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Brownstones and Townhouses: 101
Brownstones and Townhouses: 101 is an evening in
conversation with brownstone and townhouse experts to
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The Brooklyn Historical Society
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By Rose Adams
Brooklyn Paper
It’s a book fair of fair books!
An enlightened book festival happening
this weekend in Fort Greene
will help privilege-aware parents find
the right books to help raise their infants
into social justice toddlers. The
“Woke Baby Book Fair,” at the Center
for Fiction on Aug. 3, was named as both
a joke about babies’ rocky sleep schedules
and a comment on young people’s
capacity for social change, said the creator
of the event.
“Babies are very much aware,” said
Mahogany L. Browne, a Crown Heights
poet, educator, and activist. “I chose
the title to think about what it means
to raise a global citizen.”
The fair will showcase books for
both kids and young adults that deal
with social justice issues, and several
authors — including Jason Reynolds,
whose acclaimed novel “All American
Boys” deals with police brutality, and
fantasy writer Dhonielle Clayton, also
the founder of the group We Need Diverse
Books — will read from their work
at the fest. The event will also feature
a wide variety of activities, including
arts and crafts, singing, dancing, bookmark
making, and storytime sessions,
all designed to bring the books to life
and to accommodate children’s different
learning styles, said Browne.
“Not all kids receive art in the same
way,” she said.
At the event, Browne will also read
from her poem and picture book “Woke
Baby,” alongside a breakdancer who
will interpret and respond to the text.
The poem begins: “Woke baby, up before
the sun smiles, eyes open. Look
at your fists, fingers curled into a panther’s
paw, points up up up reaching
for justice.”
The format of the event was inspired
the Scholastic book fairs that Browne
attended in elementary school, where
she would buy all the newest hardcovers,
magazines, and school supplies she
could. Browne hoped to recreate that experience
at the first ever “Woke Baby
Book Fair,” which she hosted in June in
Harlem. That event’s success prompted
Browne to launch the upcoming celebration
in Fort Greene.
Browne said that hosting a book fair
that highlights literature about children
of color is important to her, as a woman
of color and as a teacher of diverse kids
for the last 15 years.
“I know what it’s like to look for quality
books with diverse characters,” she
said. “With the book fair, I wanted to
bring some flair to that experience.
Kids lit
A book fair for
woke children
Baby book fair: Crown Heights
poet and teacher Mahogany
Browne will reading from her picture
book “Woke Baby” during
Saturday’s book fair for socially
conscious kids.
“Woke Baby Book Fair” at the Center
for Fiction (15 Lafayette Ave. at
Ashland Place in Fort Greene, www.
centerforfi ction.org). Aug. 3; 10:30
a.m.–2 p.m. Free.
By Kevin Duggan
Brooklyn Paper
Talk about courtroom drama!
A new play portrays the shocking
falling out between New York’s
most iconic pair of injury attorneys: Cellino
and Barnes. “Cellino v. Barnes,”
which will play to a sold-out crowd at the
Bell House on Aug. 3, offers a quirky,
comedic take on the feud between law
firm partners Ross Cellino and Steve
Barnes, known across the state for their
omnipresent ad with its catchy jingle ,
according to one of its writers.
“The guys are kind of like an urban
legend in New York — if you mention
them people sing the jingle right back to
you,” said David Rafailedes, who also
stars as Barnes in the play.
When the legal eagles had their highly
publicized break up, Rafailedes and his
co-star Michael Breen realized that, despite
their fame, the buddy barristers
were shrouded in mystery — which made
it easy to adapt their legal drama for
the stage.
“Everybody knows who they are but
we know nothing about them,” Breen
said. “It’s great if you’re writing, it’s
almost like fan fiction.”
The two writers invented a comic
plot to explain how the pair came to
hate hate hate, hate hate hate hate each
other. The characters in the two-man
show are based on advertisements and
news reports, with Barnes portrayed as
the hard-working and serious half of
the team, based on an ad where the real
lawyer gave a detailed explanation of a
specific medical case — versus the funloving
Cellino, sourced from reports of
Barnes calling his partner lazy.
The show at the Bell House may be
sold out, but fortunately for fans of the
injured attorneys, the performers hope
to make it a regular production somewhere
in New York.
“We’re looking for a more permanent
home for the show,” Breen said.
“Cellino v. Barnes” at the Bell House
149 Seventh St., between Second and
Third avenues in Gowanus, (718) 643–
6510, www.thebellhouseny.com. Aug.
3 at 7:30 p.m. Sold out.
Call your lawyer
‘Cellino’ & ‘Barnes’ take stage
Dynamic duo: Michael Breen and
David Rafailedes star in their play
“Cellino v. Barnes.”
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