Health & Fitness
Bookworms Startin' Something Over on Nelson Street
A movement grows in Brooklyn...a literary movement with a mission to delight and engage interested readers. Find out who has been convening on Nelson Street -- and why.
Pssst! A literary movement is afoot here in Brooklyn -- and the nexus of this book culture is right here in Carroll Gardens.
On a recent quiet rainy day, I met with the brains behind Book Riot, a website which truly is an embodiment of a lifestyle. These brains being: Jeff O’Neal, Editor in Chief; Bethanne Patrick, Executive Editor; Rebecca Schinsky, Community Manager; and Chief Operation Officer Clinton Kabler. They had gathered in O’Neal’s Nelson Street apartment, giving me the distinct feeling when I entered the room I had stumbled upon a bohemian salon of sorts.
Of course, I knew Patrick from her NY1News.com book review appearances and Schinsky from her popular writings at her Book Lady’s Blog. What was remarkable was the two women had traveled from Virginia (and Kabler from Vancouver, British Columbia) to our South Brooklyn neighborhood to make this thing happen.
Find out what's happening in Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hillfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
While much of the online book world is quite actively involved with new releases, author interviews and the latest blog reviews, Book Riot’s target audience is the casual reader, one who reads perhaps five, maybe 10 books a year. The web site – which plans a Brooklyn brick-and-mortar expansion soon – connects books with a larger popular culture rather than limiting itself to a myopic world view.
Features of Book Riot tend to have a quirky charm to them, like “Genre Kryptonite,” a regular feature about genres the staff writers have “an inexplicable weak spot for.” Interaction with readers begins with comments and plans are in the works for online forums as well as live events such as dinners with authors in our area restaurants.
Find out what's happening in Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hillfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“Book Riot's mission is to delight and engage interested readers," says Patrick. "We believe in the importance of forming community online -- and off. To us, Brooklyn offers the perfect mix of arts influence and an emphasis on active community involvement.”
Book Riot is indeed seeking to be active in the community, reaching out to the Friends of the Carroll Gardens Library, the Brooklyn Book Festival and beyond. Just remember, you heard it here first…