off-court, a Fort Greene Tennis Association series

Every month, a book, a documentary/film, a podcast, then a drink.

It’s cold in Fort Greene Park. Tennis is (mostly) indoors now but we’re keeping the community alive this winter. Off-court FGTA is a new monthly series from FGTA community members for the people who spend the warm months trading courts and sign-up sheets for a breath of some brisk air, while keeping to their tennis person sensibilities. Each month the Off Court series chairs share three things worth your time: a book, a documentary and a podcast, some tied to tennis and some that invoke a tennis aura in some way that is a real reach. Sign up for the series and you’ll get an email with the picks for that month. Read one, watch one, listen to one, take on all three, or skip the lot and come hang out anyway.

We’ll meet at a bar/restaurant in the neighborhood for a social hour about that month's picks, and some months the author, filmmaker or producer behind one of them will join us. It's free. There is no membership, no fee and no quiz at the door. You can tell your non-tennis player friends to join but they must identify as tennis people after this. The organizers will also facilitate quarterly hitting for the group as well.

We start with Underspin, E.Y. Zhao's novel about a table tennis prodigy, Rafa, the Netflix series on Rafael Nadal's last season, plus a podcast TBD.

  • Do I have to be an FGTA member or a good tennis player? No.

  • Do I have to finish the book/pod/doc? No. Pick one of the three, or none, and come for the conversation.

  • What does it cost? Nothing to join or attend. You buy your own drinks (they might come at a discount), and you find the picks yourself: the library, a local bookshop, your own streaming and podcast apps.

  • Where and when? Once a month at a Fort Greene spot. The date and place go out by email to everyone signed up.

  • Can I suggest a pick or a guest? Yes. Fill out the form below.

FORM

  1. Name

  2. Email

  3. Which months can you likely make? (checkboxes)

  4. Interested in indoor hitting if we arrange it? (yes / no / maybe)

  5. A book, documentary or podcast you'd like us to pick (optional)

  6. Do you know an author, filmmaker or producer we should invite? (optional)