As a born-and-bred Brooklynite — and a lit geek, ‘natch — I’m thrilled to be bringing Reality Bites Back to the fifth annual Brooklyn Book Festival, along with brilliant writers including Laura Flanders, Jeremy Scahill, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and several Pulitzer Prize winners.

WHERE: Brooklyn Historical Society Main Hall (128 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn, NY)

WHEN: 5pm, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011

WHAT: Media Representations and Reality: The debate continues over whether the media reflects reality or has a hand in shaping it. Like Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, the act of presenting the news can

very often alter it. No one knows this better than Brooke Gladstone of “On the Media,” whose new book The Influencing Machine with Josh Neufeld examines the role of the media in American society. Patrice Evans, (Negropedia), examines media representations of African-Americans, and Jennifer Pozner (Reality Bites Back) looks at the completely unreal world of reality television. Moderated by Juan Gonzalez (News for All the People).

Haven’t heard yet from the panel organizers about whether I’m going to be giving prepared remarks, just answering questions from the moderator, or both, but whatever the format, I’ll do my best to discuss the media economics, product placement advertising, and virulent institutional sexism and racism at play within reality television. And I’ll throw in some laughs, like I

Quick hit (more details when I’m not deadly exhausted): I’m doing two events in San Francisco and one in L.A. this week. Hope to see you there!

• Monday, Nov. 15, 8-10pm: “Project Brainwash” lecture at the Academy of Art Institute, 491 Post St., San Francisco, CA.

• Tuesday, Nov. 16, noon: “Whose Reality? Exposing Gender, Race and Commercial Biases in Reality TV,” a conversation with Jennifer Seibel Newsom, actress, filmmaker and First Lady of San Francisco, and Jennifer L. Pozner,

  author

  of Reality Bites Back and founder and director of Women In Media & News. Held at San Francisco’s International Museum of Women. Tickets: $15 regular, $10 members, $5 students & low-income To purchase tickets, please visit http://imow.org/calendar/index

• Wednesday, Nov. 17, 7:30 – 9:30pm: “Sh*t My TV Says: Revealing Gender and Race in Reality TV,” a Reality Bites Back reading and public discussion with entertainment journalist Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn, moderated by activist Morgane Richardson. Held at Stories bookstore, 1716 Sunset Blvd (in Echo Park), Los Angeles, CA.

More details mid-day Monday

Hey New Yorkers: are you looking for something fun and politically relevant to do after the election dust dies down? (Yes, I’m voting today…and so should you. Soapbox moment over.) Well, here are two options for you — I hope to see you at one or both of these exciting events.

Option #1: the intellectually stimulating choice…

THURSDAY, NOV. 4: My first official book reading for Reality Bites Back!

Time: 7pm (through 8:30 or 9-ish)

Place: Bluestockings, 172 Allen St, Manhattan (nearest subway: F to 2nd Ave) (212) 777-6028

Co-hosted by WAM!NYC (the local chapter of Women, Action & Media) and Women In Media & News (the media analysis, education and advocacy org I direct), and supported by

Paradigm Shift

(scan down page).

Why is reality television built on such blatant gender and race stereotypes? Why are women and people of color represented so harmfully, and with so much bias, in popular culture? What is “Frankenbite” editing, how many hours of tape are shot for every hour of reality TV aired, and how much cheaper is it to produce a reality show than a scripted program? Is it true that networks are simply “giving people what they want,” or is reality TV really the result of media consolidation, media economics, and stealth advertising?