free (and almost free) readings

Not a day goes by in New York City without a free poetry reading or a book signing by a famous or not yet famous author. Please see below the schedule of free literary events in New York City and choose one (or more) to your liking.

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
Click on an event to see more details.

Mon, Feb 8 6:00PM to 8:00PM	Book Reading free	Dr. David Biro discusses his book The Language of Pain: Finding Words, Compassion, and Relief New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 8 6:00PM to 8:00PM	Book Signing free	Jenny Gage & Tom Betterton sign copies of their book Upstairs Downstairs & Outside New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 8 6:30PM	Book Reading free	David Freeland discusses his book Automats, Taxi Dancers and Vaudeville: Excavating Manhattan’s Lost Places of Leisure New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 8 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Kathleen Grissom reads from her book The Kitchen House New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 8 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Dani Shapiro reads from her book Devotion New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 9 6:00PM to 8:00PM	Book Reading free	3 Writers: Mark Shulman / Rachel Sherman / Meg Mullins New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 9 6:30PM	Reading free	Student Writers Read New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 9 6:30PM	Book Reading free	David Sax discusses his book Save the Deli: In Search of the Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 9 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Brian Dillon discusses his book The Hypochondriacs: Nine Tormented Lives New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 9 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Shoshana Johnson discusses her book I’m Still Standing New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 9 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Susannah Gora reads from her book You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 9 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Staceyann Chin reads from her book The Other Side of Paradise New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 9 7:30PM	Poetry Reading $6	An Evening of First Books in English New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 9 7:30PM	Book Reading free	Julie Klausner reads from her book I Don't Care About Your Band New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 9 9:00PM	Open Mike Reading $3	Penny's Open Mic New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 10 6:30PM	Book Reading $5	Anne Nelson discusses her book Red Orchestra: The Story of the Berlin Underground and the Circle of Friends Who Resisted Hitler New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 10 6:30PM	Book Reading $5	Gary Giddins reads from his books Jazz and Natural Selection New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 10 6:30PM	Book Reading free	Upton Sinclair's Novel The Moneychangers: Manipulators of the Market New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 10 6:30PM	Book Reading free	The New York Times' William Grimes discusses his book Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York City New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 10 6:30PM to 8:30PM	Reading free	Launch of BOMB Magazine's Americas Issue New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 10 7:00PM	Reading free	Love: A Rebuke, A Reading by Harper's Writers Colson Whitehead, Heidi Julavits and Sam Lipsyte New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 10 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Evan Mandery reads from his novel First Contact (Or, It’s Later Than You Think) New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 10 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Basharat Peer reads from his book Curfewed Night New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 11 6:00PM to 8:00PM	Book Reading Free; RSVP required by 2/8	Eva Schweitzer reads from her book Manhattan Moments: Geschichten aus New York New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 11 6:30PM	Book Reading free	Betsy Carter reads from her novel The Puzzle King New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 11 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Kristin Hannah reads from her book Winter Garden New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 11 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Fiction writers A.M. Homes and Jeanette Winterson read their work New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 11 7:30PM	Book Reading free	Actor Tony Roberts talks about Some Like It Hot, Official 50th Anniversary Companion New York City, NY; NYC
Fri, Feb 12 5:00PM	Book Reading free	Poetry and Prose: Kazim Ali / Tao Lin / Maaza Mengiste New York City, NY; NYC
Sat, Feb 13 2:00PM	Poetry Reading $4 contribution suggested	The New York Poetry Forum Valentine's Festival New York City, NY; NYC
Sun, Feb 14 2:00PM	Reading $5	Sephardic writer Jane Mushabac reads from her fiction New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 15 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Joel Chasnoff reads from his book The 188th Crybaby Brigade: A Skinny Jewish Kid from Chicago Fights Hezbollah New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 16 6:30PM	Book Reading $5	Joan Schenkar reads from her book The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 16 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Contributors read from The New Dead: A Zombie Anthology New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 16 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Ted Rall discusses his book The Year of Loving Dangerously New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 16 7:00PM to 8:00PM	Book Reading free	MacArthur-Winning Playwright Richard Foreman talks about Harold Bloom's The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 16 7:30PM	Book Reading free	Ian Finkel reads from his book You're Not Supposed to Be Here New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 16 9:00PM	Open Mike Reading $3	Penny's Open Mic New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 17 7:00PM	Book Reading free	America’s Next Top Model’s J. Alexander discusses and signs Follow the Model New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 18 6:30PM	Book Reading free	Maria Balinksa reads from her book The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 18 7:00PM	Book Reading $5	David B. Levy discusses his book Animation Development: From Pitch to Production New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 18 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Allan Lokos reads from his book Pocket Peace: Gentle Steps to a More Meaningful and Joyous Life New York City, NY; NYC
Fri, Feb 19 5:00PM	Poetry Reading free	3 Poets: Joel Brouwer / Rebecca Wolff / Rachel Zucker New York City, NY; NYC
Fri, Feb 19 6:30PM	Reading free	Tumblr Reads: Internet Writers IRL New York City, NY; NYC
Fri, Feb 19 6:30PM	Poetry Reading $5	Robert Pinsky reads his poetry accompanied by jazz musicians New York City, NY; NYC
Sun, Feb 21 2:30PM	Book Reading $5	Adam Mansbach discusses his novel The End of the Jews New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 22 6:00PM to 8:00PM	Book Reading free	Richard Conniff discusses his book Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time: My Life Doing Dumb Stuff with Animals New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 22 6:30PM	Book Reading free	Pat Willard discusses her book America Eats! On the Road with the WPA - the Fish Fries, Box Super Socials and Chitlin Feasts that Define Real American Food New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 22 7:00PM	Book Reading Free; reservations recommended	Alexander Norman reads from his book The Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 22 7:00PM	Poetry Reading free	Author and Academy Award-nominated actor Michael O'Keefe reads from his work New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 22 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Alex Berenson reads from his thriller The Midnight House New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 22 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Cathleen Schine reads from her book The Three Weissmanns of Westport New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Feb 22 7:30PM	Book Reading free	60s pop star Tommy James reads from his book Me, the Mob, and the Music New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 23 6:30PM	Poetry Reading $5	Poet Anne Waldman reads from her book Manatee/Humanity New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 23 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Annabelle Gurwitch & Jeff Kahn discuss their bookYou Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up: A Love Story New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 23 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Book Launch of The Tanners by Robert Walser New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Feb 23 9:00PM	Open Mike Reading $3	Penny's Open Mic New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 24 6:30PM	Book Reading free	Christopher Finan discusses his book From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 24 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Marilyn Johnson reads from her book This Book Is Overdue! New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 24 7:00PM	Book Reading Free; RSVP requested	David Sax discusses his book Save the Deli: In Search of the Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 24 7:00PM to 8:00PM	Book Reading free	Ted Conover discusses The Routes of Man: How Roads are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Feb 24 7:30PM	Book Reading free	Playwright Christopher Durang and others discuss The Play That Changed My Life New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 25 12:30PM	Book Reading free	Jeretta Horn Nord reads from her book A Cup of Cappuccino for the Entrepreneur's Spirit Volume II New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 25 6:30PM	Poetry Reading free	Poets on Craft: Kazim Ali / Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 25 6:30PM	Book Reading free	Eric Ferrara reads from his book A Guide to Gangsters, Murderers and Weirdos of New York's Lower East Side New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 25 7:00PM	Book Reading free	Joe Hill reads from his book Horns New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Feb 25 7:30PM	Poetry Reading free	4 Philadelphia poets read their work New York City, NY; NYC
Fri, Feb 26 6:00PM	Reading free	Girls Write Now New York City, NY; NYC
Sun, Feb 28 2:00PM	Book Reading Pay-what-you-will admission policy	The New York Times' Sam Roberts reads from his book Only in New York: An Exploration of the World's Most Fascinating, Frustrating and Irrepressible City New York City, NY; NYC
Sun, Feb 28 2:30PM	Book Reading free	Wendy Craig-Purcell reads from her book Ask Yourself This New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Mar 2 6:00PM to 8:00PM	Book Reading free	Ralph Pucci discusses his book Show New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Mar 2 6:30PM to 7:30PM	Poetry Reading free	Poems & Pints: Meena Alexander / John Burnside New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Mar 9 7:30PM	Poetry Reading $6	Three New Poets: Kostas Anagnopoulos / Kevin Varrone / Karen Weiser New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Mar 10 6:00PM	Book Reading free	The National Book Critics Circle Reading 2010 New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Mar 10 6:30PM	Reading free	CUNY writers read their work New York City, NY; NYC
Wed, Mar 31 6:30PM	Book Reading $5	Book Launch: Poetry in Person: 25 Years of Conversations with America's Poets New York City, NY; NYC
Tue, Apr 6 6:30PM to 7:30PM	Poetry Reading free	Poems & Pints: Joanna Klink / Carol Muske-Dukes New York City, NY; NYC
Mon, Apr 12 6:30PM	Poetry Reading $5	3 Poets: Ed Roberson / Kyle Dargan / Wendy S. Walters New York City, NY; NYC
Thu, Apr 22 6:30PM	Book Reading $5	David Rosenberg reads from his original translation A Literary Bible New York City, NY; NYC