Reading the City
December 2-8
Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in and around NYC.
This week we have book launches from Gabrielle Korn, Alex Segura, and Juhea Kim; Chloé Cooper Jones is Hunter’s Distinguished Writer; and Lofty Pigeon Books is offering a post-election reckoning with two influential journalists. It’s also the The Center for Fiction 2024 First Novel Fête, which is sold out, but you can sign up for the waitlist here.
If you’d like to submit a story to share at the upcoming Craft & Release on December 11th themed “Endings”, submission details are here. The event itself is already sold out, so this is your only in!
Finally, if anyone is hosting a bookish holiday party they’d like me to list, hmu! And as ever, please share the love with your bookish friends.
Monday, December 2
Miss Manhattan Non-Fiction Reading Series
The December edition of Miss Manhattan is a special one, teaming up with nonfiction literary magazine to feature some of its writers including: founder (Plastic Vodka Bottle Sleepover); award-winning prison writer Elizabeth Hawes; , the cofounder and editor of Language Arts; Rachel A.G. Gilman of
newsletter and host of Wine and Pine: A Desirous Reading Series; Joseph Lezza (I'm Never Fine: Scenes and Spasms on Loss); and Elizabeth Burch-Hudson. Hosted as always by (Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City).Free; 7.30pm; Niagara, 112 Avenue A, New York
Tuesday, December 3
Hunter’s Distinguished Writers Series presents Chloé Cooper Jones
A reading and discussion with Chloé Cooper Jones, a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine and author of Easy Beauty, as part of Hunter Creative Writing Program’s Distinguished Writer Series. The events are open to students and the public. Non-students should arrive early to get a day pass from security.
Free; 7:30pm; Hunter West, 8th Floor Faculty Dining Room, New York
What Now? The Election and Its Aftermath
New York Times op-ed columnist Michelle Goldberg and founding editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed News and current Semafor cofounder and editor-in-chief Ben Smith help make sense of the presidential election, discussing where we are now and what comes next. Snacks and drinks will be served at this conversation and audience Q&A.
Free; 6.30-8pm; Lofty Pigeon Books, 743 Church Avenue Brooklyn
Emily Mester: American Bulk: Essays on Excess
Emily Mester celebrates her debut book, American Bulk—an essay collection that intertwines cultural critique and personal history to explore how the things we buy, eat, amass, and discard become an intimate part of our lives, and ultimately asks readers to regard consumption not with guilt but with grace and empathy—in conversation with comedian Kath Barbadoro.
$5, redeemable in store; 7pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
Mark Lilla: Ignorance and Bliss
A reading to celebrate the release of author and Columbia professor Mark Lilla's new book Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know—an exploration of our wish to remain innocent and ignorant, and its consequences—in conversation with James Ryerson, an editor at The New York Times.
Free; 7-8pm; Community Bookstore, 143 7th Avenue, Brooklyn
Wednesday, December 4
Kissing While the Radio: an Evening of Storytelling and Poetry
A mixtape of poetry, fiction, and essays written and performed by Frankie Gallina-Jones, Harper Galvin, Claire Rose Autran, Ira Gamerman, Molly Hagan, and .
Free; doors, 7pm; KGB Bar, 85 E 4th St, New York
Backroom Books Reading Series
New to this newsletter, and only on its second installment, is this reading series from pop-up used bookstore Backroom Books, which has been camped out in the back of Strong Rope Brewery in Gowanus since January 2024 (one-year birthday bash coming up?). Hosted by poet Shelby Cook, it will feature local writers Emily Poulis, Kyle Rea, Jihye Shin, and Maritza Montañez—plus any other attendees who would like to read! They’re keeping the vibes low key, with no mic or stage, going for a more “casual living room/roundtable-style” reading, so you must be comfortable projecting. RSVP and get a dollar off beer all night.
Free; 7-9.30pm; Strong Rope Brewery Gowanus, 574 President Street Brooklyn
Alex Segura: Alter Ego
launches his new novel Alter Ego—a clever and escapist standalone sequel to Secret Identity, set in the world of comic books—in conversation with novelist and comic book author Charles Soule.
$5; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York
Rizzoli Bookstore Holiday Fair
Join Rizzoli for a holiday fête with their favorite authors, bring home signed editions to collect and gift, enjoy Italian sweets, and celebrate sixty years of the legendary bookstore.
Free; 6-8pm; Rizzoli Bookstore, 1133 Broadway, New York
Thursday, December 5
The New Salon: Hari Kunzru in Conversation with Darin Strauss
A reading by Hari Kunzru, the author of seven novels including Blue Ruin, followed by a conversation with Darin Strauss (Half a Life) and a reception. Part of NYU’s The New Salon: Writers in Conversation series. Open to the public.
Free, RSVP required; 7-9pm; Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 West 10th Street, New York
Gabrielle Korn: The Shutouts
Former editor-in-chief of Nylon (Yours for the Taking) launches her new book The Shutouts—a queer dystopian novel following a cast of characters on the margins of a strange and exclusive new society—in conversation with writer and playwright Haley Jakobson (Old Enough).
$5; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York
Juhea Kim: City of Night Birds
Juhea Kim (Beasts of a Little Land) celebrate the release of her newest book, City of Night Birds—a vivid portrait of the Russian ballet world, where cutthroat ambition, ever-shifting politics, and sublime artistry collide, and an affecting meditation on love, forgiveness, and the making of an artist—in conversation with (Fruit of the Dead).
$5, redeemable in store; 7pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
Rally Reading Series
The Rally Reading Series is back, providing a platform for overtly political literature in the hope of finding meaningful ways to cultivate change, with Hannah Edelstein (Breasts: A Relatively Brief Relationship, forthcoming), Eugene Lim (Fog & Car), and Sasha Vasilyuk (Your Presence Is Mandatory) for readings and action. Hosted by Ryan D. Matthews.
Free; 7pm; Pete's Candy Store, 709 Lorimer St, Brooklyn
Truman Capote: A Centenary Celebration
In celebration of Truman Capote’s centenary, hear a special reading of his work from actors Molly Ringwald and Griffin Dunne, followed by authors Jay McInerney, John Burnham Schwartz, and Sloane Crosley in conversation with group of actors and writers all marked by Capote’s towering literary influence and personal mythology.
From $25; 8pm; 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, New York
Christopher Bollen: Havoc
Christopher Bollen (A Beautiful Crime) presents Havoc—a twisty, atmospheric psychological suspense about a meddlesome elderly guest at a decadent luxury hotel who believes she has left her problematic past behind, until she decides to interfere in the lives of a young mother and her eight-year-old son, and finally meets her wicked match—in conversation with Katie Kitamura (Intimacies).
$5 redeemable in-store, RSVP required; 7pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Kim Guerra: Badass Bonita
“An intimate night of storytelling, comunidad, y conversaciones del corazon” in celebration of Badass Bonita: Break the Silence, Become a Revolution, Unearth Your Inner Guerrera, with author, advocate, and entrepreneur, Kim Guerra, in conversation with Latina content creator Kim Parrales, also known as Kim Flow.
$5; 7-8.30pm; Cafe con Libros, 724 Prospect Pl, Brooklyn
Saturday, December 7
Author Reading Series with Sasha Vasilyuk and Simon Shuster
Sasha Vasilyuk, author of Your Presence Is Mandatory, and Simon Shuster, author of The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky, read from and discuss their books at My Biblioteka, a bookstore and library of children's books in Russian and Ukrainian. Light refreshments will be served.
Free; 7-8.30pm; MyBiblioteka, 731 Washington Avenue Brooklyn
Sunday, December 8
The Café & Bar Presents Drink & Draft Night
End your week creatively with Josh Krigman’s Drink & Draft, offering a series of visual prompts that lead you toward new creative choices in your work. 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 journalist and author. My debut novel Amphibian is available 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!
🖤🖤 thank you so much!