Perhaps you have not heard of the Brooklyn Book Festival?  It happens every year at Brooklyn's Borough Hall, and really, it is kind of awesome.  There are speakers and books for sale (of both the new and old and comics and prose varieties) and the Spirit of Brooklyn is everywhere!

You should especially come to these two programs, which are full of both comics excellence and First Second-ness. 

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1:00 p.m. Comics Jam with Jessica Abel and Matt Madden
A jam comic is an improvised collaborative comic. One person draws a
single panel and then passes it on to the next person, who draws a new
panel that continues the story. Get ready to draw and collaborate!  For
teens and adults.  Participation limited to 25. Held at the Borough Hall Conference Room. 

3:00 p.m. Love, War and Adventures in Babysitting…Transforming Stories into Comics.
How does a comic artist take a favorite story and make it new? Three
new stars in the literary comics cosmos shine the light on their
process, adapting award-winning fiction, found historical materials and
one of the most popular teen series of all time into graphic novels. Raina Telgemeier (The Babysitters Club graphic novel series), Danica Novgorodoff (Refresh, Refresh) and George O’Connor (Journey into Mohawk Country) in conversation with :01 Editor Calista Brill.  Held at the Youth Stage. 

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If you are not convinced to come by the sheer awesomeness that is First Second, the full schedule of programming is here.  There will be lots of extraordinary comics people there, including the folks from D&Q. 

Last year my trip to the festival yielded a book entirely about accomplishing bank robberies!  How is that not worth a trip to Brooklyn?