The Library is delighted to announce its calendar of fall events. Skim through these highlights or browse the complete newsletter. Each event has its own listing at nysoclib.org/events. 

We are also pleased to offer a new and improved online registration system. Both members and nonmembers can register directly through each event's online listing.

Registration is required for all events unless individual listings state otherwise. Most events are open to the public, with some for members only; check individual listings for details.

New Exhibition

On the Town: Favorite New York City Books

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20-MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 | THE ASSUNTA, IGNAZIO, ADA AND ROMANO PELUSO EXHIBITION GALLERY | FREE OF CHARGE | NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Members and staff share their favorite titles about or set in the Big Apple. Survey the staggering breadth of writing our city has inspired, and find a new favorite of your own.

Members and guests are invited to join us for a special Happy Hour celebrating the exhibition's opening:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 5:30 PM | WHITRIDGE ROOM | FREE OF CHARGE | NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Special Events

Meet the Publishing Pros: Jonathan Galassi

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 6:30 PM | MEMBERS' ROOM | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | $15 PER PERSON

In this new occasional series, writers and patrons interested in the publishing world are invited to a discussion with one of its stars. Jonathan Galassi has served as publisher at Farrar, Straus & Giroux since 1986 and president since 2002.

Uptown at Night

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 6:00 PM | MEMBERS' ROOM | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | $20 PER PERSON

Uptown at Night returns to the Members’ Room with a vibrant new lineup of humorous storytellers and comedians, including Annabelle Gurwitch (right). Fresh, funny, and fearless, these talented humorists shine a light on our modern foibles, large and small. Please join us for a delightful evening that showcases the Library’s lighter side. Refreshments and wine will be served. The Writing Life events in 2018 are generously underwritten by Jenny Lawrence.

PLUS stories from Chinese history, the swinging 1960s, and more!

Performance

Jane Austen's Persuasion

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 3:00 PM | MEMBERS' ROOM | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | $25 PER PERSON

In the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars, a shy English spinster seeks to win back the love of the man she jilted eight years before. Jane Austen’s last and most romantic novel, a brilliant meditation on love and loss and what is constant in a changing world, is brought to sparkling new life by playwright Sarah Rose Kearns. This event is generously underwritten by Alexander Sanger in honor of Jeannette Watson Sanger.

Conversation

Food and Memory
Susan Buckley, Eating with Peter: A Gastronomic Journey
Dawn Drzal, The Bread and the Knife: A Life in 26 Bites
moderated by Giulia Melucci

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 6:30 PM | MEMBERS' ROOM | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | $15 PER PERSON

Memoirists discuss food as personal history, consolation, metaphor, and organizing principle, based on their recent books.

Lectures

Maggie Jackson
Distracted: Reclaiming Our Focus in a World of Lost Attention

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 6:30 PM | MEMBERS' ROOM | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | $15 PER PERSON

In the first edition of this visionary book, Maggie Jackson sounded a prescient warning of a looming crisis: the fragmentation of attention that is eroding our abilities to problem-solve, innovate, and care for one another. Now she offers both a renewed wake-up call and a path forward as we reckon with one of the most pressing problems of our time.

ALSO: Join in a book club-style discussion of Distracted on September 26!

Erica Armstrong Dunbar
Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 6:30 PM | MEMBERS' ROOM | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | $15 PER PERSON

A startling and eye-opening look into America’s First Family, and a National Book Award finalist, Never Caught is the powerful narrative of Ona Judge, George and Martha Washington’s runaway slave who risked everything to escape the nation’s capital and reach freedom. This event is the Library's annual Henry S.F. Cooper Jr. Lecture on Early American History & Literature.

PLUS the definitive biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Gregory Pardlo's memoir of manhood in America, and more!

Seminars

Voltaire and the English Connection
with Jane Mallison

FIVE THURSDAYS BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 13, 12:00 PM | WHITRIDGE ROOM | FOR MEMBERS ONLY | $75 FOR THE SET OF FIVE SESSIONS

The quintessential French philosophe cultivated an English literary circle including John Gay, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This seminar will attempt to give readers a sense of the work of these five writers and an understanding of the way their thoughts and their words reflect—or dissent from—the contemporary culture of France and of England.

Robertson Davies' Deptford Trilogy
with Nicholas Birns

THREE WEDNESDAYS BEGINNING OCTOBER 10, 11:00 AM | WHITRIDGE ROOM | FOR MEMBERS ONLY | $50 FOR THE SET OF THREE SESSIONS

Robertson Davies’s Deptford Trilogy is one of the great achievements of Canadian fiction and one of the crucial works that made Canada visible worldwide in literary terms. Popular seminar leader Nicholas Birns guides reading and discussion through this beloved work.

PLUS James Kraft on unusual Victorian novels, Donald McDonough on Euripides, and more!

Workshops

Turn Your Attitude to Action
with Donna Kaz

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2:00 PM | WHITRIDGE ROOM | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Address issues affecting you within your community, in the nation, or across the globe in this 2½-hour poster-making workshop with author/activist Donna Kaz of Guerrilla Girls/Guerrilla Girls On Tour.

PLUS the Primary Stages Off-Broadway Oral History Project and a hands-on illuminated manuscripts workshop!

Technology

One-on-One Technology Sessions

MULTIPLE DATES AND TIMES BEGINNING OCTOBER 23 | FOR MEMBERS ONLY | FREE OF CHARGE

Library members are invited to stop by and chat, or to bring in their portable electronic devices (laptops, tablets, cell phones, e-book readers, cameras, etc.) for a question-and-answer session with a member of the Library’s Systems staff. Registration for a specific one-hour time is required; to register, call the Events Office at 212.288.6900 x230.

The Writing Life

Live from the Library

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 6:00 PM | MEMBERS' ROOM | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | $15 PER PERSON

Library members read from their own short stories, novels, poetry, criticism, memoir, and plays. Refreshments and wine will be served.

Workshop: Ask the Genealogists:
Tips and Techniques for Researching Your Family History

TUESDAYS OCTOBER 9, NOVEMBER 13, AND DECEMBER 11, 10:00 AM | WHITRIDGE ROOM | FOR MEMBERS ONLY | FREE OF CHARGE

Join certified genealogists and repository personnel for three sessions of insights into methods to navigate the vast, complex, and exciting path to your family history. Three sessions address different angles on genealogy research; attend any or all.

PLUS a Writer's Toolkit workshop with C.S. Hanson, Prompt! sessions, and more!

The Writing Life events in 2018 are generously underwritten by Jenny Lawrence.

Children's/Young Adult

Young Writers' Workshop: Sara Varon, Visual Storytelling

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 5:00 PM | WHITRIDGE ROOM | FOR MEMBERS AND GUESTS IN GRADES 3-8 | $15 PER PERSON

In this ongoing series, young writers are invited to join notable authors in exploring different genres. Author and illustrator Sara Varon leads a discussion about making comic books and graphic novels and works with young writers and artists to explore the possibilities of cartooning. Participants will learn the tools needed to create their own mini comic books. This event is generously supported by the Richard Peck Fund.

Peter Sís, Robinson

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 5:00 PM | MEMBERS' ROOM | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | KINDERGARTEN - GRADE 5 | $10 PER PERSON, PAYABLE AT THE DOOR

Bring your heart and imagination with you to meet award-winning author and illustrator Peter Sís. He will describe his unique art techniques and share his newest book, Robinson. This event is generously supported by the Richard Peck Fund.

PLUS Drag Queen Story Hour and author Karina Yan Glaser!

A reminder: Registration is required for all events unless individual listings state otherwise. Browse the full newsletter here. Each event also has its own listing at nysoclib.org/events.