A Belated but Heartfelt Thank You!

Hello, all—I know it's been a spell since I updated this blog. Hoping to get back on the horse with more news and updates about Forgotten Borough, seeing as how we have more events planned throughout the spring!

A belated but warm, appreciative THANK YOU to everyone who made it out to our official launch party last month, especially our divine readers for the evening: Marcy Dermansky, Arthur Nersesian, and Susan Y. Chi, who was kind enough to fill in at the last minute. It was also great to see (and, in some cases, finally meet!) so many contributors from the book. Some wonderful faces included Jayanti Tamm, Ron Hogan, Buzz Poole, Juanita Torrence-Thompson, Marissa Walsh, and our excellent cover artist, Sheryl Yvette, aka *bitch cakes*! The best part of the event, perhaps, was seeing so many unfamiliar faces—a big thanks to all who spread the word and gave us such a big and lovely crowd!

The above photo was taken at the party by Sheryl Yvette—whose flickr should you should definitely check out if you haven't already, as she's an amazing photog. Below is the book beside the bike that appears on the cover—Sheryl's bike! The most famous bike in Queens.



More updates to come soon! Stay tuned!

—Nicole

Book Release Party TONIGHT at LIC Bar, 6pm!

Tonight's the night! Come on out to beautiful Long Island City, Queens and meet us at 6pm at LIC Bar to celebrate the release of Forgotten Borough: Writers Come to Terms with Queens!

Books will be available for sale and for signing, and we'll have fabulous readings from contributors SUSAN Y. CHI, MARCY DERMANSKY, and ARTHUR NERSESIAN.* And it's all FREE!

Click here for more info and to RSVP! Then take a trip on the 7 train and join us as we celebrate our collective Queens pride. Hope to see you there!

*Note: Contrary to the flyer, Nicole Cooley will no longer be reading at the event. Oh, to have Photoshop on my netbook.

Gothamist, TONY & Tacos

Today's round-up of Forgotten Borough mentions includes Gothamist's February 21 GothamList, where Saturday's release party makes the list of note-worthy events.

Also, check out our mention in Time Out New York's Books section!

And, can't resist including this: Sunnyside's El Vagabundo taco truck got a mention in the Chicago Tribune's new "must-hit eateries" list! Click here to see the article. (El Vagabundo is #19 in the slide show.) As a former Sunnyside resident who lived a block away from that truck and ate there frequently, I must say I'm extremely proud.

The City Would Speak

Not the city's center but its edges—Sunnyside Yards where
the train finally rises from the tunnel where ice clots
on grass scattered with trash.

The city would speak but it is currently preoccupied with
     its own defense.

—from Nicole Cooley's poem "For Joseph Crowley, 7th District, New York, Bronx and Queens" in Forgotten Borough, out now from SUNY Press

Nicole Cooley will be one of the featured readers at the official Forgotten Borough book release party on Saturday, 2/26! Click here for more details and to RSVP!

Order your copy of Forgotten Borough @ SUNY Press, Amazon, or other book retailers.

Above: "Sunnyside Yard, 12/19/09" by Wolfsburg RS on flickr

Forgotten Borough Book Release Party: 2/26/11 at LIC Bar!

Thanks to all who came out to the Forgotten Borough AWP event and who stopped by the SUNY Press table—and especially to those who bought copies! Such a blast!

Forgotten Borough is officially available for sale from SUNY Press and looks FANTASTIC, if I do say so myself. Order your copy from SUNY today and support a wonderful nonprofit publisher!

If you'll be in the NYC area on Saturday, February 26, we'll be celebrating the release of the book at LIC Bar from 6 to 8 p.m.! Books will be for sale, courtesy of Mobile Libris, and we'll hear short readings from contributors Nicole Cooley, Marcy Dermansky, and Arthur Nersesian!

Click here for more details and to RSVP on Facebook! All are welcome!