Journalist and author Pete Hamill won the annual Best of Brooklyn, Inc. (BoBi) Award, a prize the recognizing a literary figure whose work embraces  the Brooklyn spirit. In the video embedded above, Hamill spoke about the honor.

This past Sunday, readers from all over New York City headed to the seventh annual Brooklyn Book Festival. Since its inception, the festival has grown dramatically; this year’s event boasted more than 280 author appearances and scheduled more than 104 panels.

Here’s more from the release: “The eldest son of Irish immigrant parents, Pete Hamill was born in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He left school at age 16 to work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and attend night classes at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School with the intent of becoming a comic book artist. After service in the U.S. Navy, he began his career as a journalist, and over the ensuing decades covered both domestic and international wars and conflicts. Hamill is the author of 18 books, including the best-selling A Drinking Life, the novels Snow in August, Tabloid City and Forever, and a collection of short stories, The Christmas Kid, to be released in October. He also served as editor-in-chief of the New York Post and the New York Daily News.”

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Despite the cold snap yesterday, readers from all over New York City attended the sixth annual Brooklyn Book Festival. Reportedly, it is the largest book festival in the Northeast. In the video embedded above, you can meet some of the participating authors.

Pulitzer prize-winner Jhumpa Lahiri won this year’s Best of Brooklyn, Inc. award (BoBi). Lahiri was born in London, but now calls Brooklyn home. Each year, the festival recognizes a literary figure whose work embraces and speaks to the Brooklyn spirit. Previous recipients of the BoBi award include John Ashbery (2010), Edwidge Danticat (2009), Walter Mosley (2008) and Paul Auster (2007).

Festival founder and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz commented: “It’s all about the written word and how important reading is for all of us. Whether we’re kids who use reading to make ourselves into what we’re going to be in our life or whether you’re an elder person, like myself. Knowledge doesn’t stop at a certain age; it continues for life.”

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Wine merchants Greene Grape allowed the bookstore to install a coffee bar, a full-kitchen, an office and a bigger events space. Greenlight will also serve as a vendor for the famous Brooklyn Academy of Music through a kiosk and Internet distribution. The bookstore also offers Google eBooks online.

Co-owner Jessica Stockton Bagnulo told The Brooklyn Paper: “Figuring out how to serve your community is, I think, one of the keys to long-term success in our business …We’re in the business of selling books — not paper. E-books are another way readers are experiencing books, and we want to be the best bookstore we can be.”

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According to the short feature, the bookseller turns a neat average monthly profit of $11,706.27. Despite a steady stream of doom and gloom headlines about indie booksellers, perhaps there is still some hope? What do you think?

The magazine also asked a number of famous authors where they go to buy books. Novelist Jhumpa Lahiri praised the bookstore: “I’ve already come to think of Greenlight as an extension of my home. Everyone knew Fort Greene needed a bookstore, but I don’t think anyone dreamed it would be as perfect a place as this.”

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