128. Reading the City
May 18 to May 24
Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in NYC.
There may be a holiday weekend coming up, but there’s still a lot going on this week with a panel from Lux magazine, a salon celebrating the intersection of personal style and storytelling, and a Pete’s Reading Series cofounder reunion to mark it’s 25th birthday season.
One more thing: I know committing to a subscription doesn’t work for everyone, so I’ve created another way to support this newsletter and help me justify the many hours it takes each week to write and research. You can now make a one-time gift via Kofi! So, whenever you’re feeling a moment of gratitude for this dropping in your inbox each Monday and have the means, then please consider making a contribution at the link in the header: https://ko-fi.com/readingthecity.
As ever, get in touch with events I should have on my radar (details on how to submit are here), and please share the love with your bookish friends!
Monday, May 18
LAUNCH | Vanessa Hua: Coyoteland
Vanessa Hua (A River of Stars) celebrates the launch of Coyoteland—a funny, heartfelt novel set in an affluent Bay Area suburb where a Chinese American family moves in and sets off a series of scandals—in conversation with Kirstin Chen (Counterfeit).
Free; 6.30-8pm; Yu and Me Books, 44 Mulberry Street, Manhattan
LAUNCH | Zayd Ayers Dohrn: Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young
Zayd Ayers Dohrn, the creator of the award-winning Mother Country Radicals podcast, presents the pre-release launch of Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground—the son of Weather Underground radicals tells the story of a childhood on the run and a half-century of revolutionary struggle in America—in conversation with author, educator, and dean of the Columbia Journalism School Jelani Cobb. Wine reception to follow.
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
POETRY | Crown Inn Reading Series Poets Night
The Crown Inn Reading Series’ inaugural Poets Night, happening every third Monday, featuring poets Cecilia Corrigan (Titanic), Abi Pollokoff (night myths • • before the body), and Natalya Sukhonos (Sunlight Trapped in Stone), Andres Cordoba, and Marielena O. Gomez. Hosted by Penina Roth of the Franklin Park Reading Series, Khaholi Bailey (The Miseducation of a 90s Baby), and Crown Inn co-owner Zhenya Kampanets.
Free; 7-9pm; The Crown Inn, 724 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn
BOOK CLUB | Literary Snobs: May Meeting with Courtney Kocak
Courtney Kocak joins the May gathering of the Literary Snobs book club to chat all things Girl Gone Wild. Gift bags sponsored by Cowboy Collustrum. Hosted by Kelly Reed. (Check out my NYC IRL Book Club Guide for other book club ideas around the city!)
$10; 6.30pm; Address upon RSVP
Tuesday, May 19
ONE-OFF | Well-Read/Best Dressed: A Literary Salon
Join Lit Society by Bond & Grace for an evening exploring the intersection of fashion, taste, and the books that shape us, hosted by Lit Club NYC’s Kelly Chervin. Through conversation with industry insiders and interactive exercises, explore personal style as a form of storytelling—one that moves between literature and fashion, influence and instinct, identity and expression. Includes light refreshments
$42 ($35 for Lit Society and Lit Club members); 6.30-9pm; Temple Bar, 332 Lafayette St, Manhattan
LAUNCH | Growing Pains: Stories by Pushcart Prize-Winning Authors
As the Pushcart Prize turns 50 this year, celebrate the May release of Pushcart’s most recent anthology—The Pushcart Book of 21st Century Poetry & Prose, featuring selections from the past 25 years. The evening’s program from WORDTheatre stages stories read by performers, alongside an exclusive preview of Jess Row’s forthcoming collection, Storyknife. This is the second of three Author • Actor Series that WORDTheatre curates annually in New York. Cash bar, nibbles and book signings from 5.30pm.
From $20; 6.30-8.30pm; The Players, 16 Gramercy Park S., Manhattan
POETRY | Poet-Translator Colloquy
192 Books presents a reading and conversation with poets, translators, and editors Elizabeth Zuba (Where is Everyone!), Anna Moschovakis (translator of #evolutionarypoems by Mihret Kebede), and Joshua Beckman (A Guide for Making Fragments from Diaries).
Free; 7pm; 192 Books, 192 Tenth Avenue, Manhattan
Wednesday, May 20
LAUNCH | Lux Magazine Issue Release
Bored by your umpteenth conversation about facelifts? Eyes glazing over at yet another AI ad? Does being a feminist mean holding your tongue and smoothing your forehead? Join Lux for a panel on the smoothing out of the American body and mind. Lux editor Michelle Santiago Cortés in conversation with Jordan Taliha McDonald, Paris Moskowitz, Sarah Wang (New Skin), and Emmeline Clein (Dead Weight). Followed by drinks at Honey’s.
$15 (free for subscribers); 6.30pm; 99 Scott Ave, Brooklyn
LAUNCH | Paige Lewis: Canon
Paige Lewis (Space Struck) celebrates the launch of Canon—two unlikely heroes embark on quests to win God’s favor in this outrageously entertaining, profoundly heartfelt novel—with Nicole Sealey (The Ferguson Report: An Erasure) and J. Hope Stein (little astronaut).
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
LAUNCH | Anna Badkhen: To See Beyond
Anna Badkhen (Bright Unbearable Reality) will discuss her new book, To See Beyond—a globe-spanning essay collection on the human condition from the author James McBride calls “one of the most creative and important nonfiction writers in our era”—in conversation with Nimmi Gowrinathan, an activist, writer, scholar and the founder of the Politics of Sexual Violence Initiative.
Free; 7-8pm; Community Bookstore, 143 7th Avenue, Brooklyn
LIVE PODCAST | Selected Shorts: Generation Gap with Wajahat Ali
Just in time for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Selected Shorts and Asian American Writers’ Workshop join forces to present an evening of Asian American fiction that considers the generational divide. Enjoy funny and insightful stories about family, what is passed down, and what gets lost in translation and time. Hosted by Wajahat Ali, with readings by Ruthie Ann Miles (Here Lies Love), Conrad Ricamora (How to Get Away with Murder), Rita Wolf (The Good Wife), and BD Wong (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens).
From $19; 7pm; Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, Manhattan
FUNDRAISER | A Literary Benefit for Madre
With readings from Helen Benedict (The Soldier's House), Carolyn Ferrell (Dear Miss Metropolitan), Ru Marshall (American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda), and Monica Youn (From From). All proceeds from book sales will go to Madre’s work to advance global grassroots feminist organizing. Refreshments served.
Free; 6pm; Hydra at Von Bar, 3 Bleecker St, Manhattan
Thursday, May 21
SERIES | Pete’s Reading Series
Emma Copley Eisenberg (Fat Swim) and larissa pham (Discipline) take to the Pete’s stage along with series cofounders Mira Jacob (Good Talk) and Alison B. Hart (The Work Wife) to celebrate a quarter century of readings, with hosts Brian Gresko and Temim Fruchter.
Free; 7.30pm; Pete’s Candy Store, 709 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn
AWARD | Novel Prize Party with Giada Scodellaro and New Directions
A special Novel Prize party at Community Bookstore, celebrating the latest winner, Giada Scodellaro, and her irreducibly original and startlingly beautiful Ruins, Child, with a reading and wine reception.
Free; 7-8pm; Community Bookstore, 143 7th Avenue, Brooklyn
LAUNCH | Sara Van Os: Decomposition Book
Sara Van Os discusses her debut novel, Decomposition Book—“Fans of Yellowjackets will eat up this queer, psychologically chaotic tale. A decadently bizarre novel for fans of queer survival stories.” (Kirkus Reviews)—in conversation with Rachel Harrison (Play Nice).
$10; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, Manhattan
PARTY | A Common Well Journal: Spring ‘26 Release Party
Ring in the Spring ‘26 issue of A Common Well Journal, in celebration of a life in letters and the arts. Readings by the Journal’s contributors, music by LINKS, video projection by Erica Schreiner, vintage books curated by Trains and Peter Books.
$10; 7-11.30pm; ArtXNYC, 409 West 14th Street, Manhattan
Friday, May 22
SERIES | TBR: An Emerging Writer Reading Series
TBR: An Emerging Writer Reading Series showcases writers from multiple MFA programs around New York City. Sarah Wang (New Skin) is headlining.
$10; 6.30-8pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, Manhattan
This post was written by a human. Please check all details before attending.
I’m a Brooklyn-based journalist and author. My debut novel Amphibian is out now. My first book, No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run followed my childhood as the daughter of an international pot smuggler and federal fugitive. I’m here and here on Instagram.
Thanks so much for sharing WORDTheatre!