Community Corner
NY Public Library Launches Virtual Book Club With WNYC
Library members can download this month's book, "Deacon King Kong," for free using the library's e-reading app.
NEW YORK, NY — The New York Public Library is partnering with public radio station WNYC to provide New Yorkers a shared experience as people are confined to their homes and apartments in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Library members can download James McBride's award-winning novel "Deacon King Kong" — a New York Times bestseller set in Brooklyn — for free this month as part of the library's first virtual book club, library officials said Friday. The book club will meet for a live-streamed discussion of the novel on April 30 led by WNYC journalist Alison Stewart.
Stewart will discuss the novel with the McBride and audience members will also be able to ask the author about the book during a question and answer session.
Find out what's happening in Midtown-Hell's Kitchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"During this unsettling time, we believe reading can be both the escape and the connection that New Yorkers need," Brian Bannon, the Merryl and James Tisch Director and chief librarian of The New York Public Library, said in a statement. "The Library brings New Yorkers together, offering welcoming spaces for people of varying backgrounds and perspectives to learn, grow, and explore the world."
New Yorkers can download the book using the library's e-reading app SimplyE. After downloading the app, library members can link it to their library cards. People who don't have library memberships can sign up through the app.
Find out what's happening in Midtown-Hell's Kitchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The New York Public Library canceled all its events and closed all its branches in March to support social distancing measures in New York. On March 20, library officials announced the closures were extended indefinitely.
The New York Public Library system includes all library branches in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. Queens and Brooklyn maintain their own library systems because the systems were founded before the five boroughs were consolidated into a single city in 1898
Library members can sign up to the NYPL Connect system to receive updates on the library's digital services offered while branches are closed.
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