Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in and around NYC.
Things are starting to quieten down for the summer (which means there’s time to go vote tomorrow if you can)! This week, we have book launches from Amy Bloom, André Aciman, Michelle Huneven, Leila Mottley, and Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, as well as Pages+Pours book swap, the al fresco Brooklyn Poetry Slam Season Finals, and a queer debuts Pride panel at Books Are Magic, which sounds great.
In other news, Amphibian was a finalist for the CLMP Firecracker Awards, which is a thrill! The virtual awards ceremony is on June 26, at 6pm and it’s free to attend, for those of you interested in discovering some of the amazing indie published magazines and books being honored this year. Register here.
As ever, send events I should have on my radar, say hi, and please share the love with your bookish friends!
Monday, June 23
Amy Bloom: I'll Be Right Here
Amy Bloom (Away) celebrates the launch of I’ll Be Right Here—an epic, intimate novel about an unconventional and irresistible family—in conversation with Sarah Moon.
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Tuesday, June 24
André Aciman with John Turturro: Room on the Sea
André Aciman, the bestselling author of Call Me by Your Name, launches his new collection, Room on the Sea—a collection ofthree novellas drawing out the exquisite, bittersweet strangeness of romantic obsession—in a special reading and conversation with actor John Turturro.
From $30; 7pm; 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, Manhattan
Hal Ebbott: Among Friends
Hal Ebbott launches his debut novel, Among Friends—over a weekend at a comfortable New York country house, two deeply intertwined families have gathered to mark the host’s 52nd birthday; but what begins as a celebration steadily gives way to an unforeseen curdling of envy and resentment, erupting in an unspeakable act. Coco Mellors (Blue Sisters) joins in conversation.
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Poetry Slam 2025 Season Finals
BRIC’s Brooklyn Poetry Slam 2025 season finals will be led by cofounders Mahogany L. Browne and Jive Poetic, taking place outdoors at The Plaza at 300 Ashland. The finalists will be joined by special guests and poets from all over the world. This month’s featured poet is Moné, last year’s Brooklyn Poetry Slam finals winner.
Free; 6-8.30pm; The Plaza at 300 Ashland, Brooklyn
Jo Firestone: Murder on Sex Island
Celebrate the official release of Murder on Sex Island with author Jo Firestone and friends, who will gather to play toxic reality show games, sign books, and do a lively Q&A. Special guests include Aaron Jackson, Ziwe, and more.
$12.56; 7-10pm; littlefield, 635 Sackett Street, Brooklyn
Pages+Pours
Not a book club; a book swap!
features readers offering short excerpts of their selected reads, reviews, and recommended pairings of recently loved literature. Hosted at indie press-meets-coffeeshop, Thayer, which is now on my list of places to check out. Bring a beloved book to swap.$15; 8pm; Thayer, 99 Avenue B, Manhattan
Wednesday, June 25
Ditmas Lit
Hosted by Lena Valencia (Mystery Lights) and Sarah Bridgins (Death and Exes), Ditmas Lit welcomes Kristina Andersson Bicher (Heat, Sob, Lily), (I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself), James Stewart III (Defiant Acts), and Jeanne Thornton (A/S/L).
Free, with RSVP; 7.30pm; The Urbane Arts Club, 1016 Beverley Road, Brooklyn
Ivy Pochoda: Ecstasy
Ivy Pochoda (The Art of Disappearing) launches her latest novel Ecstasy—a riveting, darkly poetic, one-sitting read about empowerment, desire, and what happens when women reject the roles set out for them—in conversation with (The Real Lolita).
$5, redeemable in-store; 7-9pm; Powerhouse Arena, 28 Adams Street, Brooklyn
Aida Zilelian Chapbook Release
First generation American-Armenian writer, educator and storyteller Aida Zilelian (The Legacy of Lost Things) celebrates the release of her debut poetry chapbook Dissonance. (Dada is also on my list of places I want to check out!)
Free; 7-11.30pm; Dada, 6047 Myrtle Avenue Queens
Thursday, June 26
Michelle Huneven: Bug Hollow
Michelle Huneven (Round Rock) discusses her new book Bug Hollow—a decades-spanning family saga featuring the messy but loving Samuelson clan trying to make sense of the world after the loss of their son Ellis—in conversation with Tony Tulathimutte (Rejection).
$5; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, Manhattan
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers: Misbehaving at the Crossroads
As part of the Center for Fiction’s “On America” series, poet and novelist (The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois) celebrates the release of her nonfiction debut, Misbehaving at the Crossroads—personal and thought-provoking work that explores the journeys and possibilities of Black women throughout American history and in contemporary times—in conversation with National Book Award-winning author and scholar Imani Perry.
$10; 7-8.15pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, and livestreamed
Leila Mottley: The Girls Who Grew Big
Leila Mottley (Nightcrawling) launches her latest work, The Girls Who Grew Big, following the joys and entanglements of a fierce group of teenage mothers in a small town on the Florida panhandle. (Homebodies) joins for an in-depth discusion. Wine reception to follow.
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Pride Panel: Queer Debuts You Should Know About
Books Are Magic select a few of their favorite queer debut releases from 2025 to highlight. (The Hollow Half), Rob Franklin (Great Black Hope), Erica Peplin (Work Nights), , and CJ Hauser (The Crane Wife) will discuss the process of writing & publishing a debut, highlighting LGBTQ stories & experiences, and being a part of NYC's vibrant queer literary community. All ticket proceeds will be donated to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project to protect freedom of expression and self-determination of gender identity.
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Friday, June 27
Sebastian Castillo: Fresh Green Life
(Salmon) celebrates the launch of Fresh Green Life—a meditation on literature, education, and philosophy, a trek through the past that forecasts a mediocre future, and a compact miracle of the fake-real.
$5, redeemable in-store; 7-9pm; Powerhouse Arena, 28 Adams Street, Brooklyn
Sunday, June 29
Bad Words Press
Sunday poetry in the park from Bad Words Press, launching its first chapbook How It’s Made by Noa Dversdall. To celebrate Noa will be joined by readers Morgan Boyle, , Kyle Seamus-Broshan, Hunter Hodkinson, and Ingrid Jacobsen.
Free; 5pm; Prospect Park (DM for address)
NB. Please check all details before attending, the fact checker went awol.
I’m a Brooklyn-based journalist and author. My debut novel Amphibian is out now from Ig, as well as Virago in the UK, and forthcoming from dtv in Germany. My first book, No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run (St. Martin’s Press, 2018) followed my childhood as the daughter of an international pot smuggler and federal fugitive. I’m here and here on Instagram. Get in touch with any bookish events you’d like me to include!