Reading the City
January 8 to January 14
Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in and around NYC.
The festive slump is over and lit events are back in full swing. This week, we have some gems, such as Vanessa Chan in conversation with Mira Jacob about her debut novel, Jami Attenberg launching 1000 Words with a brilliant lineup of authors, and me! I’ll be reading from my forthcoming novel, Amphibian, at the always-lovely Read the Room. Come join!
Also, a shout out to photographer Sammy Deigh for my new author shots (one at the bottom of this newsletter)—he’s not only talented but a gem of a human to hang out with. Hit him up for all of your portraiture needs.
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, January 8
Franklin Park Reading Series
Franklin Park kicks off 2024 with a special event spotlighting five-time series alum Blake Butler and his new much-discussed memoir Molly. He'll be joined by novelists Claire Donato (Kind Mirrors, Ugly Ghosts) and Geoff Rickly (Someone Who Isn't Me) and poet Elisa Gonzalez (Grand Tour). Hosted by founder Penina Roth, expect drink specials and a raffle for the readers' latest books. Otherwise, books are for sale from Unnameable Books.
Free; 8-10pm; 766 Franklin Avenue, 618 St Johns Pl, Brooklyn
Jonathan Santlofer presents The Lost Van Gogh
From the author of The Last Mona Lisa comes another thrilling story of masterpieces, masterminds, and mystery, this time about a rumored Van Gogh self-portrait. Jonathan Santlofer will be joined by the esteemed Joyce Carol Oates.
$5 for RSVP, redeemable in-store; 7pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Olivie Blake: The Atlas Complex Midnight Release Party
For reasons I assume are obvious to her many fans, the release party for New York Times bestselling author Olivie Blake’s new novel, The Atlas Complex, is actually happening at midnight (well, 11pm, but same thing). “Mingle at midnight with Atlas fanatics, complete with giveaways, a costume contest, and a special reading,” the Strand says. Beats me.
From $8; 11pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York
Tuesday, January 9
Read the Room
Hosted by journalist Kathleen Squires and her husband Ronnie Rodriguez in their event space in Little Italy, the ticket includes chef-prepared food and really great wine. This special installment, “A Potpourri of Friends With Books,” features readings from Louis Bury (The Way Things Go), Kathleen Collins (Study in Hysteria), Diane Mehta (Tiny Extravaganzas), E. L. Shen (Maybe It's a Sign), and me, Tyler Wetherall (Amphibian)!
$45 inc. food and drink; 6.30-8.30pm; 132 Mulberry Street, No. 502, New York
The Tell Vol. 74
A glamorous live storytelling event curated by writer and photographer Michael Leviton, with stories tending towards the chaotic and bizarre, interspersed by often genre-defying musical interludes.
$20 in advance; 8-11pm; Georgia Room, Freehand NY, 2nd Floor, 23 Lexington Ave., NY
Álvaro Enrigue: You Dreamed of Empires
From the author of Sudden Death, You Dreamed of Empires is a hallucinatory, revelatory, colonial revenge story. Álvaro Enrigue will be joined in conversation by Daniel Alarcón, author of National Book Award-longlisted The King Is Always Above the People.
$10 incl. equivalent gift card; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague 122 Montague Street Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Brian Robert Moore and Hamilton Cain present Verdigris by Michele Mari
The book’s translator English PEN award-winning Brian Robert Moore, along with books journalist Hamilton Cain, present Italian Michele Mari’s novel Verdigris.
$5 for RSVP, redeemable in-store; 7pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Mark Polizzotti launches Why Surrealism Matters
Mark Polizzotti (Revolution of the Mind: The Life of André Breton) will be joined in conversation with scholar and critic Christopher Lyon to celebrate the launch of Why Surrealism Matters, an elegant consideration of the Surrealist movement as a global phenomenon and why it continues to resonate.
Free; 6.30-8pm; Lofty Pigeon Books, Church Avenue, Brooklyn
Wednesday, January 10
Vanessa Chan + Mira Jacob: The Storm We Made
Vanessa Chan (The Ugliest Babies in the World) discusses her debut novel The Storm We Made in conversation with author Mira Jacob (Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations).
From $8; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York
Kimberly Mack presents Living Colour's Time's Up
Kimberly Mack (Fictional Blues: Narrative Self-Invention from Bessie Smith to Jack White) discusses her newest book Living Colour's Time's Up—an exploration of the creation and reception of this artistically challenging album, while examining the legacy of this American rock band. Mack will be joined in conversation by musician Vernon Reid.
Free; 7-8pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
Mark Chiusano: The Fabulist
If you’re ready for more on America’s most outrageous grifter George Santos, join Mark Chiusano, the Newsday reporter who has been on his trail since 2019, for this reading. He’ll be in conversation with reporter Matt Flegenheimer.
$10 incl. equivalent gift card; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague 122 Montague Street Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Thursday, January 11
Jami Attenberg presents 1000 Words
The New York Times bestselling author of seven books of fiction Jami Attenberg started the wildly popular literary movement #1000WordsofSummer in 2018, and this writer’s guide, 1000 Words, is the book-length extension of that online community, featuring essays on craft from a veritable who’s who of authors. Attenberg will be joined in conversation by a brilliant lineup of fellow contributors: Kristen Arnett (Mostly Dead Things), Alexander Chee (The Queen of the Night), Mira Jacob (The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing), and Books Are Magic owner Emma Straub (This Time Tomorrow).
$10; 7-8pm; St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, 157 Montague Street, Brooklyn
An Evening of Poetry
Curated by Shamar Hill, this evening of readings and thought will feature poets Enzo Silon Surin (American Scapegoat) and Martha Collins (Casualty Reports). Drinks and socializing to follow in the bar.
$5 for RSVP, redeemable in-store; 6.30pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Friday, January 12
Sheila Liming presents Hanging Out
Sheila Liming (Office) discusses her newest book, Hanging out: The Radical Power of Killing Time, showing us what we have lost to the frenetic pace of digital life and how to get it back. Liming will be joined in conversation by author A.V. Marraccini (We the Parasites).
Free; 7-8pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
Saturday, January 13
Touching the Art with Mattilda B. Sycamore
Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (The Freezer Door) will be joined in conversation with Anastacia Renee (Sidenotes from the Archivist) to launch her new book, Touching the Art, a memoir about intergenerational trauma, fine art, and compartmentalization.
Free; 5-7pm; Bluestockings Cooperative Bookstore, 116 Suffolk Street, New York
NB. Please check all details before attending, the fact checker went awol.
I’m a Brooklyn-based British 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!
