About Us

“We act as though comfort and luxury
were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need
to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”

Brokelyn is a webmag devoted to living the best possible life in Brooklyn regardless of one’s means. It was founded in 2009 as a post-crash survival guide by Faye Penn, a writer and editor for magazines and newspapers including The New York ObserverNew York Magazine, The New York Post, InStyle and Marie Claire, among others. Since then, Brokelyn has evolved into a general interest destination whose irreverent mix of news and humor have made it essential reading for people who live, work and go out in Brooklyn, plus other people who just want to. We also run a bar guide and publish the wildly popular Brokelyn Beer Books. Find out how to advertise on Brokelyn here.

Brokelyn’s “angel investor” was a New York City cab driver named Susan who passed away in 2008. She was a scrapper and a news junkie whose cantankerous wit enlivened the letters pages of every newspaper in town. She was also a generous person with unique ideas about friendship. Thanks, Susan. We hope they have Wi-Fi wherever you are.

Meet Team Brokelyn

Julia Moak: Publisher
Email: [email protected]

From: Planted in Queens, germinated in Manhattan, sprouted in Brooklyn
Favorite cheap Brooklyn Activity: Fish Fridays at Acme and picnicking in Transmitter Park
When not Brokelyning: Greenpointing and art stuff
Cheapest Secret, One Splurge: Secret: homegrown tomatoes. Splurge: buying Brokelyn.

_____________

 

unnamed

Alix Piorun: Events Editor
Website. Twitter. Email: [email protected]

From: Long Island, NY
Favorite cheap Brooklyn activity: Free summer concerts, and picnicking outside of the outdoor shows that aren’t free.
When not Brokelyning: I take photos of the (weird) events happening around the city, play dodgeball and bass, and ride a moped and bicycle.
Cheap secret, one splurge: ID NYC discounts, splurge on trips outside NYC so I remind myself how great this city is.

_____________

Faye Penn: Founder
Twitter
Faye Penn

From: Framingham, MA., an unrivaled mall town.
Favorite cheap Brooklyn Activity:Going to the beach at Coney Island off-season.
When not Brokelyning, I…Work as Executive Editor of InStyle.Hang out with Papa Brokelyn and our three kids.
Cheapest secret, one splurge: Lamb gyro dinner for $6 from Gyro King on Newkirk Plaza. There’s way more than one splurge, but I’m going with highlights by Borja Cau. She’s a genius.