Welcome back to Reading the City, a weekly newsletter of bookish events in and around NYC.
So. Many. Books. Last week’s holiday pushed all the releases to this week. I’ll be at the launch of Ben Shattuck’s story collection The History of Sound, and catching Taffy Brodesser-Akner chatting about her new novel with Wesley Morris, but there’s also interesting launches from Monika Kim, Laura can den Berg, Mateo Askaripour, and Yasmin Zaher, to name but a few, as well as the NYC Poetry Festival this weekend at Governors Island with a ton of free programming. Take your pick!
And 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 8
Franklin Park Reading Series
In celebration of author Juliet Escoria and her new story collection You Are the Snake, this multimedia event will feature work from Mesha Maren (Shae), Nicolette Polek (Bitter Water Opera), Daisuke Shen (Vague Predictions and Prophecies), and Khaholi Bailey (The Miseducation of a 90s Baby). Hosted by founder Penina Roth, enjoy drink specials and a shot at winning the readers' latest books in the free raffle.
Free; 8-10pm; 766 Franklin Avenue, 618 St Johns Pl, Brooklyn
Mateo Askaripour: This Great Hemisphere
Mateo Askaripour (Black Buck) celebrates his new novel This Great Hemisphere—a speculative novel about a young woman, invisible by birth and relegated to second-class citizenship, who sets off on a mission to find her older brother, whom she had presumed dead but who is now the primary suspect in a high-profile political murder. Mateo is joined in conversation by Zakiya Dalila Harris (The Other Black Girl).
$10; 7pm; The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, and livestreamed
Laura van den Berg: State of Paradise
Laura van den Berg (The Third Hotel) launches State of Paradise—a heart-racing fun house of uncanniness hidden in Florida’s underbelly—in conversation with Hilary Leichter (Terrace Story) and Marie-Helene Bertino (Beautyland). Wine reception to follow.
Free; 7.30pm; Greenlight bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Legacy Russell: Black Meme
Legacy Russell (Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto) presents Black Meme: A History of the Images that Make Us—a history of Black imagery that recasts our understanding of visual culture and technology—in conversation with J Wortham, staff writer for New York Times Magazine and editor of visual anthology Black Futures.
$5 redeemable in-store, RSVP required; 6.30pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Sami Sage and Emily Amick: Democracy in Retrograde
Sami Sage, cofounder of Betches Media, and Emily Amick, a lawyer, journalist, and political analyst of
, launch Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives, a smart combo of self-help and political manifesto for anyone who wants to save our democracy but doesn’t know where to start.$5 redeemable in-store; 7-9pm; Powerhouse Arena, 28 Adams Street, Brooklyn
Tuesday, July 9
Ben Shattuck: The History of Sound
Ben Shattuck (Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau) launches his debut short story collection The History of Sound—a stunning collection of interconnected stories set in New England, exploring how the past is often misunderstood and how history, family, heartache, and desire can echo over centuries. Joining Ben are New York Times contributor Thessaly La Force and feature film director Oliver Hermanus.
From $8; 7-8pm; Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York
Must Love Memoir
A monthly reading series dedicated to personal stories, hosted by Krystal Orwig (then Krystal says), this month features Steph Zlotnick, Katie Machen, Emily Polson, Lynn Lobban (One of the Boys), and Anne Elizabeth Moore (Body Horror).
Free; 7.30pm; Jake's Dilemma, Oak Cellar Room, 430 Amsterdam Avenue, New York
Gabrielle Zevin: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Celebrating the paperback release of last year’s big hit book, Gabrielle Zevin (The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry) will be in conversation with Emma Straub (Modern Lovers) about Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
$10.89; 7-8pm; St. Francis College (5th Floor Auditorium), 179 Livingston Street, Brooklyn
Anton Hur: Toward Eternity
Anton Hur launches Toward Eternity—a haunting speculative novel from an award-winning translator that sets out to answer the question: What does it mean to be human in a world where technology is quickly catching up to biology? Anton is joined by scientist and writer Joseph Osmundson.
Free; 6-7.30pm; Yu and Me Books, 44 Mulberry Street, New York
Wednesday, July 10
Taffy Brodesser-Akner: Long Island Compromise
The author of Fleishman Is in Trouble, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, launches her second novel: Long Island Compromise—about one American family, the dark moment that shatters their suburban paradise, and the wild legacy of trauma and inheritance—in conversation with Wesley Morris, critic-at-large at the New York Times.
$10.89; 7-8pm; Kane Street Synagogue, 236 Kane Street, Brooklyn
Stacey D'Erasmo: The Long Run
Stacey D'Erasmo (Wonderland) celebrates the release of The Long Run—a collection of conversations, anecdotes, confidences, and observations about sustaining a creative life—in conversation with James Hannaham (Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta).
$5, redeemable in store; 7pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
Adele Bertei: Tales of a Queer Girlhood
Singer, actor, and performer Adele Bertei—who has worked with Tears for Fears, Whitney Houston, Culture Club, and more—reads from her memoir Twist: Tales of a Queer Girlhood in conversation with director Mary Harron and writer and actor Guinevere Turner.
Free; 7-8pm; Bluestockings Cooperative Bookstore, 116 Suffolk Street, New York
Christian Gullette: Coachella Elegy
Christian Gullette presents his debut poetry collection Coachella Elegy—exploring the queer promised lands and poolside utopias of the American West even as they are threatened by environmental destruction—with poet and filmmaker Lisa Hiton (Afterfeast).
Free, register online; 7pm; Book Culture, 536 W 112th St, New York
Yasmin Zaher: The Coin
Yasmin Zaher presents her debut novel The Coin—a bold and unabashed novel about a young Palestinian woman's unraveling as she teaches at a New York City middle school, gets caught up in a scheme reselling Birkin bags, and strives to gain control over her body and mind—in conversation with Katie Kitamura (Intimacies).
$5 redeemable in-store, RSVP required; 7pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Dana Mattioli: The Everything War
The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power, from The Wall Street Journal reporter Dana Mattioli, is a shocking exposé of Amazon’s endless strategic greed and pursuit of total domination. She is joined by The Wall Street Journal’s Emily Glazer in conversation.
Free, with registration; 6.30-8pm; Center for Brooklyn History, 128 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn
Asha Thanki: A Thousand Times Before
In collaboration with the Asian American Writers' Workshop, Asha Thanki launches her debut novel A Thousand Times Before—a heartrending family saga following three generations of women connected by a fantastic tapestry through which they inherit the experiences of those that lived before them. She’s joined by Zaina Arafat (You Exist Too Much).
$10.89, redeemable in-store; 7-8pm; Books Are Magic Montague 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn, and livestreamed free
Thursday, July 11
Monika Kim: The Eyes Are the Best Part
Monika Kim celebrates the release of her debut The Eyes Are the Best Part—a feminist psychological horror novel about a young woman's unraveling from a Korean-American perspective—in conversation with Cassandra Khaw (Nothing But Blackened Teeth). Sponsored in part by the Asian American Writer's Workshop.
$5, redeemable in store; 7pm; P&T Knitwear, 180 Orchard Street, New York
NYC Poetry Festival Kick Off
Kick off the NYC Poetry Festival weekend with a special reading organized by The Los Angeles Press to celebrate the East Coast book launch of Bernadette McComish's Prophets of Los Angeles, Allegra Parks Contact Boundary, and Natasha Dennerstein’s Apps Poetica. Also featuring Christina Cha, Emi Bergquist, and Stephanie Berger.
Free; 6.30-8pm; Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, New York
Esmeralda Santiago: 30 Years of When I Was Puerto Rican
Thirty years since the publication of When I Was Puerto Rican, Esmeralda Santiago's coming-of-age memoir is being re-released with a forward by Jaquira Díaz (Ordinary Girls). Taylor & Co. Books brings both writers together to discuss the book, Latiné literary legacies, and Puerto Ricanness.
Free; 7pm; The Urbane Arts Club, 1016 Beverley Road, Brooklyn
Friday, July 12
Gary Indiana: I Can Give You Anything But Love
Gary Indiana presents I Can Give You Anything But Love—a literary, unabashedly wicked, and revealing montage of excursions into his life and work.
$5 redeemable in-store, RSVP required; 6.30pm; McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York
Saturday, July 13
New York City Poetry Festival
The 13th Annual New York City Poetry Festival runs over two days, with more than a hundred literary organizations hosting free events across five main stages on Governors Island, as well as an open-air artisan market, food trucks, interactive installations, a visual arts gallery, a Youth Poetry Festival, an open mic, and more.
Free; July 13-14, 11am-6pm; Nolan Park, Governors Island, New York
Ménage à Trois
Wet Spot (queer party throwers) and open mic storytelling groups Sloth and Open Book jointly present Ménage à Trois, an evening featuring nine performers sharing their queerish musings on all things three, with stories, dance, music, and more.
$14.64; 7.30-9.30pm; Parkside Lounge, 317 East Houston Street New York
The Belting Bookseller: A Cabaret at Book Culture
A new one here: Book Culture is hosting its very first cabaret show: The Belting Bookseller! Join singer and bookseller Zofia Weretka, host/Zofia's boyfriend Sam Clark, and music director/accompanist Adam J. Rineer for an evening of songs, stories, and books.
$17.85; 8.30-10.30pm; Book Culture, 536 West 112th Street, New York
Booking now…
Reading Faulkner with The Center for Fiction
A shout out for friend of RtC and host of the brilliant Short Fuse Podcast, Elizabeth Howard, who is leading an online 5-week reading group of William Faulkner’s short stories with the Center for Fiction. As the 50th anniversary of the Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference, participants can attend the conference virtually at a reduced student rate. Online, July 9 to August 13.
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!