The Brooklyn Writers' Guide to Brooklyn
New York has long been known for its writers, and in recent years, they all seem to be living in Brooklyn. But while today’s upswing in BK-based scribes might be a remarkable trend, it’s certainly not a new one. Since the time of Walt Whitman the borough has provided not only affordable housing for aspiring artists, but local color and inspiration for countless poets and writers. As part of our overview of the Brooklyn literary scene, we interviewed top authors to get the scoop on where they hang out, where they'd send visitors, and where they find inspiration, both in and out of the borough.
PHOTO BY DEBORAH COPAKEN
Katie Roiphe, Cultural critic and author of The Morning After: Fear, Sex and Feminism
Tell us about a place, other than New York, that has inspired your writing.
I have grown up here and lived here pretty much my whole life. I lived in Princeton, New Jersey doing my graduate program, and while I can’t say the city inspired me, the total mind-numbing boredom of living there caused me to have the most productive period of my life. I wrote an entire book and a PhD dissertation and other untold, impossible outbursts of productivity simply out of being in Princeton, New Jersey for several years.
What are some essential stops or activities for a visitor in Brooklyn?
Walking around Red Hook because I love the industrial wasteland. I think it’s really beautiful. I think Coney Island is great for history and seediness. I like Empire–Fulton Ferry State Park, just beneath the bridges in Dumbo. It’s a great perspective, a great way to look at the city.
PHOTO BY SIGRID ESTRADA
Lara Vapnyar, Author of Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love
Tell us about a place, other than New York, that has inspired your writing.
Moscow, Russia. Even if it wasn't saturated with history, tragedy, comedy—everything that could possibly influence a writer—it would still be a city of my childhood.
What are some essential stops or activities for a visitor in Brooklyn?
You need to spend several hours in Brighton Beach, walk the entire length of the boardwalk, peek in stores and sample food in several restaurants to get a true sense of the absurd. Bargemusic: There is nothing like listening to a classical music on a tiny barge under the Brooklyn Bridge overlooking Manhattan, while the whole city outside seems to be rocking on the waves. The Japanese corner in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
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