Opening of the 29th Poets House Showcase, a literary exhibition and reading series that captures the breadth of contemporary poetry publishing. Delve into landmark collections with Wo Chan, Erika Meitner, Fred Moten, and Charif Shanahan. This reading accompanies the Showcase exhibition opening, a panoramic display of thousands of poetry publications: books, chapbooks, broadsides, and poetry-related […]

Discuss a wide range of poetry from classics to contemporary, with a welcoming approach to all perspectives, interpretations and ways of reading. The selection for December is Joy Harjo's Conflict resolution for holy beings : poems.

Dream of the Red Chamber is a masterpiece of Chinese literature, celebrated for its profound exploration of human nature, society, and fate. Through the lens of the rise and fall of the Jia family, Cao Xueqin’s work captures the essence of the grandeur and decline of time. The 1987 TV adaptation of the novel, directed […]

Longtime friends and fellow artists pay tribute to the life and work of David Shapiro. With Elaine Equi, Mohammed Fairouz, Kate Farrell, Joanna Fuhrman, Jim Jarmusch, Rodger Kamenetz, Phil Kline, Phillip Lopate, Charles North, Ron Padgett, Daryl Pinckney, Lucy Sante, Tony Towle, James Venit, John Yau, and other friends. As a child, David Shapiro, a […]

Online lecture. Emily Hahn (1905–1997), known as Xiang Meili in Chinese, was a lifelong columnist for The New Yorker and one of the most prolific and adventurous writers of the 20th century. Her fascinating life journey spanned three continents—Africa, Asia, and Europe—where she fearlessly delved into diverse cultures and penned over 50 books, including more […]

Reading. A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a remarkable search for a family secret that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. Electrifying, funny, and wholly original, Martyr! heralds the arrival of an […]

The final program in The Skyscraper Museum's TALL TIMBER series turns the attention to New York City. This free in-person event will be held at the architectural office of SOM and will bring together the four teams of architects invited by New York magazine critic JUSTIN DAVIDSON for his feature article on possible futures for […]

Book reading. Less a bildungsroman than a story of miseducation, Playworld is a novel of epic proportions, bursting with laughter and heartache.

J. Mae Barizo, Dorothea Lasky, Maggie Millner, and Estha Weiner read from their highly acclaimed books in celebration of the 29th Poets House Showcase Exhibition.

Visit the 29th comprehensive exhibition celebrating new poetry publications from 2022 and 2023 and enjoy readings tonight by Maggie Milner, Dorthea Lasky, J. Mae Barizo, Esta Weiner.

Book reading. Meet Ethan and Gabe. A devoted couple for years, they have successful careers, an adorable daughter, and a house in the New Jersey suburbs. Sure, they may have drifted to different ends of the political spectrum, but their marriage still has its spark. Then one night Ethan makes an announcement: he wants to […]

Discuss The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. Repeated January 16 at 2pm.

New York City experienced explosive growth between the 1880s and the 1930s, when nearly a million buildings, dozens of bridges and tunnels, hundreds of miles of subway lines, and thousands of miles of streets were erected to meet the needs of an ever-swelling population. The new book Building the Metropolis: Architecture, Construction, and Labor in […]

Book reading and signing by Michael Cannell, author of Blood and the Badge.

Online lecture. The Republican era of China was a period of remarkable cultural and political dynamism, producing many luminaries and historical figures. However, the true images of many of these individuals have been obscured. Ken Wang (Wang Geng) is one such figure. As a distinguished graduate of West Point and a recipient of the Boxer […]

Explore the world of maritime history and theatre with the Seaport Museum and Robert A. Richter, Treasurer of The Eugene O’Neill Society, as we discuss the profound impact maritime communities had on the life and work of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O’Neill (1888–1953). In this engaging discussion, discover how O’Neill’s experiences with seafarers and maritime […]

Book reading and signing by Jonathan Ames, author of Karma Doll.

In her new book, Movement: New York’s Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car, Nicole Gelinas presents a gripping account of how the automobile has failed New York City and how mass transit and a revitalized streetscape are vital to the city's post-pandemic recovery. In a history that spans a century, Gelinas […]

Book reading and signing by Steve Wick, author of The Ruins.

Reading. Walter Mosley presents Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right, with Kellye Garrett. In the latest from “mystery master” Walter Mosley, a family member’s terminal illness leads P.I. Joe King Oliver to the investigation of his life: tracking down his long-lost father, and meanwhile, a new case pits King’s professional responsibility against his […]

Visit the 29th comprehensive exhibition celebrating new poetry publications from 2022 and 2023 and enjoy a community reading hosted by poet Bea Gates.

Community reading of 2022 and 2023 poetry authors, featuring Beatrix Gates, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, Emily Lee Luan, Marwa Helal, and others.

The Middle East is in a period of radical transformation and shifting power dynamics in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Bernard Haykel, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, returns to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in conversation with Museum Director Clifford Chanin to disentangle the latest turns in the region. From proxy conflicts […]

Inspired by a poem from playwright Bertolt Brecht, The Pleasure Lists began with a simple post online — a prompt calling for people to catalogue their pleasures. The outpouring of entries, an unexpected response to a humble exercise, led to The Pleasure Lists. Meant to be fun, delightful, and pleasureful, it is a reflection on […]

Discuss The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Repeated February 13 at 2pm.

This month, read and discuss She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark.

Book reading. Ann Goldstein presents Alba De Céspedes's There's No Turning Back, in conversation with Joumana Khatib. Discover the astonishingly powerful debut novel by the beloved feminist author of the “brilliant” (The Wall Street Journal) Forbidden Notebook and the “courageous” (The Washington Post) Her Side of the Story that was so subversive, it was banned […]

An evening with acclaimed author and journalist Peter Hessler, whose works have illuminated the intricate connections between people, cultures, and history. Hessler will join Susan Yuqing Feng, Director of Programs at the China Institute in America, for an engaging discussion about his latest book, Other Rivers. In Other Rivers, Hessler delves into the lives and […]

Symposium. Every American President passed through New York City. Some were born here such as Theodore Roosevelt. Some lived here including Herbert Hoover who spent his post Presidential years residing in the Presidential Suite at the Waldorf Astoria. Some were married here. In 1844, for instance, John Tyler wed Julia Gardiner at the Church of […]

Book reading. Mohammed El-Kurd presents Perfect Victims: And the Politics of Appeal, in conversation with Fred Moten. Perfect Victims is an urgent affirmation of the Palestinian condition of resistance and refusal―an ode to the steadfastness of a nation.

At 3pm tour the African Burial Ground National Monument, 290 Broadway. At 5pm, attend a symposium at the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, 40 Foley Square. Much of Black history in New York revolves around Foley Square. This is a two-part event. First, we will have a tour of the African Burial Ground with its […]

Book reading and signing by William Boyle, author of Saint of the Narrows Street.

In Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill, Davida Siwisa James leads readers through four centuries of the storied New York neighborhood where George Washington headquartered in 1776, Alexander Hamilton built his country home, George Gershwin wrote his first hit, young Norman Rockwell learned to draw, and Ralph Ellison wrote Invisible Man. Her history focuses on the […]

Celebrate the inimitable Audre Lorde (1934 – 1992), a self-described “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” on February 18, her birthday. Poets JP Howard, I.S. Jones, Zora Satchell, and Brad Walrond will read favorite poems or passages by Lorde alongside their own work, celebrating her visionary influence on their lives and work. Hosted and curated by […]

Book reading. Eric Puchner presents Dream State, in conversation with Dinaw Mengestu. Written with humor, precision, and enormous heart, both a love letter and an elegy to the American West, Dream State is a thrillingly ambitious ode to the power of friendship, the weird weather of marriage, and the beauty of impermanence.

Book reading. Susan Morrison presents Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live. The definitive biography of Lorne Michaels, the man behind America’s most beloved comedy show.

Long before their country joined the war, American aid workers were active in rescue efforts across Europe. In this presentation, renowned Holocaust scholar Debórah Dwork will focus on such Americans, many of whom were women. Some, followed by Nazi agents, learned secrecy as they spirited people across borders. Others negotiated with government representatives. The new […]

Online lecture. In recent years, Wang Yangming and his philosophy of the mind have become highly popular topics in both traditional media and online discourse among Chinese communities. Some hail Wang as a near-perfect figure of the past 500 years—a man of extraordinary intellect and capability, who excelled in governance and military strategy. Admirers argue […]

Book reading. Katie Naymon presents You Between the Lines, in conversation with Hannah Orenstein. In this "brilliant, poignant love story perfect for fans of Emily Henry," a former sorority girl starts a prestigious poetry MFA program only to discover that one of her classmates is her high school crush-turned-nemesis—​and he can't stop writing about her. […]

Maritime-themed book club.

Celebration of Imani Elizabeth Jackson and Gabrielle Octavia Rucker’s collections that explore Black diasporic experiences through the topographical and the surreal.

Walk and writing session led by author and poet Jon Curley.