215 Festival

Fri.-Sun., Oct. 2-4, various times, locations and prices, sites.google.com/site/215festival.

by Lauren Seibert

[ festival ]

The day librarians transform into DJs is a day you don't want to miss. At this year's 215 Festival, an annual event that celebrates the written and spoken word, the Bibliodiscotheque dance party will feature just that — Dewey Decimal-lovin' DJs spinning for Books Through Bars, a nonprofit that sends reading materials to prisoners. Other offbeat events include a brunch with local food bloggers such as Jessica Ward from Fries With That Shake (and City Paper's own Meal Ticket editor Drew Lazor) and book-centric film screenings at the Latvian Society. "In the past, the main audience that's attended has been, as I would complimentarily describe them, nerds," says co-coordinator Nikki Karam. "People interested in literature off the beaten path. Kinda-bookish types." But this year Karam aimed to broaden the fest's scope. Case in point: Saturday night at Tritone, you can hear several beloved books — including Where the Wild Things Are — being turned into song by musical book clubs, which are groups of avid readers, songwriters and bands who write tunes based on their favorite literature. With such a hodgepodge of artists in one room together, the gatherings are unpredictable. "So many weird things happen in a book club," says Susan Hwang, founder of the Bushwick Book Club. "You just never know what's going to happen."

Fri.-Sun., Oct. 2-4, various times, locations and prices, sites.google.com/site/215festival.