On Tue, May 29, we're pleased to welcome Valeria Luiselli–the Mexico City-born author of Tell Me How It Ends and The Story of My Teeth–to BAMcafé for our Eat, Drink & Be Literary series. For those of you who've never attended an EDBL before, we thought it'd be helpful to provide a short overview of the program so you'll know what to expect!
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By Molly Silberberg
Eat, Drink & Be Literary is not your average book event. Presented in partnership with the National Book Foundation, the series celebrates some of today’s leading authors in an intimate setting that turns the private act of reading into a shared moment of gathering.
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Come with your book group or fly solo. Whatever you choose, get ready for a communal experience. Chatting with strangers is part of the fun—it’s an evening to meet fellow lovers of books and be a part of a larger literary community.
If you’ve never experienced the event, here’s what to expect:
- Doors to BAMcafé (located on the second floor of the Peter Jay Sharp Building at 30 Lafayette Avenue) open at 6pm. Seating for the event is first-come, first-served. Most people arrive just before 6pm, although some arrive earlier if you see a line in the lobby; there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. Once the doors open, take the escalator up to BAMcafé where you’ll find a seat at a communal table (which seat 4, 8, and 10 people) and grab a glass of wine. A duo or trio of musicians play throughout dinner until the program begins, creating an engaging ambience for discussion.
- At 6:30pm, the buffet opens, offering a vegetarian-friendly, seasonal menu created by Great Performances. Wine from Seghesio Family vineyards graces the tables, with a bar in the back of the room to replenish your glass. The menu for each event is posted a week before the program on BAM’s website.
- At 7:15pm, dinner is cleared and coffee and tea service eases you into the program. Arrive by 7pm at the latest to get your fill.
- At 7:30pm, the program begins. While the series can be a chance to engage with an author you know and love, it is also an opportunity to discover a brand-new voice. An introduction by the fiction editor of The New Yorker, Deborah Treisman, will situate the author in a larger cultural context. A brief reading by the author brings to life the unique rhythm and tone of their work. A dynamic conversation follows, examining the author’s newest writing, the range of their career, their craft, current preoccupations, and more. Finally, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions during the audience Q&A.
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| Lorrie Moore signs books for guests at Eat, Drink and Be Literary on May 8. Photo: Beowulf Sheehan |
The evening wraps up around 8:30pm, when you’ll have a chance to purchase books from on-premise representatives of Greenlight Bookstore and have them personalized and signed by the author.
For more than a decade, audiences have come to share the evening with one another and with the authors who grace our stage. We hope you’ll join us.
Molly Silberberg is Humanities Manager at BAM.
©️2018, Brooklyn Academy of Music.