Reading the City
August 12 to 18
Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in and around NYC.
Coming to you from a writer with tendonitis trying to use a dictation app so I’m going to keep this brief …
As ever, send feedback, send help, send events I should have on my radar, say hi! And please share the love with your bookish friends.
Monday, August 12
Kate Weinberg: There's Nothing Wrong with Her
Kate Weinberg, author of The Truants and host of the podcast series Shelf Help, presents There's Nothing Wrong with Her—a raw, tenderly comic, and perfectly off-kilter novel about a woman who occasionally finds herself in "The Pit,” a delirious state of semiconsciousness, and the improbable, sometimes imagined people who meet her there— with Kiley Reid (Such a Fun Age).
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Julianne Hough and Ellen Goodlett: Everything We Never Knew
Emmy Award-winner Julianne Hough and co-author Ellen Goodlett discuss their new novel Everything We Never Knew—the gripping story of one woman embracing her power, no matter what the world thinks.
$7.81; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York
Tuesday, August 13
Must Love Memoir
A monthly reading series dedicated to telling personal stories, hosted by Krystal Orwig (substack: then Krystal says), this month features: , Anya Yurchyshyn (My Dead Parents), , Nicole Treska (Wonderland), and Samantha Mann (Duke Delusions, forthcoming).
Free; 7.30pm; Jake's Dilemma, Oak Cellar Room, 430 Amsterdam Avenue, New York
Holly Baxter: Clickbait
Holly Baxter, executive editor and staff writer at the Independent in New York, celebrates the release of her debut novel, Clickbait—a "razor-sharp, darkly humorous novel" (Clémence Michallon, The Quiet Tenant) about a disgraced, newly divorced journalist demoted to a “clickbait” job at a Manhattan tabloid, for fans of Dolly Alderton and Monica Heisey—in conversation with Adrienne Westenfeld, the books and fiction editor at Esquire.
$5, redeemable in store; 7pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
Ava Reid: Lady Macbeth
#1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid discusses her debut adult novel Lady Macbeth—a reimagining of Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her—with Victoria Lee (A Lesson in Vengeance).
$7.81; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York
John Vercher: Devil Is Fine
John Vercher (After the Lights Go Out) launches Devil Is Fine—a profoundly moving novel of what it means to be a father, a son, a writer, and a biracial American fighting to reconcile the past—in conversation with Julia Phillips (Bear).
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Kristopher Jansma: Our Narrow Hiding Places
Award-winning author Kristopher Jansma (The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards) presents his new novel Our Narrow Hiding Places—a sweeping story of survival and of the terrible cost of war, and a reminder that sometimes the traumas we inherit come along with a resilience we never imagined—with author and journalist Jason Diamond (Searching for John Hughes). Wine reception to follow.
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Generation Women
Generation Women is a multigenerational storytelling night that invites a woman or non-binary performer in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s+ to share an original true story on a theme. This event, their Sexy Summer Show, brings together Zara Barrie (Girl, Stop Passing Out in Your Makeup: The Bad Girl’s Guide to Getting Your Sh*t Together); E.M. Gallagher (Substack:
); Michele Carlo (Fish Out Of Agua: My Life on Neither Side of the (Subway) Tracks); Pamela Vassil; and representing team 90s, comedian D’yan Forest. Hosted by Georgia Clark (Most Wonderful).$33; doors, 6pm; Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, New York
East Village Wordsmiths Literary Salon
Local writers, poets and musicians share their original work based on the theme: “rituals.”
Free; 8-9.30pm; Book Club Bar, 197 East 3rd Street, New York
Daisuke Shen: Vague Predictions & Prophecies
Daisuke Shen launches Vague Predictions & Prophecies—a debut collection of stories wherein divine beings and humans alike must rely on omens to navigate the unpredictable lives they find themselves inhabiting—in an evening featuring readings from Christopher Rey Perez and Mayada Ibrahim with music from Christian Michael Filardo.
$5, redeemable in-store; 7-9pm; Powerhouse Arena, 28 Adams Street, Brooklyn
Wednesday, August 14
Fantastic Fiction
A monthly speculative-fiction reading series, hosted by Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel, this month features Christopher Rowe (Telling the Map) and James Chambers (A Bright and Beautiful Eternal World).
Free; 7-9pm; KGB Bar, 85 East 4th Street, New York
Sarah Seltzer: The Singer Sisters
Feminist editor and writer Sarah Seltzer discusses her debut novel The Singer Sisters—two generations of a folk-rock dynasty collide over art, love, longing, and family secrets—in conversation with Rolling Stone columnist Rob Sheffield.
$7.81; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York
Komail Aijazuddin: Manboobs
Komail Aijazuddin launches Manboobs—a hilarious memoir about coming of age and coming out in Pakistan, moving to America, looking for love, and falling in love with himself along the way—with Kareem Khubchandani, the author of Decolonize Drag who performs as LaWhore Vagistan.
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Kyle Dillon Hertz: The Lookback Window
Kyle Dillon Hertz celebrates the paperback launch of debut novel The Lookback Window—a story of resilience, transcendence, and the elusive promise of justice—with a night of readings from authors Megan Nolan (Ordinary Human Failings), Aria Aber (Hard Damage), and Adam Dalva, the senior fiction editor of Guernica.
$5, redeemable in-store; 7-9pm; Powerhouse Arena, 28 Adams Street, Brooklyn
Thursday, August 15
Dean-David Schillinger: Telltale Hearts
Dean-David Schillinger MD, a primary care physician, scientist, author, and public health leader, presents Telltale Hearts: A Public Health Doctor, His Patients, and the Power of Story—a powerful meditation on what his patients taught him, and what they can teach us about listening, healing, and public health—in conversation with Eyal Press (Dirty Work).
$5 redeemable in-store, RSVP required; 6.30pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Charlotte Shane: An Honest Woman
Charlotte Shane launches An Honest Woman—a memoir told through the lens of her years spent as a sex worker, offering a provocative and tender reckoning of what it means to be a heterosexual woman and a feminist in a misogynistic society—with Estelle Tang, the lifestyle and wellness editor at the Guardian US.
$5, redeemable in-store; 7-9pm; Powerhouse Arena, 28 Adams Street, Brooklyn
Caroline Wolff: The Wayside
Caroline Wolff celebrates the release of her debut novel, The Wayside—a haunting, elegantly drawn psychological thriller perfect for fans of The Secret History, Big Little Lies, and The Maidens—in discussion with Meredith Turits (Just Want You Here, forthcoming).
$5, redeemable in store; 7pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
Friday, August 16
Brave, Unbodied Scheme: a McNally Jackson poetry reading series
An evening of poetry in McNally Jackson Seaport’s bar, named after a line from Herman Melville’s poem “Art,” featuring poets Terrence Arjoon (The Disinherited), Kiran Bath, Terry Nguyen (Substack:
, Rachelle Rahmé, and Michy Woodward. Hear poems, drink wine, and enjoy the “pulsed life”.$5 for RSVP, redeemable in-store; 7pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Tamara Winfrey-Harris: A Black Woman's Guide to Getting Free
A discussion with writer, speaker and thought leader Tamara Winfrey-Harris and guests on her latest book A Black Woman’s Guide to Getting Free, which uses feminist principles, yogic wisdom and sister wit to help Black women unshackle their authentic selves from the expectations and stereotypes of American culture.
Free; 6-8pm; Bluestockings Cooperative Bookstore, 116 Suffolk Street, New York
Saturday, August 17
Desiree Akhavan: You're Embarrassing Yourself
Filmmaker and writer Desiree Akhavan celebrates the release of her debut book, You're Embarrassing Yourself—a collection of seventeen essays that chart an artist’s journey from outcast to overnight indie darling, to (somewhat) self-aware adult woman, capturing the pathetic lows and euphoric highs of our youth, and how to survive them—in discussion with Ariel Schrag (Adam).
$5, redeemable in store; 7pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
Sunday, August 18
Poetry Reading at Spoonbill Books
Featuring Daniel Poppick, Gaia Rajan (Moth Funerals) and Andres Cordoba with host Dante Kanter. Wine and song.
Free; 7pm; Spoonbill Books, 218 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn
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 forthcoming from Ig on October 22, Virago (UK), and dtv (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 for this list! Just subscribed :) I'm hosting my nonfiction reading series this Wednesday in Brooklyn if you'd like to include. I'd be so grateful!