Park Slope Reader - Fall 2019 #70

park slope 

READER 

Community | Environment | Art | Wellness 

PERSISTING IN PARK SLOPE • FALL 2019 • ISSUE #70

2 | park slope Reader

PARK SLOPE READER | 3



6 | PARK SLOPE READER 

“We believe an informed patient is more likely to 

play an active role in the care of their teeth”. 

- Dr. Sophia Milito, DDS 

We take a personalized approach with 

each dental patient. We take the time to 

understand your needs, so we can provide 

an individualized plan for attaining and 

maintaining optimal oral health. New 

patients notice we spend time on 

education about our treatments, and this 

may not be an experience you get 

elsewhere. 

Treatments & services performed at 

Park Dentistry: 

• TMJ treatment 

• Invisalign aligners (braces) 

• Invisalign expedited with PROPEL 

• Same day Crowns, Fillings, Onlays 

• Night Guards 

• Retainers: fixed and removable 

• Implant restorations 

• Root Canal Treatments 

• Teeth Whitening 

• We have CEREC and iTERO scanning 

and milling units to offer impression 

free restorations and treatments. 

LOVE YOUR SMILE! 

Your smile may be the first attribute people notice about you, and it can 

help you make a lasting impression. 

See what our happy patients have to say.. 

“This was by far the best dental experience I’ve ever had! I felt so relaxed and 

taken care of my entire visit. Not only is the ambience beautiful - it has a zen 

spa-like feel - but my x-ray technician, hygienist, and Dr. Milito were all so 

warm, thorough, and enthusiastic about dentistry! I could tell they all truly 

love what they do and that shines through in the quality of this practice. Their 

attention to detail is impeccable and I left feeling empowered because I truly 

understood how to preserve my smile for life!” 

- Cara N. 

“I had the absolute best experience at Park Dentistry! Dr. Milito is very 

talented, and provided me complete treatment in a time frame that other 

dentists had told me was impossible. Other practices told me my treatment 

would take at minimum 8 months, but she managed to do it in just 3 months. 

Everything about the treatment was clear from the beginning, including 

setting up a payment plan, and they will even contact your insurance for you 

to get the best possible copay. They’re also very accommodating in booking 

appointments to fit your schedule. The entire staff is extremely respectful and 

knowledgeable, and will go above and beyond to make you feel comfortable. 

Valeria is the best scheduling coordinator on earth, she is so sweet and helpful 

and would always make my day! I can’t stress enough how amazing 

everybody here is. I highly recommend this practice for any dental needs!” 

- Mia D. 

55 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 

718-622-7275 | www.parkdentistryny.com





C O N T E N T S F A L L 2 0 1 9 

PAGE 56 

11 [ Explore Brooklyn ] By John Major 

111 Places in Brooklyn That You Should Not Miss 

22 [ Brooklyn Comics ] By Dave Kelly, Katrina Lord and Brett 

Hobsen 

Tales of the Night Watchman: The Steam Banshee 

pt. 2 

28 [ Park Slope Lit ] By Robert Ayers 

Brooklyn: The City Within - a review 

34 [ Park Slope Politics ] By Julia DePinto 

Brooklyn for Warren: She’s Got A Plan 

38 [ Park Slope Art ] By Julia DePinto 

Gowanus Open Studios 

42 [ Park Slope Politics] By Sofi a Pipolo 

The Reader Profile: Caroline P. Cohen - 

Honest Engagement 

46 [ Park Slope Lit ] By Zanthe Taylor 

Meet the Writers 

50 [ Dispatches from Babyville ] By Nicole Caccavo Kear 

Becoming A City Kid 

54 [ Eat Local ] By Viviane Eng 

Rediscovering Runner and Stone: Homemade 

Fare with a Twist 

60 [ Park Slope Wellness ] By Swati Singh 

It’s the Time of the Season for Yoga 

66 [ Real Estate ] By Lindsay Owen 

The Stoop: Call the Broker 

71 [ Last Word ] 

Slope Survey: Ervand Abrahamian 

COMMUNITY | ARTS | POLITICS | WELLNESS

PARK SLOPE READER | 11 

[EXPLORE BROOKLYN ] 

111 

PLACES IN 

BROOKLYN 

That You Should Not Miss 

Salt Marsh Birdwatching 

Gold medal nature center 

When most people think of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, 

it’s Jesse Owens who comes to mind. Only a few, however, 

know that the first American medal of those games came 

in the “Municipal Planning” portion of the “Arts” competitions: 

a silver medal for architect Charles Downing Lay 

for his redesign of the Marine Park neighborhood. 

It’s true – from 1912 to 1948, athletics-inspired art and 

poetry were also Olympic competitions, probably inspired 

by the ancient Roman games. Emperor Nero added singing 

and poetry to the competition in 66 a.d. He won gold 

medals in both, no surprise to anyone. 

Marine Park is home to the largest public park in 

Brooklyn, and more than half of its 798 acres consists of 

salt marshes like those that served as hunting and fishing 

grounds for the earliest Native American settlers. (Fire 

pits have been discovered that date from 800 to 1400 a.d.) 

Later, Dutch settlers also settled here, the marshland 

Though springtime is so often hailed as the season of 

new beginnings, autumn can play much the same role. 

Whether it’s back to school or the workaday grind after 

summer’s offering of respite, relaxation, and recreation, 

September offers up the chance to re-enter the fray, recharged 

for the new challenges and opportunities that 

await. “Autumn is the second spring,” French author Albert 

Camus once wrote, the moment “when every leaf is 

a flower.” In other words, it’s a time when the normal and 

everyday can take on a new, even unexpected, beauty. 

Seeing what lies near through fresh eyes is a central goal 

of my book, 111 Places in Brooklyn That You Must Not 

Miss (Emons Publishing). For this issue, I’ve chosen three 

chapters that offer the opportunity to do just that. 

Along Flushing Avenue, the Brooklyn Navy Yard can 

seem like an industrial residue from another time. But step 

into BLDG 92, and you’ll have offers the opportunity to 

transform your appreciation of this space through a deeper 

understanding of its fascinating history. Located over 

three floors in the beautifully restored Marine Commandant’s 

House, museum exhibits tell not just the story of the 

ships built there and their centrality to national historical 

chapters, but also the men and women whose toil animated 

mammoth vessels like the USS Arizona. 

Kings Theatre provides the opportunity to experience 

first-hand, in Camus’ terms, an architectural “flower.” Located 

along Brooklyn’s central artery, Flatbush Avenue, 

the theatre is living proof that age is no barrier to beauty 

- or vitality - with well-positioned resources and imagination. 

Lying dormant and in decay for decades, the historic 

Loew’s show palace has been beautifully preserved and renewed. 

A wide range of programming - including Tchaikowsky’s 

“Nutcracker” performed by the Moscow Ballet in 

early December - offers the opportunity to take in shows 

with the jaw-dropping beauty of the Kings as their stunning 

backdrop. 

Finally, a visit to the Salt Marsh Nature Center, adjacent 

to Marine Park, provides a chance to experience the borough 

as the indigenous Lenape and the immigrant Dutch 

might have in centuries past. High grasses, tidal flows and 

migrating birds all add to the atmosphere. Brooklyn moves 

at a fast and furious pace, often causing us to focus our 

energies on the here-and-now as it unfolds in constantly 

changing constructed landscapes. How exhilarating it can 

be, then, to pause and take in a parcel of earth in our midst 

that preserves a sense of our home from another time. 

By John Major with photographs by Ed Lefkowicz 

continued on page...14


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Kings Theater 

Movie palace grandeur returns to Flatbush 

A magnificent vaudeville and movie palace that formed part 

of a traveling MGM entertainment circuit in the New York City 

area, the Kings Theatre opened in Flatbush on September 7, 1929 

as one of the original five Loew’s “Wonder Theatres.” Changing 

economic fortunes for the neighborhood brought gradual decay 

until, in 1977, the Kings was closed and abandoned. Left to the 

ravages of nature and looters, the Kings lay largely neglected until 

2010, when Houston-based ACE Theatrical Group, LLC was 

chosen to lead what eventually became a $95-million restoration 

project. Vintage architectural elements, including ornate plaster 

moldings, pink marble staircases, and the sumptuous honeycomb 

ceiling, have been meticulously restored and recreated, and the 

original pipe organ console, removed and preserved during the 

closure by enthusiasts, is on display. 

State-of-the-art stage and sound elements installed have transformed 

the Kings into a 3,200-seat theatrical and musical venue 

without peer. Largely still undiscovered by Manhattanites, the 

Kings offers intimate and smartly curated concerts that will satisfy 

baby boomers (The Temptations, The O’Jays), Gen Xers 

continued on page... 14


14 | park slope Reader 

BLDG 92 

Local ships that sailed the world 

closely resembling the coastal plains of their homeland. 

Though more than three-quarters of Jamaica Bay’s 

large estuary wetland has disappeared (mostly due 

to development in the 1950s through 1970s), the remaining 

18,000 acres play host to more than 325 species 

of birds and 50 species of butterflies, including 

many migratory birds passing through on their seasonal 

flights. 

Formed in 2000, the Salt Marsh Nature Center is 

one of 10 Urban Park Ranger nature centers, making 

it ideal as a weekend activity spot for families. Pack a 

camera, binoculars, and a water bottle, and head out 

onto one of the well-groomed trails, offering a chance 

to experience the fragile ecosystem close up. Ramble 

through the grasslands alongside briny Gerritsen 

Creek. Well-placed benches provide perfect viewing 

spots to observe the herons, cormorants, egrets, 

ducks, and geese as they make their way among the 

shallow waters, as red-winged blackbirds and marsh 

hawks soar overhead. 

The area along Brooklyn’s East River waterfront can seem to 

the uninitiated like a drab expanse of warehouses and docks cut 

off from the rest of the borough. Dubbed Vinegar Hill back in the 

19th century, an allusion (in this largely Irish neighborhood) to 

the Battle of Vinegar Hill that was part of the Irish Rebellion, the 

area’s first commercial shipyards were established just after the 

Revolutionary War. In 1801, the US government purchased 40 

acres and established shipbuilding operations that were central to 

the Navy for the next 160-plus years. 

BLDG 92 offers a gateway to this fascinating history via a free 

exhibit over three floors in the restored Marine Commandant’s 

House. As you enter the Navy Yard through a pedestrian gate 

along Flushing Avenue, pause to look at this red-bricked gem 

originally built in 1857 and designed by Thomas U. Walter, fourth 

architect of the US Capitol and responsible for the central dome. 

A comprehensive timeline on the exhibition’s first floor frames 

the Navy Yard’s history against the nation’s political and social 

history. Production here ebbed and flowed alongside the intermittent 

winds of war, and several craft help tell that story. Though 

built in nearby 

Greenpoint, the USS Monitor, the first ironclad steamship built 

for the Navy fleet, was outiftted and commissioned here in 1862. 

Built at the Navy Yard, the USS Maine was an armored cruiser 

commissioned in 1895 but famously sunk during an explosion in 

Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898. The battleship USS Arizona, 

sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor, was built in Brooklyn over 

a 15 month period in 1915 – 16, as was the USS Missouri, built 

1941 – 44, where the treaty 

to end war with Japan was signed in August 1945. 

Don’t miss the third-floor displays, which tell the important 

story of the men and women who worked at the Navy Yard. That 

spirit of industry and innovation continues today with the 400 

businesses now located there. 

(Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Pixies), and millennials 

(Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver) alike. Historic “happy hour” tours 

offer visitors a chance to explore the Kings in more detail with a 

glass of wine in hand. 

Just up the street, near Church Avenue, are two additional local 

landmarks. Erasmus Hall High School (899 – 925 Flatbush Avenue), 

founded in 1786, boasts a long list of notable alumni, including 

singers Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, actress Mae 

West, opera star Beverly Sills, and chess champion Bobby Fischer. 

Meanwhile, the Tiffany-studio stained-glass windows of Flatbush 

Dutch Reformed Church (890 Flatbush), founded in 1654, commemorate 

the many early Dutch families who worshipped there. 

The landmarked Art Deco Sears building sits just behind the 

Kings on Bedford Avenue.


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PARK SLOPE READER 

CONTRIBUTORS 

FALL 2019 

executive editor 

Paul English 

layout & design 

Lafayette Gleason 

office manager 

Sofia Pipolo 

Robert Ayers has been a Slope 

resident for three years.. He was born 

in Britain but he became a citizen 

in 2017. He works as an artist and 

writer, but devotes most of his time to 

resisting Trump. 

Zanthe Taylor is a mother of 

daughters, freelance writer and lapsed 

dramaturg who grew up in New York 

City and has lived in Brooklyn for 

15 years. Zanthe volunteers with the 

ESOL program at the Brooklyn Public 

LIbrary and writes a food blog on 

celebratory meals from around the 

world at The Festive Food Project. 

Her writing on food and parenting 

has been published on the Huffington 

Post and the Washington Post, among 

other places. 

John Major writes about art and 

culture, especially events and places 

in Brooklyn, his home for the last 

12 years. Originally from southern 

Ohio, John is a dedicated explorer of 

cities. Among his favorites are London 

(which he called home for a dozen 

years), Barcelona, Rome, and Paris. 

He is determined to never lose the 

sense of wonder from being a curious 

explorer, both at home and abroad. 

Design Support 

Molly Lane 

Photography 

Paul English 

Distribution 

ReaderVerse 

NEXT ISSUE: 

WINTER 2019-20 

Advertisements are due 

on Friday, November 8th 

Lindsay Owen Is originally from 

London, she moved to Park Slope 

in 2010. After delivering countless 

babies (she’s a former midwife) she 

now delivers homes, working as a real 

estate agent with Compass in Brooklyn 

and Manhattan. She can be reached 

at lindsay.owen@compass.com for all 

things real estate related and maybe a 

cup of tea. Brits love tea. 

Swati Singh writes on spirituality 

that is interspersed in every element 

around us. She has written for many 

magazines and e-zines such as Science of 

Mind, New York Spirit, Saevus Wildlife, Prana 

World, Mind Body Green and more. When 

she is not busy finding nothingness, 

she is here-- swati2610.wordpress. 

com, @swati2610 and fb.com/ 

beyond2610. 

Nicole Caccavo Kear contributes 

regularly to Parents and American Baby, 

as well as Salon and Babble in between 

her dispatches at the Reader. You can 

keep up with her misadventures in 

Mommydom on her blog, A Mom 

Amok (amomamok.com). A native of 

Brooklyn, she lives in the Slope with 

her three firecracker kids, one very 

patient husband, and an apparently 

immortal hermit crab. 


107 Sterling Place 

Brooklyn, NY 11217 

718-638-3733 

office@psreader.com 

www.psreader.com 

@parkslopereader 

BE A READER 

Ed Lefkowicz is a commercial, 

corporate, and editorial photographer. 

A native New Englander who 

eventually moved to Brooklyn with 

his wife Cynthia, he enjoys exploring 

New York City life in all its storied 

quirkiness. Never without a camera, he 

chronicles the cognitive dissonances 

that color life in the boroughs with his 

alt website TheQuirkySide.com. 

Viviane Eng is a freelance writer 

based in New York. She grew up on 

the Lower East Side and now lives in 

Flatbush with her 13 year-old Maltese 

Ice Cream. 

Brett Hobsen is a comic artist and 

illustrator from Evanston, Illinois. 

He works mostly traditionally and 

loves telling horror and science fiction 

stories with his artwork. He is joined 

on this story by colorist Clare DeZutti 

and letterer DC Hopkins.

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Julia DePinto is a Brooklyn-based 

visual artist and writer. An interest in 

visual culture, storytelling, and global 

politics have led Julia to connect to 

her community through journalism. 

She engages artists, activists, and 

the general public through on-thestreet 

interviews, reporting, and 

documenting political events. Julia 

received an MFA in Interdisciplinary 

Studio Arts from the University 

of Connecticut and has attended 

residencies in the US, Iceland and 

Spain. She is currently an Artist 

in Residence at Trestle Projects in 

Brooklyn, NY. 

Sofia Pipolo is a Digital Media and 

Film Production student with a minor 

in Sociology at Marymount Manhattan 

College. Her collaborative and creative 

endeavors have brought her to work 

in social media marketing, creative 

writing, and on short films. Sofia’s 

interest in both media and social 

outreach allows her to think diversely 

in order to create and curate authentic, 

thought-provoking content. Her full 

digital media portfolio can be found at 

sofiapipolo.wordpress.com. 

FALL INTO 

WELLNESS 

cityWell strives to make wellness 

and self care part of everyday life, 

not just a luxury. 

Dave Kelly is a writer and publisher 

of comics. Since 2012, his imprint, 

So What? Press, has produced and 

distributed over twenty titles. His 

flagship series, Tales of the Night Watchman, 

about baristas who fight monsters, 

is most known for its “It Came from the 

Gowanus Canal” story line. He currently 

resides in Brooklyn. The co-writer of 

this issue’s tale, Katrina Lord, is a 

dear friend of D.K.’s who resides in 

Milwaukee, WI with her dog Emma. 

She visits Brooklyn to enjoy coffee and 

bookstores with him. 

Front Cover Art: Jennifer 

Prevatt is visual artist who works in 

illustration, installation, and paper 

sculpture. Her introspective studio 

practice investigates the intimate 

layers of thought and memory within 

the scope of dreams. She creates 

visual narratives of archetypal thought 

patterns within the framework of fairy 

tales. After graduating in 2010 with a 

BA in Scientific Illustration, Jennifer 

spent 8 years abroad. She received 

an MFA from Newcastle University 

in 2014 and has exhibited her work 

internationally. Jennifer is currently 

an Artist in Residence at Trestle 

Projects in Brooklyn. 

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PARK SLOPE LIT 

BROOKLYN 

THE CITY WITHIN 


Williamsburg, 2014 by Alex Webb 

Any book with the word Brooklyn in its title is special for those of us who are fortunate 

enough to live here. This one has particular relevance to readers of the Park Slope 

Reader however not only because the couple who made it are our immediate neighbors, 

but because The City Within that they refer to in their title is “the green heart of 

the borough: Prospect Park, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Green-Wood Cemetery”. 

This is, almost literally, two books in one. Rebecca Norris Webb’s photographs and 

words that focus on our green spaces are even printed on slightly smaller-sized pages 

bound like a sandwich in the center of the volume, whereas Alex Webb’s rather bigger 

share of the book takes him on forays across our entire borough. 

By Robert Ayers


He returns repeatedly not simply to Brooklyn’s complex diversities, 

but to the beguiling contradictions that are reconciled 

here on a daily basis, or in 

the case of his remarkable 

photographs, in the blink of 

an eye or a camera shutter. In 

fact he goes out of his way to 

accentuate what he calls the 

“quotidian, yet sometimes 

enigmatic, world around 

me” in the images here. In 

the visual cacophony of an 

image captioned Williamsburg, 

2014 for example, the space is 

chopped up by construction 

barriers, a lamp post, and the 

entrance to Bedford Avenue 

subway station, while it is simultaneously dragged back 

together by the fragments of graffiti and stickers that cover 

everything that has stayed still long enough to be covered in 

them. And then, in a weird sort of pictorial alchemy, a shirtless 

eighties-era muscle man pasted to the wall seems momentarily 

the twin of a young guy striding determinedly out of the right 

of the picture frame while he lifts his Nike t-shirt and scratches 

his toned belly. 

Gowanus, 2016 by Alex Webb 

So this is more than a book 

that confirms how remarkable 

our borough is, it is a book that 

makes us realize that Brooklyn 

is even more than we imagined. 

A few of Rebecca Norris Webb’s images are a little simpler. 

There is for example her gorgeous Mute Swan, though even 

here a strange rectangular 

pink glow falls on the swan’s 

back and makes the image 

somewhat enigmatic. More 

often she treats us to wonderful 

visual complexities 

through her use of deep 

spaces filled with details at 

different scales, some in and 

some out of focus. And she is 

a virtuoso of the bewitching 

reflection in photographs 

like Shimmering in which the 

illuminated ceiling of the 

LeFrak Center skating rink is 

somehow seen as though floating in a spectacular evening sky. 

Even if this was the only image in the book it would be well 

worth the cover price. 

Fortunately there are more than eighty other images here, a 

number of which – like Shimmering – I cannot work out how 

they were created, and one or two of which – like Alex Webb’s 

view of Gowanus, 2016 – juggle fleeting reflections in an equally 

entertaining way. Having enjoyed this photograph will make


Everyone has potential. To discover it, is the road to success. To apply it is the road to happiness! 

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my F train ride into Manhattan forever a little different. 

Reflections are also present in Rebecca Norris Webb’s poems 

and short sections of prose: reflections of the work of other 

writers, of their lives and 

experiences, and – more 

obviously – of the world that 

is Brooklyn that she knows 

as well as most of us do. 

Sometimes the pages of text 

that appears in books filled 

with photographs are little 

more than negligible footnotes. 

That is far from the 

case here, and Norris Webb’s 

use of language is exquisite. 

When she describes looking 

down into the darkness 

from an airplane and “Prospect 

Park passes beneath 

like a great dark ship,” or 

asks “Can the rain multiply 

anything that’s blue?” then it is obvious that hers is a genuinely 

cross-disciplinary art in which, to quote Alex Webb’s brief 

preface, “words and pictures create places where landscape 

and memory, history and reverie meet.” 

The recurrent delight that this book offers is the chance to 

see things differently. Differently to how we had seen them 

before, and even differently to how we imagined they were. 

In its pages we find a building-wide mural weirdly echoed in 

the Scotch tape wrapped around a telephone pole; a woman 

dressed as a somewhat 

fanciful version of a lobster 

while another strips down 

to her bathing costume; a 

raccoon high in the branches 

of a tree, its eyes glowing 

ghostly in the darkness; 

and two serious little girls 

dressed for the Ragamuffin 

Parade while behind them 

on the sidewalk a couple of 

bekilted gentlemen play the 

bagpipes. 

So this is more than a book 

that confirms how remarkable 

our borough is, it is a 

Shimmering by Rebecca Norris Webb 

book that makes us realize 

that Brooklyn is even more than we imagined. Or perhaps 

for each of us our personal City Within is the mixture of what 

we know and what we imagine. So, to give the final words to 

Rebecca Norris Webb, “I wonder how many of us now – this 

moment in Brooklyn – find ourselves inhabiting two worlds at 

once?”




PARK SLOPE POLITICS 

“BROOKLYN FOR WARREN: 

SHE’S GOT A PLAN.” 

A local member 

of Brooklyn for 

Warren outside the 

Park Slope Food Coop

“If you support Elizabeth Warren, what is your plan? 

She’s got a plan; what is yours?” 

This is the mantra of grassroots organization, Brooklyn for 

Warren, a group of Brooklyn- based activists who are ALL IN 

for a Warren- 2020 Presidency. The preliminary idea for the 

canvassing chapter began in April 2019, not long after the 

Massachusetts Senator brought her presidential campaign to 

Long Island City. This is the same city where Amazon withdrew 

their plans to build a corporate campus, a decision Warren 

supported. Founder of Brooklyn for Warren, Milo, began 

holding sessions in his Brooklyn home, inviting the public to 

join in conversations regarding the need for structural change. 

These conversations led to the discussions of a future- America 

under a Warren Presidency. Networking with the digital 

community of “All In for Warren” quickly spread the word to 

Warren supporters living in 

the five boroughs, that a local 

group was organizing. By June 

the small group was visible to 

the public, in ways of canvassing, 

marching in parades, 

hosting happy hours events, 

and spreading their work 

throughout Brooklyn. They 

are also visible on multiple 

social media platforms and are 

recognized for crafting “Elizabeth 

Warren’s Comprehensive 

Meme Plan,” a database of 

appropriated images that pair 

Warren’s policies with pop 

culture references. 

“We are all about creating 

visibility,” says Milo. “Warren 

appeals to ALL people and protects 

ALL people. This is why 

we are building a community of her supporters. We want to 

help her become the next President of the United States.” 

We connected with the leaders of Brooklyn for Warren’s Policy 

and Social Media Teams to discuss the fundamentals of grassroots 

organizing, and to learn more about Warren’s plans for 

structural change. We wondered how her plans might affect 

the five boroughs. 

*As a note, Brooklyn for Warren is not part of Senator Warren’s 

official campaign and cannot speak directly for her or 

her campaign. They do not have insider knowledge into policies 

that have not already been made public. The following 

questions and answers include policy proposals that Warren 

has publicly discussed. 

Interviews: 

(PSR): In a little over four months time, Brooklyn for 

Warren has grown from an idea to a dynamic grass- 


roots organization with seven teams, 17 team leaders, 

and an email list t with over 1,300 subscribers. Can 

you tell me how the policy team evolved? 

(BFW) I attended the second house party hosted by Milo, back 

in April. As we began to grown, we developed our “Policy of 

the Week” segment for our biweekly happy hours. These sessions 

teach volunteers about one of Senator Warren’s policy 

proposals and give them talking points for how to discuss 

them when they are out canvassing, phone banking, or tabling. 

As the program quickly developed, it became clear that 

we should have a dedicated policy team, which I now co-lead. 

We organize the policy of the week segments and are working 

on additional tools to give volunteers easily digested summaries 

of Warren’s policies. 

(PSR): What is the impact social media can have on 

a campaign? Do you have any examples of how social 

media has increased awareness of Senator Warren’s 

presence, policies, and presidential campaign in 

Brooklyn? 

(BFW): It helps us organize events and get people involved 

and active. Warren herself tweeted out about our presence in 

Prospect Park with Cardboard Liz a couple of months ago. It 

definitely helped raise attention to what we’re doing here in 

Brooklyn. I have great conversations via DM (direct message) 

on a daily basis with people wanting to not only get more involved, 

but also wanting learn about her plans. Some of these 

people reach out because they feel more comfortable with 

one-on-one conversations. Also, people have been offering 

to send homemade Warren merchandise including buttons, 

stickers, and bath towels as a token of appreciation for our 

work.


(PSR): How is Senator Warren going to help rebuild 

state and local infrastructure? Are there any plans to 

rebuild infrastructure in NYC? 

(BFW): Senator Warren has not released an infrastructure-specific 

plan, but a number of her plans 

address infrastructure in various ways. 

For instance, her plan for rural America 

invests $85 billion to create a public 

option for Broadband Internet access. 

Her green manufacturing plan invests 

$2 trillion over the next ten years into 

green energy research, green energy 

manufacturing, and exporting that 

technology around the world. Much 

of this, necessarily, would be devoted 

to infrastructure in various ways. Her 

plan for economic patriotism would 

create millions of good-paying domestic jobs. 

(PSR): There are massive shortages of affordable 

housing across the country. NYC’s affordability crisis 

affects New Yorkers of nearly every income group in 

every community across the five boroughs. Does Senator 

Warren have a plan to combat high rent and lack 

of affordable housing in NYC? 

(BFW): Her plan is a national one, not specific to NYC, but 

it would certainly help the severe lack of affordable housing 

we face here. The plan would make a historic investment in 

affordable housing that would bring rent down by 10% across 

America. It also creates 1.5 million new jobs through construction 

and rehabilitation of affordable housing and addresses 

the historic impact of the racist and discriminatory policy of 

redlining, where the government subsidized mortgages for 

white families, but not black and brown families. Warren will 

subsidize down payments for first time homebuyers in historically 

redlined communities, which will help close the wealth 

gap between black and white families. It is fully paid for by 

imposing an estate tax on inheritances over $7m. 

(PSR): Warren’s own story is not unlike the stories 

of many working- class Americans and single- parent 

families who struggle economically. How does she 

appeal to voters differently than her opponents? 

(BFW) Warren’s approach and tactics become a part of every 

conversation. She is able to communicate through ideas, not 

guise or rhetoric. Current and previous Presidents have based 

their politics on slogans like “hope” and “great.” Warren’s 

politics are based on ideas and plans, not slogans. She’s really 

in charge of the conversations, and if you have something that 

is consistent and tangibly sound, then you can speak to all 

voters.” 

(PSR): There are a number of Democratic presidential 

candidates who effectively speak to core American 

values and present a strong vision for the future of 

our country’s economy. What makes Senator Warren 

especially unique to the other presidential candidates? 

(BFW): The thing about Senator Warren is that, although it 

looks like she has all these plans to solve 

all these different problems, at their 

core, every single one of her plans is 

addressed at fixing one core problem-- 

the vast inequality in American society. 

It’s the problem that she has spent her 

entire career studying and trying to 

remedy. What makes her array of plans 

different than in any other campaign 

we’ve seen is that they resonate with 

people--they’re not just a disparate 

array of white papers--they show that 

she has a deep understanding of all the 

different ways people are hurt by inequality, whether it is the 

racist history of redlining, the huge power imbalance between 

the 1% and everyone else, the ways corporations have changed 

the rules of the game to their advantage, the ways working 

mothers are held back by the lack of child care, and so many 

more. And they present an optimistic vision of how our 

society can be equal. While her plans are bold and visionary, 

they are also very practical. They are fully paid for, and she has 

talked about the need to eliminate the filibuster, so that they 

can actually become law. 

I believe down to my toes (to borrow Warren’s phrase) that 

once people get to know Senator Warren, those who are open 

to having their minds changed will become convinced that 

she is an exceptional candidate who really stands out from the 

rest. There was some interesting polling earlier this summer 

that measured how closely people were paying attention to the 

primary--among those paying the closest attention, Warren 

was in the lead. To me, that says that once people have the 

opportunity to learn about her, many of them will end up 

supporting her because of the strength of her ideas and conviction, 

her toughness, her record of getting things done, and 

her innate goodness that just shines through. 

(PSR): How can our readers contribute to your cause? 

(BFW): We welcome anyone of any ability. Everyone has 

something to give for the fight-- we see it daily in our group. 

From broke students to those who are able to do more than 

their $2,800 campaign limit. We welcome those in Park Slope 

and elsewhere who want to use their energy to support the 

strongest economic and social justice candidate to represent 

ALL of Brooklyn. Our success is based on community- building 

around Elizabeth Warren, and our team members are all a 

reflection of her. It’s a further testimonial to her inspirational 

personality and candidacy, and to the people who have come 

together to build something. It’s a positive reinforcement 

daily. 

For more information on Brooklyn for Warren, including upcoming 

events and ways to contribute, please visit: brooklynforwarren.org.



PARK SLOPE ART 

GOWANUS OPEN STUDIOS 

Kevin R. Frech, Commune, Video 

The first time I spoke with Johnny was to confirm my participation in Gowanus 

Open Studios, a wonderful yearly event sponsored by Arts Gowanus. The annual 

mid-October event draws people of all ages and backgrounds from all five boroughs. 

It provides artists opportunities to network, while giving the public access to 

creative interaction in their spaces. 

As a visual artist who occupies a 96 square-foot studio space in an old industrial 

warehouse, I’m new to the Gowanus art scene. I moved to Brooklyn in the spring of 

2018, but like many artists, I was unable to secure a studio space until the following 

year. “You’re not alone,” Johnny later told me. “The scene is always in flux. Artists 

have occupied industrial and commercial buildings in our neighborhood for many, 

many years, but have also been continually pushed out of their spaces due to new 

development and the ever-evolving gentrification of our community. But artists are 

resourceful; we’re good at finding new spaces for creating, regardless of whatever 

barrier is holding us back.” 

Johnny Thornton is the Program Director of Arts Gowanus, a nonprofit organization 

that advocates for local artists by organizing events to promote and sustain the 

multi-disciplinary art communities of Brooklyn. Part of their mission is to keep 

artists in Gowanus and neighboring areas through artist-toartist relationships, 

monthly networking, workshops, fundraisers, exhibitions, and collaborations. 

Johnny spoke about a small group of artists in the 90s who revolutionized the event 

long before Arts Gowanus became the organization it is today. 

By Julia DePinto



For decades, New York City artists have struggled to 

find affordable studio spaces; usually seeking unused 

spaces in vacant buildings in disused neighborhoods. 

According to Johnny, “The problem with this pattern 

is that new developments come in and raise the rent 

so much that artists cannot afford to stay. Economic 

growth and gentrification tend to follow artists, but then 

push them out, creating a destructive cycle. This is how 

Open Studios was formed. Artists were seeking to form 

a community in a developing city that was also forcing 

background. The drawings and paintings were on various 

sizes of paper and canvas and covered every inch of the 

space, from the corners of the ceiling to the cracks in the 

floor. Stools, chairs, and easels were also painted, getting 

lost in the mammoth installation. I felt I had entered a 

dreamscape or memory. But it wasn’t my memory; it was 

Johnny’s. I stood in silence for a few minutes, trying to 

make sense of my surroundings. To contextualize the 

immersive installation and my immediate reaction is to 

say that it was quite unsettling. It was a meditation of a 

medical document, drawn in visual language, void of any 

text. 

Soon after relocating to New York for graduate school, 

Johnny was diagnosed with an illness that changed 

the trajectory of his art career. As a once active, hyperrealistic 

portrait painter, he was suddenly limited to 

create within the barriers of physical mobility. Though 

his health began to deteriorate, he found catharsis in the 

repetitive act of drawing the circular cells. In his words, 

“My illness changed the way I work entirely.” This too 

made me look differently at Johnny’s art. His health has 

since improved, and I can now look at the artworks as a 

hopeful act. 

Gowanus Open Studios is now celebrating 23 

successful years. This year’s Open Studio event takes 

place the weekend of October 19 & 20 from 12:00 

pm- 6:00 pm. The event is open to all ages and 

welcomes those who are interested in the process of 

art-making, collecting, or simply want to get a 

glimpse into the lives of local artists. Take time to 

come and explore the arts during this magical fall 

weekend. You’ll be glad you did! 

Johnny Thornton; Studio View & Installation of Cells 

them out.” This problem is not unique to the majority of 

New York residents. We live in a city where housing costs 

rise much faster than incomes. Massive shortages of 

affordable housing have affected many communities in 

the five boroughs. 

I met Johnny outside of his studio, which is housed in a 

restored factory building that hosts private and shared 

spaces for artists to create, collaborate and exhibit. He 

walked me through a gated back entrance, through a 

long hallway, and into his studio-- a space that I was not 

entirely prepared to enter. Narrow and rectangular with 

tall ceilings, it was filled with paintings of overlapping 

red blood cells, loosely rendered and aggressively 

outlined in a thick, black paint against a white 

In the corner of Johnny’s studio, placed casually 

against the sea of blood cell paintings, are stacks of 

painted canvas. These highly emotive paintings depict 

human forms, contrasting elements of physical and 

psychological identities. The gray figures are vulnerable; 

they open themselves up to the artist, but gaze past the 

viewer, attempting to avoid eye contact. Thick, black 

gestural marks lie on top of the figures, loosely outlining 

the contours of the body. Johnny describes the new 

works as“explorations of the constructed self through 

the lens of corporeal degradation and contemporary 

construction.” 

I asked Johnny what viewers could expect to see this year 

at Open Studios. He responded by showing me a largescale 

painting of gestural blacks lines juxtaposed a white 

backdrop. 

Johnny isn’t the only artist preparing for Open Studios. 

Brooklyn-based, multi-disciplinary artist, 

Jenn Schmidt and video artist, Ken Frech are also 

preparing their studios for visitors this fall.


and all too relatable. Technology is meant 

to connect us but it also has the potential to 

isolate us. I watched the video several times 

through before being interrupted by my own 

iPhone. 

Another piece, Foundation and Empire, 

features a single-channel HD video that 

speaks to issues of global warming and ways 

that money reshapes our world. In the video, 

Frech suspends ten, $100 bills in a block of ice 

and uses time-lapse to capture the melting. 

Unmistakenly paralleling climate change; 

as the cash becomes exposed to warmer 

temperatures, the ice melts, causing the entire 

structure to become unsustainable. 

Jenn Schmidt; Studio View 

Jenn works in print-media, graphic design, sound, video, 

and site-specific installation. Entering her studio feels like 

entering a memoir of the natural world, albeit wrapped 

in patterns of psychedelic color and phenomenon. 

Her work questions the role of visual iconography and 

repetitive actions within a given environment. Prints 

on cotton fabric reference the physical body and are 

reminiscent of long walks through fields in Belgium, 

which is where she connects ideals of femininity and 

nature. 

Jenn showed me multi-faceted images of weeds, 

flowers and pinecones; all are elements of nature 

that find balance between echo and ecofeminism. 

The performative act of collecting weeds encouraged 

Jenn to consider ways in which women identify with 

nature. “It’s like a protection of self,” she explained. 

“The persistence of weeds is a global concept. Often 

overlooked, they exist in space and in between spaces.” 

Viewers can expect to see Jenn’s newest monumental 

artworks, completed recently at an artists’ residency in 

Belgium. They may even hear echoes of Corita Kent’s 

famous words, “Flowers grow out of dark moments.” 

When I visited Kevin Frech, he was arranging monitors 

and sets of headphones. Kevin’s work examines the 

social practices of Western contemporary society. As 

technology improves communication, it also alienates us 

from one another and our natural world; regardless, we 

continue consuming its resources. Commune involves 

a single-channel HD video with stereo sound, and 

depicts an assemblage of adults consumed by their 

smartphones. The piece is compelling, mesmerizing, 

I spoke with Kevin about his work and what he 

hopes his art will convey to visitors. He stated 

that the videos function on multiple levels, 

and that he tries to make art that everyone 

can relate to. He noted that in previous years, 

children and youth have identified with his 

work and understood the difficulty and 

absurdity of the pieces. 

For more information about Gowanus Open Studios: 

www.artsgowanus.org 

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PARK SLOPE PROFILE 

Caroline P. Cohen 

Honest Engagement 

When I spoke with Caroline, she was in the midst of another busy day, riding in the car with her familyhusband, 

Steve, and two children, Daschel and CiCi. And even over the phone, I could tell she was full 

of energy, inspiration, and self-assurance. Back in April, Caroline won first out of four in the Primary 

Election for Civil Court Judge. Now, she running unopposed in the November General Election. She 

contributes this major achievement to her honest engagement with the Brooklyn community. 

— By Sofia Pipolo, pics by Julia DePinto —

For the past two years, Caroline has been a trusted Civil Rights 

Attorney, working for a small, “Feminist Litigation Firm.” What’s 

that mean? Well, exactly what you would hope. A legal firm 

that advises and represents those that have been discriminated 

against in the workplace - be it sexually harassed, because of their 

status as a caregiver, or for their maternity status. Caroline sites 

this leap into law and politics as the best professional decision 

she has ever made. 

She then quotes Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in 

the world.” After the 2016 election, Caroline, like many others, 

felt a call to action. “I couldn’t be as mad as I was and not 

try to move into a 

position that could 

affect greater good.” 

These intimate 

feelings motivate 

many of Caroline’s 

personal and 

political engagement 

decisions. She 

continuously speaks 

about how she 

experiences issues 

very emotionally 

and takes things 

incredibly personally. 

Ironically, these are 

often the excuses 

people have for not 

electing women into 

positions of power. 

But Caroline is 

unapologetic with 

her feelings. Aside 

from showcasing a 

sense of humanity, 

she understands 

them as an opportunity 

to translate emotions into a passion and dedication for positive 

change. “I was filled with rage. But still, you turn that into 

something else. It would be a greater tragedy just to take those 

feelings and be like ‘Oh well, this is the world we live in now.’ No, 

you take it and you do more with it.” 

Soon after, she called her brother saying, “Well, I guess I am 

running for office now.” 

Similarly, Caroline’s desire to move into law came from 

her own mother’s inability to pursue higher education and 

a professional career as an attorney. Caroline states that the 

death of her mother, Carol, was the most defining moment 

of her life, because of the parallel similarities she saw between 

her moment of loss and her mother’s. Carol had applied to law 

school, but ultimately her father did not support it, saying “You 

have been educated enough. That’s it. Hard stop.” In the end, 

she moved on to be a successful businesswoman, but still, this 

loss was continuously prominent in the determination to pass 

on strength to her children. Caroline says, “She saw a lot in me 

what she saw in herself - a focus, and dedication, and just a belief 

that you can do it.” 

Amongst the great values inherited from her mother is the 

belief that “you don’t take shit from anybody.” Caroline too 

wishes to deliver this energetic self-assurance to others. She 

speaks to me about the need to claim your identity and power. 


“Be fearless when you’re speaking with people who are dismissive 

of you.” I can image Caroline working with her clients, giving 

them the same spirited motivation that her words project; 

providing them the opportunity, access, and tools to pursue that 

which other’s have tried to take away. And Caroline brings this 

ferocious devotion to all aspects of her life. 

“This cycle I hope to give to my clients, that I hope to give to 

my children, that I hope to give to my constituents is that if you 

come before me as a judge you will be heard, if you are my client 

I will fight for you, if you’re my child I will empower you to speak 

for yourself and speak for others.” 

Of course, the 

transition has not 

always been easy. 

It continues to 

involve months of 

long days as it was 

never an option to 

take off of work for 

Caroline - she says, 

“My ladies need me.” 

So while holding 

her 9 to 5 hours, she 

would campaign 

on the subways in 

the morning, knock 

on doors in the 

evenings, and end 

her day with team 

meetings between 

9:30 and 11 PM. An 

almost unbelievable 

work schedule for a 

mother raising a 6 

and 4 ¾-year-old. But 

as Caroline states, “I 

am the definition of ‘It 

takes a village.’ And when I ask her children if they think it’s cool 

to see their mom talking with all these people and doing this big 

job for the city, rising pre-schooler CiCi replies, “Pretty much.” 

Caroline with her campaign team including NYS Senate Candidate Josue Pierre 

In the same way that the community has supported her, 

as Civil Court Judge, Caroline is focused on giving back and 

engaging the community. “And not just during the campaign, 

I think that’s a bunch of garbage. You have to be dedicated to 

reach out to all the corners of the community if you are going be 

a public servant and seek to represent them.” Caroline has made 

a major effort to connect with Brooklyn individuals in order 

to understand the nuances of each community. For example, 

providing comprehensive relief to the multi-decade affordable 

housing crisis or directly dealing with Islamaphobia in the 

Muslim community. She has been endorsed by Brooklyn Young 

Democrats, LGBTQ organizations- the Lambda Independent 

Democrats of Brooklyn and the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic 

Club, and the Shirley Chisholm Democratic Club. “What I 

can bring [to Civil Court Judge position] is a perspective and 

understanding of whom my constituents are. And it comes from 

living here. I have lived in Flatbush for 10 years. It’s a great joy to 

me and my family to continue to be involved in the community.” 

As part of her community engagement Caroline co-founded 

Ditmas Art, a mixed media arts organization focused on political 

discourse. So, we wrapped up our conversation with a question 

that as a media creator I often ask others: What do you believe


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the goal of art and media should be? For 

me, the goal is to create work the provokes 

empathy. Caroline began by telling me a 

story of a former Art History professor 

who hated Steven Speilberg films, because 

“They told you how to feel.” However, she 

finds a distinction between this control 

and engaging one’s audience to make them 

think in a new way. She states, “It’s all about 

opening up dialogue. And that was really 

the point of opening up this art salon in our 

house. Because we were a community who 

were bereft from the 2016 election. And I use 

that word purposefully.” 

She again recalls the night of the 2016 

election with the deeply personal memory of 

retreating to her upstairs bathroom, so her 

son would not have to see her cry. In those 

moments, fear took hold equivalent to that 

when she learned her mother had stage four 

metastatic cancer. “It felt like the world had shifted under my 

feet. So I wanted to create a space for people to bring their ideas… 

And to allow them to begin to formulate thoughts. Because 

people were grieving. And it was an opportunity for people to 

grieve.” 

“So, I think, in its best form art is just an opportunity for 

people to allow their thoughts to flow.” 

Caroline’s thoughts, too, flow from her with purpose 

and energy as she speaks with me about these challenges, 

accomplishments, and sentiments. All which motivate her to 

bring that same confidence to others- confidence not only that 

she will fulfill her role as Civil Court Judge, but promise that 

in doing so every individual will gain a stronger, louder, and 

recognized voice. In our conversation, again and again, Caroline 

would proudly proclaim, “I love what I do!” Indulging in stories 

of the people, places, and experience that brought her to where 

she is today. 

“I am very aware that I am indebted to the community. I owe 

everything to this community. It is helping me raise my children. 

It provided me a platform to meet my boss- who I met in my 

oldest child’s moms group. It has given me a spiritual stronghold 

in moments of political disbelief. And that love and dedication 

will translate to love and dedication on the bench.”q 

To learn more about Caroline’s Campaign go to cohenforjudge2019. 

com



PARK SLOPE LIT 

Across New York City, Students 

George O’Connor poses with 6th graders at Hamilton Grange Middle School in Harlem. 

MEET THE WRITERS 

Jacqueline Woodson greets middle school fans at Seth Low IS 96 in Brooklyn. 

By Zanthe Taylor


Meet the Writers, which began with a single school in the spring of 2015, has so far reached 12,000 

New York City preK-8th grade public school children in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan, 

with a particular emphasis on Title 1 schools, where a majority of students live in low-income homes. 

Michele Weisman can remember back to a time before she became 

show O’Connor their work. 

a book person. Growing up, her family preferred watch- 

The Olympians school visit is a perfect illustration of how 

ing TV to turning pages. But in seventh grade at Baltimore’s Meet the Writers excels: Weisman works in close partnership 

Pikesville Junior High she encountered books like Animal Farm with each school to find a writer who matches both the students 

and experienced the joys of critical reading for the first time. and the setting. “There’s no one formula I follow,” Weisman 

Books became central to her long career as a graphic designer 

and art director for many prestigious children’s publishers demographics with her extensive rolodex of writers and illus- 

explains. Instead, she pairs her knowledge of a school and its 

including Children’s Television 

trators--painstakingly built 

Workshop, Time For Kids, 

through visits to book festivals 

and Highlights for Children. 

and contacts with publishers--to 

make each match. She’s 

“Middle school can change 

your direction,” Weisman says 

brought authors of all races, 

now, reflecting on how much 

ages, and genders into schools; 

changed for her when she began 

loving books. She’s made 

Cam Jansen series, David A. 

from the author of the popular 

that realization her life’s mission, 

spending the last four 

and author Sonia Manzano. 

Adler, to Sesame Street actress 

years connecting 12,000 New 

Setting also dictates her planning. 

When middle-school 

York City schoolchildren with 

books and authors through 

students encounter a writer in 

Meet the Writers, Inc., the 

an auditorium, a big personality 

like O’Connor goes over like 

non-profit organization she 

founded in 2015. 

gangbusters; for kindergarteners, 

In the auditorium at Hamilton 

Grange Middle School 

on West 138th Street one fall 

morning there’s a buzz in the 

air, the slightly unruly kind of 

noise particular when groups 

of tweens gather. As students 

pour in, each clutching a volume 

from the Olympians series 

of graphic novels about 

Greek mythology, they curiously 

eye the man on stage 

next to a blank sketchbook 

on an easel. Once they’re seated 

Illustrator Bryan Collier engages 3rd graders in the Bronx. 

an author may travel 

from classroom to classroom, 

speaking to small groups sitting 

on the rug and answering 

questions the children have 

prepared in advance. Whether 

discussing a sweet picture 

book or a challenging young 

adult novel, coming face-toface 

with its author piques the 

students’ interest in a more 

personal way from words or 

pictures on the page. For many 

of these students, Meet the Writers 

and the chatter settles to a low hum, George O’Connor, the 

author and illustrator of the Olympians, launches into a bravura 

presentation. Gesturing energetically, joking around, soliciting 

provides their first introduction to a real-life writer or artist 

and expands their world of role models to include the creators 

of books. 

responses from the students, and sketching virtuosically, 

Weisman also works hard to choose authors in whom the 

O’Connor quickly has the whole auditorium in the palm of his students can see themselves, whether because of their background 

or subject matter, and the writers in turn emphasize 

hand. Students are laughing and nodding along with his rapid-fire 

banter, and even the teachers, staff, and administrators how to pursue a creative passion and turn it into a job. Authors 

standing in the back are charmed and entertained. With plain describe their different writing styles in accessible, entertaining 

paper and a black Sharpie, O’Connor brings Greek mythology 

to life. After his presentation, he stays for almost two hours, and emphasize the hard but essential work of editing. Students 

ways-some are planners, while others are more spontaneoustalking 

with every student and signing every single book with are fascinated not only by each book’s content, but by the life 

a sketch of each student’s favorite god or goddess. Some more and career of the author, and often by the publishing process 

extroverted students joke around with him, while a few quieter as well: “How much money do you make?” they ask, or “Did 

children confide how much they also like to draw and ask to


Ruth Chan meets 1st graders and signs books at Sunset Park School in Brooklyn. 

you choose the picture on the cover?” The authors’ generous and 

honest answers clearly set wheels turning in the students’ minds. 

Perhaps some will become writers or artists themselves, while others 

are sparked by thinking about the business of books for the 

first time. Whether students consider themselves nascent authors 

or not, there is value in these visits for each of them. 

Meet the Writers, which began with a single school in the 

spring of 2015, has so far reached 12,000 New York City preK- 

8th grade public school children in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, 

and Manhattan, with a particular emphasis on Title 1 schools, 

where a majority of students live in low-income homes. It has also 

helped provide 4,000 signed books: one of Weisman’s main goals 

for the future is to be able to hand a book to every student she 

serves. From that first school visit in 2015, the program now has 

forty events scheduled for the 2019-20 school year, and Weisman 

expects that number to grow. Because Meet the Writers operates 

with extremely low overhead cost, it has relied so far on small 

grants and prize money, as well as the generosity of individual 

small donors. Weisman hopes an increase in funding will help 

her grow the program, not only in numbers of books but also in 

increasing the number of schools and students it reaches. In addition 

to the strong presence in elementary and middle schools, 

she recently began discussions with a high school, which would be 

Meet the Writers’ first. They are also hoping to add Staten Island 

and complete the mission of reaching New York students in all 

five boroughs. Meet the Writers is now actively looking for strategic 

partnerships with complementary organizations focusing on 

literacy and education--a recent collaboration with Read Alliance 

brought author/illustrator Ruth Chan to meet elementary students 

and their high school reading buddies. 

“This feels like my small way of moving the needle,” Weisman 

explains. It’s creative act of social activism in a climate that too 

often feels hostile to the needs of children and the less privileged.


GOWANUS: 185 FIRST ST. 

COBBLE HILL: 286 COURT ST. 

www.brooklynwriters.com 

Michele Weisman, Founder and 

Executive Director. 

Meet the Writers has also 

been a way to distill her 

life’s experience, from a career 

focused on educational 

publishing, to her time 

volunteering with P.S. 321’s 

author visits, to her term as 

PTA co-president at Hunter 

College High School. Weisman 

found herself craving 

both new challenges and 

new meaning in her work, 

and the timing seemed ideal 

as her children approached 

the end of high school. “I 

turned fifty, started running, 

and wanted to reinvent 

and recharge myself,” Weisman says, and with Meet the Writers, 

she has turned that extensive energy and dedication to the 

service of New York City’s children. Whether meeting award-winning 

authors like Jacqueline Woodson or Elizabeth Acevedo, both 

of whom grew up in New York City themselves, or writers who’ve 

traveled- sometimes across the country- to speak with them, New 

York’s public school students are enriched by one woman’s mission: 

to help them find the joy of becoming book people themselves. 

 

www.meetthewriters.org



[ DISPATCHES FROM BABYVILLE ] 

BECOMING A CITY KID 

I hover. As a mother, I mean. Sometimes I try not to, and sometimes I lean into it 

but either way, it’s my instinct. I was raised by hoverers. I was also raised in Staten 

Island. These facts are unrelated but relevant to my point which is: I grew up in the 

city but was not a city kid – at least not until I started high school in Manhattan. I was 

neither sophisticated, nor saavy, nor independently mobile. 

Even as a little girl. I loved Manhattan – the lights! the smells! the 

people everywhere! – but I didn’t develop a borough inferiority 

complex until later, when I was in middle school. This, of course, is 

when one is most susceptible to developing complexes. 

My parents would drive me over the Verrazano into Bay Ridge every 

morning, and I would dream we’d keep going until we crossed that 

cathedral of bridges, with its twinned arches, into the glittering 

metropolis of Manhattan. I had a small town girl’s adoration of 

the city, which was stoked by my favorite sitcom, Mad About You. 

Nothing could be better, I thought, than to live in a doorman 

building and order Chinese food every other night. That was the 

life I wanted. 

And that life was mine, every time I visited my aunt, uncle and 

two cousins in their apartment on East 78th Street. I visited them 

frequently, for weeks at a time in the summer, like some kind of 

reverse Fresh Air Kid. When I was in high school, for almost three 

years, I lived with them Monday through Friday, because it took 

me just thirty minutes to get to school instead of an hour and a 

half and three modes of public transportation – bus, train and, 

incredibly, boat. 

Staying at my aunt’s apartment was like living in a Mad About You 

episode. I would greet the doorman on my way in, take the elevator 

sixteen stories up and gorge myself on Chicken Chow Fun and 

Moo Shu Pork from takeout containers. 

I even had a building bestie, Leah Goldstein. Leah was just my age 

and lived four floors below us. Leah was a city kid. She enjoyed an 

independence I dared not dream of. She walked places by herself. 

She took buses unsupervised. She had HBO and was permitted to 

watch anything she wanted, including Fatal Attraction. 

I was fairly successful at fitting in with Leah and her savvy, 

independent friends, but a close look would have revealed I was an 

impostor. For example, I made it through all of Fatal Attraction 

without closing my eyes, but had nightmares for months afterward. 

If I’m being honest, my palms still get a little clammy when I look 

in a bathroom mirror. 

One weekend afternoon, when I was about eleven, I was hanging 

out at Leah’s apartment, with her and her friends, when someone 

suggested we go out for lunch. 

“Ooooh, we should go to Hard Rock,” said a girl with killer bangs. 

There were murmurs of agreement and within minutes, feet were 

being shoved in shoes. 

“Let me just go grab my wallet,” I said. “Don’t leave without me.” 

I raced upstairs, beginning my begging before the door was even 

closed behind me. My mother was called. My request was denied. 

I implored my mother. I bargained with her, I appealed to her basic 

humanity. 

“You can go,” she said. “As long as your aunt goes with you.” 

It was a preposterous idea. It was like offering someone a freshlybaked 

chocolate cake that was full of dysentery. I told her as much, 

and amped up the waterworks. I was then, and am now, a fast and 

voluble crier. 

“What if,” my aunt chimed in. “What if Harry and I just happen to 

have lunch at Hard Rock too? At the same time? We won’t sit with 

you. We’ll just be there, on our own.” 

“Because the food is so good,” my uncle Harry said. “And not at all 

overpriced.” 

Beggars can’t be choosers. People who have never been to the 

mysterious but inarguably incredible place called “Hard Rock” 

must find a way there, even if they are accompanied by a secret 

security detail. 

“All right,” I agreed, grabbing my wallet. “Just walk really far 

behind us. And don’t- you know- talk to me. Or look at me too 

much. From now on, we’re strangers.” 

I still don’t understand why they caved to my outrageous demands, 

but a few minutes later, we were taking separate elevators down to 

the lobby, where I rejoined the group. To my horror, they’d decided 

in my absence we were going to take a cab to the restaurant. Which 

was not part of the plan I’d thrown together with my aunt. 

But, I reasoned, this is what city kids do. They probably come out of 

the womb hailing taxis. And so, throwing a discrete and apologetic 

By Nicole Caccavo Kear, art by Heather Heckel


[ DISpatches from babyville ] 

glance at my aunt and uncle, who were waiting in the lobby, I piled 

into the taxi with the other kids. 

I wasn’t privy to the part where my aunt and uncle raced for the 

next taxi and yelled, “Follow that cab!” All I know is that soon after 

our group was seated at a large round table in the big, boisterous 

dining area of the Hard Rock Café- every bit as cool as I’d imaginedmy 

aunt and uncle walked in and were ushered to a table on the 

upper level. 

I followed suit as Leah and the other kids ordered burgers, fries, 

milkshakes. It was, I thought, the best meal I’d ever eaten. The 

burgers were juicier, the fries crispier, the milkshakes creamier 

than their outer borough counterparts. I felt so suddenly grownup. 

I was keenly aware that I was in the middle of an important 

metamorphosis. 

I would never be the same after dining (mostly) unsupervised at 

the coolest restaurant in the coolest city in the world. After this 

meal, I’d be an adult. A saavy, sophisticated adult. I’d be ready to 

pay rent for a studio apartment and tell tourists the fastest way to 

get to Bleecker Street from anywhere. It was a straight shot from 

here to Mad-About-You city -iving bliss. 

And then the waitress brought our bill. 

We were short. Significantly so. 

“You guys, we forgot about tax!” shrieked Leah. 

“Well, isn't that, like, optional? Like a tip?” one of her friends 

ventured. 

Panic percolated among the group as it was concluded that tax was 

not optional. What would happen to us now? Would the waitress 

call the police? Would we have to wash dishes? 

I glanced up and found my aunt and uncle paying their own bill. 

They’d just turned from a liability to an ass-saving asset. 

“Oh my God, you guys!” I exclaimed to the group. “This is so crazy 

but . . . I think that’s my aunt and uncle up there.” I pointed to 

their table. “How weird is that? They must be eating here too!” 

“Can you ask them to lend us some money?” Leah asked. 

“Yeah, sure,” I agreed. 

My aunt and uncle did not bother to mask their delight at this 

unexpected reversal. 

“Sorry,” my uncle teased. “But we have no idea who you are. We’re 

just perfect strangers enjoying a delicious lunch at the worldfamous 

Hard Rock Café.” 

Back then, I didn’t understand this delight. Now that I’m a mother 

of kids around this age, I understand it all too well. It’s not just the 

simple satisfaction of being able to wield an, “I told you so.” It’s the 

desperately-needed confirmation that you, the parent (or parent 

proxy) know what you are doing. That, despite all the misgivings 

and mistakes, the bad calls, the wrong-headed battles waged (and 

lost), that you still possess enough parental instinct to get the job 

done. More specifically, it’s a welcome reminder that your kid (or 

surrogate kid) still needs you, even when they insist they don’t — 

and never will again. 

So it was with immeasurable pleasure that my aunt and uncle 

descended the stairs to serve as a real-life deus ex machina. 

“Hi guys,” my uncle said. “I hear you’re a little short? We can cover


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I emerged from the lunch a hero. Or at least, the guy that knew 

where to find the hero. 

When the bill was settled, my uncle asked: “How are you guys 

getting home?” 

“Oh, just walking,” Leah said. 

“We are too,” he replied. 

They trailed us the whole way home. q 

Nicole C. Kear is the author of the forthcoming middle grade book 

Foreverland (Macmillan Kids, April 2020), as well as the chapter 

book series The Fix-It Friends, and the memoir Now I See You. 

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e a t I N G l o c a l 

Rediscovering Runner and Stone’s 

Homemade Fare 

with a Twist 

Not much has changed at Runner & Stone, a Gowanus based restaurant, bar, and 

retail-wholesale bakery that’s been in operation for the last seven years, and no one 

seems to want otherwise. According to general manager Julio Herencia, the restaurant 

was among the first to open in the area, back when New Yorkers complained about 

how smelly the canal was, and the warehouses of the neighborhood weren’t known 

for housing breweries and barbecue. In spite of this fairly long history and dramatic 

neighborhood change, locals are rediscovering Runner & Stone, something Herencia 

attributes to the great care that the restaurant devotes to sourcing and preparing 

food. 

Article and Photos by Viviane Eng


It’s so wonderful to have created 

a business where the employees 

like to spend time, and where 

I frequently see customers and 

employees getting together and 

collaborating. The inter-personal 

exchange that occurs around 

and because of food is truly 

inspirational on a daily basis. 

together when they opened Runner & Stone in 

December 2012. 

“Since he is a chef and I’m a baker, we 

discussed how to combine those two crafts to 

create an all-day business that would help us 

diversify in terms of business, as well as give us 

both the creative outlet we were hoping for. We 

came upon Gowanus as a kind of geographical 

compromise, with me coming from Lower 

Manhattan and Chris coming from Bay Ridge,” 

wrote Endriss in an email. 

“We make our own butter, our own ketchup— 

we’ve never bought a sausage. We make our own 

sausages. You name it, we make it. It’s borderline 

annoying,” said Herencia with a smile. 

In a time when restaurants are scrambling to 

maintain quality amidst new minimum wage laws, 

increasing food prices, and skyrocketing rents, 

Runner & Stone has stayed true to its commitment 

to sourcing locally when possible, developing 

relationships with organizations like the Park 

Slope Food Co-op (which sells Runner and Stone 

bread), and, simply, spending time with their food 

to make it as delicious as it can possibly be. 

“Both of the owners are often in here for 18 

hours a day,” said Herencia. “Peter’s hands were 

in the dough until about four o’clock today and 

Chris works 10 to 14 hour days. I think that shines 

through with the product.” 

Chef Chris Pizzulli (Blue Ribbon Brooklyn) and 

Head Baker Peter Endriss (Per Se) are cousins and 

had long been discussing plans to start a business 

It turned out that Gowanus was an apt place for 

Runner and Stone to make a home for itself. The 

neighborhood’s industrial-turned-early-thirtieship 

identity mirrors that of the restaurant, which 

has become a local favorite for families, young 

couples on date night as well as regulars who are


Rediscovering Runner and Stone 

content sitting on their own at the bar. In a way, 

Runner & Stone is also part industrial, part trendy. 

There is somebody in the bakery at all hours of 

the day, a small room that is mostly ovens. These 

bakers and their apprentices prepare bread to be 

packaged and sold to places like The Park Slope 

Food Co-Op, while also kneading dough that 

will become their signature Bolzano miche, or a 

Chef Chris Pizzulli and Head Baker Peter Endriss 

baguette, sliced and served onsite with a creamy 

herb-infused chicken liver pate. 

In the candlelit dining room, surf rock plays 

in the background as the dinner crowd enjoys 

a selection of pastas, all made in-house from 

scratch, paired with wine from a mostly Italian 

selection. Unbeknownst to some, Runner & Stone 

also serves its own original cocktails, often infused 

with syrups from the lavender, dandelion, and 

rosemary grown in their small rooftop garden. 

From the dining room, where the mood is relaxed 

and slow, it’d be impossible to tell that the 

nighttime baker hasn’t even started his day’s 

work. 

The dining room at Runner & Stone looks like 

many others in Brooklyn, it’s a little dim, there’s 

exposed brick, and wine bottles line one wall 

from floor to ceiling. But if one looks a little 

closer, on the wall near the entrance, the exposed 

brick isn’t really brick at all. Rather, the wall 

is made from the first 1,000 bags of flour that 

the restaurant used, which were then filled with 

concrete. They look pillow-like and many first 

time visitors, including myself, feel inclined to

touch them. The pub tables along the same wall 

are made from reclaimed Brooklyn water towers, 

a fact that is nearly undetectable, unless Herencia 

comes by and tells you firsthand, which he 

probably will. Though he is the general manager, 

he enjoys socializing with the customers and 

taking orders when the pace is slow. He tells me 

that he’s been invited to customers’ birthday and 

Christmas parties. They ask about his family and 

his weekend. 


HAPPY HOUR 7 DAYS A WEEK!! 

“The highlight of operating the restaurant is 

definitely the community that Runner and Stone 

has become, a community of both customers and 

employees,” said Endriss. “It's so wonderful to have 

created a business where the employees like to 

spend time, and where I frequently see customers 

and employees getting together and collaborating. 

The inter-personal exchange that occurs around 

and because of food is truly inspirational on a 

daily basis.” q 

Interviews have been edited and condensed for 

clarity. 

House-roasted, thoughtfully 

sourced beans and fresh, 

seasonal food served daily, 

8am to 7pm.


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PARK SLOPE WELLNESS 

“Autumn in New York, why does it seem so inviting?” -Vernon Duke 

THROUGH EARLY PARENTHOOD 

Jaya Yoga 

It’s the Time of the Season for Yoga 

Is it the awe-inspiring blend of amber-gold foliage beneath the blue sky, the crisp breeze, and the scent of 

pumpkin-everything? The energy reforms every season and autumn prepares us for the transition for chilly 

winters ahead. What doesn’t serve us need to bid adieu to create space for forthcoming new energies. 

This is a good time to begin with practices that align our mind, body and spirit. What could be better than 

yoga then? While collecting multi-hued leaves, we found beautiful yoga studios along our way. Have a look 

and decide what’s best for you. 

By Swati Singh



Prospect Heights Yoga 

184 Underhill Avenue, Prospect Heights 

A short walk from Park Slope towards Underhill Ave and you 

will find a turquoise board catching your attention. Prospect 

Heights offers a wide range of practices for various levels from 

basics and foundations to faster flows. Meditation, dynamic 

and Vinyasa, restorative and alignment-based classes and 

Pilates is on their rich platter. Experienced teachers, friendly 

atmosphere, no-frills attitude, and their sliding scale model 

makes sure that they are accessible to all. An unlimited intro 

month for $75, intro week for $25. They partner with different 

social justice organizations and causes each month; aditionally 

partnering with Rooftop Reds in the Brooklyn Navy Yard for 

Wednesday and Sunday evening classes. 

They offer a unique karma yogi program where students can 

support in-studio maintenance and projects in exchange for 

free classes. 

By the community and for the community! 

Align Brooklyn 

579 5th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Park Slope 

Align Brooklyn extends a warm welcome on the 5th Ave. Owned 

by a chiropractor who is a specialist in posture, myofascial 

therapy, exercise rehab and movement, adds unique services to 

exhaustive list of their offerings. Hands-on teachers and a balanced 

approach with focus on vitality make this a great place. 

Yoga classes include practices of Vinyasa Flow, Restorative, 

Therapeutic, Iyengar, Hatha. Apart from that, Pilates and barre 

and functional fitness classes are also in their schedule. 

One-week unlimited trial membership is for $35. They also offer 

a monthly Unlimited Wellness Membership Giveaway. Apply 

on thier website. And do not miss their Yin series and Yoga 

Wall workshop this Fall. 

Yogis and Yoginis 

432 6th Avenue, Park Slope 

A red-brick building adorned with Buddhist prayer flags welcomes 

you on 6th Ave. Yogis and Yoginis shares its space with 

the Shantideva Center, a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center. 

They believe in the symbiosis of meditation with yoga and 

reserves time for Samatha meditation (calm abiding) in every 

class. 

Beginners can opt for Starter and Basic yoga classes. Intermediate 

yoga and open level yoga classes are for those who already 

know basics and want to step up a rung. The uniquely offer 

Kundalini Yoga, Qi Gong, Yoga for individual attention. Y&Y 

also offers children classes that correspond with adult classes 

for parents or caregivers who want to practice while their kids 

play. 

A new student special offer is 3 classes for $30. 

Y&Y will have a Restorative Sound Journey on Friday, September 

20 at 7:45 pm. It’s a 75-minute immersion in devotional 

song, healing sounds, and profound relaxation. They believe 

the voices generate collective energy; so then they lie down


YOGA FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY 

children adult prenatal postnatal 

• • • 

(new student special 3 classes for $30) 

708 Sackett Street | between 4th & 5th Avenue | Brooklyn, NY 11217 | 347.987.3162 

www.bendandbloom.com


for deep relaxation with the healing sounds of gongs, singing 

bowls, chimes, and other sacred instruments. Space is limited 

and the cost is $ 25. 

What are you waiting for? 

Jaya Yoga 


A red brick building on the 8th Ave curtained by Pin Oak tree 

is a spacious and radiant yoga studio, aged over 20 years. They 

offer Hatha yoga in all levels, including special offerings such 

as Restorative Yoga, Kids Yoga, Prenatal, Meditation, Yin Yoga 

and 200/300 Hour Teacher Training. Additionally, they conduct 

workshops in chanting, yoga philosophy, anatomy, individualized 

aspects of vinyasa, and private classes. Reiki treatments 

and massages are also available. 

Knowledgeable instructors and a community vibe make it a 

great place to practice. They strive for an intentional harnessing 

of energy, a dedication to continuous learning, and a series of 

movements to strengthen and calm the body, mind, and spirit. 

This fall season, they are reintroducing their 10-series kids 

classes, 30-hour yin immersion workshop, and Pranayama 

training for teachers. 

training. 

Yoga Sole 

Third Eye Yoga 


Located on 7th Ave, Third Eye Yoga is about a physical & mental 

lifestyle, not a complicated shape or a stressful workout. 

They are not interested in large crowded classes where everyone 

gets lost in the mix, rather they offer personalized programs 

built upon evidence-based physiology and biomechanics. With 

over 10 years of existence, the place has garnered more than 100 

five star reviews and all for good reasons. This place is peaceful, 

welcoming, and more than willing to listen to you and your 

needs. 

From handstand to savasana, from sitting to standing, they 

break it down to the core building blocks that lay the groundwork 

for all body movement. 

Guess what, Park Slope Reader gives you one more reason to try 

this place. They will give you $50 off on any of their program 

of your choice if you mention this article. Maybe, show them 

the copy? q 

Align Brooklyn 

Yoga Sole 

254 Windsor Place, Windsor Terrace 

Neatly tucked in a quiet corner in Windsor terrace, wearing a 

green canopy shed, Yoga Sole welcomes you with open arms 

and promises to change your perspective if you think yoga is 

not for you. They offer Therapeutic Yoga, Yoga Tune Up, different 

speeds of flow classes and Stretch and Strengthen classes. 

They have an introductory offer for 3 classes at $39 and 

1-month-unlimited pass for $99. Supportive and friendly environment, 

experienced teachers who bring their own unique 

style makes this a must-try place. 

For the Fall season, they will be offering a special Restorative 

Yoga Series along with live music and yoga events. They are also 

leading a 25-hour continuing education therapeutic teacher 

Here are a few more yoga studios that are well worth checking 

out as you decide which is the best fit for you this Fall. 

Bend and Bloom Yoga 

708 Sackett Street, Park Slope 

Park Slope Yoga Center 

837 Union Street, Park Slope 

Juniper Yoga & Healing Arts 

639 Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights 

So, where is the autumn breeze taking you today?



PARK SLOPE REAL ESTATE 

THE STOOP 

You know how nerve-wracking it can be to have a baby? Well buying or selling 

a home can be just as scary. Putting your signature to a listing agreement 

or submitting that offer is not unlike seeing that positive pregnancy 

test. Things get real. Real fast. 

Suddenly all those dreams you’ve had over the years about owning a home or starting a family collide 

with reality. The journey to parenthood or homeownership is not without serious decisions to make or 

emotional ups and downs, and can sometimes feel pretty exhausting. 

As a former UK based midwife, I’m often asked why I went into real estate. It’s way too long a story 

to tell here, but what I do always say is that they’re both helping professions and that they actually have 

more in common than you’d think (although working as an agent is a little less messy!) 

By Lindsay Owen

Here’s an example. As a midwife, I would always tell my clients 

to try and relax and enjoy the process. I’d suggest they 

write their birth plan as specifically as they could so we could 

go through it and then advise them to ceremoniously burn 

it. Why? Because nobody can predict what will happen during 

labor any more than you can predict what will happen during 

your journey towards buying or selling. All you CAN do is make 

sure you have a truly wise and supportive advocate in your midwife 

or doctor, and that that person will do as much as they can 

to help you achieve your ideal birth. 

As a real estate agent, I do much the same thing when advising 

my clients. I’ll often ask “If you could wave a magic wand 

and have this sale or purchase go exactly how you want it to, 

what would that look like?” Making that happen then becomes 

my top priority, but sometimes, as illustrated by that burned 

birth plan I have to prepare 

my clients for some little 

bumps in the road. 

So - to prove that being a 

broker really IS kinda like being 

a midwife, here are a few 

examples of the advice I’ve 

given to those on their way 

to home ownership or parenthood... 

TRYING TO GET 

PREGNANT 

VS 

TRYING TO 

FIND A HOME 

The Midwife’s Advice 

Getting pregnant can take time, and that’s totally normal. 

Try not to get despondent. Failing to see that blue line on the 

pregnancy test month after month is super frustrating but try 

to relax and stop thinking about it as much as you can (easier 

said than done, I know). Enjoy your baby free time by doing 

things that you may have to put on hold as parents to very 

young children - a romantic vacation with just the two of you 

springs to mind. Try for a year (using ovulation predictor 

sticks might help as can quitting smoking) and then 

change your approach - it might be time to talk to a fertility 

doctor. 

The Broker’s Advice 

Be comfortable with the possibility of looking for a while. It 

takes 9 months to grow a small human and it may take just as 

long to find and close on your perfect home. A good buyer’s 

broker won’t tire of you or your search and will stick by your 

side. And remember, it’s not you. It’s so much more likely to be 

a lack of inventory or a competitive market. Believe that your 

place is out there - my clients have often found their dream 

home just as they’ve decided to give up their search. 

Everyone needs a little love from 

their midwife or broker. We all 

need to have our fears understood 

and appreciated and when 

we choose someone to guide us 

through our journey we’re all 

looking for a little TLC and encouragement. 


MORNING SICKNESS 

VS 

ACCEPTED OFFER 


Morning sickness SUCKS, there are no two ways of saying it. 

If you often feel worse first thing in the morning, it may be because 

your blood sugar is low so it’s a good idea to keep a snack 

by your bed and eat it before you get up. Ginger biscuits (sorry, 

cookies!) are perfect for this as ginger is a natural anti-emetic 

which can really help and the sugar in the cookies will give your 

blood sugar a lift. 


Once that offer is accepted, however excited you might be 

it can literally be nauseating as you go through due diligence 

in your race to sign a contract 

and secure your deal. Here’s 

when a great buyer’s broker, 

inspector and in particular 

a great real estate attorney 

come in. It’s their job to 

guide you through everything, 

protect your interests 

and help you make informed 

decisions. Hopefully, with a 

great team working on your 

behalf, you’ll be able to keep 

your nausea at bay! 

YOUR DUE DATE 

VS 

YOUR CLOSING DATE 


A baby will usually come when it’s good and ready so don’t 

stress if you’re overdue. Remember 37 - 42 weeks is full term 

(not 37 - 40), you can’t schedule a natural birth and only 

around 5% of women actually deliver on their due date. Talk 

to your doctor or midwife about the risk factors for you to go 

over 40 weeks, but in my experience, healthy, fit and well women 

with low-risk pregnancies are just fine to wait it out past 

41 weeks. Both my babies were over 41 weeks, they were NOT 

small at 9.5lbs each and they were just fine… 


Understand that closing dates are often scheduled just a 

week or two before the closing so it’s really hard to plan for 

them or predict exactly when they’ll be. It’s just part of the process. 

When submitting your offer, work with your broker to negotiate 

an ‘on or about date’ for closing, (which gives you 30 

days leeway past that date if necessary) and work out a backup 

plan if you can’t close EXACTLY when you want to. 

That might mean as a seller asking for the option of a 

post-closing leaseback in your contract (where you can rent 

the home back from your buyers for a short period until you’re 

ready to move to your new place), or as a buyer that might mean


Photo by Virginia L. S. Freire 

Is Your Advisor 

a Fiduciary? 

If you are unsure, ask your Advisor. 

Or better yet, 

for your family's protection, 

have them sign a fiduciary oath. 

fi•du•ci•ary- 

A Financial Advisor 

held to a Fiduciary 

Standard occupies 

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working with a 

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Advisor is required to act with undivided 

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disclosure of how the Financial Advisor is 

to be compensated and any corresponding 

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FIDUCIARY OATH 

The advisor shall exercise his/her best efforts to 

act in good faith and in the best interests of the 

client. The advisor shall provide written 

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of the advisor, and thereafter throughout the 

term of the engagement, of any conflicts of 

interest which will or reasonably may compromise 

the impartiality or independence of the advisor. 

The advisor, or any party in which the advisor 

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Helping Individuals Create and Preserve Wealth TM 

thinking about extending your lease month-to-month, paying 

for a few extra weeks rent, or finding temporary accommodation 

and storing your furniture briefly to bridge the gap between 

the end of your lease and your move to your new home. 

It’s a royal pain, I know, but a good broker will help with all 

of this - just another reason to have someone you trust and who 

will advocate for you and guide you. 

LOVE & DISCIPLINE 

When I think about the convergence of my two careers, and 

how midwifery has influenced the way I work as a real estate 

agent, it comes down to two words: love and discipline. 

Everyone needs a little love from their midwife or broker. We 

all need to have our fears understood and appreciated and when 

we choose someone to guide us through our journey we’re all 

looking for a little TLC and encouragement. 

I think that’s why I’ve formed such good relationships with 

my clients. Because I get that. Because, as a midwife and a broker, 

I’ve been honored to be with families at some of the most 

important yet vulnerable moments in their lives. I know how 

essential it is to be a calming, supportive and reassuring companion 

and how taking the best care of my clients is incredibly 

meaningful, not just financially but emotionally. 

And the discipline? Well, giving birth or selling a home isn’t 

easy. But in the most part, it’s a process that just takes some 

self-belief and discipline. I have to be super disciplined in doing 

the best job I can, but so do you. 

Whether I’m guiding and encouraging you as you push that 

baby out or telling you what you’ll need to do to prep your 

home to sell, if you can trust me and be open to doing what I 

need you to do - from changing to a new position to push to 

painting your home prior to photography - if you can really be 

disciplined despite your doubts and trepidation, then it can be 

a lot easier than you think. 

And on the other side of it all? 

Oh wow, that really is the sweet stuff and it makes EVERY- 

THING worth it. 

Lindsay Owen is a real estate agent with Compass based in the Park Slope office 

and can be contacted at lindsay.owen@compass.com. 

SALLY RAPPEPORT 

LICENSED ACUPUNCTURIST 

Acupuncture 

Chinese Herbs 

Bodywork/Bowen 

911 Union Street, Grdfl. Brooklyn, NY 11215 | 718.398.5284 

sally@sallyrappeport.com | www.sallyrappeport.com



HealtHy, Happy SmileS For liFe 

Family-oriented dentistry 

Patients of All Ages Welcome 

eco-conscious 

oFFice & materials 

Including Digital X-Rays 

& Paperless Charting 

tVs in treatment rooms 

Plus Complimentary Beverages & WiFi 

When you visit us for dental care, we’ll get 

to know you on a personal level so we can 

provide you with the most customized 

treatment possible. Call 718.369.2300 to 

schedule your convenient appointment! 

Kid-Friendly Practices 

Toys, Books & Fun Prizes for Children 

insurance & Payment Plans 

Options For Every Budget 

emergencies seen PromPtly 

You Don’t Have To Wait In Pain 

319 6th avenue, Brooklyn, ny 11215 

t 718.369.2300 | F 718.369.2331 

Brooklynoakdental.com 

brooklynoakdental@gmail.com 

siama muhammad, dmd 

sarah taylor, dmd 

committed to bringing healthy smiles 

to both you and the environment.


SLOPE SURVEY 

Ervand Abrahamian 

Amy Fonda Sara 

What brought you to Park Slope? 

My family grew overnight from 2 to 4--and then to 5. 

We left Manhattan with few regrets in 1983. Before then, I had not 

set foot in Park Slope, nor even in Brooklyn. 

What is your most memorable Park Slope moment? 

Taking kids and pet on walks in the park especially to the meadow. 

If you could change one thing about the neighborhood, what would 

it be? 

Less gentrification. Less empty store-fronts. Less banks. 

What do you think Park Slope will look like in 10 years? 

More tall buildings- unfortunately. 

The Slope Survey returns for its 14th installment 

with author and educator Jed Abrahamian. 

What are you reading, would you recommend it? 

My work requires me to do too much reading. For relaxation I prefer 

movies or tv mysteries, especially Vera, Midsomer Murders, and 

Morse (Endeavor). Certainly not Downton Abbey. 

Jed was born in Iran, grew up in Iran and England, and 

moved to New York in 1963. He has lived in Park Slope 

since 1984 and joined the coop in 1990. 

Professor Emeritus of History from Graduate Center and 

Baruch College in City University of New York. Jed is an 

author on the history of modern Iran, his latest book is 

“The Coup: 1953, The CIA, and the Roots of Modern 

US-Iranian Relations” (New Press). 

What is your greatest extravagance? 

Eating out. 

If you couldn’t live in Park Slope or in Brooklyn, where would you 

go? 

I can’t imagine any other place with such a great park, neighborhood 

feeling, and public transport- plus BAM. 

Who is your hero, real or fictional? 

Heros are to be avoided. 

Last Word, What’s is turning you on these days? 

The hope that Trump nightmare will have to end.

Park Slope Reader - Fall 2019 #70

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