Come hear new songs, dance new dances and eat new snacks inspired by Hugh Ryan‘s WHEN BROOKLYN WAS QUEER –– a groundbreaking exploration of the LGBT history of Brooklyn, from the early days of Walt Whitman in the 1850s up through the women who worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II, and beyond.

Author Hugh Ryan will give a reading, and 13 songwriters, performance artists and choreographers will perform new work celebrating this book and Brooklyn’s queer history.

Purchase Hugh Ryan’s When Brooklyn Was Queer (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2020, paperback) from the Bureau’s online store (click on the title).

Promo code for 15% off: 091GYWU69FUK

Regularly $17.99 / $15.29 with promo code!

Click on “redeem your code” underneath the total at checkout.

Enter the code and hit “Apply”

When Brooklyn Was Queer is also available at the Bureau’s physical store — just mention the event to the volunteer when checking out for the 15% account.

Thank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us!

PERFORMERS:

JIM ANDRALIS

PENNY ARCADE

PETER DIZOZZA

SEA GRIFFIN

SUSAN HWANG

JULIE LAMENDOLA

STEPHANIE LARIERRE

ST. LENOX

JOE MCGINTY

RISA MICKENBERG

CHARLES NIELAND

TROY OGILVIE

Safety protocol:

In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

Please bring proof of vaccination with you.

You will need to show proof of vaccination and a photo id in order to attend the event.

If you have any symptoms associated with COVID-19 in the days leading up to the event, we ask you to please stay home.

Please note that masks are required at all times inside The LGBT Community Center, where the Bureau is located.

Please arrive by 7 PM to make sure you get in–the performances begin at 7:30 PM.

We are limiting the number of audience members to 40.

First come first served!

Suggested donation $10 to benefit the performers and the Bureau.

All are welcome to attend, with or without donation.

We will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or you can donate in advance on this page.

Hugh Ryan is a writer and curator. His first book, When Brooklyn Was Queer, won a 2020 New York City Book Award, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice in 2019, and was a finalist for the Randy Shilts and Lambda Literary Awards. He was honored with the 2020 Allan Berube Prize from the American Historical Association. In 2019-2021, he worked on the Hidden Voices: LGBTQ+ Stories in U.S. History curricular materials for the NYC Department of Education.

The Bushwick Book Club is a literature-inspired performance series and podcast that invites local songwriters and artists to plumb the depths of a chosen literary gem to create that rare and beautiful thing – a new song (or visual art, dance, film or snack). All songs are then performed at a live show. The Bushwick Book Club now has several branches all over the world, including Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, New Orleans, Greenville, NC, London and Malmö, Sweden. The Bushwick Book Club podcast is available on iTunes and SoundCloud.