Freebird/NYC Books Through Bars presents:
Victor LaValle joins fellow novelist Mat Johnson for a conversation about H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, tackling beloved genres, and reinventing them for our times
Wednesday, September 30, 6:30 pm EST

To register on Crowdcast (where you can also post questions in advance), go to:
https://www.crowdcast.io/e/LaValleJohnsonevent

As part of our ongoing efforts to raise awareness for NYC Books Through Bars, Freebird is hosting a virtual discussion on September 30 with Victor LaValle and Mat Johnson. LaValle's novel, The Ballad of Black Tom, is featured in our book drive this month (you can purchase it, and two other titles that will be donated to incarcerated readers nationwide). In The Ballad of Black Tom, LaValle takes inspiration from the otherworldliness of "The Horror at Red Hook" while subverting Lovecraft's overt racism.  In Pym, Johnson muses on Poe's unconventional 1838 seafaring novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, and veers into literary territories Poe himself would have been in awe of.   Johnson and LaValle will discuss not just their own efforts at breathing new life into classics, but also current trends of genre-bending in film (Jordan Peele) and tv (Lovecraft Country). 

If you would like to read books by Victor LaValle and Mat Johnson, you can purchase copies here: https://bookshop.org/
For making a donation of The Ballad of Black Tom (along with the other books featured this month: Binti and Can't Stop, Won't Stop) to Books Through Bars, you still have time to purchase the September selections here!: http://www.freebirdbooks.com/shop.html

Purchase copies of three works for $30 (35% off retail) to be sent to incarcerated readers nationwide: a Hugo Award-winning novel by Nnedi Okorafor (who has also authored several Black Panther comics), a reinvention of the classic horror tale by Victor LaValle (acclaimed for subverting Lovecraft's racism), and Jeff Chang's standard-bearing study of hip-hop music and culture.

Following August's drive for illustrated works (March: Book One, They Called Us Enemy, and How to Draw Faces), Freebird is offering again three books for $30: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, and Can't Stop, Won't Stop by Jeff Chang.  Speculative fiction--especially from non-traditional perspectives--are in high demand, as are books on pop culture. 

Binti is the first in a trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor, focusing on the interstellar experiences of a gifted young woman sent far from her African homeland to study at an acclaimed university outside the galaxy. Okorafor won Hugo and Nebula awards for this ambitious Africanfuturist debut; so it's no surprise that she has been called upon by Marvel to write several comics in the Black Panther series. The Ballad of Black Tom takes its initial cues from the uncanny stylings of H.P. Lovecraft, but the comparisons end there. Like the current HBO series Lovecraft Country, Victor LaValle twists the genre into a dramatic backdrop exploring themes of racism and inequality. And Can't Stop, Won't Stop is Jeff Chang's unmatched study of hip-hop music and culture. As much a social history as an important chronicle of the times which gave birth to the movement, it was named one of Slate's best nonfiction books of the last quarter century.  

Why it is important to donate to NYC Books Through Bars
While the NYC Books Through Bars program operating out of Freebird's basement is currently limiting in-person volunteering and drop offs due to COVID-19, book requests continue to pour in from prisons around the country: nearly 300 per week. In response to the challenges of accepting those donations during the pandemic, we have started a monthly program in which specific, in-demand titles can be purchased through Freebird at a discount. These books will be sent to incarcerated readers across the country.

To learn more about the important work NYC Books Through Bars does, go here. 

Purchase copies of three illustrated works to be sent to incarcerated readers nationwide: Book One of John Lewis's award-winning trilogy on his central role in the civil rights movement, George Takei's account of being forcibly interned by the U.S. during World War II, and an instructional guide on drawing.

Following July's drive (Solitary, The Wretched of the Earth, and Malcolm X Speaks), Freebird is offering again three books for $30: March: Book One by John Lewis, They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, and How to Draw Faces in Simple Steps.  Graphic novels, comics, and art instruction are amongst the most commonly requested genres NYC Books Through Bars receives. 

March: Book One is the first installment of John Lewis's bestselling graphic memoir chronicling his time in the civil rights movement. Inspired by Lewis's own love of comic books, and the power of messages conveyed in a graphic format (he would often cite the influence of a comic illustrating Martin Luther King's Montgomery bus boycott), the trilogy has gone on to win numerous literary awards. They Called Us Enemy tells the story--through the eyes of a young George Takei--of our country's troubled history imprisoning Americans for having Japanese heritage. And How to Draw Faces in Simple Steps is a self-explanatory guide to being a better artist. 

Why it is important to donate to NYC Books Through Bars

While the NYC Books Through Bars program operating out of Freebird's basement is currently limiting in-person volunteering and drop offs due to COVID-19, book requests continue to pour in from prisons around the country: nearly 300 per week. In response to the challenges of accepting those donations during the pandemic, we have started a monthly program in which specific, in-demand titles can be purchased through Freebird at a discount.

Today, as part of an effort to raise awareness for NYC Books Through Bars, Albert Woodfox spoke about his experience living in solitary confinement for over 40 years. We thank Grove Atlantic for their generous support, and Albert for sharing his remarkable story of resilience and staying strong in the face of unbelievable injustice.

Purchase a copy of Albert Woodfox's memoir, Solitary, along with the always-in-demand Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon, and Grove Press will donate a copy of Malcolm X Speaks.* 

UPDATE on 7/16/20: Because of the spectacular response to this month's campaign that led to over 500 sets being donated to prisoners, NYC Books Through Bars has made the decision to freeze further sales of Solitary, The Wretched of the Earth, and Malcolm X Speaks. However, we will be back soon with the selections for August and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter for updates about that and future campaigns! Your contributions are so necessary and invaluable to incarcerated readers. We can't thank you enough for your support. 

Following June's drive for N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy, Freebird is offering again three books at $30: Solitary, The Wretched of the Earth, and Malcolm X Speaks. Solitary is the story of Albert Woodfox's four-decade long journey within the Louisiana penal system, most of it held in solitary. The memoir was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 2019. Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth is a classic on the revolutionary struggle against oppression, that is also one of the most commonly requested titles at Books Through Bars. Malcolm X Speaks pulls together the inspiring speeches from the civil rights leader's final year.
​
Woodfox will participate in a Freebird virtual event to discuss his Pulitzer-nominated memoir on Wednesday, July 15 at 6 pm EST. Register here.

Why it is important to donate to NYC Books Through Bars

While the NYC Books Through Bars program operating out of Freebird's basement is currently limiting in-person volunteering and drop offs due to COVID-19, book requests continue to pour in from prisons around the country: nearly 300 per week. In response to the challenges of accepting those donations during the pandemic, we have started a monthly program in which specific, in-demand titles can be purchased through Freebird at a discount.

*Special thanks to Grove Press (the publisher of all three) for donating a copy of Malcolm X Speaks with every order, allowing us to extend a 40% discount off the combined retail value of $50.  Those savings will allow Freebird to contribute to the postage costs for NYC Books Through Bars to ship these books. To learn more about the important work NYC Books Through Bars does, go here. To learn more about Grove's rich history and their long commitment to social justice and the freedom of speech, go here.

Books for the incarcerated
While Freebird Books is currently shuttered (but hopefully opening soon per state and city guidelines) the NYC Books Through Bars program operating out of our basement still is in need of donations. Book requests continue to pour in from prisoners around the country, package deliveries that have seen serious disruption in the era of COVID-19. In response to the challenges of accepting those donations during the pandemic, we are starting a monthly program in which specific, in-demand titles can be purchased through Freebird at a discount.


June's pick: N.K. Jemisin
For the inaugural pick, we have chosen the N.K. Jemisin Broken Earth Trilogy, a sci-fi collection and genre often requested from Books Through Bars. Freebird is offering the three-book set at a 25% discount ($10 off retail) and will deliver the copies to NYC Books Through Bars for processing. To learn more about their important work, go here.

We return on Saturday, December 7, to the Old Stone House in Park Slope for our annual book fair with several of our used book cohorts from around the borough. Lots of great gift ideas for the holidays!
Details:
Brooklyn Holiday Book Fair 2019
The Old Stone House at Washington Park
336 Third Street, Park Slope (between 4th and 5th Avenues)
Saturday, December 7, 2019, 11 am to 5 pm
718.768.3195
https://theoldstonehouse.org/  
https://theoldstonehouse.org/event/brooklyn-holiday-book-fair-2-2-copy/
Union Street station of the R;  4th Avenue station of the F/G
 
Booksellers include: Honey & Wax, Better Read than Dead Books, Brooklyn Books, Enchanted Books, Freebird Books, Tom Davidson Bookseller, and Lizzyoung Bookseller. Returning also will be the House of Speakeasy's bookmobile,  a book shop on wheels whose proceeds go to local educational programs.

We have taken some time off from blogging at Freebird, but we are back with a new site and some new ways of presenting ourselves.  That includes an Instagram account and a small shop to purchase books from us online.  We continue, however, to be the same unique bookshop along Brooklyn's waterfront, catering to many interests, but specializing in the unusual and arcane related to New York's culture and history.