Stephen Nessen

The last night of the eighth annual hip-hop jam in Crotona Park in the Bronx came to a close last Thursday night with a performance by the one of the original rap crews, the Cold Crush Brothers.

The Bronx's best known literary titan is probably Edgar Allan Poe, who lived in the borough from 1846 until his death in 1849. But the queen of suspense, Mary Higgins Clark, also hails from the borough, and even the neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks conducted research and worked at a local hospitals there. Below is a list of essential literature about the Bronx and by Bronx authors as well as must-read blogs and newspapers from the borough.

Joe Conzo Jr., 47, was in the first graduating class of South Bronx High School and had the fortune to count among his classmates the legends and pioneers of hip-hop culture, including members of the Cold Crush Brothers, Afrika Bambatta and DJ Kool Herc, among other.

Perched at Brooklyn's highest natural point (200 ft. above sea level) in Green-Wood cemetery, the Roman Goddess Minerva received a fresh waxing Tuesday morning, courtesy of a few French volunteers (and one American).

Two barges, fastened together, chugged up the East River Monday morning, hauling the nearly 2,400-ton Willis Avenue Bridge replacement. Setting off at about 6:30 a.m., the 170-foot barge was guided by two tugboats, while a third, red, white and blue tugboat pulled the bulk of the load.

WNYC compiled a short list of essential Brooklyn reading. Below is our collection of literature, blogs and newspapers. Feel free to add your own suggestions below.

Andy Bernstein in his childhood bedroom. (Photo courtesy of Andy Bernstein)

Not every family road trip inspires a lifelong obsession. But when then-four year old Andy Bernstein’s family took ...

New York, NY —

It was 110 years ago on July 4 that Louis Armstrong, the ambassador of American music, was born. That's if you take his word for it.

Before the late 1980s, the world believed Armstrong when he said he was born in 1900 on the anniversary of ...

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At 10:15 p.m. on the dark platform at Ditmars Blvd. in Queens, a gaggle of young men with backpacks and digital cameras paces around, craning their necks, anxiously waiting for the last train. They refer to themselves as “transit hobbyists” and many have been riding the trains since ...

On the longest day of the year, there were over 1,000 performances in every borough and in every genre. From professionals to amateurs, electronic musicians to classical music aficianados, New York's latest and most cacophonous celebration, Make Music New York, filled the streets.

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Mermaids, Mermen and aspiring Neptunes shimmied and swam their way down Surf Ave. on Saturday at the 20th annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Several hundred costumed revelers, including some oil-splattered mermaids waving anti-BP banners and chanting slogans, marched in the sunny three-hour procession.

The burlesque community was well represented ...

The double sided sheet of paper with lyrics to "A Day in the Life" (Photo by Emmanuel Dunard /AFP/Getty Images)

The political pundit/contrarian/outspoken intellectual Christopher Hitchens appeared on the Leonard Lopate Show on Friday to talk about his new memoir, Hitch 22. During the interview, the conversation turned to Margaret Thatcher and Sarah Palin.

You may have noticed something different, a little nostalgic, on the streets recently. Since April 1, the Department of Motor Vehicles has begun issuing what they call 'Empire Gold' license plates.

The plates are a stripped down version of the current blue and ...

Today is the 127th anniversary of the opening of that iconic bridge that first connected Brooklyn to Manhattan.

President Barack Obama is coming to the city this evening for a closed fundraising event after his tour of small businesses in Buffalo this afternoon.

For city commuters that means major subway and bus delays. The MTA says to expect delays or detours between 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ...

When the landlord won't turn on the heat or the bar downstairs won't turn down the bass, 311 is there. This weekend the city's information hotline took its 100 millionth call. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was at a call center Monday to honor the lucky ...

Kagan would the first person in decades to join the Court without first becoming a judge.

New York, NY —

President Barack Obama has nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Kagan, who was born and raised in New York, would replace the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

Kagan, 50, grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and graduated from Hunter ...

New York, NY —

President Barack Obama will nominate Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court on Monday, according to multiple reports. Kagan, who was born and raised in New York, would replace the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

Kagan, 50, grew up on the Upper West Side ...