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Everyone has a story about going (or not going) to prom. 

For this special Bookend Event for the 20th Anniversary of the Brooklyn Book Festival, four contributors to the forthcoming Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers anthology from Poets of Queens stepped into each other’s prom stories.

Before we hear the first pair, give a listen as story director Erika Iverson gets to know the storytellers a bit better.

Jane Frances and Vegas K Jarrow. Photo credit: Sachyn Mital

Stories were performed live on September 17, 2025, at Grove 34 in Astoria. Full show program here.

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THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2025 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

This organization is funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall