free things to do in New York City
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City! Read More
Are you looking for literary events like book readings, book signings, poetry readings? Then you came to the right place. Start using these unique New York City opportunities today!
Are you looking for literary events like book readings, book signings, poetry readings? Then you came to the right place. Start using these unique New York City opportunities today!
Join the Club!
The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.
So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!
The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.
So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!
44 free poetry readings, book signings, author readings in New York City (NYC) Wed, 09/17/2025 - and on...
Not a day goes by in New York City (NYC) without a free poetry reading or a book signing or a book reading by a famous or not yet famous author. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!
Author Reading | Law Professor Discusses Her New Book on American Supreme Court: Lawless
The title of Professor Leah Litman’s new book—Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes—makes her point of view clear from the get-go. And, according to the New York Times, the book “renders dense constitutional analysis into something urgent and accessible—a field guide for navigating our current constitutional crisis.” At this event, Litman will present Lawless and talk about it with one of her Strict Scrutiny podcast co-hosts, Professor Melissa Murray.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Sep 17
1:10 pm
Free
1:10 pm
Free
Author Reading | Designer Celebrates Her New Book, The Harmonious Home
Attend a conversation with artist and textile designer Rebecca Atwood to celebrate her new book, The Harmonious Home, which details how natural landscapes can provide inspiration for decorating your home. She will be in conversation with longtime writer and editor Elyse Moody, followed by a signing.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Sep 17
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Award-Winning Poet Discusses His New Book, Seabeast
Organized as an alphabetical bestiary, Seabeast lyrically catalogues whale species by common name and behaviors, resulting in a poetic compendium that defies pathetic fallacy even as it sings the similarities between homo sapiens and the marine mammoths that have long captured our fascination. In his fifth full-length collection, writer Rajiv Mohabir winds together the threads of cetacean evolution, natural history, animal migration, and human culture and colonization as they concern the endurance of all species. In anthropomorphizing these complex mammals, Mohabir argues, we overwrite and erase their sublime difference and selfhood, their distinct and separate experience of embodiment; yet, in refusing to recognize the familiarities of whale behavior and social patterns, we subjugate these magnificent creatures, affirming a hierarchy that establishes anything inhuman as inherently less than human and enabling cruelty toward all manner of living things.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Sep 17
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | Bestselling Graphic Novelists DIscuss Their Works
Enjoy a conversation with graphic novel publishers Drawn + Quarterly featuring Tom Gauld, Lee Lai, and Mimi Pond. Physics for Cats by Tom Gauld Tom Gauld returns with Physics for Cats, his second collection of science-based cartoons for the New Scientist. Find out why every scientist worth their sodium chloride has a Tom Gauld cartoon taped to their electron microscope. This new batch of hilarious gags will be as important to every self-respecting scientist as a lab coat and goggles and oversize rubber gloves. Cannon by Lee Lai A LAMBDA Award winner and breakout fiction sensation returns with a darkly funny slice of friendship strife. In Cannon, Lee Lai's much anticipated follow-up to the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Stone Fruit, the full palette of a nervous breakdown is just a slice of what Lai has on offer. As Cannon's shoulders bend under the weight of an aging Gung-gung and an avoidant mother, Lai's sharp sense of humor and sensitive eye produce a story that will hit readers with a smash. Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me by Mimi Pond Born with pedigrees but without the pocketbooks to match, The Mitfords were certainly no strangers to lies, intrigue, or scandal. Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica, and Deborah. The sisters grew from cloistered turn-of-the-century country girls into debutantes who would marry into political influence--for better or worse. Is it any wonder that a young, working class Mimi in Southern California becomes enamored with The Mitfords' downright fanciful rich-and-famous lifestyle? This charming, inventively cartooned, and lovingly researched biography captures the dramatic, over-the-top antics of high society's strongest personalities as they rubbed elbows with some of history's most infamous fascists and communists.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Sep 17
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | Two Writers Discuss Their New Books, Jill is Not Happy and Close Call
Bestelling author Kaira Rouda and sports reporter Elise Hart Kipness celebrate and discuss their respective books, Jill is Not Happy: a novel of an ill-fated road trip that resurrects a married couple's darkest secrets, and Close Call: a hard-hitting thriller from following a reporter when the famous subject of her next story is kidnapped during the US Open. Along with a discussion and audience Q&A, Kaira & Elise will also sign copies of their books purchased from this bookstore. Cost of a $5 general admission ticket can be applied towards the purchase of the featured event book or any product in the bookstore cafe the night of an event.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Sep 17
6:30 pm
$5, tickets required
6:30 pm
$5, tickets required
Author Reading | Acclaimed Photographer Launches His New Collection, Brownie
Enjoy a conversation with acclaimed photographer David Katzenstein to launch his new photography collection, Brownie, which represents the culmination of ten years of experimenting with color photography and celebrating serendipity and artistic vision. Followed by a signing.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Sep 18
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Notable Writers Read from New Essay Anthology, What My Father and I Don't Talk About
Readings from What My Father and I Don't Talk About by contributors Julie Buntin, Jaquira Diaz, Michele Filgate, Isle McElroy, and Maurice Carlos Ruffin, followed by a reception/signing with books for sale. The new anthology What My Father and I Don't Talk About: Sixteen Writers Break the Silence is a collection of essays from sixteen notable writers breaks the silence on the complex—and sometimes contentious—relationships we have with our fathers.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Sep 18
7:00 pm
Free
7:00 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Poetry Open Mic: Share Your Work or Listen to Emerging Writers
Participants can share their original work for up to five minutes. Space is limited to 15 readers; show up on time to get a slot!
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Sep 19
5:30 pm
Free
5:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | Award-Winning Writer Talks about Her New Novel, The City Changes Its Face
Award-winning author Eimear McBride joins a conversation about her next, highly anticipated novel, The City Changes Its Face, with fellow writer Jeannie Vanasco.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Sep 19
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Designer Celebrates His New Book, The Expressive Home
Attend a conversation with architecturally trained designer Ray Booth to celebrate the release of his second book, The Expressive Home, a collection of his beautiful modern interiors, as well as complete home renovations that blend traditional and contemporary elements to create a timeless aesthetic.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Sep 19
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Expert Discusses His New Book on Paradigm Shift in Social Justice (In Person AND Online!)
Attend a conversation with the author of Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse--an incisive, culturally observant analysis of the evolving mores, manners and taboos of social justice ("anti-racist") orthodoxy, which has profoundly influenced how we think about diversity and freedom of expression, often with complex or paradoxical consequences. In this provocative book, Thomas Chatterton Williams, one of the most revered and reviled social commentators of today, paints a clear and detailed picture of the ideas and events that have paved the way for the dramatic paradigm shift in social justice that has taken place over the past few years. Taking aim at the ideology of critical race theory, the rise of an oppressive social media, the fall from Obama to Trump, and the twinned crises of COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd, Williams documents the extent to which this transition has altered media, artistic creativity, education, employment, policing, and, most profoundly, the ambient language and culture we use to make sense of our lives. Williams also decries how liberalism--the very foundation of an open and vibrant society--is in existential crisis, under assault from both the right and the left, especially in our predominantly networked, Internet-driven monoculture.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Sep 19
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Launch of Book about the Politics of Documentary-Listening (In Person AND Online!)
How does listening in documentary become a proxy for justice—and what other kinds of listening might be possible? In The Documentary Audit: Listening and the Limits of Accountability, Pooja Rangan examines how documentary listening—through habits she calls neutral, entitled, and juridical—can reinforce structures of profiling, exclusion, and carceral capture, even when framed as progressive or ethical. This launch event brings together three respondents who take up the book’s invitation to think documentary and sound alongside raciolinguistics, disability access activism, and legal forensics:
Lakshmi Padmanabhan (Film Scholar, Northwestern University)
Jordan Lord (Artist and Writer, Colorado College)
LaCharles Ward (Curator and Scholar, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture)
Together, they will explore how to refuse listening habits that discipline and punish, and how to reimagine accountability across media, law, and everyday life.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Sep 19
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Bestselling, Award-Winning Korean-American Writers Discuss Their Work
Attend a roundtable of Korean/American authors, featuring Alice Sola Kim, Cathy Park Hong, Ed Park, Gina Chung, Hannah Bae, and Jane Kim! Alice Sola Kim is a science fiction writer whose work has appeared in McSweeney’s Quarterly, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Tin House, Lenny Letter, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Buzzfeed, and Strange Horizons. Cathy Park Hong’s New York Times bestselling book of creative nonfiction, Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography, and earned her recognition on TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2021 list. She's also the author of poetry collections Engine Empire, Dance Dance Revolution (which won the Barnard Women Poets Prize), and Translating Mo’um. Ed Park is the author of the novels Same Bed Different Dreams (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize) and Personal Days (finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award). His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper’s, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Gina Chung is the author of the novel Sea Change and the short story collection Green Frog. A recipient of the Pushcart Prize, she is a 2021-2022 Center for Fiction/Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellow. Her work appears or is forthcoming in The Kenyon Review, Literary Hub, Catapult, Electric Literature, Gulf Coast, Indiana Review, and Idaho Review, among others. Hannah Bae is a journalist, nonfiction writer, and illustrator who is the 2020 nonfiction winner of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award and a 2021 and 2022 Peter Taylor Fellow for The Kenyon Review Writers Workshops. Jane Kim is the culture editor at The Atlantic. Previously, she was the culture editor at The Village Voice, the essays editor at Racked, and an opinion editor at Al Jazeera America.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Sep 19
7:00 pm
Free
7:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Author Discusses Her New Book about Taylor Swift, The Glory of Giving Everything
Ring in autumn where Taylor Swift’s most beloved music video, “All Too Well,” was filmed! San Francisco author, educator, and economist Crystal Haryanto will discuss and sign copies of her book, The Glory of Giving Everything: The Taylor Swift Business Model. This publication comes on the heels of Haryanto’s UC Berkeley course, “Artistry, Policy, & Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version” receiving global recognition. Wines and snacks will be served. Theories about Swift’s 12th album will be accepted. See you there!
New York City, NY; NYC
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Sun, Sep 21
2:00 pm
Free
2:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Award-Winning TV & Film Producer Discusses His New Nonfiction Book, The Accidental Seed
Attend a conversation with award-winning film and tv producer Adam Alexander to mark the release of his new book, The Accidental Seed, which documents the new generation of growers who are breeding new varieties of produce that will help create a sustainable future for our planet. He will be joined by Assistant Curator at New York Botanical Garden Alex McAlvay, followed by a signing.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Mon, Sep 22
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Animal Behavior Scientist Discusses His New Book, Humanist
Animal behavior professor Justin Gregg celebrates and discusses his new book, Humanish: a playful deep dive into anthropomorphism (our peculiar tendency to humanize the nonhuman) that will resonate with anyone who has thrown a birthday party for their dog. Justin will be joined in conversation by linguist Adam Aleksic, author of Algospeak. Along with a discussion and audience Q&A, Justin will also sign copies of Humanish purchased at this bookstore. Cost of a $5 general admission ticket can be applied towards the purchase of the featured event book or any product in the bookstore cafe the night of an event.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Mon, Sep 22
6:30 pm
$5, ticket required
6:30 pm
$5, ticket required
Author Reading | Wharton Economics Professor Discusses Her New Book, Having It All
Economics and public policy professor Corinne Low celebrates and discusses her new book, Having It All: what data tells us about women's lives and getting the most out of yours. Along with a discussion and audience Q&A, Corinne will also sign copies of Having It All purchased from this bookstore. Cost of a $5 general admission ticket can be applied towards the purchase of the featured event book or any product in the bookstore cafe the night of an event.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Sep 23
6:30 pm
$5, ticket required
6:30 pm
$5, ticket required
Author Reading | Anniversary Discussion of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay with Author + Met Opera Performance (In Person AND Online!)
WNYC's Alison Stewart and Michael Chabon engage in a live conversation celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, followed by a special musical performance from The Metropolitan Opera. In celebration of the novel's 25th anniversary, this exhilarating tale has been transformed into a contemporary opera created by composer Mason Bates and librettist Gene Scheer, on stage at the Met beginning September 21. Hear from Chabon and the opera creators with special musical performances from the cast.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Sep 24
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | President/CEO of World Resources Institute Celebrates His New Book, The New Global Possible
Attend a conversation with President and CEO of World Resources Institute (WRI) Ani Dasgupta to celebrate his new book, The New Global Possible, which explores how to orchestrate change at speed and scale in order to tackle the climate crisis. Followed by a signing.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Sep 24
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Award-Winning Writer Discusses Her New Novel, Someone's Gotta Give
Award-winning author Alisha Fernandez Miranda (My What If Year) to celebrate and discuss her new book, Someone's Gotta Give: a fun, witty debut novel that takes you inside the world of extreme wealth and charitable giving. Along with a discussion and audience Q&A, Alisha will also sign copies of Someone's Gotta Give purchased at this bookstore. Cost of a $5 general admission ticket can be applied towards the purchase of the featured event book or any product in the bookstore cafe the night of an event.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Sep 24
6:30 pm
$5, tickets required
6:30 pm
$5, tickets required
Author Reading | Psychiatrists Discuss Parenthood & Navigating Emotions
Psychotherapist, emotions educator, and author Hilary Jacobs Hendel discusses her latest book, Parents Have Feelings, Too: A Guide to Navigating Your Emotions So You And Your Family Can Thrive, with reproductive psychiatrist and founder of The Motherhood Center of New York, Dr. Catherine Birndorf.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Sep 25
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | Tom Comitta Discusses New Book, Patchwork
Writer Tom Comitta (The Nature Book) celebrates and discusses their new book, Patchwork: a novella that is at once a picaresque quest for a stolen snuffbox and a marvel of literary decoupage, equal parts love story, old-fashioned thriller, and absurdist romp. Tom will be joined in conversation by writer Gideon Jacobs (The New Yorker, VICE). Along with a discussion and audience Q&A, Tom will also sign copies of atchwork purchased at this bookstore. Cost of a $5 general admission ticket can be applied towards the purchase of the featured event book or any product in the bookstore cafe the night of an event.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Sep 25
6:30 pm
$5, tickets required
6:30 pm
$5, tickets required
Author Reading | Historian Discusses His New Book, On Antisemitism
This event marks the launch of On Antisemitism: A Word in History with the author, Mark Mazower. From one of our most eminent historians, a penetrating and timely examination of how the meaning of antisemitism has mutated, with unexpected and troubling consequences. In a piercingly brilliant book that ranges from the term's invention in the late nineteenth century to the present, Mark Mazower argues the landscape is very different. Before the Second World War, Jews were a minority apart and drawn by opposition to Fascism into an alliance with other oppressed peoples. Today, in contrast, Jews are considered "white," and for today's anti-colonialists, Israel's treatment of the Palestinians has become a critical issue. The old Left solidarity is a thing of the past; indeed, the loudest voices decrying antisemitism see it coming from the Left, not the Right.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Sep 25
7:00 pm
Free
7:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Nonfiction Readings from Prominent, Award-Winning Authors + Q&A/Signing
A reading by Deborah Baker and conversation/Q&A with Hari Kunzru. The reading will be followed by a reception/signing with books. Deborah Baker is the author of multiple books, with one becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and another a finalist for the National Book Award. She has been the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and a Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant, and she is a former Fellow at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. Hari Kunzru is the author of seven novels. He is a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books and writes the “Easy Chair” column for Harper’s Magazine. He is an Honorary Fellow of Wadham College Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and has been a Cullman Fellow at the New York Public Library, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a Fellow of the American Academy in Berlin.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Sep 25
7:00 pm
Free
7:00 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Award-Winning Poets Read from New Works + Reception/Signing
A reading by Anthony Joseph and Jive Poetic, hosted by Terrance Hayes, followed by a reception/signing with books for sale. Dr. Anthony Joseph F.R.S.L. is an award winning Trinidad-born poet, novelist, academic and musician. He is the author of five poetry collections and three novels. His books have been shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, the Royal Society of Literature's Encore Award and the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Fiction. In 2019, he was awarded a Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship. He also won the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry 2022 and the OCM BOCAS Prize for Caribbean Poetry. Jive Poetic is a writer, organizer, and educator ehose work has been showcased on PBS News Hour, BET, and season four of TVONE's Lexus Verses and Flow. In 2017, Jive was the first recipient of the John Morning Award for Art and Service.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Sep 26
5:00 pm
Free
5:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Pavel Lembersky Discusses His New Novel
Enjoy a book talk by author Pavel Lembersky for his new novel, Two Hundred Brand New Shiny Cadillacs. Moderated by Mark Lipovetsky. This story spans borders as readers follow Ukrainian-born Mark Neider on a series of adventures and misadventures in the United States and Russia in the early 1990s. From crime to constitutional crisis and film directors to romantic entanglements, this tale engages readers from beginning to end.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Sep 26
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Hear from Author of Biography on Iconic Comic Artist Robert Crumb
Enjoy an illuminating talk by Dan Nadel about his latest book, Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life, the first biography of Robert Crumb. Nadel will be giving a lecture on his new work and the towering figure at the heart of it, a pioneering artist whose singular, unfiltered style helped redefine the boundaries of comics in the 1960s and beyond. Don't miss this deep dive into the life and legacy of one of the most provocative and important cartoonists of the 20th century. Best known for iconic creations like Zap Comix, Mr. Natural, and Fritz the Cat, Robert Crumb revolutionized the medium with his deeply personal, often controversial work that explored taboo topics, cultural anxieties, and the darker corners of the American psyche. As a founding figure of the underground comix movement, his influence can still be felt across graphic novels, contemporary art, and pop culture at large.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Sat, Sep 27
12:00 pm
Free
12:00 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Bi-Weekly Readings & Reflections
Participate in this poetry gathering and engage with contemporary poetry through readings, conversations, and reflections.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Sun, Sep 28
5:00 pm
Free
5:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Cocktail Expert Discusses His New Book, The Comic Book History of the Cocktail
Former Esquire drinks columnist David Wondrich celebrates and discusses his new book, The Comic Book History of the Cocktail: a graphic novel history of the cocktail—from prehistoric wassail to our current boozy renaissance—featuring 20 recipes. David will be joined in conversation by Michael Ruhlman, author of The Book of Cocktail Ratios. Along with a discussion and audience Q&A, David will also sign copies of his new book purchased from this bookstore. Cost of a $5 general admission ticket can be applied towards the purchase of the featured event book or any product in the bookstore cafe the night of an event.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Sep 30
6:30 pm
%5, ticket required
6:30 pm
%5, ticket required
Author Reading | Journalist & Award-Winning Filmmaker Discusses Her New Amelia Earheart Book, The Aviator and the Showman
Enjoy a discussion between author Laurie Gwen Shapiro with writer Patrick Radden Keefe about Shapiro's new book, The Aviator and the Showman. Laurie Gwen Shapiro is a journalist and award-winning documentary filmmaker who has written unforgettable stories for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Slate, and other publications. For her riveting new book, she delves into archives and unexamined sources to reveal an all but unknown side of the fiercely driven Amelia Earhart: her marriage and partnership with the "PT Barnum of publishing," George Putnam, which made her a legend.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Sep 30
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | "South Korea's Stephen King" Discusses Her New Book, Perfect Happiness
Enjoy a conversation with author You-Jeong Jeong as she discusses her new novel, Perfect Happiness, with fellow writer Clay McLeod Chapman. Synopsis: With unparalleled psychological precision, master of crime and suspense fiction You-Jeong Jeong weaves a domestic nightmare centered on Yuna Shin: wife, mother, sister—and covert narcissist. Everyone in Yuna’s life is desperate to keep her happy: her partners, parents, and terrified six-year-old daughter. Even when she’s not blaming or hitting, the threat of her mood keeps her family from bonding, touching, or even speaking long enough to realize she’s playing them against each other. But when little Jiyoo’s feverish memories of loons hint at a troubling crime, Yuna’s estranged sister and guilt-ridden husband begin to reconstruct her movements, the unexplained tragedies in Yuna’s history, and the lies she’s told for years. For the first time, Yuna’s traumatized family members will have to confront the truth of her depravity and learn that no one—no matter how young—is safe from her wrath. After all, Yuna believes that happiness requires subtraction. And she wants nothing less than perfect happiness. You-Jeong Jeong, known as South Korea’s Stephen King, is an award-winning and bestselling author of psychological thrillers and crime fiction. Her novels Seven Years of Darkness, 28, and The Good Son were selected as “Book of the Year” by major media outlets and bookstores, gaining widespread acclaim.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Oct 1
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Live Poetry Night: Five-Minute Features from NYC Poets
Experience an evening of spoken word and performance at this monthly poetry series, curated by local poet and playwright Galinsky. A dozen poets of all styles take the stage, each presenting a five-minute feature in a lively, community-driven salon.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Oct 2
8:00 pm
Free
8:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Celebrated Contemporary Horror Writers Talk about the Genre: Grady Hendrix, Rachel Harrison, & More
Celebrate the launch of Beck Siegel Spratford’s new anthology, Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature, with a panel discussion featuring some of the more prominent writers working in the genre: Clay McLeod Chapman (Ghost Eaters, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes), Rachel Harrison (Cackle, So Thirsty, Such Sharp Teeth, Black Sheep), Grady Hendrix (The Final Girl Support Group, My Best Friend's Exorcism, How To Sell a Haunted House, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires) and Victor LaValle (Lone Women, The Ballad of Black Tom, The Changeling). Synopsis: A love letter to the horror genre from many of the most influential and bestselling authors in the industry. For twenty-five years, Becky Siegel Spratford has worked as a librarian in Reader Advisory, training library workers all over the world on how to engage their patrons and readers, and to use her place as a horror expert and critic to get the word out to others; to bring even more readers into the horror fold. Why I Love Horror is a captivating anthology and heartfelt tribute to the horror genre featuring essays from several of the most celebrated contemporary horror writers, including: Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, and Rachel Harrison.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Oct 7
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | Policymaker & National Security Strategist Discusses His New Book on Russia-U.S. Relations
While retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman has gained wide notoriety for exposing President Trump’s misconduct and for testimony in Congress that resulted in the president’s first impeachment, Vindman is regarded professionally as a leading policymaker and the preeminent national security strategist on Russia and Ukraine. His latest work, The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine, is informed by decades of service in U.S. Embassies in Ukraine and Russia, on the White House’s National Security Council, and at the Pentagon, where he authored the Russia strategy, as well as by his dedication to navigating the most pressing global challenges. Timed to coincide with the third anniversary of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, The Folly of Realism explores the successes and failures of American foreign policy in the region: an unsparing critique of where U.S. policymakers went wrong and, most importantly, lessons to be learned to avoid further catastrophe around the world.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Oct 8
6:10 pm
Free
6:10 pm
Free
Author Reading | Social Anthropologist Discusses Her New Book about Jewish Community in Ukraine (In Person AND Online!)
Enjoy a book talk by social anthropologist Marina Sapritsky-Naum on her new nonfiction work, Jewish Odesa: Negotiating Identities and Tradition in Contemporary Ukraine, moderated by Mark Andyczyk. This groundbreaking work examines the complex and evolving identities of Jewish community in Odesa, Ukraine’s historic port city, as they navigate cultural revival, historical continuity, and the profound disruptions brought by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Drawing on over two decades of research and fieldwork, including experiences during pivotal moments such as the 2013-2014 Maidan protests and the 2022 Russian invasion, Sapritsky-Naum provides an in-depth look at how Jewish Odesans are redefining their sense of belonging. Jewish Odesa examines the significant changes faced by Jewish communities following Ukraine’s independence, tracing the tension between historical Russian influences and the rise of Ukrainian nationalism. The book also highlights personal narratives of individuals, families, and communities, offering readers a poignant understanding of how Jewish Odesans are coping with the existential threats posed by the ongoing war, including the mass displacement of Jewish populations.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Oct 9
4:00 pm
Free
4:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Discover New & Upcoming Mystery & Horror Books (with Free Advanced Copies)
Hear the "buzz" directly from authors and publishing industry professionals about new and upcoming titles in mystery and horror. Free and advance copies available while supplies last! This event will be a delightful evening filled with literature, engaging discussions, and opportunities to meet authors and fellow passionate book lovers. Here's what to expect:
Attend panels featuring mystery and horror writers
Learn about new and upcoming titles from Penguin Random House staff
Browse free and advanced reader copies of titles
Giveaways while supplies last
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Oct 14
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Two Nonfiction Authors Discuss Identity, Freedom, & Belonging in Brooklyn
The authors of two recent books—The Cities We Need by Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani and Brooklynites by Prithi Kanakamedala—talk about what it means to build freedom and belonging in place. Exploring people's stories in Brooklyn during two very different time periods—at the birth of the city in the 19th century and at the turn of the 21st century—these two books lay out the shaping of a city through a search for social justice and belonging, and the spaces that people make for themselves. In comparison, and companionship, these two books illuminate a future way forward to build more just and free communities. Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough by Prithi Kanakamedala uncovers the silences in the archive to bring to life the free Black community of the nineteenth century, which attracted people from all walks of life—businesswomen, church leaders, laborers, and writers—who sought to grow their city in a radical anti-slavery vision despite their freedom being threatened by racism. The Cities We Need: Essential Stories of Everyday Places by Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani builds on twenty years of residents’ oral history, and the author’s expressive photography, illuminating what's at stake through the lens of the everyday places they visit—from diners to churches to donut shops—which are threatened by the gentrification and large-scale development that are silently displacing these citizens.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Oct 15
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | Nonfiction Author Discusses His Book Explioring English Linguistics and Spelling, Enough Is Enuf
Author Gabe Henry as discusses his new book, Enough Is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell. Synopsis: A brief and humorous 500-year history of the Simplified Spelling Movement from advocates like Ben Franklin, C. S. Lewis, and Mark Twain to texts and Twitter. If our system of writing words is so tragically inconsistent, why haven't we standardized it, phoneticized it, brought it into line? How many brave linguists have ever had the courage to state, in a declaration of phonetic revolt: "Enough is enuf"? The answer: many. In the comic annals of linguistic history, legions of rebel wordsmiths have died on the hill of spelling reform, risking their reputations to bring English into the realm of the rational. This book is about them. Henry takes his humorous and informative chronicle right up to today as the language seems to naturally be simplifying to fit the needs of our changing world thanks to technology--from texting to Twitter and emojis, the Simplified Spelling Movement may finally be having its day. Gabe's work has appeared in TIME, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, US News & World Report, and more. i
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Oct 16
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Poetry Open Mic: Share Your Work or Listen to Emerging Writers
Participants can share their original work for up to five minutes. Space is limited to 15 readers; show up on time to get a slot!
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Oct 17
5:30 pm
Free
5:30 pm
Free
Open Mic | An Evening of Prose, Poetry & Performance in the East Village
Writers and word lovers gather for this open literary salon, where each month features a new theme. Share or listen to original works of prose, poetry, memoir, or song in a supportive, creative space. Performers have five minutes to present, and all are welcome to attend. Please visit the website for more information on performing your work.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Mon, Oct 20
8:00 pm
Free
8:00 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Discuss Spooky Poetry
Participate with fellow poetry enthusiasts in unpacking the layered meanings of poetry through an informal group discussion. Trick or treat! This month, get ready for Halloween with poems that summon ghosts, ghouls, and vampires. Please note that contemporary poetry deals frankly with contemporary issues and all works discussed are artistic expressions selected for an adult audience.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Oct 21
2:30 pm
Free
2:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | Jonathan Liebson Discusses His New Memoir, Hello (and Goodbye) to All That
Hello (And Goodbye) To All That is explores the evolution of New York City from the days of Tower Records and The Village Voice through the era of cell phones and bike lanes, while also providing an up-close view of larger transformational events. The book combines funny and moving stories from daily life (the struggles of apartment living, the quirky routines of café-goers, the moral dilemmas of being a cyclist) with important historical moments: witnessing 9/11 from his roof deck and living through the city’s troubled aftermath; hearing Barack Obama in Washington Square Park with 20,000 people; and having an embarrassing encounter with Rudy Giuliani a few weeks before the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Home to some of the country’s worst tragedies and upheavals, New York has also been a place of national recovery and inspiration. The book presents intriguing encounters with everyday characters, celebrities, and writers; ironic intersections between the past and present; and a touching intergenerational story of father and son. Jonathan Liebson is an essayist and reviewer whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Time Out New York, The Georgia Review, and many other journals, and in the anthology Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer. “A unique, funny, and brutally honest perspective on living in New York City.”–Jonah Hill
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Oct 21
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | NYT Writer Talks about Her new Nonfiction Book, The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum
Award-winning journalist Margalit Fox discuss her latest book, The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss, the true story of a once-infamous criminal mastermind and visionary businesswoman in Gilded Age New York. Synopsis: In 1850, an impoverished twenty-five-year-old named Fredericka Mandelbaum came to New York in steerage and worked as a peddler on the streets of Lower Manhattan. By the 1870s she was a fixture of high society and an admired philanthropist. How was she able to ascend from tenement poverty to vast wealth? The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum paints a vivid portrait of Gilded Age New York—a city teeming with nefarious rogues, capitalist power brokers and Tammany Hall bigwigs, all straddling the line between underworld enterprise and “legitimate” commerce. Combining deep historical research with the narrative flair for which she is celebrated, Margalit Fox tells the unforgettable true story of a once-famous heroine whose life exemplifies America’s cherished rags-to-riches narrative while simultaneously upending it entirely. Considered one of the foremost explanatory writers and literary stylists in American journalism, Margalit Fox retired in 2018 from a 24-year-career at the New York Times, where she was most recently a senior writer.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Oct 23
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 pm
Free
Reading | Contemporary Poets Read from their New Collections (In Person AND Online!)
Enjoy a poetry reading and discussion with poet/translator Sasha Dugdale and poet/trnslator/scholar Oksana Maksymchuk. Moderated by Mark Andryczyk. Contemporary poetry can challenge, explore uncomfortable truths, and bear witness to unimaginable experiences. In Sasha Dugdale’s new collection, The Strongbox, recent history and Greek mythology meet. Her varied cast of characters are abducted to foreign lands, travel through war zones, and are haunted by conflicts. Oksana Maksymchuk’s Still City reflects life in the wake of extreme and unpredictable violence. Beginning as a poetic journal kept from her hometime in Ukraine, 2021-22, it chronicles events as the poet, her family and community prepare for airstrikes, as well as nuclear, chemical and biological warfare. Together, Oksana and Sasha discuss what it is to write poetry in these times of conflict.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Oct 24
12:00 pm
Free
12:00 pm
Free
Complimentary Tickets
to shows, concerts ... (CFT Deals!)
Jazz | Multi Grammy-Nominated Jazz Singer who Performed with Ray Charles at Iconic Venue
Regular Price: $40CFT Member Price: $0.00
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