Reading the City
July 29 to August 4
Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in and around NYC.
It’s a quiet week in book land. I suggest we all follow the lead of Black Spring Books, do as they do in France—where I will be tomorrow—and take some time to recharge. There’s still some gems to be found: Sarah Manguso discusses her new novel, Liars, at McNally Jackson; The Drift launches its 13th issue with a party at Public Records, and Susan Shapiro hosts a whole lineup of authors for an installment of her reading series The Shrinks Are Away at P&T Knitwear.
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, July 29
World Transexual Forum
This month Anton Solomonik and Jeanne Thornton’s World Transsexual Forum, an open mic and refined intellectual symposium for trans/GNC writers and artists, features author Naomi Kanakia (The Default World).
Free; 7pm sign-up, 8pm readings; Franklin Park, 618 St Johns Place, Brooklyn
Herbal Supplements Reading Series
A monthly series spotlighting queer, trans, and BIPOC cross-genre readers and musicians, hosted by Jules Rivera, and taking place at natural wine bar Cherry On Top, this month takes on a theme: each piece will serve as a "classic" representation of the reader. , Kenny Park Yi, , , Alana Amore Colvin, and Kiani Monét Harrell take to the stage.
Free, but donations for the writers encouraged; 8pm; Cherry On Top, 379 Suydam St, Brooklyn
Rachelle Bergstein: The Genius of Judy
Lifestyle writer and author Rachelle Bergstein launches The Genius of Judy—an intimate and expansive look at Judy Blume’s life, work, and cultural impact, focusing on her most iconic, and controversial, young adult novels, from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret to Blubber—in conversation with Rax King (Sloppy, forthcoming).
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Tuesday, July 30
Jessica Anthony: The Most
Jessica Anthony (Enter the Aardvark) launches The Most—a tightly wound, consuming tale about a 1950s American housewife who decides to get into the pool in her family’s apartment complex one morning and won’t come out—in conversation with Jean Garnett, most recently a senior editor at Little, Brown and Company.
Free; 8-9pm; Book Club Bar, 197 East 3rd Street, New York
Kellie Carter Jackson: We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance
In We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance, historian Kellie Carter Jackson presents a radical reframing of Black resistance, exploring the many forms of activism employed against white supremacy over centuries, and offering a fundamental corrective to the historical record. Kellie is joined in conversation with Lauren N. Williams, who oversees projects related to race, identity and inequality at Guardian US.
Free; 6.30-8pm; Center for Brooklyn History, 128 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn
The Shrinks Are Away: A Reading with Susan Shapiro & Special Guests
Susan Shapiro celebrates the paperback release of her newest book, The Forgiveness Tour—a memoir that wrestles with how to exonerate someone who can’t cough up a measly “my bad” or mumble “mea culpa"—with an installment of her reading series, The Shrinks Are Away, which features words to soothe the savage urban psyche during the season when therapists are on vacation. Susan will be joined by Aquilino Gonell (American Shield), Rodney Leonard (Another Land My Body), Cat Marnell (How to Murder Your Life), Jodi Savage (Death of a Jaybird), Ravi Shankar (Tallying the Hemispheres), and Hyeseung Song (Docile).
$5, redeemable in store; 7pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
Drunken! Careening! Writers!
Readings from Jenifer Levin (Water Dancer), Regina McBride (Stranger from Across the Sea), and Thaddeus Rutkowski (Safe Colors).
Free; 7pm-12am; KGB Red Room, 85 East 4th Street, New York
Wednesday, July 31
In Translation: Megan McDowell on The Obscene Bird of Night
José Donoso’s The Obscene Bird of Night was one of the most brilliantly bizarre novels of “The Boom” of Latin American literature and one of the greatest novels of the century. In New Directions’s reissue—celebrating the centennial of its author’s birth—star translator Megan McDowell has revised and updated the classic translation. Megan is joined by Hari Kunzru (Red Pill) to discuss the work.
$10; 7pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, and livestreamed
One Story Presents a Night with Laura Spence-Ash and Patrick Ryan
One Story presents Laura Spence-Ash discussing Beyond That, the Sea—a sweeping, tenderhearted love story about two families living through World War II on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and the shy, irresistible young woman who will call them both her own—in conversation with Patrick Ryan (Buckeye, forthcoming).
$5, redeemable in-store; 7-9pm; Powerhouse Arena, 28 Adams Street, Brooklyn
Thursday, August 1
The Drift: Issue 13 Launch Party
The Drift celebrates the launch of Issue Thirteen with a party featuring a back issue giveaway, readings by Diana Kole, Gideon Jacobs, Hannah Kingsley-Ma, Shaan Sachdev, Jack Herrera, Ian Volner, Atossa Araxia Abrahamian (The Hidden Globe), Talin Tahajian, and @quinoa_cowboy, and a DJ set by Ludwig Hurtado.
$20, including magazine issue; doors from 7pm; Public Records, 233 Butler St, Brooklyn
Sarah Manguso: Liars
Sarah Manguso (Very Cold People) presents Liars—a searing novel about being a wife, a mother, and an artist, and how marriage makes liars of us all—in conversation with Lyz Lenz (God Land).
$5 redeemable in-store, RSVP required; 7pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Dinaw Mengestu: Someone Like Us
National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree Dinaw Mengestu presents Someone Like Us— in which the son of Ethiopian immigrants seeks to understand a hidden family history and uncovers a past colored by unexpected loss, addiction, and the enduring emotional pull toward home. Wine reception to follow.
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Jesse Katz: The Rent Collectors
Journalist Jesse Katz celebrates the release of his newest book, The Rent Collectors—a "lyrical, intelligent, and deeply literary" true crime narrative (Héctor Tobar, bestselling author of Deep Down Dark) that explicates the difficult and proud lives of undocumented black market workers who are extorted by gangs and fined by the city of LA—in conversation with filmmaker Marc Levin.
$5, redeemable in store; 7pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
Galinsky's Poetry in New York
Book Club Bar's monthly live poetry series. Curated by local poet and playwright Galinsky, with "Five Minute Features" from a dozen poets of all styles.
Free; 8-10pm; Book Club Bar, 197 East 3rd Street, New York
Friday, August 2
We: An open mic in celebration of James Baldwin’s centenary
August 2nd marks the centenary anniversary of James Baldwin’s birth, and Taylor & Co Books is taking this line from his work—"We: my family, the living and the dead, and the children coming along behind us"—as inspiration for this event. They invite you to share a remembrance, share your favorite passage, or share a piece inspired by James Baldwin. Send them a DM to let them know if you’re interested. Light refreshments served.
Free; 7.30pm; Taylor & Co. Books, 1021 Cortelyou Rd, Brooklyn
Sunday, August 4
The Café & Bar Presents Drink & Draft Night
Hosted by Josh Krigman, Drink & Draft is a night to get you unstuck and inspired in your writing through a series of visual prompts and style experiments. Optional sharing; all genres welcome; no experience necessary.
$25 incl. first drink from the Cafe & Bar (beer, wine, or speciality cocktail); 5-7pm; Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn
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 and Ig). I’m here and here on Instagram. Get in touch with any bookish events you’d like me to include!
