NYC Readings Roundup :: April 8-14
Allen Ginsberg, QE2, Albany, NY, 11/29/90
Editor’s note: welcome to the 7th iteration of our new weekly series, the Readings Roundup…which you might notice is growing steadily! Sorry if I’m repeating myself to some of you but if this is your first time here it bears noting that it’s long been a pipedream of ours to revive the NYC Poetry Calendar (started in 1977 by Bob Holman), to provide for the community here a true and cohesive overview of the vibrant scene that seems to birth a new event every day.
How does a poet new to New York or just new to the readings landscape figure out where to go, what these different events and organizations represent and offer?
We have a habit of biting off more than we can chew, so even though we have an overwhelmingly robust spreadsheet we’re working on making into an interactive page on the site, in future, we decided not to wait. In the meanwhile, we’ll start small — featuring in particular long running events and venues, making sure always to keep a healthy balance between styles and associations. We are judgement free and love filled, we’re just excited people are writing, reading, and sharing this important form. Come out!
– Lynne DeSilva-Johnson, Poetry/Managing Editor
MONDAY 4/8
7-9pm | Free and open to the public.
Monday Night Poetry: @ KGB Bar
Poets will read from their most recent collections.
7:30-10pm | Free and open to the public.
louderARTS Poetry Open Mic / Marty McConnell / Last Chance Slam @ Bar 13
Sign ups start at 7pm. Only poets who are on the cusp to make or not make semi-finals will be allowed to sign up for the slam this week. Featuring Marty McConnell. Arrive early for pre-show workshop [6-7pm], an informal drop in workshop series.
starts 8pm | $8, $7 students and seniors, $5 members.
Brian Blanchfield & Anthony Madrid @ The Poetry Project at Saint Mark’s Church
Poets will read from their recent work.
8-10pm | Free and open to the public.
Saturn Series Poetry @ Revival Bar
Saturn Series Poetry is a writers’ open mic every Monday night. This is not a slam, it is simply great poetry, prose and sometimes a song or two in a great listening room. The styles are varied with poets, playwrights, screenwriters and novelists.
TUESDAY 4/9
starts 6:30pm | Free and open to the public.
Poetry Forum: Alex Dimitrov and Dorothea Lasky @ The New School (Alvin Johnson/J. M. Kaplan Hall, Room 501)
Reading and conversation moderated by Robert Polito, director The New School’s School of Writing.
starts 7pm | $10, $7 for students and seniors, free to members.
Passwords: Don Share on Miguel Hernández @ Poets House
Don Share, senior editor of Poetry Magazine, reads from Miguel Hernández’s work in his award-winning translation, framing the poet’s life and poetry in the context of his time and the poets around him.
WEDNESDAY 4/10
starts 7pm | Free and open to the public.
Keeping Time: Poets and Musicians Honor Grand Central Terminal @ Vanderbilt Hall (GST)
Poets Marie Howe, Eduardo C. Corral, Bob Holman and Poetry in Motion poets Billy Collins, Aracelis Girmay, and Jeffrey Yang join performers from Music Under New York for an evening of music and poetry honoring Grand Central Terminal in its centennial year.
starts 8pm | $8, $7 students and seniors, $5 members.
Leonard Schwartz & Prageeta Sharma @ The Poetry Project at Saint Mark’s Church
Poets will read from their recent work.
THURSDAY 4/11
6-8pm | $8
Twenty-first Century Russian Poetry in Translation @ Cornelia Street Café
Poets will read work by leading Russian poets and translators.
7-8:30pm | Free and open to the public; seating is first come, first served.
Celebrate 25 Years of The Best American Poetry @ The New School (Tishman Auditorium)
Of the 1,875 poems that have appeared in The Best American Poetry since its inception in 1988, former US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky has chosen 100 for this special edition. Join him along with series editor David Lehman and esteemed poets as they celebrate the launch of this anthology.
starts 7pm | Free and open to the public; seating is first come, first served.
The New Salon: Reading and Conversations (John Ashbery) @ NYU Global Center (Level C Auditorium)
The eminent poet John Ashbery in conversation with Deborah Landau.
starts 7pm | $10, $7 for students and seniors, free to members.
Passwords: Karen Emmerich and Edmund Keeley on Yannis Ritsos @ Poets House
Translators Karen Emmerich and Edmund Keeley share their collaborative translation of Diaries of Exile by the Greek poet Yannis Ritsos (1909-1990) and discuss the poet’s life in exile and writing about Greek political life and history.
starts 7:30pm | Free and open to the public.
Pete’s Reading Series @ Pete’s Candy Store
For ten years running, Pete’s has earned a reputation as one of Brooklyn’s premier reading series. Readings by Jami Attenberg and Teddy Wayne.
FRIDAY 4/12
6-7:30pm | Free and open to the public.
Independent Voices: 2013 @ Barnes & Noble (150 E 85th St)
A poetry reading by the students of New York City independent schools to celebrate the launch the 16th annual Independent Voices anthology of poems written by these students. Sponsored by the Joint Schools Activities, Inc. (JSA).
starts 7pm | Free and open to the public.
Poems of Ecological Sanity @ Poets House
Join eco-poetry.org for a reading and conversation regarding eco-poetics and the environment.
7-9pm | Free and open to the public.
The Emerging Writer Series (NYU) @ KGB Bar
The Emerging Writers Reading Series showcases graduate students of the NYU Creative Writing Program. Featuring guest author Joyelle McSweeney.
starts 7pm | Free and open to the public.
West 10 Launch Reading @ Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House (NYU)
Readings by contributors to “West 10th,” the literary journal produced by undergraduate students in the NYU Creative Writing Program.
starts 10pm | $10
Friday Night Slam @ The Nuyorican Poets Cafe
NYC’s first poetry slam was held at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in 1989 and 20 years later it is still going strong. Watch poets perform and compete. Judges are 5 randomly chosen audience members.
SATURDAY 4/13
12-6pm | $3 suggested donation
5th Annual New York Rainbow Book Fair @ Holiday Inn Midtown
This LGBT book event will feature more than 100 publishers, writers, poets, editors, booksellers and 1500+ attendees. Continuous readings from 12:30-6pm (see Reading Schedule).
4:30-6:30pm | $5
The Segue Reading Series @ Zinc Bar
Segue hosts this experimental reading series that has run continuously for 25 years. Featuring readings by Evelyn Reilly and Claire Wilcox.
5:30-7:30pm | $6
IAWA EAST Open Reading Series @ Sidewalk Cafe
A reading by the Italian American Writers Association (IAWA) featuring Frank Lentricchia and Gil Fagiani.
SUNDAY 4/14
starts 3pm | $25, $22 for students and seniors, free with “All Garden Pass” to the Botanical Garden.
A Season in Poetry: Sarah Arvio, Peter Covino, and Adam Kirsch @ The New York Botanical Garden
To celebrate the season of spring, poets will read classic favorites as well as their own work at the largest botanical garden in the United States.
5:30pm | $5 admission goes to the readers.
Zinc Bar Reading Series: Curated by Lungfull!@ Zinc Bar
Readings by Farrah Field and Keith Newton.
7-9pm | Free and open to the public.
Trumpet Fiction @ KGB Bar
Trumpet Fiction showcases contemporary fiction from new and emerging writers. Featuring Nicole Callihan, Tim Tomlinson and James Braly.
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Resources:
Poets and Writers (P&W) Literary Events Calendar (Filter by City, State) Poetry Project Calendar
Belladonna* Reading Series KGB Bar Calendar
Nuyorican Poets Cafe Calendar Poets House Calendar
Time Out New York | Book Events
The series is overseen by Managing/Poetry Editor Lynne DeSilva-Johnson and maintained by Taylor Quilty, Exit Strata Program Assistant. Please email editors@exitstrata.com to submit your event/organization with READINGS ROUNDUP in the subject line for inclusion in future listings!
