Events We Recommend for May

BookCon: A Celebration of Storytelling
June 1 and 2

BookCon 2019, combines pop culture and the book industry. Authors Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky), Christine Riccio (BookTuber), N.K. Jemisin (Broken Earth Series), Evangeline Lilly (The Squickerwonkers), E.L. James (50 Shades Trilogy), and Tomi Adeyemi (Children of Blood and Bone) are some of the many guest authors. Workshops, panels, a “Fierce Reads Author Breakfast,” autographing sessions, meetups, and Instagrammable photo opportunities are all part of this “forward thinking,” and “interactive” event.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Pen America World Voices Festival: OPEN SECRETS
May 6 to 12

60+ events around NYC with more than 125 writers and artists representing over 50 countries. Attend events as diverse as “Intimate Terrorism;” “One Book, One New York” hosted by Jennifer Egan (And the winner is: see below); “The Cost of an Education” with Min Jin Lee and Tara Westover; “Drag Queen Story Hour;” and a graphic novel workshop. The keynote speaker is Arundhati Roy. Most tickets are free to $20.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

This year’s One Book, One New York contest, co-sponsored by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and Buzzfeed, has been won by Patti Smith’s Just Kids (published in 2010 by Ecco/HarperCollins). This narrative of Smith’s life intertwined with Robert Mapplethorpe’s as both began making their mark on the city that nurtured them (and they nurtured back) is well on its way to becoming a classic about New York. Appropriately enough, a thousand copies will soon be available at public libraries throughout the five boroughs. As Smith put it—and this is well worth repeating: “New York was the city that welcomed and formed us, was emblematic of our struggles and successes. It is moving to imagine that our story will represent, through One Book, One New York, the countless stories of those who come to our diverse and complex city, with dreams of their own. Robert would be as happy as I am to achieve this recognition, especially grateful that the book has been chosen by the same readers for whom it was written.”

Introduced by Pulitzer Prize-winning Jennifer Egan (Manhattan Beach), Smith will be in conversation with the BuzzFeeds book editor Arianna Rebolini at Symphony Space on Friday, May 10th at 7:30 pm. Tickets (if still available) are free. –Linda Dyett

. . . . . . . . . . . .

AUTHOR NIGHT AT THE MET
Friday May 10, 6:30 pm

Join L.A. Chandlar, author of the Art Deco Mystery Series, and take a trip back to the 1930s while strolling to the Thomas Hart Benton mural, America Today, where an interesting and lively deco-era discussion takes place. Wine and live music follow. $40. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

MOMS & MAKERS MARKET
Saturday May 11, 11:30 am to 6 pm

The second Moms & Makers Market, hosted by Knitty City, the Upper West Side yarn shop to benefit Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, will sell, auction and raffle off a wide array of beguiling artisanal and baked goods. Such as? Silver Moon Bakery goodies, a framed floral bouquet watercolor and colored pencil painting by Amy Routman (above right), and lots of indie knitting and crochet yarns. At The Loft at W83 Ministry Center, 150 West 83rd Street. –Linda Dyett

. . . . . . . . . . . .