Introducing: The Park Slope Authors & Illustrators Library!
[FREE Letter] Help me build a (one-day) comprehensive list!
Hi & thank you so much for reading Park Slope Times! Sourcing, assigning themes, and adding author bios has taken me 40+ hours — and I’m not done yet! If you would like to support this project and the work that has gone into it so far, there are a couple of things you can do: (1) become a paid subscriber — pretty please! or (2) buy me a coffee. If neither of these options is doable, you can recommend or share my newsletter (or this library). Any of these would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for being here!
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Hi! How are you? I’m EXCITED to share the Park Slope Authors & Illustrators Library with you today! I began working on this a few months ago, and it’s by far the most involved project I’ve done since starting Park Slope Times. It feels really good to (finally) publish it.
The Park Slope Authors & Illustrators Library is a list of all the authors and illustrators who call(ed) Park Slope home, with links to their work. While this is a Park Slope-specific library, you will see some authors/illustrators listed here who don’t currently live in Park Slope (e.g. Mo Willems). I’ve included these people and their work because they’ve had an impact on the community, and the library just wouldn’t feel complete without them. Below the “shelves” is a bonus section featuring books that take place in Park Slope.
This library isn’t comprehensive yet — but that’s my goal! And I need your help to get there, so please share this with your network and leave a comment below with any new information.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This library — i.e. the contents of this email and any new updates and information — is available on the “Park Slope Authors & Illustrators Library” tab on the Park Slope Times Substack page. To be clear, I won’t be updating this specific post, so you’ll need to go to the library tab to see the most current version.
Housekeeping
The library will be updated as new information is brought to my attention, either through direct contact or as comments below, so please get in touch with me if you see something that needs editing or if you know of an author/illustrator to add to the shelves.
If you are not happy with the representation of your work, let me know by emailing kelleymacdonald19@gmail.com, and I’ll update your info.
Below each author’s name is a list of their work, and each book is linked to where you can buy it. I linked to local, independent bookstores whenever possible. If a book wasn’t available at a local bookstore, I linked to Amazon. These Amazon links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a (very) small commission if you click one of these links and buy the book. This doesn't affect cost on your end in any way, but it does support me and my family. Thank you so much for your support!
Searchable Themes (Key Words)
Below each author’s name is a brief description of their work and life, links to their books, and the themes they explore in their work. There are currently 37 themes, and I’ll add new ones as needed. Using these theme words, you can navigate the themes you’re interested in; you can also navigate using an author’s first and/or last name.
To search on a Mac, press and hold “command” and “f” on your keyboard; to search on a PC/Windows machine, press and hold “ctrl” and '“f” on your keyboard.
Here’s the list of the key themes you can search across the shelves:
animals, art, children's book, comedy, cookbook, culture, fantasy, fiction, finance, food, graphic novel, health, history, horror, identity, loss/grief, memoir, mental health, music, mystery, nature, nonfiction, parenthood, poetry, politics, race, relationships, religion, romance, science, science fiction, sex, sexuality, sports, thriller, travel, writing
A
Alko, Selina
The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage, B is for Brooklyn, Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship, Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama, Every-Day Dress-Up, I is for Immigrants, I'm Your Peanut Butter Big Brother, Joni: The Lyrical Life of Joni Mitchell, My Subway Ride (illustrator), My Taxi Ride (illustrator), One Golden Rule at School, Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World (illustrator), Sharing Shalom, Stars of the Night, The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth (contributor), Two Friends, and Why Am I Me?
Selina Alko is an award-winning author-illustrator from Vancouver, British Columbia who has lived in Brooklyn for over 20 years. Her awards include the SILVER Medal - Society of Illustrators, Bank Street Books Best Children's Book of the Year, New York Public Library Best Books for Kids, Mills Tannenbaum Award for Excellence in Children's Literacy, and many others.
Key themes: children's book, fiction, identity, parenthood, relationships, and religion.
Alperin, Jody Drezner
All American Boys (playscript)
Jody Drezner Alperin is an author and the Artistic Director of Off The Page, an arts education and theatre company. She graduated from Northwestern University, where she studied theatre, and has performed on stages all over the United States. Jody, along with her co-author, Vicky Finney Crouch, are recipients of multiple grants from the Brooklyn Arts Council, Brooklyn Community Foundation, Chipstone Foundation shatterCABINET, and are 2019-20 New Victory LabWorks Artists.
Key themes: identity, race, and relationships.
Auster, Paul
The New York Trilogy (City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room), Moon Palace, Baumgartner, 4 3 2 1, The Brooklyn Follies, The Music of Chance, The Book of Illusions, Invisible, Sunset Park, Winter Journal, The Invention of Solitude, The Red Notebook, Report from the Interior, Talking to Strangers: Selected Essays, Prefaces, and Other Writings, 1967–2017, Mr. Vertigo, Timbuktu, Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephen Crane, Leviathan, White Spaces: Selected Poems and Early Prose, Bloodbath Nation, Oracle Night, The Collected Writings of Joe Brainard: A Library of America Special Publication, Groundwork: Autobiographical Writings, 1979–2012, A Life in Words: In Conversation with I. B. Siegumfeldt, The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, In the Country of Last Things, Three FilmsSmoke, Blue in the Face, and Lulu on the Bridge, Travels in the Scriptorium, Man in the Dark, Hand to Mouth, Hunger, Joan Mitchell, I Thought My Father Was GodAnd Other True Tales from NPR's National Story Project, Here and Now: Letters, 2008–2011, The Kinds of Poetry I Want: Essays & Comedies, A Tomb for Anatole, Long Live King Kobe: Following the Murder of Tyler Kobe Nichols, Squeeze Play (written under pseudonym Paul Benjamin)
Paul Auster (1947-2024) was a writer, novelist, memoirist, poet, and filmmaker. Many of his novels were New York Times bestsellers, and in 2006, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature and inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has been translated into more than forty languages. Many of Paul’s more notable works are listed above, and you can explore his other work here.
Key themes: culture, fiction, identity, loss/grief, mental health, mystery, nonfiction, poetry, relationships, romance, travel, and writing.
Azzoni, Elena
A Year Straight: Confessions of a Boy-Crazy Lesbian Beauty Queen
Elena Azzoni is a feminist author and essayist whose work has appeared in The Huffington Post, Elle, make/shift magazine, mom365.com, and The Stephanie Miller Show. She received her MFA from New College of California where she studied under renowned activist poet Judy Grahn, and her BA in Social Thought and Political Economy & Women’s Studies from UMASS, Amherst.
Key themes: comedy, identity, memoir, nonfiction, sex, sexuality, relationships, and romance.
B
Bader, Bonnie
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?, What Is the World Cup?, My Little Golden Book About Sharks, My Little Golden Book About Whales, My Little Golden Book About Bugs, My Little Golden Book About Martin Luther King, Jr., Slow, Slow Sloths, The Startup Squad, Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights, Hedge-Hedgey-Hedgehogs, Who Was Alexander Graham Bell?, Go to Bed, Blue, Curious About Ice Cream, Who Was Jacqueline Kennedy?, Fly, Butterfly, The March on Washington, 100 Monsters in My School,
Bonnie Bader has written over 50 children’s books including six books in the Who Was? Series and many picture books. She serves on the Board of Advisors for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and she also teaches classes to published and pre-published authors and illustrators. Several of Bonnie’s books are listed above, and you can find more of her work on her site.
Key themes: art, children’s book, fiction, food, history, nature, nonfiction, politics, relationships, and religion.
Badner, Lisa
Lisa Badner is a poet and writer. Her work has appeared in online and print publications including PANK, Mudlark, The Satirst, New World Writing, #TheSideshow, and the New Ohio Review. Her poem, “This is Not an Obituary” received a pushcart Special Mention.
Key themes: poetry and relationships.
Bartz, Andrea
The Spare Room, We Were Never Here, The Herd, The Lost Night
Andrea Bartz is a New York Times bestselling author and journalist whose work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, Marie Claire, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, USA Today, Elle, and many other outlets. Her third novel, We Were Never Here, was a Reese’s Book Club pick and is in development at Netflix.
Key themes: thriller, relationships, and romance.
Beale, Christian
Christian Beale is a musician and author. Halos to Heaven is a collection of Christian’s writing and 35mm photographs that were taken over a six-year period while touring with the bands This Is Hell, Blistered, Extinction A.D., Cro-Mags, Will to Die, and Iron Chic.
Key themes: art, music, nonfiction, and relationships.
Bellamy, Lisa
Lisa Bellamy is a poet and author of the chapbook Nectar, which won The Aurorean chapbook prize. Her poems and prose have appeared in several publications, including Triquarterly, Massachusetts Review, and New Ohio Review. She has received a Pushcart Prize Special Mention, the Fugue Poetry Prize, and honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror.
Key themes: poetry and relationships.
Bernstein, Richard
The Coming Conflict with China, China 1945: Mao's Revolution and America's Fateful Choice, Dictatorship Of Virtue: Multiculturalism and the Battle for America's Future, The East, the West, and Sex: A History, From the Center of the Earth: The Search for the Truth about China, Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French, A Girl Named Faithful Plum: The True Story of a Dancer from China and How She Achieved Her Dream, Only in America: Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer (releases October 8, 2024), Out of the Blue: The Story of September 11, 2001, from Jihad to Ground Zero, Ultimate Journey: Retracing the Path of an Ancient Buddhist Monk Who Crossed Asia in Search of Enlightenment
Richard Bernstein is a renowned journalist, culture writer, and author of 10 books. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Vox. He was a book critic at The New York Times and a foreign correspondent for both Time magazine and The New York Times in Europe and Asia. Two of his books were named "Notable Books of the Year" by The New York Times. Read Richard’s Park Slope Times interview.
Key themes: culture, history, nonfiction, politics, sex, and travel.
Blauner, Peter
Casino Moon, The Intruder, The Last Good Day, Man of the Hour, Picture in the Sand, Proving Ground, Slipping Into Darkness, Slow Motion Riot, Sunrise Highway
Peter Blauner is a journalist, television producer, and author of nine books. His novel Slow Motion Riot received the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America and was named an International Book of the Year by The Times Literary Supplement. He also wrote for New York magazine, covering crime, politics, and culture. Peter was the sole author of a full-length issue of the magazine titled "The Voices of New York."
Key themes: fiction, history, mystery, nonfiction, and thriller.
Bray, Libba
Before The Devil Breaks You, Dear Willie Rudd, The Diviners, Beauty Queens, A Great and Terrible Beauty, Going Bovine, Liar of Dreams, The King of Crows, Liar of Dreams, Miss Tizzy, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing, Sweet Sixteen #3: Kari, Under the Same Stars (releases February 11, 2025), Vacation from Hell
Libba Bray is a New York Times bestselling author of young adult novels. She’s the recipient of numerous literary awards, including the Michael L. Printz Award New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age, Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year, and L.A. Times Book Prize finalist.
Key themes: comedy, fantasy, fiction, history, horror, identity, and relationships.
Brody, Jane
Jane Brody's Allergy Fighter, Jane Brody's Cold and Flu Fighter, Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet, Jane Brody's Good Seafood Book, Jane Brody's Guide to the Great Beyond: A Practical Primer for Preparing for the End of Life, Jane Brody's Nutrition Book, Jane Brody's Good Food Book, The New York Times Book of Health: How to Feel Fitter, Eat Better, and Live Longer, The New York Times Book of Women's Health : The Latest on Feeling Fit, Eating Right, and Staying Well, The New York Times Guide to Alternative Health, You Can Fight Cancer and Win,
Jane Brody is a bestselling author, and she was the Personal Health columnist for The New York Times from 1976 to 2022. She won a Penney-Missouri Award for Consumer Writing for her column. Jane’s widely read and quoted column, which was syndicated nationwide, earned her the title of “High Priestess of Health” from Time magazine. Several of Jane’s books are listed above, and you can find more of her work here.
Key themes: cookbook, health, nonfiction, and science.
Burandt, Jeffrey
Ghost Planet, Gonad the Ballbarian, Iterations of the Apocalypse, Odd Schnozz and the Odd Squad, Rainbow Boy
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: fantasy, fiction, graphic novel, relationships, science fiction, and thriller.
C
Caballero, Ana María
Mammal: Sacrifice Is Not a Virtue, A Petit Mal, Tryst, mid-life, The Wish, Entre domingo y domingo, Reverse Commute
Ana María Caballero is a first-generation Colombian-American poet and artist. She’s received numerous literary awards and is the first living poet to sell a poem to Sotheby’s.
Key themes: parenthood, poetry, and relationships.
Champion, Lindsay
Lindsay Champion is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in McSweeney’s, PureWow, Taste of Home, Well + Good, and Insider. Her first YA novel Someday, Somewhere was published in 2018.
Key themes: fiction, mental health, relationships, and romance.
Crews, Nina
Below, Extraordinary Magic: The Storytelling Life of Virginia Hamilton, A Girl Like Me (illustrator), I'm Not Small, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Neighborhood Sing-Along, The Neighborhood Mother Goose, Not Done Yet: Shirley Chisholm's Fight for Change (illustrator), One Hot Summer Day, Seeing into Tomorrow: Haiku by Richard Wright (illustrator),
Nina Crews is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. She won the 2023 New York State Library Association's Empire State Award, and her work has also been recognized by the ALA Notable Committee, the Black Caucus of the ALA, The Horn Book, Junior Library Guild, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, and others. Many of her signature illustrations are inspired by the textures, architecture, and nature of Park Slope. Read Nina’s Park Slope Times interview.
Key themes: children’s book, culture, fiction, history, identity, music, nature, nonfiction, poetry, and science.
D
DeGloma, Thomas
Anonymous: The Performance of Hidden Identities, Seeing the Light: The Social Logic of Personal Discovery
Thomas DeGloma is an author and associate professor of sociology at Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Key themes: nonfiction, science, and identity.
E
Eban, Katherine
Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom, Dangerous Doses: a True Story of Cops, Counterfeiters and the Contamination of America’s Drug Supply
Katherine Eban is an award-winning investigative journalist, New York Times bestselling author, Vanity Fair special correspondent, and Andrew Carnegie fellow. Her Vanity Fair article “Rorschach and Awe,” which first identified the architects of the CIA’s torture methods used on 9/11 detainees, inspired the 2019 film “The Report.” Her work has won numerous awards, including: Best Book of the Year: New York Public Library; the National Association of Science Writers science in society book award; the Overseas Press Club of America’s Cornelius Ryan award for best non-fiction book on international affairs; Investigative Reporters & Editors best book; and the American Society of Journalists and Authors general non-fiction book award.
Key themes: health, nonfiction, and science.
Elkins, Kimberly
Kimberly Elkins is a writer, screenwriter, and author. Her work has appeared in various publications, including The Atlantic, The New York Times, Best New American Voices, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and Glamour. She’s had three plays produced in New York and won a New York Moth Slam.
Key themes: fiction and history.
F
Fabré, Cin
Wolf Hustle: A Black Woman on Wall Street
Cin Fabré is an author and producer. She worked at brokerage firm VTR Capital—an offshoot of Stratton Oakmont, the company where the Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, had reigned—and eventually became a high-earning broker at a top firm. In 2023, Apple won the rights to adapt Cin’s memoir, Wolf Hustle, as a feature.
Key themes: finance, memoir, nonfiction, and race.
Federman, Mark
Russ & Daughters: Reflections and Recipes from the House That Herring Built
Mark Russ Federman, grandson of founder Joel Russ, owned Russ & Daughters from 1978, when he took over ownership from his parents, to 2009, when he turned it over to the fourth generation, his daughter and nephew. He tells the story of an immigrant family’s journey from a pushcart in 1907 to the NYC institution it is today.
Key themes: food, history, memoir, and travel.
Foer, Jonathan Safran
Eating Animals, Everything Is Illuminated, Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close, Here I Am, Tree of Codes, We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast,
Jonathan Safran Foer is a New York Times bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction. His books have won numerous awards, including the National Jewish Book Award and a Guardian First Book Award. His novels Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close have been adapted into films.
Key themes: fiction, food, history, nonfiction, relationships, and science.
Fox, Paula
Borrowed Finery, The Coldest Winter: A Stringer in Liberated Europe, Desperate Characters, The God of Nightmares, A Likely Place, Maurice's Room, A Place Apart, Poor George, A Portrait of Ivan, Monkey Island, The Moonlight Man, News from the World: Stories and Essays, One-Eyed Cat, A Servant's Tale, The Slave Dancer, The Stone-Faced Boy, The Western Coast, Western Wind, The Widow's Children, The Village by the Sea
Paula Fox (1923-2017) was an author of novels for adults and children, and she wrote two memoirs. Her work has received many awards, including the Newbery Medal, Hans Christian Andersen Medal, and Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis. Several of Paula’s books are listed above, and you can find more of her work here.
Key themes: animals, children’s book, fiction, history, memoir, relationships, and travel.
Frux, Gregory
Brooklyn Plein Air: Art of Gregory Frux, Climbing Death Valley Peaks, Three Artists In the Andes: The Ghosts of Licancabur - A True Story, Utah Sketch Journal: On the Way to Unnamed Places
Gregory Frux is an author and adventure artist who is known for his paintings of both urban and wilderness subjects. He has climbed the eleven highest peaks in Death Valley over a thirteen year period, and his newest book, Climbing Death Valley Peaks, describes how to safely travel in Death Valley's remote and dangerous environments.
Key themes: art, nonfiction, and travel.
G
George, Michael
Michael George is a photographer and writer. His work has been published by National Geographic, The New York Times, Teen Vogue, and others.
Key themes: animals and children’s book.
Gigante-Brown, Catherine
Brooklyn Roses, The Bells of Brooklyn, Cry of Silence, The El, Paul and Carol Go to Guatemala, Better than Sisters, Different Drummer,
Catherine Gigante-Brown is a writer of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Her works have appeared in a variety of publications including Ravishly, Industry, Essence, and Time Out New York, as well as in fiction anthologies. A freelance writer of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and other media, Catherine’s works have appeared in a variety of publications. Her essay “Autumn of 9/11” was awarded first prize in The Brooklyn Public Library’s “My Brooklyn” contest.
Key themes: fiction, music, nonfiction, relationships, romance, and science fiction.
Guskin, Sharon
Sharon Guskin is an author writer, and producer. She has worked as a writer and producer of award-winning documentary films, including Stolen and On Meditation. She’s been a fellow at Yaddo, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Blue Mountain Center, and Ragdale, and has degrees from Yale University and the Columbia University School of the Arts.
Key themes: mental health, mystery, and relationships.
H
Hamill, Pete
The Christmas Kid And Other Brooklyn Stories, The Deadly Piece, Diego Rivera, Dirty Laundry, A Drinking Life, Downtown: My Manhattan, Flesh and Blood, Forever, The Gift, The Guns of Heaven, A Killing for Christ, Loving Women, Snow in August, The Subway Series Reader: Mets - Yankees 2000, North River, Tabloid City, They Are Us: A Plea for Common Sense about Immigration, Tokyo Sketches: Short Stories, Why Sinatra Matters
Pete Hamill (1935-2020) was a celebrated journalist, novelist, essayist, and editor. He was a columnist for the New York Post, New York Daily News, New York Newsday, Village Voice, New York magazine, and Esquire, and he served as editor-in-chief of the Post and the Daily News. During his career as a New York City journalist, he was described as "the author of columns that sought to capture the particular flavors of New York City's politics and sports and the particular pathos of its crime." Pete received numerous awards throughout his career, including the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award, Louis Auchincloss Prize, and George Polk Career Award. He also appeared on several television and film projects. Pete was born in Park Slope, and a stretch of Seventh Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street is named "Pete Hamill Way." Several of Pete’s books are listed above, and you can find more of his work here.
Key themes: culture, fiction, memoir, nonfiction, politics, relationships, sports, thriller, and travel.
Hanlon, Abby
Chester van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme (illustrator), Dory Fantasmagory, Dory Fantasmagory: Can't Live Without You, Dory Fantasmagory: Dory Dory Black Sheep, Dory Fantasmagory: Head in the Clouds, Dory Fantasmagory: The Real True Friend, Dory Fantasmagory: Tiny Tough, Ralph Tells a Story
Abby Hanlon is an author, illustrator, and former teacher in the New York City public school system. Her work has received several awards, including: a 2015 Cybil award; Best Book of the Year by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Parent's Magazine; a Golden Kite Honor for Fiction; and an American Library Association Notable Book. Her books have been translated in 24 languages.
Key themes: children's book, fantasy, fiction, and relationships.
Harris, Lizzie
Lizzie Harris is a poet whose writing has appeared in many publications, including The New Yorker, VICE, Cordite Review, PANK, The Offing, Painted Bride Quarterly, and DIAGRAM. Her debut collection, Stop Wanting, came out in 2014, and she’s currently writing her second collection about the tension between capitalism and motherhood, intimacy and virtual existence. Read Lizzie’s Park Slope Times interview.
Key themes: mental health, parenthood, poetry, and relationships.
Harris, Zakiya
Zakiya Harris is a writer and New York Times bestselling author. Her debut novel The Other Black Girl was adapted into a Hulu Original Series. Zakiya’s other writing can be found in Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Guernica, the Rumpus, and the New York Times.
Key themes: race and relationships.
Harrison, Colin
Afterburn, Bodies Electric, Break and Enter, The Finder, Grange Villa Football Club: The History, The Havana Room, Manhattan Nocturne, Risk, You Belong to Me
Colin Harrison is Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at Scribner and a novelist whose books have been selected as Notable Books by The New York Times Book Review. His 1993 novel Bodies Electric has scenes in Park Slope and Sunset Park. Colin’s book Manhattan Nocturne was adapted into a film titled Manhattan Night.
Key themes: fiction, history, mystery, relationships, sex, sports, and thriller.
Harrison, Kathryn
Envy, The Seal Wife, The Binding Chair, Poison, Exposure, Thicker Than Water, Enchantments: A novel of Rasputin’s Daughter and the Romanovs, The Kiss, The Mother Knot, The Road to Santiago, Saint Therese of Lisieux, Seeking Rapture, On Sunset, While They Slept
Kathryn Harrison is an author and essayist. Her novel Enchantments: A Novel of Rasputin's Daughter and the Romanovs was a New York Times Notable Book. Her essays have appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Vogue, O Magazine, and Salon. She reviews regularly for The New York Times Book Review.
Key themes: fiction, memoir, relationships, and travel.
Hedges, Jason
The Seasonal Cocktail: A Guide to Creative Cocktail Making
Jason Hedges is an author and beverage director with more than 15 years of experience developing and running New York’s finest Michelin-rated beverage programs. He is also the co-founder of Bar IQ, a full service beverage consulting firm. Read Jason’s Park Slope Times interview.
Key themes: cookbook and food.
Hodgman, John
Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: identity and memoir.
Hoffman, Maggie
Batch Cocktails, The One-Bottle Cocktail
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: cookbook and food.
Holmes, Kathryn
David Dixon's Day as a Dachshund, The Distance Between Lost and Found, How It Feels to Fly, Madison Morris Is NOT a Mouse!, Mia Madison, CEO, The Pop-Up Shop Predicament (releases October 15, 2024, Tally Tuttle Turns into a Turtle, The Thirteenth Circle
Kathryn Holmes is an author of middle-grade and young adult novels. Her debut middle-grade novel The Thirteenth Circle is a STEM-focused sci-fi mystery novel. She also works as a freelance dance journalist, and her freelance writing has appeared in several publications, including Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, Pointe, and Dance Teacher.
Key themes: children's book, fiction, mystery, nature, relationships, science, and science fiction.
Hustvedt, Siri
The Blazing World, The Blindfold, Embodied Visions: What Does it Mean to Look at a Work of Art?, The Enchantment of Lily Dahl, Living, Thinking, Looking, Memories of the Future, Mothers, Fathers and Others, Mysteries of the Rectangle, A Plea for Eros, Reading to You, The Shaking Woman or A History of My Nerves, The Sorrows of an American, The Summer Without Men, What I Loved, A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women: Essays on Art, Sex, and the Mind
Siri Hustvedt is a bestselling novelist and essayist. She’s released a book of poetry, four collections of essays, and several works of fiction and non-fiction. She’s received numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Book Prize for fiction, Kirkus Prize (finalist), Princess of Asturias award for literature, and the Prix des libraires du Quebec. In 2012, she was awarded the International Gabarron Prize for Thought and Humanities. She has a PhD in English from Columbia University and is a lecturer in psychiatry at Weil Cornell Medical College in New York. Her work has been translated into over 30 languages.
Key themes: art, fiction, health, mental health, nonfiction, parenthood, poetry, relationships, romance, sex, and science.
I
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K
Kahaney, Amelia
All the Best Liars, The Brokenhearted, The Invisible
Amelia Kahaney is a novelist and writer. Her short fiction has appeared in Best American Nonrequired Reading, One Story, and Crazyhorse, among other publications.
Key themes: fantasy, fiction, relationships, romance, science fiction, and thriller.
Kantor, Jodi
Chasing the Truth: A Young Journalist's Guide to Investigative Reporting: She Said Young Readers Edition, The Obamas, She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement,
Jodi Kantor is a bestselling author and prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times. In October 2017, Jodi and Megan Twohey (co-author of She Said) broke the story of decades of sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Their work helped ignite the #MeToo movement. Together with a team of colleagues, they were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for public service, journalism’s highest award. She also received/shared numerous other honors, including a George Polk award and being named to Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people of the year.
Key themes: culture, nonfiction, politics, and writing.
Kennedy, Randy
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: fiction, mystery, and thriller.
Kennedy, Janet Krone
The Good Sleeper: The Essential Guide to Sleep for Your Baby - and You
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: nonfiction and parenthood.
Krass, PJ
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: history and poetry.
Krauss, Nicole
Forest Dark, Great House, The History of Love, Man Walks into a Room, To Be a Man
Nicole Krauss is an international bestselling novelist. She has received several awards for her work, including the Saroyan Prize for International Literature, France’s Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, Los Angeles Times Book of the Year (finalist), Wingate Literary Prize, and Sami Rohr Inspiration Award for career achievement. Her fiction has been published in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, Esquire, and The Best American Short Stories, and her books have been translated into 37 languages.
Key themes: history, identity, relationships, and science fiction.
L
Lahiri, Jhumpa
The Clothing of Books, Hell-Heaven, In Other Words, Interpreter Of Maladies, The Lowland, The Namesake, Only Goodness: Family Snapshots, Roman Stories, Translating Myself and Others, Unaccustomed Earth, Whereabouts
Jhumpa Lahiri is a Pulitzer Prize winning author, essayist, and translator. She’s also the Millicent C. McIntosh Professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program at Barnard College. She writes in both English and Italian and has translated three novels by Domenico Starnone into English.
Key themes: culture, fiction, memoir, and relationships.
Leahy, Krista J. H.
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: poetry.
LeBow, Cindy
The Secret Tales of Mrs. Chubbly
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: animals, fantasy, and relationships.
Lesko, Bethany
Captain Tinycat's Brooklyn Adventure (illustrator)
Bethany Lesko is a designer, artist, and illustrator. Her first illustrated book, Captain Tinycat's Brooklyn Adventure, was released in 2024.
Key themes: animals, children’s book, and relationships.
Lobel, Arnold
The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose, Days with Frog and Toad, Dudley Pippin (illustrator) Fables, Frog and Toad Are Friends, Frog and Toad: A Little Book of Big Thoughts, Frog and Toad All Year, Frog and Toad Together, Grasshopper on the Road, A Holiday for Mister Muster, Mouse Soup, Mouse Tales, Owl at Home, The Random House Book of Poetry for Children (illustrator), Small Pig, Uncle Elephant
Arnold Lobel (1933-1987) was an author of children's books, including the acclaimed Frog and Toad series and Mouse Soup. He wrote and illustrated these picture books as well as Fables, a 1981 Caldecott Medal winner for best-illustrated U.S. picture book. His second book, A Holiday for Mister Muster, was inspired by the Prospect Park Zoo. Arnold also illustrated many books for other authors, including Phil Ressner, fellow Park Slope resident and author. Several of his books are listed above, and you can find more of his work here.
Key themes: animals, children's book, fiction, identity, poetry, and relationships.
Lyons, Amanda
Amanda Lyons is an author, artist, workshop designer, and facilitator. Through her art, she explores themes of change, end of life, diversity, complexity, and horses. Heartrooted is Amanda’s debut collection, and she’s currently writing her second collection.
Key themes: art, identity, parenthood, poetry, and relationships.
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Maazel, Fiona
Last Last Chance, A Little More Human, Woke Up Lonely
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: mystery and relationships.
McCreight, Kimberly
The Collide, Friends Like These, A Good Marriage, Like Mother, Like Daughter (releases July 30, 2024), The Outliers, Reconstructing Amelia, The Scattering, Where They Found Her
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: fiction, identity, mystery, parenthood, relationships, and thriller.
Mills, Tyler
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: art, identity, memoir, nonfiction, and relationships.
Moore, Faith
Christmas Karol, Saving Cinderella: What Feminists Get Wrong About Disney Princesses and How to Set It Right
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: culture, fiction, and relationships.
Morgan, Janet
Coney Island Awakes: A Phoenix Arises, Quintessence: Three Visions, Three Artists In the Andes: The Ghosts of Licancabur - A True Story (illustrator), Welcome to Death Valley! A Guided Tour Through California's Death Valley National Park, What Art Can Do: A Conversation with Janet Morgan (illustrator)
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: art, nature, nonfiction, and travel.
Myers, Adele
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: fiction, history, and relationships.
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Napolitano, Ann
A Good Hard Look, Hello Beautiful, Dear Edward, Within Arm's Reach,
Ann Napolitano is a New York Times bestselling author. Her most recent novel, Hello Beautiful, was the 100th Oprah Book Club pick. Her novel Dear Edward is now an Apple TV+ series. She was the associate editor of the literary magazine One Story, and she has taught fiction writing at Brooklyn College’s MFA program, New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, and Gotham Writers Workshop.
Key themes: fiction, parenthood, and relationships.
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O’Brien, Dan
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: animals and children’s book.
Oh, Susie
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: children's book, identity, and parenthood.
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Q
Qualls, Sean
Baby Be (illustrator), Before John was a Jazz Giant (illustrator), Emmanuel's Dream (illustrator), Frances in the Country (illustrator), Giant Steps to Change the World (illustrator), How We Are Smart (illustrator), The Idea of You (illustrator), Little Cloud and Lady Wind (illustrator), Lullaby (For a Black Mother) (illustrator), The Poet Slave of Cuba (illustrator), Powerful Words (illustrator)
Sean Qualls is a Coretta Scott King Honor Award–winning illustrator and artist whose fine art focuses on race and identity and the intersection of history and mythology. His work is a mixed media combination of painting, drawing, and collage. He has illustrated many books, which went on to receive awards, including a Schneider Award, BCCB Blue Ribbon Book, and an ALA Notable Book. Several of the books Sean has illustrated are listed above, and you can find more of his work on his site.
Key themes: children's book, culture, identity, music, parenthood, and poetry.
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Reed, Kim
Workhorse: My Sublime and Absurd Years in New York City's Restaurant Scene
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: culture, food, memoir, and relationships.
Ressner, Phil
August Explains, At Night, Dudley Pippin, Dudley Pippin’s Summer, Jerome, The Park in the City
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: art, children's book, and fiction.
Rubin, Lance
Crying Laughing, Monsters Club: Monsters Take Manhattan
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: children's book, comedy, fiction, and relationships.
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Schwartz, Barbara
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: poetry.
Shearn, Amy
Animal Instinct (releases March 8, 2025), Dear Edna Sloane, How Far Is the Ocean from Here, Mermaid of Brooklyn, Unseen City
Amy Shearn is an author and writer whose work has been published by the New York Times Modern Love column, Slate, Poets & Writers, Literary Hub, Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, O: The Oprah Magazine, and Coastal Living. She has received several awards, including the Independent Publisher Book Awards’ Gold Medal in Literary Fiction and a Promise Award from the Sustainable Arts Foundation. Her novel Mermaid of Brooklyn is set in Park Slope.
Key themes: fantasy, parenthood, romance, and relationships.
Siana, Jolene
Go Ask Ogre: Letters from a Deathrock Cutter
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: memoir, mental health, and relationships.
Silverman, Laura
Girl Out of Water, You Asked for Perfect, Recommended for You, Those Summer Nights, Up All Night
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: culture, romance, and relationships.
Singer, Allison
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: children's book, nonfiction, and politics.
Sohn, Amy
The Actress, Brooklyn Bailey, the Missing Dog, CBD!, The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship & Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age, Motherland, My Old Man, Prospect Park West, Run Catch Kiss
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: children's book, fiction, pets, and relationships.
Solfrian, Joanna
The Mud Room, The Second Perfect Number, Temporary Beast, Visible Heavens
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: identity, loss/grief, poetry, and relationships.
Solomon, Anna
The Book of V, Leaving Lucy Pear, The Little Bride
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: relationships and sex.
Stanberry, Lindsey
Lindsey Stanberry is a writer, editor, content strategist, and the founder of The Purse, a newsletter about women and money. She was the founding editor of Refinery29’s Money Diaries, the breakout series that explores women’s personal finance. She was also an executive editor at Fortune, deputy managing editor at CNBC Make It, and served as the editorial lead on CNBC Select. Her writing has been published by Fortune, Yahoo, Refinery29, and others. Read Lindsey’s Park Slope Times interview.
Key themes: finance and nonfiction.
Stein, Triss
Brooklyn Bones, Brooklyn Graves, Brooklyn Legacies, Brooklyn Secrets, Brooklyn Wars
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: fiction, mystery, and relationships.
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Tyre, Peg
The Good School, In The Midnight Hour, Strangers in the Night, The Trouble with Boys
Peg Tyre is an author and award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, The New York Times, Politico, Smithsonian, Forbes, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Scientific American, and others. She was a senior writer at Newsweek, specializing in social trends and education. Peg has won numerous awards, including a Pulitzer Prize, a Clarion Award, and a National Education Writers Association Award. Now, Peg helps run the EGF Accelerator, the country's premier incubator for education-related nonprofits.
Key themes: fiction, identity, mystery, nonfiction, parenthood, romance, and relationships.
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Vizzini, Ned
Be More Chill, It's Kind of a Funny Story, The Other Normals, Teen Angst? Naaah...
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: graphic novel, identity, mental health, and relationships.
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Walker, Melissa
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Let's Pretend We Never Met, Lovestruck Summer, Small Town Sinners, Unbreak My Heart, Violet by Design, Violet in Private, Violet on the Runway, Why Can't I Be You
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: fiction, identity, relationships, and romance.
Welsh, Ronna
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: cookbook.
Willems, Mo
Are You Big?, Are You Small?, Be the Bus: The Lost & Profound Wisdom of The Pigeon, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Don't Let the Pigeon Finish This Activity Book!, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!, Duckling Gets a Cookie!?, Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct, The FRUSTRATING Book!, I Am Invited to a Party!, I Love My New Toy!, I Will Take A Nap!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, Listen to My Trumpet!, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, Nanette's Baguette, The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!, The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!, Pigeon Needs a Bath!, Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!, The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!, The Story of Diva and Flea, Today I Will Fly!, Watch Me Throw the Ball!
Mo Willems is a New York Times bestselling author, illustrator, animator, voice actor, and playwright. His work includes creating the animated television series Sheep in the Big City for Cartoon Network, working on Sesame Street and The Off-Beats, and creating the children's book series Elephant and Piggie. His work has received numerous awards, including six Emmy Awards, the three Caldecott Honors, two Theodor Geisel Medal, and five Geisel Honor. Mo’s book Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale is set and photographed in Park Slope. In 2019, a permanent 18-inch bronze statue of Knuffle Bunny was unveiled in the garden of the Park Slope Library. Several of Mo’s books are listed above, and you can find more of his work on his site.
Key themes: animals, children's book, culture, nature, and relationships.
Wing, Avra
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: identity, loss/grief, and relationships.
Winter, Molly
More: A Memoir of Open Marriage
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: memoir and relationships.
Woodson, Jaqueline
Another Brooklyn, After Tupac and D Foster, Before the Ever After, Brown Girl Dreaming, The Day You Begin, Harbor Me, Hush, Locomotion, Red at the Bone, Remember Us, Show Way, The Year We Learned to Fly,
Jacqueline Woodson is the bestselling author of more than two dozen award-winning books. She’s a four-time National Book Award finalist, a four-time Newbery Honor winner, a two-time NAACP Image Award Winner, and a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. Her New York Times–bestselling memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming, received the National Book Award in 2014. Woodson is also the 2018–2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and the recipient of the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the 2018 Children’s Literature Legacy Award. In 2015, she was named the Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. Several of Jaqueline’s books are listed above, and you can find more of her work on her site.
Key themes: children's book, culture, fiction, health, memoir, music, race, relationships, and sports.
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Yabuki, Akiko
ishi - simple tips from a solid friend
Bio coming soon!
Key themes: art, children's book, and relationships.
Z
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Books Set In or Nearby Park Slope
Alexiou, Joseph
Gowanus: Brooklyn's Curious Canal
Key themes: culture, history, nature, nonfiction, and politics.
Burns, Martha
Key themes: history and relationships.
Graham, Carol
Key themes: mystery and relationships.
Konen, Leah
Key themes: fiction, mystery, and thriller.
Mittelbach, Margaret
Wild New York: A Guide to the Wildlife, Wild Places and Natural Phenomena of New York City
Key themes: animals and nature.
Williams, Tia
Key themes: relationships and romance.
Comment to add authors/illustrators and modify those that are already on the shelves.
Thank you to everyone who helped get the Park Slope Authors and Illustrators Library to this point!
(Top photo by Clay Banks. Second photo by Nattipat Vesvarute.)
Do you shop at Mr. Lime on 7th Ave? Here’s a fun story about the Mr. Fruit shops.
Everything we know so far about the sale of The Bell House to Live Nation.
07/27 Free Head and Neck Cancer Screenings by New York Presbyterian, 11AM-2PM 📍Open Streets, 5th Ave & Garfield
07/27 Outdoor Art Making, 11AM-3PM📍Open Streets, Private Picassos Studio
07/27 Weekend Art: Saturday Sketch Club, 1PM-4PM 📍Brooklyn Museum
07/27 Read w/a Therapy Dog, 2PM-3PM 📍Central Library
07/27 Adulting is Hard: Graphic Novel Book Club, 3PM 📍Park Slope Library
07/27 Pasta Louise Annual Anniversary Scavenger Hunt, 4PM 📍Pasta Louise
07/27 Lakeside Roller Dance Night FT Roller Wave, 6PM-10PM 📍LeFrak Center
07/27 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Watchhouse | Humbird, 6:30PM 📍Lena Horne Bandshell
07/28 Brooklyn Pop-Up Market, 10:30AM-5:30PM 📍Brooklyn Museum
07/28 Smorgasburg, 11AM 📍Prospect Park Breeze Hill
07/28 DJ on the Porch: Songs of Resistance and Joy, 2PM 📍Lefferts Historic House
07/28 Summer Jazz: Patsy Grant, 2PM-4PM 📍Brooklyn Museum
07/29 ONSIGHT w/Sam Jay and Keith Johnson, 7:30PM 📍The Bell House
07/30 Jack and Friends Summer Concert Series: Rolie Polie Guacamole, 4PM 📍Park Slope Library Garden
07/30 NYC’s “Rat Academy” for Gardeners, 6PM 📍Brooklyn Botanic Garden
07/30 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Thee Sacred Souls | LA LOM, 6PM 📍Lena Horne Bandshell
07/30 Screening: Carmen Christopher: Live from The Windy City, 7:30PM 📍The Bell House
07/31 Death Cafe, 6:15PM-7:45PM 📍Green-Wood Cemetery
07/31 Craft-a-Long, 6:30PM 📍Old Stone House
07/31 Reschedule Date: Paramount + Movie Nights: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, 6:30PM 📍Prospect Park, Long Meadow
07/31 Punkie Johnson, 7:30PM 📍Union Hall
07/31 The Moth StorySLAM, 8PM 📍The Bell House
08/01 Brooklyn Conservatory’s Midsummer Nights Free Concert, 6:30PM📍BKCM’s Front Stoop
08/01 Scent Tours: Hiroshige’s Seasons, 6:30PM-8PM 📍Brooklyn Museum
08/01 Prospect Park Yoga with Brooklyn Flow, 7PM 📍North Long Meadow
08/01 The Mary Show, 7:30PM 📍Union Hall
08/01 Dance Heginbotham’s You Look Like a Fun Guy, 7:45PM 📍Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Thank you so much for checking out the library! I hope it’s a valuable resource. Have a great weekend!
Kelley xo
Hi - Just discovered this, what a great idea! I'm a Park Slope author/illustrator! My name's Ryan Dunlavey and I'm mostly a comic book artist, I've lived here since 1995. There's several prominent comic book authors living in the Slope - Chris Claremont, Jamal Igle and Adrian Tomine just to name a few. Please reach out if you'd like help. Thanks again!
Ultimate list! Can’t wait to read so many of these.