The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion hits the Bell House Sunday

1. Check out Brooklyn Launchpad’s collection of animation from diverse sources: people who are alive and people who are dead (Friday)

2. Venom is usually deadly, or makes you mildly uncomfortable, but this is just a dance party. So actually, it could do that second one still (Friday)

3. As another animation option, you can check out Heavy Metal at Videology and pretend it’s not erotic at all, because it’s a cartoon for God’s sake (Friday) (more…)

See Jonathan Ames and ask him a bunch of questions about Jason Schwartzman

Brooklyn has helped foster an incredible literary scene, to the point where it was called a “vertically integrated factory for literature.” Providing a home and a great environment for such a wealth of talent is good for more than sticking year end “Best Of” lists on the proverbial Brooklyn fridge: it also means that something as simple as a reading can be a stacked fundraiser, like the case of Book Court’s All Day Sandy Benefit. (more…)

Brooklyn Lit League, assemble! Can you name all these BK authors?

National magazines takes on the to-do and must-see in Brooklyn are usually overly broad guides to the borough that are usually about as helpful as reading its Wikipedia page. But this brand new guide to literary Brooklyn from CondeNast Traveler is actually packed full of fun info and author tips that even wizened locals can appreciate. I mean, just look at all those local lit all stars they got for that photo! It’s like one of them Vanity Fair covers! The guide focuses on four nabes (West Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Williamsburg/GP and Park Slope) and breaks down each by its bookish bonafides: from the best bookstores and bars to “Best Place to Hear Elegant Sentences Accompanied by an Accordion” and other esoteric interests. The best part is Local’s Picks,where authors such as Jennifer Egan, Jonathan Ames and Paul Auster give input. Read a excerpts below, but catch the whole thing! (more…)

The post's author drinking with Ames. The boredom was worth it.

We’re still in mourning for Bored to Death after HBO announced it canceled the show yesterday. What better way to drown our sorrows than with a drink with the show’s creator, Jonathan Ames? Gothamist tells us Ames will be joined by BTD regular (and neighborhood fixture) John Hodgman at the Brooklyn Inn tonight around 10pm to celebrate three seasons of Brooklyn debauchery. Ames claims he’s buying a round for everyone, and we at Brokelyn have never been known to pass up a free drink. Just don’t punch Kevin Bacon in the mouth.

HBO announced today it is canceling its Brooklyn-based, Jonathan Ames-penned Bored To Death, and all I could think was, in the words of Ray, “My brain is attacking itself.” Let’s take a moment to pay homage to a show that for three seasons brought together some of finest in entertainment including Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifinakas, Ted Danson and often featured Brooklyn’s own John Hodgman. Ok, ok…so the characters these guys played and I don’t share mirrored lives, but a lot of the shenanigans rang true to a struggling Brokelynite. Amateur detective Jonathan Ames fought to master the world of freelance clients, scraping together pennies to feed his white-wine addiction and crashing swanky parties for the free booze and possible dates. And haven’t we all at one time or another taken an additional job, say teaching a writing class to disinterested night students, just to pay the bills? I loved Bored to Death not only for its fabulous talent and intricate, belly-laugh-inducing writing, but most of all because it all went down in my favorite city, in the little (huge) borough of Brooklyn. (more…)

You’ve read everything by Jennifer Egan, Colson Whitehead (you call him “Cole”) and the Jonathans, and you’re even Facebook friends with Jonathan Ames. If you secretly believe you’re the +1 in n +1, we’ve got the next read for your McCarren Park beach towel. Literary Brooklyn is Evan Hughes’ new chronicle of the borough’s bookish icons, from rapscallions like Walt Whitman (the borough’s “first literary hipster”) and Henry Miller to Jhumpa Lahiri and her contemporaries. Unlike dutiful history books that guilt you from the shelf, this one really zips along. And we have three copies to give away to randomly chosen commenters on this post. (more…)

FRIDAY

7:30pm: new ‘vol. 1′ reading series celebrates chicago (the city, not the band) with windy city representatives adam levin, jami attenberg, and molly tolsky. bonus: free goose island beer! word, free.

8pm: erland + the carnival (feat. simon tong of the verve, gorillaz, more) completely rework old brit folk + rock w. killer riffs, melodies and lyrics. rock shop, $10. (more…)