Borrowed

A new exhibit at BPL's Center for Brooklyn History explores the history and legacy of slavery here in Brooklyn. The team at CBH gathered documents and accounts from people who were touched by slavery in Brooklyn, and traced the descendants of both the enslaved and enslavers. "Trace/s" is up at the Center for Brooklyn History (128 Pierrepont Street) through August 30, 2025. This audio story is a companion to the exhibit, and it was produced by audio journalist and historian Ula Kulpa. Trace/s is supported as part of the Dutch Culture USA FUTURE 400 program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York, and by the Alvin and Fanny B. Thalheimer Foundation in memory of Bill Coleman. You can find more information about the exhibition, and listen to Part 2 of Finding Traces here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/exhibitions/traces

As 2024 comes to a close, we wanted to share with you an episode that we produced all the way back in 2020. That year, we went to Coney Island to record the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, the group of swimmers that congregate on Coney Island every Sunday in winter to swim in the frigid ocean as a way to renew themselves. It’s a fun one, and we hope you enjoy! Further resources: Polar Bear ClubConey IslandTake the plungethis surveybooks we loved in 2024

Graphic novels, Haitian-American book bingo, and The Power Broker. These are just a few of the book clubs happening at Brooklyn Public Library! This episode, we take a tour around the borough to listen in on our patrons' reading habits and ask why we still read together. Read a transcript of this episode here. Further resources: book clubsThe Power Broker?club at Macon Library99% Invisible.Haitian Heritage Book Bingocomics in Chinesequiet reading partyanime club for teensCheck out what our staff are reading in “The Cover Is Blue” book club.

We're pulling out all the stops for the first annual Freedom to Read Day of Action on Saturday, October 19th! Hear from libraries in Los Angeles, San Diego, Hoboken, NJ and Austin, TX about what they're doing to promote the freedom to read. And, if you're in Brooklyn, meet us on the steps of Central Library this Saturday for a book rally! You can read the transcript here. Further resources: Freedom to Read Day of Actionevents across the countrySan Diego Public LibraryLA County LibraryCalifornia Freedom to Read AcNew York TimesHoboken Librarybook sanctuary movementAustin Public LibrarySave the Books!

For Banned Books Week this year, we’re returning to our award-winning series, Borrowed and Banned. Because the fight isn’t over. In 2023, the American Library Association documented a 65% increase in the number of book titles challenged across the country. Listen to the first episode of the series about what happened in one Oklahoma town when their freedom to read was challenged. And how one teacher’s response caught the nation’s attention. Read the transcript here, and check out the following resources: Borrowed and Bannedvisiting this pageweek of programmingFreedom to Read Day of Action.

Bedford-Stuyvesant is perhaps one of Brooklyn’s most iconic neighborhoods. Its tree-lined streets and grand brownstones have been here for over 150 years. This episode, a re-broadcast from 2019, tells the story of Bed-Stuy through the lives of three women who set down roots here in different ways: activist Hattie Carthan, writer Paule Marshall, and novelist Naomi Jackson. Read a transcript of this episode here. Further resources: list of books more about Hattie CarthanMagnolia Tree Earth Center archiveMagnolia Tree Earth Centerart exhibition openingBrown Girl, Brownstones, From the Poets in the Kitchen

Splitting her time between Athens, Georgia and Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, Nicole A. Taylor is a food writer and author of several cookbooks. She sat down with BPL’s Bed-Stuy Tea podcast to discuss finding and preserving her Southern voice, the pleasures of restaurant research, and her favorite local spots to eat and drink. Read a transcript of this episode here. Further resources: websiteSpotifyApple Podcastscookbooks and books

It's summer and school's out! No matter what age you are, you can spend your summer at the library with book lists and activities galore. We go over the facts and stats of BPL's popular Culture Pass program, which has helped thousands of New Yorkers visit museums and performance spaces in the city ... for free! Read a transcript of the episode here. More resources: Culture Passlibrary cardsummer at the libraryBrooklyn Botanic GardenNew-York Historical Society100 otherBrowse the Branchesadultsteenskids of all ages

Brooklyn Public Library has been hosting Drag Story Hours since 2016. It's one of our most popular, colorful, and well-attended events for kids. In this episode, we explore why Drag Story Hour is important, and how it’s had to change in recent years in response to an increasingly tense political climate. More resources: and moreDrag Story Hourresources across Brooklynnew LGBTQ+ books to read with your kid

Outside of Brooklyn, Arthur Miller's name has largely faded from memory. On this episode, we tell the story of the Black community leader who was killed by NYPD chokehold in 1978, the movement pushed forward as a result of his death, and the ways that Brooklyn Public Library’s Center for Brooklyn History helps to keep the story alive. Further resources: Voices of Crown Heights Oral History CollectionCenter for Brooklyn Historylist of booksSay His Name, Arthur Miller: A Death By Police Chokehold 45 Years AgoArthur Miller on Flatbush + Main,Brooklyn Resistsphotos of the 2020 protests

Listen in on one of BPL's most popular art programs: a theater workshop where, once a week, budding thespians come together to read plays, talk about character motivations, and dig into some surprisingly emotional and political topics. websitetheater workshop.creative writing workshopbooklistThe Library needs your help to protect our funding or risk losing over 16 million dollars. Send a letter to your elected officials.

We revisit an episode from January 2021 in honor of National Library Workers Day, and ask: what do librarians do all day? When they're not planning programs or working the reference desk, these librarians are also obscure trivia players, birders and ... sword fighters! Read a transcript here. Vote for Borrowed and Banned National Library Workers DayNational Library Week eventsOn the FrontlinesBorrowed and Banned for adultsfor kidsbirding with kidshistorical birdingLearned League

Teens and older adults are perhaps the two age groups you might think have the least in common. But a new program at BPL seeks to bring the two generations together ... by having them debate. Read a transcript of this episode on our web page. Resources mentioned on this episode: services for older adultsprograms for teensBridging the Gapbooks about debatevery short survey

Brooklyn has 62 neighborhood libraries, each with a distinct architecture, culture, and soul. To kick off the new season and to celebrate our audio stories coming home to Brooklyn, we'll take a tour of the borough with the help of our neighborhood libraries and some of our stalwart patrons who visited all 62 of them ... in a matter of days! transcriptBrowse the Branchesthis book listWrite to your city leaders!Queens Public Library and New York Public Library.Borrowed and Bannedfirst episode

Student activists in York, Pennsylvania organized a silent protest when hundreds of books were banned from their classrooms, paving the way for lasting change in their community. In this final episode of the series, we tackle the challenge head-on: from encouraging open dialogue about the books on our shelves to the ongoing work of protecting the freedom to read. Read the transcript here. Our call to action for this episode: How will you use the stories you’ve heard over the course of this series to protect the freedom to read? Send a voice message to podcasts [at] bklynlibrary [dot] org and tell us what you’re seeing in your community, or what you want to see. We might play your voice on an upcoming bonus episode, so be sure to introduce yourself with your name, your age, and your location. More resources: TEDx TalkEmpowerEDFight Book Bans Actcatalog book bansculture of fear and intimidationbook ban data from 2021 to 2023Person of the Yearevery book mentionedBorrowed and BannedBooks Unbanned2022 episode

Library workers often risk their livelihoods when they speak out against censorship, spurring community members to pick up the fight for intellectual freedom. We tell the story of how one Louisiana parish came together to defend their library amidst book challenges, tip lines, and even sign burning. Read the transcript here. Our call to action for this episode: More resources: EveryLibrary Instituteherefull results of the survey hereessay about St. Tammany Librarychaotic regularityAmerican Library AssociationCBSchallenged and banned children's books

Maia Kobabe's debut memoir, Gender Queer, was the most frequently banned book in 2021 and 2022. We talked with em about what it's like to be on the recieving end of so many challenges, and the importance of public libraries. Read the transcript here. More resources: Gender Queer.resources for defending Gender Queercomic about book bans and librariesThe Washington Post'sarticle on book bans

Despite being one of the most frequently banned authors, Toni Morrison’s work has inspired countless others to tell stories outside the mainstream. We take a closer look at Morisson's writing, her legacy, and her impact on the anti-censorship movement. Read the transcript here. Our call to action for this episode: Libraries for the PeopleMore resources: Toni Morrison's booksBooks UnbannedToni Morrison's full 2016 talkPEN America's PEN/Borders Literary Service Award in 2008Student Advocates for Speech

George M. Johnson talks about their debut Young Adult memoir All Boys Aren't Blue, the support of their family, their love of Toni Morrison, and the importance of standing against book bans. Read the transcript here. Resources: All Boys Aren't BlueGeorge M. JohnsonJohnson's family supporting their bookBooks Unbanned

Our call to action for this episode: Literary Activism NewsletterMore resources: new "classics,"Intellectual Freedom Teen MeetupBook Banning in 21st Century Americachallenges to diverse booksfull interview with Mike CuratoRead the new "classics," according to teens.