aving gotten our feet wet with the Grand Street issue of Street Level, we decided to expand our view beyond Manhattan and celebrate Brooklyn. We teamed up with New York University Journalism Professor William Serrin’s “Reporting New York City” class and hit the streets, running up and down Atlantic Avenue. Our first outing on a very sunny, but very cold, February Sunday afternoon gave the group of graduate students— representing a broad range of journalistic concentrations and reporting styles—their first taste of the exploding flavors of the two mile stretch of Atlantic Avenue from the subway station at Flatbush Avenue down to the piers of the East River.

We sent 16 writers to case this major Brooklyn thoroughfare and explore its historic past and ever-changing present. From the Middle Eastern community and specialty food shops, to the antiques stores, waterfront industry and everything in between, the result is collection of articles – some meandering, some narrative, and some straight to the point news stories all with the common thread of being rooted in Atlantic Avenue.

We would like to thank Professor Serrin for adding Street Level to his syllabus and we would like to thank all of this issue’s contributors for working so hard.

Happy reading,
Amy & Heather