Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in and around NYC.
Naturally, McNally Jackson’s Lorne Michaels event sold out (if you missed it, read here for some much-needed light relief), but there’s plenty else going on this week. There’s a stellar lineup on Tuesday at Les Bleus, which is where I would be if I wasn’t saving my energy for reading on Thursday at the always-charming Pete’s Reading Series alongside some great authors—come say hi! Also, I’d love to hear Jessica Valenti talk at BPL Presents, Lucy Sante at Columbia, and everyone at this month’s Sunday Salon.
As ever, send over events I should have on my radar and please share the love with your bookish friends!
Monday, February 17
William Boyle: Saint of the Narrows Street
William Boyle, a master of Brooklyn-set crime fiction, presents his latest, Saint of the Narrows Street, following an Italian-American family and their decades-old secret that begins to unravel, leading them to bear the consequences—and face each other. (In the Sight) joins in conversation.
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Tuesday, February 18
Les Bleus Literary Salon
Founded and hosted by Paige McGreevy, Les Bleus’ February edition welcomes Skye Jackson (Libre), Hyeseung Song (Docile), Irvin Weathersby (In Open Contempt), Cynthia Weiner (A Gorgeous Excitement), and Jenny Williamson (Enemy of My Dreams) to read.
Free; 7pm; Upper West Side, RSVP to lesbleusnyc@gmail.com for address
Madeleine Watts: Elegy, Southwest
(The Inland Sea) presents Elegy, Southwest—a timely and urgent novel following a young married couple on a road trip through the American Southwest as they grapple with the breakdown of their relationship in the shadow of environmental collapse—in conversation with Leslie Jamison (Splinters).
$5 redeemable in-store, RSVP required; 6.30pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, Manhattan
Haley Mlotek: No Fault
Haley Mlotek celebrates the launch of her debut memoir No Fault—an intimate and candid account of one of the most romantic and revolutionary of relationships, divorce—in conversation with Jazmine Hughes.
Free, with RSVP; 7-8pm; The Invisible Dog Art Center, 51 Bergen Street Brooklyn, and livestreamed
Emily Smith: Nothing Serious
celebrates the release of her debut novel, Nothing Serious—a “modern, feminist dating world thriller” (Kate Brody, Rabbit Hole) about a disillusioned tech executive who goes into an obsessive spiral when her best friend (and longtime crush) is implicated in a woman’s death. Emily will be joined in conversation by Chloé Caldwell (Women).
$5, redeemable in store; 6.30-8pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, Manhattan
Rebecca Romney: Jane Austen’s Bookshelf
Rare book dealer Rebecca Romney launches her new book Jane Austen’s Bookshelf, which investigates the disappearance of Austen’s heroes—women writers who were erased from the Western canon—to reveal who they were, what they meant to Austen, and how they were forgotten. Rebecca is joined by author Sarah MacLean.
$5; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, Manhattan
My So-Called Literary Life
Another installment of ’s limited-edition generative workshop, My So-Called Literary Life; enjoy music and clips from the 1994 cult classic television show My So-Called Life, and receive themed prompts for group writing time. No sharing necessary—just bring a journal and a pen.
Free; 8-10pm; LIC Bar (carriage house), 45-58 Vernon Blvd, Queens
Olivia Wolfgang-Smith: Mutual Interest
A “weary, post-Valentine's day reading” of Olivia Wolfgang-Smith's second novel Mutual Interest—a gilded-age tale of queer love, longing, empire, and candles—hosted by Taylor & Co. Books. Olivia (Glassworks) will be joined by Gina Chung (Green Frog) and Temim Fruchtar (City of Laughter).
Free; 7.30-9.30pm; Brooklyn Artery, 1004 Cortelyou Rd, Brooklyn
Lauren Francis-Sharma: Casualties of Truth
Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival 2025 presents the launch of Casualties of Truth—a riveting literary novel with the sharp edges of a thriller about the abuses of history and the costs of revenge, set between Washington, D.C., and Johannesburg—with author Lauren Francis-Sharma (Book of the Little Axe) and Cleyvis Natera (Neruda on the Park).
Free, with RSVP; 7-8.15pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, and livestreamed
Brooklyn Books & Booze
Curated by author and journalist Randee Dawn—though on this occasion emceed by Amy Goldschlager—this month’s Brooklyn Books & Booze is themed on “love and terror,” welcoming Alaya Dawn Johnson (Trouble the Saints), Taran Hunt (The Immortality Thief), Veronica Schanoes (Burning Girls and Other Stories), and John Foster (Rooster).
Free; 7pm; Barrow’s Intense Tasting Room, 86 34th Street, Brooklyn
A Birthday Celebration of Audre Lorde
Worship the Lorde! A celebration of the inimitable Audre Lorde on her birthday. Poets JP Howard, I.S. Jones, Zora Satchell, and Brad Walrond will read favorite poems or passages by Lorde alongside their own work, celebrating her visionary influence on their lives and work. Hosted and curated by . Readings in Kray Hall followed by a reception in the Reading Room.
Free; 7-9pm; Poet’s House, 10 River Terrace, Manhattan
The Palace Reading Series
This month’s lineup includes Morgan Sanguedolce (creator of the
for lovers of fantasy and romance!), Jordan Ferensic, Fred Mulligan, and Daisy Cashin (creator of ), with special guest Krystal Marie Orwig, founder of Must Love Memoir, who will help host with Rita Puskas. 2 for 1 well/draft specials all night.Free; 7-9pm; The Greenpoint Palace, 206 Nassau Avenue, Brooklyn
Wednesday, February 19
Jessica Valenti on Abortion with Alexis McGill Johnson
BPL Presents brings a stirring and succinct examination of post-Roe America by , “one of the most successful and visible feminists of her generation” (Washington Post). In Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies & the Truths We Use to Win, Valenti takes on what’s become one of the country’s most resonant political issues. She will be in conversation with Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of America.
Free, with registration; 7-8.30pm; Central Library 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
Nonfiction Dialogues: Lucy Sante
The Nonfiction Dialogues is an evening literary series in which professor and Columbia University's School of the Arts Writing Program chair Lis Harris discusses with distinguished nonfiction writers their work and careers. This month she’s joined by , the author of, most recently, I Heard Her Call My Name..
Free, guest registration required; 7.30-9pm; 501 Dodge Hall, Columbia University, 2960 Broadway, Manhattan
Eric Puchner: Dream State
Eric Puchner (Model Home) presents Dream State—a thrillingly ambitious ode to the power of friendship, the weird weather of marriage, and the beauty of impermanence—in conversation with Dinaw Mengestu (All Our Names).
$5 redeemable in-store, RSVP required; 6.30pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, Manhattan
Open Book
Open Book is a literary open mic night (and a Substack community with podcast!) created and curated by Becka Olson. Happy hour 5-7pm, to muster the courage to sign up!
Free; 8pm; Fiction Cafe & Cocktail Bar, 308 Hooper St, Brooklyn
Thursday, February 20
Pete’s Reading Series
Readers include Sarah Chihaya (Bibliophobia), (Junie), (Brooklyn Kills Me), and Tyler Wetherall (me! Amphibian), hosted by Temim Fruchter (City of Laughter) and Brian Gresko.
Free; 7.30pm; Pete’s Candy Store, 709 Lorimer St, Brooklyn
Poets of The New Yorker: A Century of Poetry
New Yorker poetry editor Kevin Young, National Book Award winner Terrance Hayes, New York Times bestseller Mary Karr, acclaimed poet Richie Hofmann, poet and essayist Diane Mehta, National Book Critics Circle Award winner Mary Jo Bang, and National Jewish Book Award winner Edward Hirsch come together for a reading honoring a century of poetry in The New Yorker—and the release of a new anthology, edited by Young.
From $30; 7.30pm; 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, Manhattan
Hot & Literate - Book Lovers Mixer
A literary happy hour for book lovers to mix, mingle, and share a love of reading. Hosted by and Book Club for Book Hoes, a literary social club. Expect a book swap, bookish bingo, build-a-bookmark station, drinks, and a raffle. If you’re interested in joining their many book clubs, these mixers are a great place to start.
$10; 6.15-8.30pm; Moxy NYC East Village, 112 East 11th Street, Manhattan
Lux Magazine and Picador present The Works of Andrea Dworkin
Join Books Are Magic, Lux Magazine, and Picador for an evening celebrating the works of the late radical feminist writer Andrea Dworkin, with a reissue of three of Dworkin's best-known works—Woman Hating, Pornography, and Right-Wing Women—with Johanna Fateman, John Stoltenberg, and Sarah Leonard
Free, with RSVP; 7-8pm; The Invisible Dog Art Center, 51 Bergen Street Brooklyn, and livestreamed
Caroline Hagood: Death and Other Speculative Fictions
Caroline Hagood launches her latest book, Death and Other Speculative Fictions—prose poems taking the reader on a wild ride, using surreal stories to process the recent death of her father, mourning by making language work as a time machine to go back and let her father live again. With Joanna Fuhrman (Data Mind).
Free; 6.30-8pm; Lofty Pigeon Books, 743 Church Avenue, Brooklyn
Laura Robson: A Curse for the Homesick
Laura Robson launches her novel A Curse for the Homesick—this “darkly enchanting debut centers on a small Northern European country, Stenland, whose female citizens live under threat of a curse” (Publisher’s Weekly).
Free; 6-7.30pm; The Corner Bookstore, 1313 Madison Avenue, Manhattan
Friday, February 21
Yael Van Der Wouden: The Safekeep
Yael Van Der Wouden celebrates the paperback release of her debut novel The Safekeep—tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961—in conversation with Alice Winn (In Memoriam).
$5; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, Manhattan
Sunday, February 23
Sunday Salon
A powerful Sunday Salon themed on “Reclaiming Identity in a Divided World,” featuring Deena ElGenaidi (Dust Settles North), Roberto Carlos Garcia (Traveling Freely), Ruben Reyes Jr. (Archive of Unknown Universes), and Irvin Weathersby (In Open Contempt). Through stories of diaspora, migration, and the deep legacies of race, they reflect on what it means to navigate a landscape that often feels inhospitable, yet where connection and resilience still thrive. Co-host takes the lead, joined by dancing co-hosts Carissa Chesanek and Wil Turner, with DJ DubSix on the decks.
Free; 5-7pm; Von Bar, 3 Bleecker Street, 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 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!
Thanks, Tyler! We are going to have fun at My So-Called Literary Life tomorrow!
Thank you for including the launch of NOTHING SERIOUS!! ❤️