Books

When Edgar Allan Poe Lived in The Bronx

207 years ago today, one of The Bronx’s most notable residents was born—the poet Edgar Allan Poe who once lived in what was known as the Village of Fordham in what was once Westchester County.

The famed writer and poet, one of the most important in American history, moved to The Bronx when his wife Virginia became ill from tuberculosis and he thought the fresh country air would help her condition.

Legionnaires Update, Migration Stories, Puerto Rican Heritage Artist & Book Expo|Bronx PM Links

Legionnaires update on the second outbreak in The Bronx in Morris Park, Puerto Rican Heritage Month’s Artist and Book Expo at Hostos Community College, and Migration Stories at The Bronx Documentary Story are part of this evening’s Bronx PM Links roundup.

Boogie on the Boulevard is Back This Year—And It’s BIGGER!

The Grand Concourse, the boulevard of dreams which ties all Bronxites together and is the spine of The Bronx, was once closed on Sundays from 1991-1996 thanks the visionary leadership of then Borough President Fernando Ferrer along with Transportation Alternatives.

Last year, residents and local community based organizations alike, including The Bronx Museum of The Arts and Transportation Alternatives banded together to revive the popular event.

In 2014 we just got a few blocks from 165th Street to 167th Street for just 3 Sundays but this year we’re getting 8 blocks for 3 Sundays on August 2nd, 9th, and 16th from Noon to 12PM!

New Children’s Book Based On African Folktales Teaches An Important Lesson

Home to one of the largest African populations in New York City, The Bronx is replete with many residents hailing from many of the continent’s countries.

One particular individual—of Gambian descent and works in The Bronx—has written a children’s book with a strong lesson to be learned by both children and adults alike.

Meet Victoria Blain author and illustrator of ‘The ExtraOrdinary Chameleon’, a new African folktale inspired by the ones she grew up with.

The Grand Concourse, Boulevard of Bronx Dreams

“THE Grand Concourse, the four-and-a-half-mile boulevard that for much of its life was described as the Champs-Élysées of the Bronx, has often sat for its portrait, as have many of the handsome buildings along its flanks. But there is one image that captures in poignant fashion exactly what the street represented in the mid-20th century.

It is a grainy black-and-white snapshot of a boy named Sam Goodman, a third-generation boulevard resident, wearing a dressy coat and hat and standing in front of the Lorelei fountain in Joyce Kilmer Park. Anyone who knew the area would recognize the luscious white-marble concoction of mermaids and riverfront siren, which had been created in Germany in 1893 and brought to the Bronx with much fanfare six years later.

NYTIMES Exclusive: Harper Lee Lawyer Offers More Details on Discovery of New Book

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee is a book all of us remember as being one of the many required reading tomes during our school years. This was true whether you lived in The Bronx or across the country.

Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that over 50 years after Harper Lee’s landmark story set in racially segregated Alabama of 1930s was published, a manuscript had surfaced written by Lee and is a sequel called ‘Go Set A Watchman’ starring the many of the same characters such as Atticus Finch and Scout, this time set in the 1950s.