Things to Do in NYC this Weekend (New York City) - August 24 - 25, 2013

New York City is known predominantly for food, nightlife, and shopping, but literary events? Not so much in this hyper fast paced digital age!  Storytelling these days as a craft has lost much of it's place in everyday social activity and has been relegated to the confines of Hollywood and the literary elite.  But for all you rare bibliophiles, there is the 9th Annual Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival happening this Saturday, August 24 2013. Can you imagine anything more meditative than sitting on a chair with a nice cup of iced coffee listening to live storytelling on a mild breezy summer day?

Other events happening this weekend include the Hudson River Park's Blues BBQ and Authur Ashe Kids Day, where you can take your little ones to the U.S Open Tennis Stadium to enjoy free tennis camp, face painting, and take pictures with Nickelodeon characters (Sponge Bob, Dora, etc).

1. The 9th Annual Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival.  Young writers from the New York Writer's Coalition Summer Workshop and members of the Writers Foundry will doing live readings and storytelling in the park, and best of all, free admissions! Published authors presenting their work include Chris Adrian, Angel Nafis, Timothy Small and Jackson Taylor. Sponsors of this event include Amazon.com and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.  Follow their Facebook page for upcoming literary events around town.

Date: Saturday, August 24 2013.  Place: The Monument section of Fort Greene Park

photo credit: Melvin Reeves

2.  The Hudson River Park's Blues Bar-B-Que - Free live jazz and blues performances are scheduled throughout the afteroon at the Hudson River Park.  Even if you're not a fan of blues you should check out the park as it's undergone some beautiful renovation over the years.  Several of NYC's renowned Bar-b-que joints, like Brother Jimmy's BBQ, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, and Delaney Barbeque will also be there serving tasty outdoor summer cuisine.  

Date: Saturday, August 24 2013 from 2:30 - 7:30 pm Place: Hudson River Park.

The Hudson River Park is a 5 mile stretch with lots of outdoor activities to be found!

3. Authur Ashe Kids' Day - Have your little one try out a few rounds of tennis and enjoy concerts by pre-teen stars from the Disney Channel.  Although the 1pm Stadium Show with a guest appearance by Michelle Obama (she leads the Let's Move initiative to combat childhood obesity) is sold out, there are many events happening from 9:30 to 12:30 that is open to the public.  The schedule can be found here.

Date: Saturday, August 24 2013 from 9:30 - 12:30 pm Place: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

Kids can practice/try tennis at the same courts as the pros!