HUNTERS POINT — Queens writers, poets and booksellers will join forces for a two-day event to show off the best of the borough's literary scene, including readings from a number of local writers groups and the past and current Queens poet laureates.
The Queens NYC Lit Fest will take place at LIC Bar, at 45-58 Vernon Blvd., on Aug. 1 and 2 — and organizer Mike Geffner is hoping it will help change the way people have traditionally viewed the borough's writing scene.
"The perception was that there's really nothing very important culturally going on in Queens — I resented that," said Geffner, a Queens resident and founder of the event's organizer, The Inspired Word. "I didn't think that to be true. I think the Queens literary scene is a lot stronger than people know."
Writers groups from neighborhoods around the borough will be doing readings of their works during the festival, including the Oh Bernice! reading series, whose members will perform at 4 p.m. on Saturday, and Nature of the Muse, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday.
Maria Lisella, the newly appointed Queens Poet Laureate, will also be reading her works Sunday at 3 p.m., while Paolo Javier, who held the laureate post from 2010 to 2014, will read Saturday at the same time.
Anyone who wants to sign up to read or perform can also participate in the event's open mic, which start at 11 a.m. on both days. Space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
In addition, Astoria Bookshop will be selling its books and Poetry Teachers NYC will be offering information about its events and classes over the course of the two-day fest.
"The idea is to involve as many people as possible," Geffner said.
The event reflects how much the borough's literary scene has grown in recent years, including the opening of Astoria's only bookshop, more local venues hosting literary-themed events and the emergence of a new reading series, according to Audrey Dimola, a Queens-based writer and one of the festival's hosts.
"You're going to really be able to see the diversity," Dimola said. "It's going to be a nice cross section of what's going on."
"I'm so happy — I remember a couple of years ago, when there were only like two or three series visible, and we were so tight-knit and connected and trying to push those out there," she added. "Now so many other things are happening."
Queens NYC Lit Fest will take place Aug. 1 and 2 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at LIC Bar, located at 45-58 Vernon Blvd. in Long Island City. The event is free, though donations will be accepted.
