keepsake's guide to joining the literati

a list of where to go to be a writer in NYC

how I look in the wild, probably

One of the greatest things New York has to offer is a crowd. You can angrily elbow your way through one, you can slip in and out of one anonymously, and if you’re very lucky, you can even stand out in one. I’ve always loved the forced proximity of a city like New York. Whether you like it or not, you are in constant community with its other inhabitants. With all the storylines New York has to offer, it’s only natural to want to create some of your own. The only question is, where do you go to craft them? Maybe you need a weekend spot to do some journaling, or maybe you’re looking for somewhere serious (yet sexy) to romanticize your writer’s block.

This week I’m joined by friend of keepsake Sydney Watt as we investigate and expose our favorite places to feel like Joan Didion (if she lived in Brooklyn in 2024). I want to tell you up top that we will not be giving any exclusives, we will not be dropping any big names in publishing, but what we will do is expertly curate a vibe for readers and writers alike. If you’re looking for somewhere in the city to gather your thoughts might we suggest the following:

Clover Club

📍210 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY

On my first foray into solo dining, I booked a date at Clover Club with myself and an empty notebook. The goal was to spend the evening alone without feeling alone. To eat and drink and taste and observe everything around me. I started the night at my local dive bar, drawing objects I saw around the room before hopping on the train to Carroll Gardens. I ordered steak frites (excellent) and their signature cocktail The Clover Club (mandatory) and let it flow. The booths are cozy enough, but if the back room is open I highly suggest grabbing an armchair by the fireplace.

Why Julianna loves it: Ideal for being left to your own devices and drinking an egg whites cocktail.

 Anaïs

📍196 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY

I hesitate to even suggest this spot, because there’s always ample seating, and I don’t want to fight any of you for the table near the window. By day, Anaïs is a quaint neighborhood café. In the evening, it transforms into a natural wine bar. Not to jinx it, but every date I’ve spent here has oozed with le sex appeal and a certain je nais se quoi. Perhaps evidence of the novelist’s spirit inhabiting the space! Write here for a few hours, and then have your young lovers meet you for vino. Or if you’re in your celibacy era (understandable, what with the state of dating these days), you can easily bop on over to a babysitting gig afterwards for some of the bougiest families in Brooklyn (it’s like an IRL Architectural Digest tour).

Why Sydney loves it: This spot makes me want to return to graduate school for a PhD in Comparative Literature.

Milk and Roses

📍35 Box Street, Brooklyn, NY

Stepping into Milk and Roses you are immediately drenched in the mystique of dark academia. This is the place you will meet your bohemian paramour, espresso martini in hand and dessert menu in discussion. It also has a garden space that makes for an excellent muse in the daytime. I’m a fan of the vintage books on the shelves, the wooden piano, and the iconic red leather booths. This would be a perfect place to bring a journal, leaf through a paperback with a latte, or do some laptop work (yes, I checked that they’re allowed!) with a cozy backdrop.

Why Julianna loves it: It’s as inviting as it is aspirational, and that’s a balance we should all strive for

Bibliotheque

📍54 Mercer Street, New York, NY

This is basically the same concept as Anaïs (not complaining!), but with an added bookstore element. Bibliothque is an excellent place to draft the spicy scene you keep meaning to write, while throwing sultry looks at the barista-bartender (the most enviable multi-hyphenate). Whereas in Boerum Hill, you get the young-married-professional-couple crowd, SoHo attracts more of a trust-fund-creative-director audience. The “CEO freelancers” on Raya. You know the type. The people-watching here is top-notch. Laptops are allowed until 5pm. Make a reservation if you want to sit in the back during the evening, otherwise there’s typically plenty of bar seating available. 

Why Sydney loves it: Upon setting foot inside this establishment, I suddenly pulled the word “tannins” out of the recesses of my memory.

Black Mountain Wine House

📍415 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY

If the title alone is stirring something in you, you will be right at home in this Carroll Gardens classic. Imagine starting your novel in a place like that! Black Mountain Wine House is the wine bar to end all wine bars, complete with a fireplace and antique farming equipment for that ‘I am equal parts mysterious and folksy’ feeling. BMWH (we’re on nickname terms) has been a staple of mine for a few years now. The front patio boasts adirondack chairs complete with leg rests for fervent journaling in the summer, and an interior with floor to ceiling bookshelves in the winter. I have scribbled things madly, tapped into my notes app, and read a book at the bar and can confirm it’s ideal for all three. Order the chilled gamay and chat with your server, they’re probably incredibly cute and have good recommendations for food.

Why Julianna loves it: It’s sexy and sensitive all at the same time…the ideal Brooklyn boyfriend.

Brooklyn Heights Library

📍280 Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn, NY

Is your Goodreads/Storygraph account a grown-up replacement for AR points? Do I have a space for you… Libraries hold a particular space in my heart, due to an elementary school program I participated in called “Library Lords & Ladies.” I’ll confess, I was duped — this program didn’t induct students into the monarchy; rather it mined free pre-adolescent labor, from 7am to 8am every Tuesday and Thursday morning. We toiled, re-scanning books, memorizing the Dewey Decimal System, and shushing people. I loved it. Write here if you long for the simplicity of the past and feel overstimulated in most public spaces. But beware, the clicking of your laptop will never sound louder than when you’re typing away at the library. 

Why Sydney loves it: Pure nostalgia, baby. Did you know people still use DVDs? 

Ace Hotel Brooklyn

📍252 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY

The Ace has the only lobby I will recommend to tourists and locals alike. Interesting events, delicious food and beverage, and best of an array of vibes to choose from to suit your needs. You will probably see at least one mysterious woman hunched over her laptop at the communal table, ordering coffee after coffee. Is she one of these glamorous writer types, as you now also are? Or is she just here for the photobooth? Both seem to be sensible options. This location treated Sydney and I well as we compiled this very list together. Incredibly literati of us to do, actually. A welcome treat: artists residencies are co-curated by media darlings like byline. Definitely check out the rotating events as you are sure to find something that gets you inspired.

Why Julianna loves it: Brooklyn Hipster cleaned up and went into event planning.

　　 　

Any of these places could be the location of your next writing sesh, or just your next gaze out the window wistfully sesh. Both are necessary if you plan on climbing the ranks of your local literari.

A special thank you to keepsake collaborator Sydney. Sydney Watt is a Brooklyn-based writer and creative looking to entertain, provoke, or at least make you think, “Oh Lord… this girl.” Read more of her fiction, non-fiction, and everything in between by subscribing to straight from the notes app.

If you aren’t already, please consider becoming a subscriber or paid supporter of keepsake for weekly articles on contentment, ennui, and everything in between.

See you next week,

xo Julianna