Queens College Event: Tuesday, May 3 at 6:30 p.m.!

Next month, we have another exciting Forgotten Borough event in store, this time at Queens College in heart of Flushing! The amazing staff of QC's MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation is sponsoring this celebratory event in Godwin-Ternbach Museum on Tuesday, May 3 at 6:30 p.m. Current and past faculty from Queens College will read from their selections in Forgotten Borough, and the reading will be followed by a reception and book sales.

This event will feature the following contributors:

NICOLE COOLEY
RIGOBERTO GONZÁLEZ
JOCELYN LIEU
ROGER SEDARAT
JAYANTI TAMM

Plus, did I mention that the entire event is FREE to the public?

RSVP and get more info by checking out our Facebook event page!

And a huge thanks to Nicole Cooley, Maria Terrone, and everyone else from Queens College for making this event possible!

Where Passion Lives Indoors

Forgotten Borough contributor Irina Reyn has a great interview up on the Words Without Borders Web site: "The City and the Writer: In Queens with Irina Reyn." As a Queens native, Irina gives great insights here into what makes the borough such a rich hotbed of culture and diversity, and what it's like to live there.

Some wonderful excerpts:

Few people see the beauty in Queens. Unlike Brooklyn, much of Queens does not offer the same picture-perfect brownstone charm. Visitors always seem surprised to find themselves in the Hunters Point historic district in Long Island City or the stately, suburban charm of Forest Hills Gardens or the twinkling bustle of Jackson Heights on a Saturday night. I like it this way—the way Queens lowers expectations. Its many discoveries seem so much more satisfying that way.

In my Queens, passion lives indoors—around the dinner table, in malls and movie theaters and restaurants. Inside delicious, inexpensive beers and carafes of wine. It thrives on human contact. Queens can be a terrible place for solitude.

Read the entire interview at the Words Without Borders site—and thanks for the book plug, Irina! Speaking of...

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

Above: "Aerial Views of Forest Hills & Rego Park from Howard Apartments, 99-32 66th Rd, Forest Hills, NY" by Rego-Forest Preservation Council on flickr

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.

Forgotten Borough in The Q Note!

Forgotten Borough is the subject of today's installment of The Q Note, with a fantastic write-up from editorial director Alia Akkam and quotes from yours truly.

From the article:

"Revelations and frustrations" are what prompted Steinberg to curate an anthology featuring over 20 short pieces from writers with deep connections to the borough: "I thought, 'Wouldn't it be great to do something that shows Queens is more than Shea Stadium and all-you-can-eat Indian buffets?' [... Because there are so many different communities and cultures and backgrounds represented in Queens' population, I knew that there had to be a slew of engaging stories to go with them." Yes, there certainly are.

Click here to read the article!

Thanks so much to Alia Akkam and The Q Note for the support!

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.

Forgotten Borough in the Queens Chronicle

Forgotten Borough is featured in the Queens Chronicle this week, in an article written by Elizabeth Daley. From the text:

Unlike many theme-centered anthologies, which may grow repetitive or feel forced, Steinberg’s selections are entertaining and varied enough so that there truly is something for everyone—even for the Queens novice.

"I tapped people from different backgrounds and parts of Queens," Steinberg said regarding her selection process. "I thought I would end up getting a well rounded book and that ended up happening. That faith served me well in the end."

Click here to read the entire article, which also discusses the book release party this upcoming Saturday, February 26. Big thanks to Elizabeth Daley and the Queens Chronicle for the kind words!