This year’s Brooklyn Book Festival — its 20th anniversary — was an invigorating reminder of how literature connects people across geographies, languages, and communities. Spread across Brooklyn Borough Hall, Borough Hall steps, and nearby venues, the festival combined lively panels, bustling book stalls, and opportunities for writers and readers to meet face-to-face.

At Brooklyn Law School, Cory Doctorow delivered a sharp talk around Enshittification, dissecting how digital platforms decline and what strategies readers, writers, and citizens can adopt in response. Elsewhere, Kimm Topping’s session on Generation Queer resonated strongly, blending advocacy with storytelling to highlight the vitality of youth voices.

The marketplace was equally rich. Independent publishers openly welcomed translated manuscripts from other regions, underscoring a growing appetite for global perspectives. I was especially glad to see Ho Sok Fong’s Lake Like a Mirror (Mahua literature) available in translation by a Berlin-based writer, a reminder of Southeast Asia’s resonance abroad.

The festival also foregrounded the politics of books, from the ALA’s display of the “most challenged books of 2024” to PEN America’s unapologetic “I Read Banned Books” campaign. Brooklyn Book Festival 2025 was more than a showcase of books — it was a living dialogue on what stories matter, how they travel, and how communities keep them alive.

– Kenneth Wong

Beautiful Building in the centre of Brooklyn!
This is a landmark building in Brooklyn very nice & really worth seeing.

– Paul Vivas

We came here on our tour with NY Adventure Club (true hidden gem for NYC tours!!!) built 1848 for the purpose of city hall of Brooklyn. Then in 1898 with consolidation it became Borough Hall. The coupla burned and when it was rebuilt they made sure it was TALLER than the NYC hall copula! Lol Today the Borough Hall has no real power they are elected but they are more like celebrities (like the queen of England but less rich & they do need to be elected) ***1898 consolidation the new mayor of NYC Van Wyck (yes! expressway is named after him) he was hand picked by corrupt Tammany Hall democratic machine!!! Before consolidation Seth Low (from the pierrepont family – the family that was so RICH the owned half of the land in this area and they are the founders of YALE university!!!) – but don't worry 1898 consolidation did benefit Seth Low – he eventually became Mayor of NYC!!! Are they all connected at the top!!!!????!!!! I mean seriously?!?!?! **Another fun fact Van Wyck & Charles Morse tried take over the ICE industry & create a Monopoly….

– Natalia Spinelli