Don’t forget—BPL’s 13th Annual Gala: The Magic of Childhood is fast approaching! There’s still time to get tickets to the event, held next Thursday, November 12 at Central Library.

Come celebrate the magic of imagination and storytelling, and enjoy a festive cocktail reception with buffet fare and hors d’oeuvres that harken back to favorite childhood foods. And while you’re at it, bid on fabulous auction items representing the best that Brooklyn and NYC have to offer, ranging from a dinner with a former New York City mayor to a sunset cruise to a shelf of library books dedicated in your name.

All proceeds from the Gala will go toward children’s literacy programs and materials at Brooklyn Public Library. We hope to see you there!

Get your pens out and your creative juices flowing because Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is looking for the next poet laureate.

If you’re a Brooklyn wordsmith with a love for haikus, sonnets, limericks and prose, then you may just have what it takes to become the next poet laureate. In order to qualify you must be a Brooklyn resident with recognition as a poet and must demonstrate a commitment to using the position for community outreach and projects that promote poetry and literacy in Brooklyn. 

To be considered for the position, candidates should submit 5–10 pages of their work, a maximum two-page bio or résumé and a cover letter that describes their vision of engaging Brooklyn’s various communities in poetry. The deadline for nominations is November 24 at 5:00 p.m. Information can be e-mailed to ekoch@brooklynbp.nyc.gov, faxed to 718-802-3542, or mailed to Poet Laureate Recommendation Committee, Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201.

Though economists may say that the recession of 2009 is over, the unstable job market still indicates that we’re still not in the clear. If you’re unemployed, on the market for a new job or just in need of career change, Brooklyn Public Library has just what you need to get you off the couch and into a career.

Each week BPL offers a host of programs all geared towards helping you achieve your professional goals. Whether you’re in search of resume writing assistance, or interview prep, visit your local library for tips and tricks to help you get the job. While you’re there, check out these programs:
Prepare for a Job Interview Online

Job Search Help in Spanish 

Job Search Help in Chinese 

Where the Jobs Are: Using LinkedIn to Find a Job 

Brooklyn Public Library’s 13th Annual Gala: Magic of Childhood is on Thursday, November 12th at 6:30PM at Central Library!

This year’s gala is a cocktail party with a buffet dinner, live music and specialty cocktails. Guests will also have a chance to bid on auction items including:

- Four day/three night Caribbean trip for four people

- A Sesame Street Gift Basket

- New York Yankees, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and U.S. Open tickets

- Lunch with writer Jonathan Ames and a tour of the set of HBO’s new series Bored to Death

If you have not purchased tickets, you may now buy them online.

Everyone needs a scare now and then, and what better time of year for it? This Saturday—otherwise known to ghouls, goblins and kids everywhere as Halloween—step right up to the Spooky Salon at 4 PM at Central Library’s Dweck Center to get your pulse racing.

Comedians Andrea Rosen and Leo Allen will read stories that are both fiendishly strange and frighteningly scary by Lydia Davis, Haruki Murakami and Ken Kalfus. Also, Megan Abbott will read from her new novel Bury Me Deep, inspired by a notorious true crime. See you there, if you dare!