Reading the City
February 19 to 25
Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in and around NYC.
This week we have the return of the Sunday Salon reading series in-person after a brief virtual hiatus, launch events from Tiffany Jewell and Leslie Jamison, and Brandon Taylor delivering Columbia’s Creative Writing Lecture. I’m also taking part in Manhattanville College’s first Creative Nonfiction Festival for any RTC readers near White Plains!
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.
Tuesday, February 20
Leslie Jamison: Splinters
Leslie Jamison (The Empathy Exams) discusses her new book Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story with another memoir master, Mary Karr (The Liars’ Club), in what is such an impressive lineup its sold out. The committed can still purchase a ticket (which includes the book) to view via livestream in the Center for Fiction’s Members Lounge.
$36.50, inc. a copy of Splinters; 7pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn
Feminist Press presents The Weird Sister Collection
Feminist Press celebrates The Weird Sister Collection: Writing at the Intersections of Feminism, Literature, and Pop Culture, a new anthology collecting the best essays from the iconic underground blog Weird Sister. The evening will feature readings and discussion with founder Marisa Crawford and contributors Cathy de la Cruz, Naomi Extra, and Megan Milks (Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body).
$5, redeemable in-store; 6.30pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Rhaina Cohen: The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center
In a celebration of platonic love, NPR's Rhaina Cohen discusses her new book The Other Significant Others, exploring the lives of people who have chosen a friend as their life partner. She discusses her work with Priya Parker (The Art of Gathering).
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Lucinda Halpern: Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author
For the aspiring authors amongst you, literary agent Lucinda Halpern launches her new book Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author, in conversation with Side Hustle author and creator of
Chris Guillebeau and Penguin Random House book editor Leah Trouwborst.Free; 6-8pm; Housing Works Bookstore, 126 Crosby Street, New York
Wednesday, February 21
Diane Oliver: Neighbors
As part of the Center for Fiction’s The Art of the Short Story series, this evening celebrates author Diane Oliver, who died in 1966 at the age of 22—just weeks away from graduating from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her posthumously published short story collection, Neighbors and Other Stories, will be discussed with a panel of writers including Tayari Jones (An American Marriage), director of the Iowa Workshop Lan Samantha Chang (The Family Chao), and Dawnie Walton (The Final Revival of Opal and Nev).
$7.50; 7pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, and livestreamed
Creative Writing Lecture: Brandon Taylor
Columbia University’s Creative Writing Lecture Series invites Brandon Taylor to speak, the author of the novels The Late Americans and Real Life, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize. The evening is organized by Columbia University professor and author Ben Marcus.
Free; 7.30-9pm; 501 Dodge Hall, Columbia University, 2960 Broadway, New York
Sarah Tomlinson: The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers
Former music journalist Sarah Tomlinson launches her debut novel, The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers, about three rock and roll icons, two explosive tell-all memoirs, and one ghostwriter caught in the middle. She is joined by actor and author Amber Tamblyn (Any Man). A wine reception follows the discussion.
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Charles Duhigg: Supercommunicators
Dive into the secrets of communication with Charles Duhigg (Smarter Faster Better), as he celebrates the release of his new book Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, in conversation with Nicholas Thompson, the CEO of The Atlantic and former editor-in-chief of WIRED.
From $5; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York
Mariah Stovall: I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both
Mariah Stovall presents her debut novel, I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both, a Black woman’s coming-of-age story, chronicling a life-changing friendship, the interplay between music fandom and identity, and the slipperiness of sanity. She is joined in conversation by journalist and author Nabil Ayers (My Life in the Sunshine).
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Thursday, February 22
KGB Lit Release Party
Pick up the latest issue of the KGB Lit Journal for $15, and celebrate its release with contributor readings, featuring special guest Anthony Haden-Guest.
Free; 7-9pm; KGB Red Room, 85 East 4th Street, New York
Daniel Mason: North Woods
Pulitzer Prize-finalist Daniel Mason (The Piano Tuner) discusses his book North Woods—a sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries.
From $5; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York
The Book Hoes Podcast Presents a Live Author Episode with Yume Kitasei: The Deep Sky
A live in-person recording for The Book Hoes Podcast, an offshoot of the NYC-based Book Club for Book Hoes, which meets in person and virtually. Creator and host
is joined by Yume Kitasei to discuss her debut novel and space opera odyssey The Deep Sky. Audience members will be invited to ask questions.Donation based; 7.30-9pm; 66 Greenpoint Bar, 66 Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Halifu Osumare: Dancing the Afrofuture: Hula, Hip-Hop, and the Dunham Legacy
Halifu Osumare (Dancing in Blackness) presents her newest book Dancing the Afrofuture, reflecting on how her career as a dancer and choreographer—which began during the 1960s Black Arts Movement—has influenced her growth as an academic, educator, and activist. She is joined in conversation by choreographer Camille A. Brown, as part of Greenlight’s Black History Month programming.
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
BYOBook: A Quiet Reading Party
Get cozy with a drink from the cafe for a quiet reading party in the Center for Fiction’s auditorium. Afterward, you’re invited to converse with your fellow readers, with the reassurance: “We will help break the ice if you stay, so worry not, our socially awkward friends.” I’m not sure what that entails, so if you go, report back please!
$15; 6pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn
Saturday, February 24
Creative Nonfiction Festival
Strictly, this one’s outside of the city, but I’m on the lineup! It’s the Manhattanville MFA Program's first annual Creative Nonfiction Festival featuring panel discussions, craft sessions, and readings from Richard Hoffman (Half the House), Jason Tougaw (The One You Get), Jane Wong (Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City), and Tyler Wetherall (me! No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run). If you’re near White Plains, come say hi!
Free; 1-5pm; Center for Design Thinking, Manhattanville College, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY
Teen Nonfiction Launch: Tiffany Jewell presents Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School
I don’t usually include YA, but it’s from Tiffany Jewell, the author of This Book Is Anti-Racist and The Antiracist Kid, and it sounds brilliant. She presents Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School, highlighting inequities Black and Brown students face from preschool through college, told through her personal narrative and that of other contributors, aimed at arming young readers with the context to think critically about and chart their own course through their schooling.
$5 for RSVP, redeemable in-store; 7pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
The Café & Bar Presents Exhibit B in NYC: A Reading
I love this idea. The Center for Fiction is bringing established and emerging writers together for conversations and readings, with a focus on voices from marginalized experiences. This evening features French American poet and translator Henri Seguin, Sally Wen Mao (Ninetails: Nine Tales), Daniel Poppick (Fear of Description) and Nick Flynn, the author of thirteen books, including the memoir Another Bullshit Night in Suck City.
Free, but drink purchases from the Café & Bar are requested; 5pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn
Sunday February 25
Sunday Salon
The expansive Sunday Salon reading series is back in-person, featuring Temim Fruchter (City of Laughter), Carrie Sun (Private Equity), Michael B. Tager (Pop Culture Poetry: The Definitive Collection), and Aida Zilelian (The Legacy of Lost Things), along with DJ DubSix rolling out the beats for their walk-up songs.
Free; 5-7pm; Von Bar, 3 Bleecker Street, New York
Drink 'N Draft
End your week creatively with Josh Krigman’s Drink & Draft, this time at P&T Knitwear, offering a series of visual prompts that lead you toward new creative choices in your work. Optional sharing; all genres welcome; no experience necessary.
$20, redeemable in store; 6-8pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
NB. Please check all details before attending, the fact checker went awol.
I’m a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and teacher, and the author of No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run (St. Martin’s Press) and Amphibian (forthcoming from Virago). I’m here and here on Instagram. Get in touch with any bookish events you’d like me to include!
