In this intimate evening of conversation at BAM, Karen Brooks Hopkins discusses her memoir of 36 years at the world-famous cultural institution. A page-turning look behind the scenes of America’s oldest performing arts center, BAM … and Then It Hit Me is filled with stories and photographs of artists and icons—Princess Diana, Ingmar Bergman, Chuck Davis, David Byrne, LL Cool J, and Pina Bausch, among others—along with hands-on practical advice on fundraising and leadership. The book is a paean to the glory of the arts and the evolution of Brooklyn: in Karen’s words, “the coolest neighborhood on the planet.” Through personal stories and raw reflections, tales of glamour and of grit, Karen looks back upon her career’s twists of fate, the total failures, and great triumphs along the way. She is joined in conversation by Oskar Eustis, artistic director of The Public Theater.

Karen Brooks Hopkins is President Emerita of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where she worked for more than three decades, serving 16 years as its president with humor and vision. Hopkins oversaw the performing arts and cultural institution’s staff and its multiple theaters and cinemas, ranging from BAM Howard Gilman Opera House to the intimate Fishman Space. She has served as chair of the Cultural Institutions Group, on the boards of prestigious local and state organizations, and was named Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Republic of France. Hopkins is also the recipient of the King Olav medal from Norway and the Commander of the Polar Star from Sweden. During her tenure, President Obama presented the Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts organizations by the U.S. government, to Hopkins at a White House ceremony in 2014. Her widely read book, Successful Fundraising for Arts and Cultural Organizations, is in its second edition.