The Lost Movie Theaters of Southeastern Brooklyn

In these five autobiographical pieces, award-winning short story writer Richard Grayson explores the Brooklyn of his childhood and adolescence. "The Lost Movie Theaters of Southeastern Brooklyn and Rockaway Beach" and "Branch Libraries of Southeastern Brooklyn" return to the venues where a boy in love with films and books learned about life. "Three Scenes from My Life (With Special Guest Star Truman Capote)" is an episodic tale about adolescent encounters with the famed author. "Seven Men Who Made Me Happy" recounts how watching soap operas over several decades can be a lifesaver, and "Melissa and the Good Legislator" juxtaposes the story of a gay college student who managed to get a girl pregnant and the courageous New York State assemblyman who came to the young couple's rescue. In these memoirs, previously published in online magazines like Mississippi Review and Eyeshot, Grayson weaves funny, quirky, poignant memories into a portrait of a baby boom teenager in Brooklyn before the borough became cool.