A Writerly Nook of Brooklyn

By Alison Bowen
Published New York Times: January 10, 2010

Books have been born all over Brooklyn’s Fort Greene. Richard Wright labored over “Native Son” here while sitting on a hill in Fort Greene Park; a bench there now bears his name. He lived nearby, as did Marianne Moore, and several contemporary writers have roots in the neighborhood, including Colson Whitehead, Jhumpa Lahiri and Nelson George.
For a tour of this literary hub (or to take the free workshops the New York Writers Coalition holds here to help people find their inner author), hop the subway to DeKalb Avenue or a nearby station. Bring pen and paper, in case the muse strikes.

NOON
If you emerge from the DeKalb subway stop, stroll toward Fort Greene Park, where the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument,(pic left), a memorial to Revolutionary War dead, stretches into the sky.

Head toward the Walt Whitman branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, 93 St. Edwards Street, (718) 935-0244. In the early 1900s, the building was a resource for the families of workers at the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard, at the time even having a special children’s entrance. The library offers a modest selection of books on the borough — check out Allen Abel’s 1995 “Flatbush Odyssey: A Journey Through the Heart of Brooklyn” — and plenty of thrillers by Dean Koontz and Mary Higgins Clark. Swing by for a book discussion, and be sure to ask a librarian for a good local reading spot. A favorite is Two Steps Down, a restaurant at 240 DeKalb Avenue, (718) 399-2020.

1 P.M.
Make your way to Farmer in the Deli, 357 Myrtle Avenue, (718) 875-9067, a crammed corner store that draws big crowds for its thick, inexpensive deli sandwiches. Khrishan Smith stood cheerfully in line for 20 minutes one recent day, even phoning a friend to join her at “Lauro’s,” the place’s old name. She recommends the tuna ($2.99) or honey-coated turkey ($3.19) on a roll. Wait for the “sandwich builders” to call you, and watch as they create from scratch.

2 P.M.
Head to the browsable Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, (718) 246-0200. The owners, Jessica Stockton Bagnulo and Rebecca Fitting, opened the spacious, bright store in October, and created a special section on pirates because of their shared love of them. “It’s our store,” Ms. Stockton Bagnulo said happily, “and we can do anything we want.” On the table of books by local authors, check out “Chronic City” by Jonathan Lethem, or pore over the striking photographs in an autographed copy of John Bartelstone’s “Brooklyn Navy Yard.” Afterward, stop by the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, 80 Hanson Place, (718) 230-0492, which sells books relating to its exhibits.
The rest of the tour at