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What's happening at WORD?
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A fan proudly displays his tattoo at Josh Ritter's signing for Bright's Passage.
Get your calendars out, because we've got a Save the Date for you: on July 30th at 7 p.m., we're curating a multi-author reading for the Books on the Bridge series. We have a killer line-up prepared for you with short story authors Robin Black, Tania James, Rajesh Parameswaran, Jim Shepard, and Charles Yu. There will also be a very special, very fancy give-away; keep an eye on our social media for details. The series runs every Monday from July 9 to August 13th, and each evening has been organized by a different Brooklyn bookstore. You can check out the full list here. |
This month's featured event:
| |  Tuesday, June 12, 7 p.m. Karunatilaka's novel The Legend of Pradeep Mathew is the best book narrated by an aging, alcoholic Sri Lankan sportswriter you never knew you wanted to read. It's become a WORD staff obsession, and we invite you to join us for a reading, a lesson in cricket, a Q&A with the author, and refreshments! Stephanie says: "This is handily the best book about Sri Lankan cricket ever written, but you needn't know anything about Sri Lanka or cricket in order to love it. A very funny, very serious novel that explores what happens when we realize what we've become, and think about what we could still be. Filled with a manic energy and the sort of sharp writing that feels like it might be part of a classic." |
 This month at WORD!
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 For our fellow sci-fi/fantasy geeks:
Thursday, June 14, 7 p.m.
John Scalzi presents Redshirts
The unusually enlightened master of (among many things) the comedic sci-fi novel, John Scalzi, will give a moving tribute to the many nameless characters lost on missions throughout the galaxy as he presents his new novel, Redshirts. Trekkie attire encouraged!
Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456, and is thrilled to be assigned to the ship's Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn't be better...until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship's captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.
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 For those who enjoy discovering new voices:
Tuesday, June 19, 7 p.m.
Launch Party for Leni Zumas
Store favorite Leni Zumas returns to WORD to celebrate the publication of her new novel, The Listeners. Sam Lipsyte has called Zumas "one of our most exciting young writers," and we couldn't agree more.
Molly says: "Leni Zumas' first novel is so oddly eerie I couldn't read it before bed, and so visceral I couldn't read it over lunch. It's also one of my favorite books of the year so far, a painful, sharply written story about a thirtysomething former musician, Quinn, dealing with the traumas of her past. Quinn's perspective is fractured and unforgettable; you'll never see iPod headphones, among other things, the same way again."
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For DIYers:
Wednesday, June 20, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
TICKETED: Bookbinding for Beginners with Nathaniel Kressen
Back by popular demand: Join Nathaniel Kressen, local writer and author of Concrete Fever, for an interactive workshop. Kressen will showcase the hand-bound first edition of his debut novel, and will teach attendees how to construct their own bound books. Everyone will make a notebook to take home! Registration required: $15 (includes materials and workshop); $35 (includes materials, workshop, and a hand-bound copy of Concrete Fever). Please note: our first workshop sold out, so get your tickets early.
Tickets are available in-store, online, or by phone (718.383.0096). |
 For fellow over-thinkers:
Thursday, June 21, 7 p.m.
David Yoo in conversation with Dave Cullen
Author David Yoo will present his memoir The Choke Artist, capturing the fears, insecurities, and vicious cycles of the anxiety sufferer with insight and a large dose of humor, in a conversation with journalist Dave Cullen (Columbine).
In this brutally honest collection of cringe-inducing episodes, David Yoo captures the cycle of failure and fear he experienced from childhood through adulthood. Whether he's wearing four layers of clothing to artificially beef up his slim frame, routinely testing highlighters against his forearm to see if he indeed has yellow skin, or preemptively sabotaging promising relationships to avoid being compared to former boyfriends, Yoo celebrates and skewers the insecurities of anxious people everywhere.
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 For those who enjoy discovering new voices:
Tuesday, June 26, 7 p.m.
Launch Party for Carissa Halston
Writer and former New Yorker Carissa Halston presents The Mere Weight of Words, a novel that chronicles the efforts of a young woman to reinvent her life when faced with ill health, a career change, and a father suffering from Alzheimer's.
When Meredith initially hears that her estranged father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, she says nothing. When Eliot, a long-time friend of her father's, calls and asks her to see him, she hangs up. But once she runs out of ways to say no, Mere agrees to visit, reasoning that he'll soon lose all memory of their estrangement. She leaves her house certain she'll say something she can't take back and arrives at his knowing he'll someday forget she visited at all.
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 For the proud:
Thursday, June 28, 7 p.m.
The Letter Q
More than 50 writers share their struggles and triumphs in The Letter Q, a compilation for LGBT teens following in the steps of "It Gets Better." Join the East Coast contributors, including LaShonda Katrice Barnetts, Nick Burd, Bruce Coville, Diane DiMassa, David Ebershoff, Paula Gilovich, Arthur Levine, David Levithan, Sarah Moon, Eric Orner, Rakesh Satyal, Bil Wright, and Marc Wolf, for a reading and signing.
Through stories, in pictures, with bracing honesty, these are words of love and understanding, reasons to hold on for the better future ahead. They will tell you things about your favorite authors that you never knew before. And they will tell you about yourself.
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All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Facebook RSVPs appreciated but certainly not mandatory.
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Book groups
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 Book Group has declared this the Summer of Indie Presses! Our next pick is The Coffins of Little Hope, by Timothy Schaffert, from Unbridled Books. Unbridled specializes in plot-driven literary fiction (usually with a big twist). Jenn describes The Coffins of Little Hope as something like a weird blend of Lemony Snicket and The Fates Will Find Their Way -- in the town of Little Hope, known only for being the site of the printers for an immensely popular children's series, a small girl goes missing. Narrated by an elderly obituary writer, who is not even sure that the missing girl ever existed in the first place, this book is a constant surprise and a dark pleasure to read. Join us on Saturday, July 7, at noon for discussion.
 Next up for Classics Book Group is Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky, perhaps the most British book ever written. From the man who brought you The Slaves of Solitude, a sort-of trilogy full of characters worth loving and hating in equal measure. Due to the length of this book, we'll devote two discussions to it: the first on July 14th and the second on August 11th, both at noon. (Can't wait to find out what else we have planned for this year? The full list is up online!)
 For July, Music Writing Book Group moves on to Margo Jefferson's meditation on one of the most popular (and contentious) musicians of all time, On Michael Jackson. From his 2005 trial to his 1998 autobiography and the Jackson 5, award-winning cultural critic Jefferson brings compassion as well as intellect and insight to a story we only think we know. The discussion will be on Saturday, July 14, at 3 p.m.
As always, all books are 10% off in the month before their discussion. And if you need help remembering to mark your calendar, or can't make the discussion but still want to complain about that thing that happened on page 210, you can join our Facebook groups! There's one for the regular group, one for Classics, and one for Music Writing.
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WORD's May bestsellers
| |  - Bright's Passage, Josh Ritter (ebook available)
- Fifty Shades of Grey, E.L. James (ebook available)
- The Lola Quartet, Emily St. John Mandel
- Are You My Mother?, Alison Bechdel
- The Ball, John Fox (ebook available)
- Fifty Shades Darker, E.L. James (ebook available)
- New York Baby, Puck and Violet Lemay
- Fifty Shades Darker, E.L. James (ebook available)
- Fear of Music, Jonathan Lethem
- Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Jordan (ebook available)
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Quick links
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This email not enough WORD for you? No worries, we're all over the Internet:Visit our website
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This has been another production of the book-lovin' fools at: WORD 126 Franklin St Brooklyn NY 11222 Open for your reading needs from: 11am to 9pm, seven days a week Available during those hours at: 718.383.0096 And always open at: wordbrooklyn.com |
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For everyone who loves dessert: