For many artists, it can be a grueling process: the search for a muse. But for Robert Samuel Snyderman, a 23-year-old poet who has lived in Bed-Stuy for the past five years, it comes easily–for a price.
“I ask for sources of inspiration, not topics,” said Snyderman, who was perched on a white bucket outside the [...]

Call it DIY versus the DOH.
The future of the the Greenpoint Food Market, a mostly-monthy gathering of artisans selling jam, pickles, kimchee and kombucha, has been in question since a New York Times article last week pointed out that all food products sold in NYC are supposed to be made in [...]

Brandon Whitney, Cassie Flynn and Erin Barnes wanted to make a difference in their Brooklyn neighborhoods and they noticed that a lot of awesome grassroots efforts were starting up and then starving for cash. So, last April the Earth-loving Yale alums launched In Our Backyards (ioby), an online microphilanthropic initiative. The website connects wannabe philanthropists [...]

In celebration of Mother’s Day this Sunday, we’re turning the spotlight on three extra-busy Brooklyn moms (BB’s own Nicole Davis deserves an additional shout-out here, though we’re not navel-gazing enough to profile our own publisher). In addition to mothering small children, all have launched and currently run successful and creative businesses that emphasize quality goods [...]

Over the weekend, we realized that our favorite holiday was coming up this Thursday, April 29: International Dance Day. (Just kidding, we had to look it up too.) It’s a celebration of dance as an art form, but we’ve decided to take back the the holiday for regular folk like us who just like to [...]

Piper Kerman spent 2003 in Danbury Federal Prison for a non-violent drug offense she had committed nearly a decade before. Orange is the New Black, her memoir chronicling the experience, comes out today, and it’s a fascinating look at what prison is like for women and their families. Don’t read this on the train unless [...]

Sleepy Brooklyn Heights has been getting a whole lot more caffeinated lately. Back in November, Iris Cafe opened up on Willow Place Columbia Place,  offering coffee-lovers an alternative to Starbucks and the nabe’s two Tazza locations. Recently, rumors had been percolating that Crop to Cup Coffee Co., would soon be opening a location on Atlantic [...]

We’ve always thought that celebrating Mardi Gras in Brooklyn seemed sacrilegious in some way–even more so than Bastille Day or Chinese New Year’s. Like, if you’re going to do it, do it right and go to New Orleans. This year though, there are so many festivities taking place (even in the snow!) we’ve changed our [...]

Baby, it’s bad out there, so Brooklyn Botanic Garden is reconvening the Linnaean Libation League inside the Steinhardt Conservatory on Saturday, February 27, for refreshing drinks amid the succulents and palm trees.
The theme of the latest LLL cocktail party–Palm Springs, California, circa 1959–gives guests a chance to step back in time for a quick winter [...]

Say you want to learn how to sing in harmony, but instead of paying for music class, you pay your teacher with socks. Which don’t even have to match.
Or maybe you’d like to teach people basic photography skills, and will accept any kind of payment so long as it’s in the form of Legos, sharp [...]