"The next day we got up early and took the subway to Brooklyn. Met Eugene Lim and lugged our collective books (Calamari, Ellipsis, 3rd Bed and Kwani?) to the Brooklyn Book Festival. Thanks to all that braved the epic heat to stop by. Tao Lin stopped by and as always picked up a couple of books. So even if he is involved in dubious literary hijinx such as selling a book he hadn't even written yet for $12,000, his profiteering goes to a worthy cause. Albeit a financially losing cause (didn't even make enough to pay for the table). No matter. A bunch of people stopped by asking for Binyavanga, since he had a scheduled speaking engagement at the festival. He emailed me the night before saying he couldn't get a visa. Good thing I had some Kwanis that I brought with me to hawk. Teju Cole was one of those that stopped by asking for Binya. He had his book with him, but wouldn't sell it to me, damn it. Matvei Yankelevich of Ugly Ducking stopped by. Amy Hempel even stopped by our table. At one point, I think it was while I was talking to Justin Taylor, it felt like the book festival was taking place inside a sauna bath. Most everyone was dripping sweat, but trying to make the best of it. Afterwards I felt like we had all run a marathon. Luckily I was dressed for the occasion, like a recovering junky tennis player in all black, in mourning for DFW. "From Derek White's blog. More at: http://www.5cense.com/NYC_Revisisted.htm
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