BPL Presents is BPL’s curated cultural program, with arts and culture offerings including author talks, live performances, music, film and visual art exhibitions that explore the critical issues of our time in Brooklyn and beyond.
All BPL Presents programs at the Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center at Central Library are free of charge (unless otherwise noted) and reservations are required for most adult programs. Patrons with reservations will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis. Unclaimed reservations will be released fifteen minutes before the start of an event; we recommend arriving early. Patrons without reservations will be seated as capacity allows.
Reservations can be made 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week on our website by visiting the program’s calendar entry at bklynlibrary.org/bplpresents or by phone at 718.230.2200 (please see our phone reservation policy for hours and additional details). Reservations can be made up to approximately one hour before the scheduled program start time. The maximum number of seats that can be reserved per event is 3.
The Dweck Center is an accessible venue. To request additional information regarding accessibility or accommodations at the event, please contact Margie Cook: [email protected].
Reservations for adult programs can be made with a BPL representative Monday-Friday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. For weekend events, reservations must be made by 4 pm on the Friday before the event takes place. Any reservations received after 4pm will not be processed. If leaving a message, please slowly and clearly state your first and last name, your phone number, the name and date of the program you would like to attend, and the number of seats you are requesting (maximum of 3).
Upcoming
Classical Interludes: Flutronix
Flutronix is Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull, two blazing young flutists whose original urban art pop sound, comfortable in both clubs and concert halls, is best described as “a unique...
Message from the Library: Bill T. Jones
Multi-talented artist, choreographer, dancer, theater director and writer Bill T. Jones has been commissioned by Brooklyn Public Library to present the next Message from...
CBH Talks: Listening to WW II: Voices from the Brooklyn Navy Yard
On the eve of Veteran’s Day, join us as we explore Brooklyn’s homefront during WW II through the experiences of those who worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. CBH archivists Amy Lau and Mary Mann...
9th Poetry Café of the 15th National Black Writers Conference
The Center for Black Literature, in partnership with Brooklyn Public Library, will present its 9th Poetry Cafe.
Featured Poet:
I.S. Jones
Emerging Poets:
M.A. Dennis...
Classical Interludes: Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet
Regarded as one of the most compelling tango artists today, Latin Grammy Award winner Pedro Giraudo is a preeminent cultural ambassador for the beautiful and passionate music of his native...
Poet Reina Maria Rodriguez & Kristin Dykstra in conversation with Urayoan Noel
Poet Reina María Rodríguez reads from her book of poetry The Winter Garden Photograph (Winner of the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation) with translator Kristin Dykstra, followed by a...
Climate Reads: On N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season with Sheree Renée Thomas
The November Climate Reads book club book is N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, moderated by Sheree Renée Thomas. BPL Presents and Writers Rebel NYC invite you to join a community of readers...
The Review Panel
Leading art critics join in lively debate about current exhibitions—virtual and physical—around the five boroughs.
Presented in association with Artcritical.
Please register for...
CBH Talks: From Pizzagate to the Presidency: QAnon's Infiltration of Our Democracy
Once relegated to the fringes of only the most paranoid online communities, today the QAnon conspiracy theory has followers and supporters on an international scale, going so far as to be endorsed...
A Thousand Dreadful Things: Shakespeare and the Fear of Black Vengeance
A look at Aaron the Moor from Titus Andronicus, the presentation of Blackness, and the question of vengeance on Shakespeare's stage. Featuring conversation and readings from the plays...
Orchestra of St. Luke’s presents Music in Color
Orchestra of St. Luke’s performs as part of its annual five-borough community concert tour, with free concerts designed to be as entertaining as they are educational. Since 2016, the tour has...
What is the City but the People? Shakespeare, Art, and Citizenship
In the wake of the US elections, we sit down with Professor Stephen Greenblatt, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics and The Swerve, and the great Shakespearean actor...
Two Monsters of Nature: Lope de Vega and William Shakespeare
Two writers. Two languages. Two colonial superpowers, linked by an explosion of theater-making and vital new questions of the individual imagination. Come hear how Lope de Vega, the author of more...
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Events for Youth and Families
Looking for BPL’s signature events for families, including author signings, theatrical performances and workshops? Explore our top picks for family events.
Contact Us
BPL Presents
Brooklyn Public Library
10 Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, NY 11238
[email protected]
718.230.2200
Past Events
Theater of War: Hercules in Brooklyn, November 2016
Oliver Stone and Ben Wizner, September 2016
Edwidge Danticat and Jacqueline Woodson, April 2016
Alash, January 2016
Slavoj Žižek and Hari Kunzru, November 2016
The Night of the Cookers, February 2016
Viet Thanh Nguyen and Vu Tran, April 2016
Night of Philosophy. January 2017
Salman Rushdie with Joel Whitney, October 2015
John Irving, November 2015
SYBARITE5, February 2016
Yaa Gyasi, June 2016
Brooklyn Public Library gratefully acknowledges the many donors who have provided generous support for BPL Presents programs, including: Cheryl and George Haywood Endowment for Cultural Diversity, The Kahn Endowment for Humanities Programs, Dr. Beverly S. Jacobs, Janet Anderson, Jane Brody Enquist, The Miriam Katowitz and Arthur Radin Fund, Los Blancos, Mapleton Endowment, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), Sandra and Peter Schubert Endowment Fund, The Morris & Alma Schapiro Fund, The Weissman Family Foundation, Inc., City Point, WarnerMedia, the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation’s Innovation Fund, the Estate of Pearl S. Reuillard in memory of her parents Yetta and Louis Schwartz and many other generous supporters.
Programs are also supported by Brooklyn Public Library’s Fund for the Humanities which was established through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Hearst Foundation, Inc., Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Starr Foundation, the Leon and Muriel Gilbert Charitable Trust, Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, Inc. and a gift in memory of Samuel and Pauline Wine.
WNYC is a media partner of Brooklyn Public Library.
