath theBridge is the Brooklyn Bridge ParkConservancy’s summer literary seriesat which local, independentbookstores curate outdoor readingsthat include a Q&A and book signingwith featured authors.The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancyannounced this week the summer2013 program, which will beginon Monday, July 8, at 7 p.m. The serieswill run for six consecutive Mondaysat Pier 1’s Granite Prospect, and isco-curated by bookstores in DUMBO,Red Hook, Fort Greene, Greenpoint,Park Slope and Cobble Hill.“We are very pleased to be welcomingBooks Beneath the Bridgeback to our lineup of free eventsin Brooklyn Bridge Park this year,”said Nancy Webster, executive directorof the Brooklyn Bridge ParkConservancy. “BBTB quickly becameone of our most talked aboutevents last summer and we couldn’tbe happier with the lineup of authorsfor its second year.”Among last year’s featured authorswere Patti Smith and MartinAmis, and more than 2,500 bookwormscame out to enjoy the scenicreadings. This summer’s lineup includesNational Book Award-winnerColum McCann, Pulitzer Prize-winningpoet Sharon Olds, and NewYork Times bestselling author (andBrooklynite) Ayana Mathis, amongothers.“We’ve been looking forwardto the return of Books Beneath theBridge since our event last year; itwas a huge success, and loads of fun– there’s nothing quite like seeingnearly 300 people held rapt by yourfavorite authors,” said Jenn Northington,events director at WORDBookstore. “The series is also one ofthe best examples I’ve seen of thebig things that can happen whenindependent bookstores and neighborhoodorganizations team up.”Each participating bookstorehas the chance to curate its respectiveevents, selecting a theme andan author of its choice.In addition to hearing renownedauthors read from and discusstheir work, guests will be treatedto beautiful bridge views andPhoto by Julienne Schaersunsets. Some of the readings alsowill feature music and group drawingsessions. Each event is free andopen to the public.Event Details and LineupMonday nights, July 8 – August 127:00 p.m.Granite Prospect, Pier 1 – OldFulton at Furman StreetsJuly 8: Freebird BookstoreJames Gulliver Hancock, “Allthe Buildings in New York: That I’veDrawn So Far”July 15: GreenlightPoetry with Sharon Olds andEdward HirschJuly 22: powerHouse ArenaColum McCann, “TransAtlantic”July 29: Community BookstorePark SlopeProust in the ParkA reading of Swann’s Way in celebrationof its 100th anniversaryAugust 5: WORD5 Borough BluesColson Whitehead, ManhattanVictor LaValle, QueensKevin Baker, BronxAlina Simone, BrooklynShay Youngblood, Staten IslandAugust 12: BookCourtAyana Mathis, “The Twelve Tribesof Hattie”In the play, a beautiful andbold princess falls head over heelsfor a man who is her sworn enemy:Agis, the rightful heir to thePrincess’ stolen kingdom. To getclose to Agis, who is exiled in a secludedvilla, the Princess will haveto break all the rules and evenbend her gender, disguising herselfas a young male scholar. Shealso must outwit Agis’ life-longprotectors: the rational philosopherHermocrates and his scientificsister Leontine, who haveraised Agis to avoid all things romantic.Using her powerful talentfor seduction (and slippingbetween male and female personalities)the Princess takes aim atAgis but, in the process, accidentallywinds up engaged to threedifferent people. Now, as she triesto unravel her wildly tangled web,the Princess discovers love’s manystrands: from deceit to sweetness,from cruelty to ecstasy.Reservations not necessary,but may be made at: theater2020@gmail.comDoors will open at 1 p.m., andthe reading will take place at thefirst floor Theater Room of theBrooklyn Public Library, BrooklynHeights Branch (280 Cadman PlazaWest, between Pierrepont andTillary Streets).12 • Brooklyn Eagle • Friday, June 14, 2013