83. Reading the City
June 16 to 22
Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in and around NYC.
This week, we have launches from Joyce Carol Oates, Geoff Dyer, Catherine Lacey, Heather Clark, and Jess Walter. Also, on Wednesday, Les Bleus Literary Salon pops up at the Coffee House Club (I’ll be there!); on Thursday, there’s a great panel of writers at P&T for Michele Filgate’s latest; and on Saturday, it’s the 8th annual Bronx Book Festival.
Also, I added the type of event ahead of the title to make it easier to scan. Thoughts?
As ever, send feedback, send events, say hi! And please share the love with your bookish friends.
Monday, June 16
LAUNCH: Geoff Dyer: Homework
Geoff Dyer (Out of Sheer Rage) celebrates the launch of his first memoir, Homework— “Dyer conjures conker fights, Saturday jobs and teenage rampages as he charts his journey from a two-up two-down in Gloucestershire to Oxford” (The Guardian)—in conversation with Sloane Crosley (Grief is for People). (Dyer will also be speaking on June 18th with Lili Anolik at McNally Jackson).
From $20; 7.30pm; 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, Manhattan
SALON: Chardonngay X Wine & Pine: Volume 19
Chardonngay—a queer wine club—are teaming up with the Wine & Pine—a reading series exploring desire—for a pride evening of queer literature, community, and connection. Readers include (Lesbian Love Story), , (Fragments of Wasted Devotion), and Samantha Mann (Dyke Delusions). Drink specials all night.
By donation; 7pm; Ten Degrees Bar, 121 St. Marks Place
ONE-OFF: Bloomsday Marathon Reading
192 Books is hosting a Bloomsday Marathon Reading of the the final episode of James Joyce's Ulysses, with tea and scones from Mary O’s Irish pub, and maybe a nip of whiskey as well. Readers include Lynne Tillman, Mónica de la Torre, Mark Polizzotti, Wallace Shawn, Deborah Eisenberg, and more.
Free; 4pm-7pm; 192 Books, 192 10th Ave, Manhattan
Tuesday, June 17
LAUNCH: Catherine Lacey: The Möbius Book
(The Biography of X) celebrates the launch of her first nonfiction title, The Möbius Book—a genre-bending story about breaking, both of the heart and the form itself—in conversation with New York Times book critic .
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
LAUNCH: Joyce Carol Oates: Fox
National Book Award winner joins Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) for a reading and conversation between two masters of psychological suspense about Oates’ extraordinary career and her new novel, Fox—a spellbinding novel of literary and psychological suspense about the dark secrets that surface after the shocking disappearance of a charismatic, mercurial teacher at an elite boarding school.
From $30; 7.30pm 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, Manhattan
LAUNCH: James Frey: Next To Heaven, hosted by Dream Baby Press
and Authors Equity present the launch party for 's Next To Heaven—“A satirical look at the beautiful, the wealthy, and the unsatisfied" (People). Hosted by Dream Baby Press founder , Frey will be joined by Annie Hamilton, Molly Jong-Fast, Sarah Hoover, and others in reading. Ticket includes a copy of the book and an open bar.$32.78; 7-9pm; Harper's Gallery, 512 West 22nd Street, Manhattan
SALON: The Palace Reading Series
Hosted by Rita Puskas and Marisa Cadena at the Greenpoint Palace, with drink specials all night, this month features Paula Bomer (Stalker), Liza St. James, Michaella Sangiolo, and Leemore Malka.
Free; 7-9pm; The Greenpoint Palace, 206 Nassau Avenue, Brooklyn
LAUNCH: Jess Walter: So Far Gone
Jess Walter (Beautiful Ruins) celebrates the release of his new book, So Far Gone—a reclusive journalist reemerges to rescue his missing daughter and grandchildren from a dangerous militia fueled by conspiracy theorists—in conversation with Amor Towles (A Gentleman in Moscow). (Jess also speaks on Monday at Symphony Space.)
$10; 7-8.15pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, and livestreamed
LAUNCH: Heather Clark: The Scrapbook
Heather Clark (Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath) launches her new book, The Scrapbook—the traumas of the past and the aftershocks of fascism echo and reverberate through the present in this story of a life-changing seduction—in conversation with Julia Phillips (Bear).
$5; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, Manhattan
Wednesday, June 18
LAUNCH: A Celebration of Toni Morrison’s Legendary Editorship
Dana A. Williams discusses her latest book, Toni at Random—an illuminating examination of Toni Morrison’s legacy as an editor at Random House, revealing the cultural icon’s profound impact as a visionary editor who helped define a crucial time in American publishing and literature—in conversation with Edwidge Danticat (We’re Alone), Morrison’s close friend.
$10; 7-8.15pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, and livestreamed
SALON: Les Bleus Literary Salon
The Coffee House Club hosts Les Bleus Literary Salon for an evening of readings with Paula Bomer (The Stalker), Kyle Lucia Wu (Win Me Something), , Maha Hashwi, and Temim Fruchter (City of Laughter), hosted by Paige McGreevy.
Free with RSVP; 6.30pm; Salmagundi Club, 47 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Thursday, June 19
PANEL: Michele Filgate & Co: What My Father and I Don't Talk About
Writers , Julie Buntin (Marlena), (The Leaving Season), (My Salinger Year), and Robin Reif come together for a discussion centered around Michele’s newest book, What My Father and I Don't Talk About, the captivating follow-up to her first anthology, What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About, featuring sixteen writers tackling the complex and sometimes contentious relationships we have with our fathers. Moderating the talk will be , writer and editor of the anthology You Must Go On: 30 Inspirations on Writing and Creativity.
$5, redeemable in store; 6.30-8pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, Manhattan
Friday, June 20
ONE-OFF: Juneteenth Party with Spoken Black Girl
Greenlight's annual Juneteenth event, highlighting Black creatives and topics that directly impact Black livelihood, returns, this year calling attention to Black maternal health in the U.S. There will be a panel discussion with Dr. Shameka Poetry Thomas (Global Maternal and Child Health Scientist) and Katonya Trent (premature birth advocate) moderated by Rowana Abbensetts-Dobson, as founder of Spoken Black Girl. Following the discussion, performers will take to the stage for an open mic on motherhood and the maternal mortality crisis in the Black American community.
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
SALON: The Cusp x Pride
The Cusp Reading Series is celebrating Pride at queer-owned coffee shop Polly's Cafe with an evening of community and storytelling. Readings from Zefyr Lisowski (Uncanny Valley Girls), Asha Thanki (A Thousand Times Before), Malavika Kannan (Unprecedented Times, forthcoming), Jessica Nirvana Ram (Earthly Gods), and Jahquale Mazyck. Tarot readings and wine tasting from Sun Moon Rising.
$12.51; 6-8pm; Polly’s Cafe, 766 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn
SCREENING: Hot & Bothered: Summer Screenings
This is literary adjacent, but it’s at the always-charming Black Spring Books so I’m including it: Curated by filmmaker Jason Abrams, a series of summer screenings of hot & bothered movies—all book-to-screen adaptations—with paired beverages and snacks. Limited seating. The first film is Cool Hand Luke, followed by Jaws in July, and Smooth Talk in August.
$20; 8-11pm; Black Spring Books, 672 Driggs Ave, Brooklyn
ONE-OFF: Ménage à Trois II: Fairy Tales
Once upon a time, three queer collectives (Open Book, Wet Spot, & Sloth) gathered to tell stories, cast spells, and throw a damn good party. Menage à Trois returns for its second year with Fairy Tales—an enchanted evening of dance, music, comedy, and queer storytelling. Featuring nine dazzling performers from across our communities, it’s a night where frogs turn into queens, villains get redemption arcs, and happy endings come in many forms.
From $15; 7.3pm; The Parkside Lounge, 317 East Houston Street, Manhattan
Saturday, June 21
FESTIVAL: 8th Annual Bronx Book Festival
A full day of programming across two stages, with panel conversations on various genres, literary agent speed-dating, a kid’s story corner, and workshops. Speakers include Jessica Hoppe (First in the Family), Luis Jaramillo (The Witches of El Paso), Emely Rumble (Bibliotherapy in the Bronx), and Lilliam Rivera (Tiny Threads), amongst many others. This year’s keynotes from Kennedy Ryan (Can’t Get Enough) and Jason Reynolds (Twenty Four Seconds from Now).
$22.51, free for under 16; 9am-6pm; Fordham, 1 The Bronx
Sunday, June 22
ONE-OFF: Readings at Parkside: Joe Westmoreland: Tramps Like Us
A celebration of Tramps Like Us—a treasured cult classic, now reissued, following a young gay man crisscrossing 1970s and '80s America in search of salvation—with (Don’t Call Me Home), art critic Johanna Fateman, and author.
free; 4-6pm; Parkside Lounge, 317 East Houston Street, Manhattan
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!
Thanks as always for these! xo