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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.
Center for Brooklyn History
Brooklyn's culture past and present from the Center for Brooklyn History
Upcoming
New York Times Opinion Writers on the President's First 100 Days
BPL Presents hosts New York Times Opinion columnists Michelle Goldberg, Bret Stephens and M. Gessen to discuss key events and policies marking the President’s first 100 days back in the White House, moderated by Patrick Healy, deputy editor of Times Opinion.
Join us at Central Library for…
Greg Grandin Discusses America, América with Francisco Goldman
BPL Presents welcomes the Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, with the first comprehensive history of the Western Hemisphere, a sweeping five-century narrative of North and South America that redefines our understanding of both…
The story of how the United States’ identity was formed is…
CBH Talk | Apology and Repair for Slavery: Grenada as a Case Study
To The People of Grenada
We, the undersigned, write to apologise for the actions of our ancestors in holding your ancestors in slavery…Slavery was and is a crime against humanity. Its damaging effects continue to the present day. …
Long Play Festival: David Handler’s Life Like Violence (world premiere screening)
Part of Bang on a Can's Long Play Festival 2025.
Join composer, violinist and NYC impresario David Handler, presenting the world premiere screening of five music videos created for his upcoming debut album, "Life Like Violence" (out May 16th on Cantaloupe Music).
Handler…
The People's Ball: Style Is a Revolution
You’re invited to THE PEOPLE’S BALL, Brooklyn Public Library’s free annual celebration of fashion, personal style and inclusivity. THE PEOPLE’S BALL, named Time Out New York’s Best Nightlife Event of 2023, welcomes you to dress up in the clothes that make you feel your most beautiful and…
CBH Talk | The Divine Nine: The Origins and History of Black Greek-Letter Fraternities and Sororities
The Divine Nine, formally known as the National Pan-Hellenic Council, are nine historically Black Greek-letter fraternities and sororities that have played a pivotal role in shaping Black American life and culture. The first of these organizations, Alpha Phi Alpha, was founded in…
CBH Talk | Claire Hoffman and Eliza Griswold Discuss “Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson”
On a spring day in 1926, Aimee Semple McPherson wandered into the Pacific Ocean and vanished. The nation’s most famous evangelist, Aimee was known as a sophisticated marketer who had used Hollywood magic and the newest technology to bring her message to the masses. Although Aimee’s Pentecostal…
Katie Kitamura Discusses Audition with Meghan O'Rourke
Join BPL Presents as Katie Kitamura takes the Dweck stage to discuss Audition, an exhilarating, destabilizing Möbius strip of a novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love.
Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an accomplished actress in rehearsals…
CBH Talk | Larry Racioppo’s Photographs of Loss and Remembrance in NYC
We all die. Rich and poor, famous and unknown, we all meet the same fate. Almost everyone is mourned, but the method can vary greatly.
Larry Racioppo, "Here Down On Dark Earth"
In Here Down On Dark Earth,…
Opening the Archives: Exploring the CBH Collection - Building Research
One of the most common research topics at CBH is Brooklyn’s buildings. Join us for a hands-on workshop in the Othmer Library, led by urban data historian Jeremy Lechtzin and CBH archives manager Dee Bowers. This session will introduce you to four key collections used for building…
Bridgett M. Davis Discusses Love, Rita with Deesha Philyaw
BPL Presents welcomes Bridgett M. Davis, who discusses a searing tribute of sisterhood and family, profound love and loss from the acclaimed author of The World According to Fannie Davis.
In Love, Rita Bridgett M. Davis tells the story of her beloved older sister Rita, who knew Bridgett…
CBH Talk | “Capitalism and Its Critics” with John Cassidy and Doug Henwood
In his new book, Capitalism and Its Critics: A History from the Industrial Revolution to AI, The New Yorker’s John Cassidy traces 200 years of global capitalism through the voices of its most insightful and influential critics. At a time when technology, climate change, inequality,…
Carnegie Hall Citywide: Emiliano Messiez
Latin Grammy Award–nominated pianist and composer Emiliano Messiez is one of the most sought-after tango musicians in the US. Originally from Buenos Aires, Messiez has performed at world-renowned venues including Lincoln Center, and has collaborated with icons like Paquito D’Rivera, John…
CBH Talk | Voices from the Past: Tracing Black Lineage and the Power of Genealogy
Being the narrators and experts of our own pasts comes with unique challenges for Black Americans. What we know about our families matters—and everyone deserves the ability to honor their ancestors’ stories.
CBH’s new exhibition, Trace/s, explores the crucial…
Joan C. Williams Discusses Outclassed with Gideon Lewis-Kraus
BPL Presents welcomes Joan C. Williams who discusses Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Win Them Back with Gideon Lewis-Kraus.
Is there a single change that could simultaneously protect democracy, spur progress on climate change, enact sane gun policies, and improve…
CBH Talk | Five Years After George Floyd: The Fight Today
On May 25, 2020, the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin stunned the nation and ignited a global uprising.
As we mark the fifth anniversary of that tragic day, CBH brings together three leading voices to examine the protests, their…
Miguel Ángel Hernández Discusses Anoxia
Join us for a discussion with author Miguel Ángel Hernández on his new book Anoxia (translated by Adrian Nathan West, Other Press, 2025). In this mesmerizing psychological novel, a strange job leads a widowed photographer down a rabbit hole where the line between past and present, and the living…
Classical Interludes: Opera Essentia
Opera Essentia provides under-reached NYC communities with approachable performances in gardens, parks, libraries, churches, and other neighborhood gathering centers, for Free.
"The Queen's Heart" is a One-Hour Distillation of Handel's Radamisto (1720), created by Artistic Director and…
Environmental INjustice: Race, Class, and Toxic Inequality | The Path to Today
Join us for the first event in a three-part series exploring the intersection of racial inequality and the environment. Part 1 delves into the systemic roots of environmental racism, confronting a critical question: Why are communities of color and low-wealth populations…
Deborah Baker Discusses Charlottesville
BPL Presents welcomes Deborah Baker, whose new book Charlottesville has been hailed as a “vivid account that … illuminates the evils half-hidden under a flickering torch” (Kirkus).
In August 2017, over a thousand members of the far-right descended on a small southern city to protest the…
Yrsa Daley-Ward Discusses The Catch with Zakiya Dalia Harris
BPL Presents welcomes Yrsa Daley-Ward who discusses The Catch—named one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2025 by TIME, Publishers Weekly, Lit Hub, We Are Bookish, and Book Riot—in conversation with Zakiya Dalia Harris.
Twin sisters Clara and Dempsey have always struggled to relate, their…
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