Brooklynite Has "Unlaunch" Party to Say Goodbye

The Brooklynite, the wonderful and thoughtful Brooklyn magazine that was created by Daniel Treiman, but that has ceased publishing, held an "Unlaunch" party at Freddy's Bar and Backroom on Dean Street in Prospect Heights last night. (Itself threatened with being swallowed up by the huge Atlantic Yards project.) While Gowanus Lounge couldn't make it, we wanted to (again) express our dismay at the loss of this intelligent and important voice. The Brooklynite published two issues on paper before a lack of advertising revenue made it impossible to continue. The third and final issue is available online. It includes articles on Brooklyn's Native American history, Mansoura's Middle Eastern Bakery in Gravesend, Gowanus Water Quality and much, much more. The magazine's first two issues are available online too, and include perceptive and well-researched articles, and some great photography.

All of which makes the loss of The Brooklynite harder to take. If it had been some slick and superficial magazine, you could shrug it off. But it wasn't. And, in a borough on the cusp of historic change--much of it bad--the loss of The Brooklynite stings.

We hope that Daniel continues to make his voice heard as part of the ever-growing online community of Brooklyn bloggers.