Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in NYC.
This week, there’s still some tickets left for Table of Contents tomorrow—a rarity—so get them while you can! Also, The Drift is having an issue launch party, and Elissa Altman gives a masterclass on memoir at the Center for Fiction.
And tonight, I’ll be sharing a story at science-inflected live storytelling event Story Collider! The the organizers have kindly shared a discount code so readers can enjoy $5 off tickets with Collide5 (case sensitive)!
As ever, send tips and please share the love with your bookish friends.
Monday, July 14
STORYTELLING | Story Collider: Self Discovery
The Story Collider, which works to reveal the vibrant role that science plays in all of our lives through the art of personal storytelling, hosts an evening themed on “Self Discovery,” with stories from Julie Piñero, Ann Chunharakchote, Jiawen Huang, XiuXiu, and me, Tyler Wetherall! Hosted by Diana Li and .
From $20; doors, 6.30pm, show 7pm; Caveat, 21A Clinton Street, Manhattan, and livestreamed
SALON | Franklin Park Reading Series
This month expect a summer blockbuster, with Edwidge Danticat (We’re Alone), Megan Giddings (Meet Me at the Crossroads), Wendy C. Ortiz (Bruja), Justin Haynes (Ibis), Isabelle Baafi (Chaotic Good), and (Duet for One). Hosted by founder Penina Roth, expect drink specials and a raffle for the readers' latest books.
Free; 8-10pm; 766 Franklin Avenue, 618 St Johns Pl, Brooklyn
Tuesday, July 15
SALON | Table of Contents Reading Series
reading series returns to Farm to People in Bushwick with Justin Haynes (Ibis), Julia Elliot (Hellions), and (Loca). Enjoy three dishes inspired by each author’s reading, as well as perfect biscuits, and a chat about the creative process with founder and chef Evan Hanczor. Tickets include a complimentary cocktail.$35; 6.45-9pm; Farm to People, 1100 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn
LAUNCH | Hannah Pittard: If You Love It, Let It Kill You
Hannah Pittard (We Are Too Many) launches her latest book, If You Love It, Let It Kill You—a refreshingly irreverent novel about art, desire, domesticity, freedom, and the intricacies of the twenty-first-century female experience—in conversation with Belletrist cofounder Karah Preiss.
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
LAUNCH | Kerry Cullen: House of Beth
launches her debut novel House of Beth—part queer literary gothic, part body-horror ghost story, the novel follows a young career woman whose battle with harm OCD pushes her away from her life with her girlfriend in New York, toward one as a trad wife in New Jersey, a life literally haunted by her new husband’s ex-wife. Kerry will be joined by Lynn Steger Strong (The Float Test).
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
LAUNCH | Laurie Gwen Shapiro: The Aviator and the Showman
Laurie Gwen Shapiro (The Stowaway) presents The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon—the riveting and cinematic story of a partnership that would change the world forever—in conversation with The New Yorker’s Emily Nussbaum.
$10; 6.30pm; Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square S., Manhattan
LAUNCH | Haley Cohen Gilliland: A Flower Traveled in My Blood
, a journalist and the director of the Yale Journalism Initiative, celebrates the publication of her debut book, A Flower Traveled in My Blood, the epic true story of the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo—grandmothers who fought to find their grandchildren who were stolen during Argentina’s brutal dictatorship.
$5, redeemable in store; 6.30-8pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, Manhattan
SALON | The Palace Reading Series
This month welcomes Sarah Osit (Forthcoming, and cofounder of Bad Words poetry salon), Christine Vartoughian (The Only Way Out Is Through the Window), Peter Milne Greiner (Lost City Hydrothermal Field), poet Magnus Jawn Matti Vogel, Sean Welsh (Daylight Maybe), and Ariel Courage (Bad Nature), with host (who also, I discovered, has a podcast!)
Free; 7-9pm; The Greenpoint Palace, 206 Nassau Avenue, Brooklyn
Wednesday, July 16
PARTY | The Drift Launch Party
Celebrate the launch of Issue Fifteen of The Drift—and the fifth anniversary of journal—with readings from issue contributors. Print subscribers get in free.
$20; 7pm; Night Club 101, 101 Avenue A, Manhattan
LAUNCH | Joseph Lee: Nothing More of This Land
Award-winning journalist Joseph Lee presents Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity—a sweeping, personal exploration of Indigenous identity and the challenges facing Indigenous people around the world—in conversation with Leslie Jamison (Splinters). (If you can’t make it, Joseph will also be at The Worlds Borough Bookshop with Katie Yee on July 17).
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
READING PARTY | Morgan Pager: The Art of Vanishing
Reading Rhythms is hosting a special reading party to celebrate the release of ’s debut novel, The Art of Vanishing, a stunningly original love story between a museum employee and the man in a masterpiece hanging on the walls. The intimate evening explores themes of time, art, and the quiet persistence of love, and Morgan will share insights into her writing process and sign books. Bring along any book you’re reading (romance and mystery lovers especially welcome), and connect with fellow readers.
$30, including book; 6.30-9pm; Pineapple Club, 509 E 6th St, Manhattan
CRAFT TALK | Giving Yourself Permission to Write Your Story
(Motherland) discusses her latest book, Permission, an illuminating examination of the craft of memoir writing, highlighting strategies to take ownership of your ideas and transcend the fear that keeps your stories from being written. Memoirists Wendy C. Ortiz (Excavation) and Emily Bernard (Black is the Body) join for a masterclass on memoir.
$10; 7-8.15pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, and livestreamed
TALK | Robert W. Fieseler: American Scare
Journalist and scholar Robert W. Fieseler discusses his new book American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives—uncovering “a mostly forgotten plot by Florida’s government to terrorize its minority residents in this harrowing history” (Publisher’s Weekly) with chilling parallels to today—in conversation with author and critic Bill Goldstein.
Free; Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St., Manhattan, and livestreamed
Thursday, July 17
BOOK CLUB | Small Press Book Club: Sun City
I don’t normally list book clubs (there are so many!) but this is the inaugural meeting of a new one from Community Bookstore, focusing on books published by small, independent publishers, which I felt deserved a spotlight. They’re reading Sun City by Tove Jansson, trans. Thomas Teal, and booksellers Ben and Claire will host the discussion.
Free; 7-8pm; Community Bookstore, 143 7th Avenue, Brooklyn
LAUNCH | Bruce Holsinger: Culpability
Bruce Holsinger (The Displacements) celebrates the publication of his newest book, Culpability—a family drama of excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by an automobile crash, in a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces—in discussion with Ann Napolitano (Hello Beautiful). Spiegel & Grau by Spotify Audiobooks is the audio publisher and the first 50 attendees will receive Spotify swag.
$5, redeemable in store; 6.30-8pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, Manhattan
READING PARY | A Night Inside The Library at Hellebore with Cassandra Khaw
To celebrate the upcoming release of The Library at Hellebore by , Reading Rhythms is hosting an immersive reading party that channels the novel’s dark academia energy, along with the author. The vibe? Literary salon meets secret society, with silent reading time and immersive activities and explorations.
$30, including pre-release copy of the book; 7-9pm; Hide & Seek, 593 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn
Friday, July 18
POETRY: Summer Nights: Peter Gizzi, Ariana Reines, and Felukah
The first event in Poetry House’s Summer Nights series, where poetry meets music outdoors in Battery Park City, welcomes readings from poets Peter Gizzi and Ariana Reines, and genre-bending, bilingual music by Felukah. Poet and spoken word artist Regie Cabico will host the festivities.
Free; 7-9pm; the Pavillion in Rockefeller Park, Manhattan
Sunday, July 20
SERIES | Poetry in the Garden
Join McNally Jackson at Elizabeth Street Garden, as a poet or audience member, for the Poetry in the Garden reading series. If you’re a poet who would like to read, submit 2-3 poems connected to the theme “current” to art@elizabethstreetgarden.com ahead of the event. Readings are hosted by Yvonne Brooks and Joseph Reiver.
Free; 5pm; Elizabeth Street Garden, Elizabeth St, Manhattan
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 dtv in Germany. My first book, No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run (St. Martin’s Press) 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!