Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in and around NYC.
This week I’m excited to check out Laila Lalami’s latest, Nicole Graev Lipson celebrating her debut with Joanna Rakoff, and the Didion cultural biography from Alissa Wilkinson. Also, Torrey Peters’ much-anticipated Stag Dance launch is sadly already sold out, but you can still join the waitlist.
In other news, I’m giving a reading from Amphibian at the Hudson Valley Writers Center on Sunday, March 16, alongside Krystal Anali Vazquez (Lady Without Land) in Sleepy Hollow, so if you have any friends upstate please send them my way!
And finally, going to AWP? I’ve put together a scrappy, highly subjective list of off-site events. It’s a work-in-progress (from a first-timer) so I’d love your input!
As ever, send feedback, say hi, and please share the love with your bookish friends.
Monday, March 10
Franklin Park Reading Series
I ran this last week by mistake (so sorry!), but it’s this Monday that Franklin Park celebrates sixteen years of hosting readings, with a great lineup featuring Melissa Broder (The Pisces), (The Distractions), Jinwoo Chong (Flux), Edgar Gomez (Alligator Tears), Andrew Lipstein (Last Resort), and Cynthia Weiner (A Gorgeous Excitement), with cupcakes, a free raffle for the authors’ books, and drinks specials.
Free; 8-10pm; 766 Franklin Avenue, 618 St Johns Pl, Brooklyn
A Reading by Edwidge Danticat
Edwidge Danticat reads from her latest collection of essays We’re Alone, followed by a Q&A facilitated by Nadia Misir.
Free; 7pm; LeFrak Concert Hall, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, Queens, and livestreamed
Wine and Pine: A Desirous Reading Series
Volume 17 of Wine and Pine, a reading series about desire, will feature Maria Santa Poggi, Ava Robinson (Definitely Better Now), (Animal Instinct), and (Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind). There will be drink specials, homemade desserts, and a good time.
Free; 7pm; Ten Degrees Bar, 121 St. Marks Place, Manhattan
Tuesday, March 11
Pages + Pours: A Book Swap with a Twist
is a book swap and review community for women, by women. At this, their second book swap event, featured readers will share excerpts, live reviews and recommended drinks pairings of books they’ve recently loved. With your ticket, you're invited to prepare a review of the book you brought to swap, and begin exchanging with friends, old and new. ​Registration includes one glass of wine at the lovely Anaïs.
$20; 8pm; Anaïs, 196 Bergen St, Brooklyn
Laila Lalami: The Dream Hotel
Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Laila Lalami (The Other Americans) celebrates the release of her novel, The Dream Hotel—depicting a dystopian future where even dreams are under surveillance—in conversation with Rumaan Alam (Leave the World Behind).
$10; 7-8.15pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, and livestreamed
Olga Khazan: Me, But Better
Atlantic staff writer Olga Khazan discusses her newest book, Me, But Better—a year-long experiment by an award-winning journalist to discover whether it's possible to change one's own personality, and a look into the science behind lasting change—in conversation with Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project).
$5, redeemable in store; 6.30-8pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, Manhattan
Jamieson Webster Discusses On Breathing with Jia Tolentino
BPL Presents hosts psychoanalyst Jamieson Webster to discusses On Breathing: Care in a Time of Catastrophe—a gorgeous, expansive piece of narrative non-fiction about care, dependence, and what it means to breathe in an age of environmental catastrophe—in conversation with the New Yorker’s Jia Tolentino (Trick Mirror).
Free, with registration; 7-8pm; Central Library 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
Mariam Rahmani: Liquid
Mariam Rahmani celebrates the launch of her debut novel, Liquid: A Love Story—a queer adjunct professor in LA tries to marry rich, but when a family emergency pulls her to Tehran, this satirical take on the politics of love gets serious—with Angela Flournoy (The Turner House).
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Wednesday, March 12
Nicole Graev Lipson: Mothers and Other Fictional Characters
Nicole Graev Lipson celebrates the release of her debut book, Mothers and Other Fictional Characters—an intimate and riveting memoir that breaks through the ready-made stories of womanhood, rescuing truth from the fiction that infiltrates our lives—in conversation with (My Salinger Year).
$5, redeemable in store; 6.30-8pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, Manhattan
Jinwoo Chong: I Leave It Up to You
Jinwoo Chong (Flux) celebrates the release of his second novel, I Leave It Up to You—a touching exploration of second chances and self-discovery, following Jack Jr., a man who has been asleep for the past two years and wakes up to find that nothing from his life has remained the same—with Gina Chung (Green Frog). Actor and activist BD Wong (Mr. Robot, Jurassic Park) will open the event with a reading from the novel.
$10; 7-8.15pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, and livestreamed
Laurie Woolever: Care and Feeding
Laurie Woolever, author of Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography, with whom she spent nearly a decade assisting, celebrates the release of Care and Feeding—a candid, funny, and occasionally devastating memoir of a woman making her way through the food world, navigating addiction, a cultural reckoning, and an unexpected tragedy—in conversation with Emmy Award-nominated director, producer, and showrunner Helen M. Cho.
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Elon Green: The Man Nobody Killed
Elon Green (Last Call) launches The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death, and Art in Michael Stewart's New York—the first comprehensive book about Michael Stewart, a young Black artist and model who was the victim of a fatal assault by police in 1983—in conversation with Morgan Jerkins (This Will Be Undoing).
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Language Arts: A Reading
holds its very first reading, hosted by cofounders and Layla Halabian, and featuring (of ), (of ), Ryan Petersen, Rob Franklin (Great Black Hope, forthcoming), , and (founder of Dream Baby Press). Jelly snacks.Free; 7pm; Seventh Heaven Bar & Karaoke, 4 Irving Ave, Brooklyn
Making It: Queer & Trans Writers, Publishers & Book Workers on Art, Craft and the Business of Books
This conversation will cover aspects of researching and writing history for fiction, how to market a book and reach a desired audience, and how to work with a book publicist. Bring your questions about craft, publishing, and bookselling for writers Olivia Wolfgang-Smith (Glassworks), Temim Fruchter (City of Laughter), and (Lesbian Love Story). The event is produced by Hive Mind Books and is intended specifically for queer and trans writers.
Free with RSVP; 7-8pm; Hive Mind Books, 219 Irving Avenue, Brooklyn
Thursday, March 13
Alissa Wilkinson: We Tell Ourselves Stories
New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson discusses her new book We Tell Ourselves Stories—a riveting cultural biography, examining Joan Didion’s influence through the lens of American mythmaking—in conversation with reporter and cultural critic Rachel Syme.
$5; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, Manhattan
Scaachi Koul: Sucker Punch
Scaachi Koul, a senior writer for Slate and a cohost of podcast Scamfluence, releases Sucker Punch the follow-up to her essay collection, One Day We’ll All Be Dead And None Of This Will Matter, in which examines the fights she’s had—with her parents, her ex-husband, her friends, online strangers, and herself—all in an attempt to understand when a fight is worth having, and when it's better to walk away. Scaachi is joined by Mira Jacob (The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing).
$10, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Hunter Distinguished Writers Series presents Kwame Dawes
Kwame Dawes, the author of twenty books of poetry and numerous other books of fiction, criticism, and essays, reads and discusses his work. Non-students should arrive early to get a day pass from security.
Free; 7:30pm; Hunter West, 8th Floor Faculty Dining Room, Manhattan
Truth Is Stranger: A Book Discussion on Uncovering Lost Scandals
A celebration of two new nonfiction books and the tricks of telling true stories. Authors Matthew Goodman (Paris Undercover) and Pagan Kennedy (The Secret History of the Rape Kit) will discuss the dark arts of literary nonfiction, revealing how they forage for secret information and uncover lost scandals.
Free, RSVP required; 7.30-10.30pm; The Urbane Arts Club, 1016 Beverley Road, Brooklyn
Fiction New Salon: Nell Freudenberger and Tony Tulathimutte with Darin Strauss
An NYU Creative Writing Program reading by Nell Freudenberger (The Dissident) and Tony Tulathimutte (Rejection), hosted by Darin Strauss (Half a Life), followed by a reception/signing.
Free, registration required; 7-9pm, Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 West 10th Street, Manhattan
Friday, March 14
Lecture | "Daylight at the Exit": Women Translating Kafka
What does it mean for Kafka’s work that the first translations were by women? In conjunction with the Morgan’s Franz Kafka exhibition, Michelle Woods examines this question in a lecture on Milena Jesenská and Willa Muir—for years, both women have been misread and misrepresented—and their roles in establishing Kafka as a globally influential writer.
Free; 6-7pm; The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Ave, Manhattan
Saturday, March 15
Spring 2025 Regenerative Residency Closing Gathering
And if you’re interested in learning more about the
Regenerative Residency program and fancy a jaunt to Cold Springs, they’re holding an open residency day at the Perkins House for Glynwood and TOC community, with local cider, readings from their 2025 spring residents Emma Murdock and Solange Azor, small snacks inspired by their readings, and a little open conversation about their time at the residency this winter into spring.Free, RSVP appreciated; 2.30-5pm; 362 Glynnwood Rd, Cold Spring, NY
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!
Ahhh you're the best -- what a great resource this is!