Brandon Montes

The Power (and Joy) of Reading   

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Latinos Urbanos Book Club and the 4Bronx Project unveiled a new community library box, “Kingsbridge Community Library,” outside P.S. 207 on Godwin Terrace in Kingsbridge on Feb. 15. Laura Levine-Pinedo of the 4Bronx Project told News 12 The Bronx on the day of the launch, “Power is knowledge and having kids have access to books right here on the sidewalk – anybody can come up, take a book, leave a book – I think it’s a big win for the borough.”

Bronx Book Swap Promotes Love for Reading and Beer in The Bronx

By SHERICA DALEY
In a quiet, industrial area located in the Throggs Neck section of The Bronx, something unexpected took place in mid-December. The Bronx Brewery hosted a Bronx Book Swap event on Dec. 17 in conjunction with Norwood Community Library, a bookworm’s event at no cost. Participants came to donate, swap books, listen to live music with DJ Buddy Lee, and enjoy a cold brew beer. The event was the first such event when books in Spanish and in other languages were made available and sought, and it laid the ground for the “Books & Brews” Book Club which launched in January 2024.

Mosholu Fall Festival a Success Despite Rain

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES
The Annual Mosholu Fall Festival organized by Future of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP) was held on Saturday, Oct. 7, at P.S. 8’s Mosholu Playground in Bedford Park, and despite the rain, the vibe was positive and there were lots of happy faces seen underneath many hooded rain macs.

Documentary Film “1.5 Million” Deals with Illiteracy in The Bronx

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
There was outrage in The Bronx when the last general-interest bookstore, Barnes & Noble, shut down permanently in 2017. Many Bronxites saw it as evidence that the borough is not viewed in a positive light and is forgotten when it comes to its intellectual curiosity. For filmmaker Gregory Hernandez, the turmoil gave him an idea to tell a story about illiteracy in the borough. The result is the film “1.5 Million: A Bronx Documentary” which, as preadvised, screened at the Pelham Parkway-Van Nest branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL) on Aug. 28.

UPDATE Jerome Gun Hill BID’s 21st Annual Fall Festival Takes Place on Oct. 22

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The Jerome Gun Hill BID’s 21st Annual Fall Festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22, from noon to 5 p.m. on Jerome Avenue between East Mosholu Parkway North and East Gun Hill Road in the Norwood section of The Bronx. ​ Come celebrate Fall in the Jerome Gun Hill BID and enjoy food, three musical performances, shopping, games, arts & crafts, pet adoption and a pumpkin giveaway! ​ To get involved as a sponsor, volunteer, vendor, or community organization, you can call the BID at (718)  324-4946 or click here for more information. According to the organizing team, the


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Norwood Community Library Brings Free Books to The Bronx

By SARAH HUFFMAN
Outside the Keeper’s House on Reservoir Oval East in the Norwood section of the Bronx is a light blue library mailbox which, since around July 2021, has been regularly filled with used books, all waiting for new homes. The library mailbox is a recent initiative by “Norwood Community Library,” an outdoor, mutual aid, book exchange program.   30-year-old Brandon Montes is the founder of the volunteer-run library which launched in 2018, and he hopes the addition of the library mailbox will further strengthen his growing engagement with the community, through a love of reading.   “For a long time, we


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