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News Archives

Late Summer Lit Shines through in August


The Academy of American Poets’ Poetry from the Rooftops. Photo courtesy of the Academy of American Poets.

August 1, 2011 - Motivation can wither fast when confronted with the summer heat. A book and the A/C might seem like the ideal cultural experience for the month of August, but this is New York City! Even when it’s hot, the City is a vibrant place to explore. So don’t put the book down: instead, read it on your way to some of these storytelling events for both youth and adults occurring throughout the month.

Poetry from the Rooftops
The Academy of American Poets

August 18, 2011, 6:30pm
The Arsenal Building at Central Park, 64th Street at 5th Avenue, New York, NY

The Academy of American Poets presents its annual Poetry from the Rooftops free summer reading series atop the historic Arsenal Building in Central Park. Poetry from the Rooftops provides an intimate escape and provides New Yorkers the opportunity to hear a diverse group of contemporary poets present original work and "bare their brains to heaven."
Admission is free of charge. Visit poets.org/rooftop for more information.

Story Museum
Historic Richmond Town

Thursday mornings from 11:30am to 12:30pm
441 Clarke Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10306

Join this special story and activity time at Historic Richmond Town, Staten Island's living history museum. Toddlers and children up to age 5 are invited to the hour-long Story Museum, which takes place every Thursday morning. Please call 718-351-1611 ext. 280 to reserve a spot. For more information, visit historicrichmondtown.org.
Admission is $3 per child, accompanied by an adult. Visit historicrichmondtown.org for more information.

2011 Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival
New York Writers Coalition

Saturday, August 20, 3pm
Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn (at the Monument)

The 7th Annual Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival will feature young writers alongside the Brooklyn All-Stars Bryonn Bain, R. Erica Doyle, Bernice McFadden, Rick Moody and Jon Sands. The emcee of the event will be Laurie Cumbo of the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art. In case of rain, the festival will take place at the Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton Street.
Admission is free of charge.

Stories in the Garden
Wave Hill

Every Tuesday at 11am
Perkins Visitor Center

Each week, a Wave Hill staffer shares a story with budding young naturalists. Meet some of the talented people behind the scenes and enjoy garden and nature stories in a shady nook of the campus. Sessions are held outdoors and are weather dependent. Ideal for ages 3 and up and their adult companions.
Free, and admission to the grounds is free all day. For more information, visit wavehill.org.

New York’s Civil War Soldiers: Photographs of Dr. R. B. Bontecou, Words of Walt Whitman
Merchant’s House Museum

Through Monday, August 29
29 East Fourth Street, New York, NY 10003

This exhibition of photographs of Civil War soldiers by army surgeon and native New Yorker Dr. Reed B. Bontecou commemorates the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. More than 100 images of injured soldiers are captioned with quotations from Walt Whitman’s 1882 memoir, Specimen Days, in which he recounts his own experience as a volunteer nurse. According to Whitman, “The real war will never get in the books.” Bontecou’s portraits of the wounded are on display for the first time since the 19th century, when they became national icons during the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia.
Admission is $10 General, $5 Students & Over 65. Visit merchantshouse.com for more information on hours and closings.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum
W.O.R.D. UP!: Words of Real Distinction featuring Master Baker Don Paco Lopez Jr.
Friday August 26th, 1-1:30pm
145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11213

W.O.R.D. UP! presents a reading in honor of the Taste of Brooklyn Weekend. Master Baker Don Paco Lopez Jr. will read Three Stalks of Corn, a story that explores the role of corn in Mexican culture.
Due to popular demand, please arrive early to W.O.R.D UP! as seating is on first-come, first-served basis. All ages. Museum admission is $7.50. Visit brooklynkids.org for more information.
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