Special Event
Celebration of Longtime Members
Tuesday, September 26, 2023 - 3:30pm
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Members' Room | by invitation only
The Members' Room and Stack 6 will be in use from 3:30 PM on on September 26 for a by-invitation event.
Reading Group
Fully Registered: Another Half Year with Henry James, taught by Jane Mallison
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 - 11:00am
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 - 11:00am
Wednesday, November 29, 2023 - 11:00am
Wednesday, January 31, 2024 - 11:00am
Wednesday, February 28, 2024 - 11:00am
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 - 11:00am
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Whitridge Room | for members only | $100 for the six sessions | registration required
“Never say you know the last word about any human heart.” That’s one of the great sentences of this great writer, Henry James (1843-1916). In this seminar – which welcomes both experienced readers of James and novices – we discover many more.
Children
Young Writers' Workshop: Ruth Chan on Graphic Novels
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 - 5:00pm
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Whitridge Room | Grades 3+ | For members & a guest | $15 per child
In this ongoing series, young writers are invited to join notable authors in exploring different genres. Author and illustrator Ruth Chan leads a discussion about making comics and graphic novels, working with young writers and artists to explore the possibilities of cartooning. Participants will learn the tools needed to create their own comics.
Children
A Peace Party
Thursday, September 28, 2023 - 4:00pm
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Whitridge Room | Ages 3 and Older | For Members Only
Celebrate friendships new and old with stories of peace, love, and kindness.
Lecture
Livestream Only: Blair LM Kelley, Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class, with Brittney C. Cooper
Thursday, September 28, 2023 - 6:00pm
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Livestream | open to the public | $10 per person | registration required
Award-winning historian Blair LM Kelley illuminates the adversities and joys of the Black working class in America through a stunning narrative centered on her forebears, in conversation with Eloquent Rage author Brittney C. Cooper.
Children
Mother Goose Magic
Friday, September 29, 2023 - 10:00am
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Whitridge Room | Ages 2 and Up | For Members Only
Enjoy favorite nursery rhymes, picture books, and songs.
Reading Group
Let's Read Shakespeare for Fun
Sunday, October 1, 2023 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Sunday, November 5, 2023 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Sunday, December 3, 2023 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Sunday, January 7, 2024 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Sunday, February 4, 2024 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Sunday, March 3, 2024 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm
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Whitridge Room | for members and their guests | free of charge | registration required
We gather monthly to read aloud a play by William Shakespeare in the company of Columbia University lecturer and Library trustee Emily Madison.
Lecture
Members' Room: Gretchen Rubin, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, with Alexandra Horowitz
Monday, October 2, 2023 - 6:00pm
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Members' Room | open to the public | $15 per person | registration required
The bestselling author of The Happiness Project discovers a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. In this special event, Gretchen Rubin converses with Alexandra Horowitz, author of On Looking: A Walker's Guide to the Art of Observation and other books.
Lecture
Livestream: Gretchen Rubin, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, with Alexandra Horowitz
Monday, October 2, 2023 - 6:00pm
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Livestream | open to the public | $10 per person | registration required
The bestselling author of The Happiness Project discovers a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. In this special event, Gretchen Rubin converses with Alexandra Horowitz, author of On Looking: A Walker's Guide to the Art of Observation and other books.
Children
Wiggles & Giggles
Tuesday, October 3, 2023 - 10:00am
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Whitridge Room | Ages 24 Months and Younger | For Members Only
Join us for songs, stories, and movement for babies and toddlers.
Pick up a ticket in the lobby.
Children
Quack! Quack! Puppet Workshop with Leah Rubin and Margery Quackenbush
Tuesday, October 3, 2023 - 4:00pm
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Whitridge Room | Grades K+ | For members & a guest | $15 per child
Robert Quackenbush’s delightful creatures of mystery come to life as puppets with teaching artist Leah Rubin and Margery Quackenbush, the inspiration for Miss Mallard herself. This unique story and art workshop shows young artists how to craft their own vintage-style pantin puppets using paper, string, and imagination! These whimsical creations go back more than 2,000 years to ancient Egypt but became better known as Jumping Jacks in America. They’re the perfect form for Sherlock Chick, Detective Mole, or any character you design!
Performance
A Pleasing Terror: Two Ghost Stories by M.R. James, performed by Robert Lloyd Parry
Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - 6:00pm
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Members' Room | open to the public | $15 per person | registration required
Robert Lloyd Parry returns to the Members' Room with two of the wonderfully spooky stories by British horror master M.R. James (1862-1936). “Wonderful, magical storytelling." - The Daily Mail
Reading Group
Seminar: The Personal In A Political World: The Fiction of Magda Szabó, with Nicholas Birns
Thursday, October 5, 2023 - 11:00am
Thursday, November 9, 2023 - 11:00am
Thursday, December 14, 2023 - 11:00am
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Whitridge Room | for members only | $75 per person | registration required
Magda Szabó (1917-2007) is the most famous and most translated Hungarian novelist. This seminar discusses three of her best-known novels spanning 1963 to 1987.
Children
Pajama Party
Thursday, October 5, 2023 - 4:00pm
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Whitridge Room | Ages 3 and Older | For Members Only
Put on your PJs early and enjoy bedtime stories and a snack.
Children
Mother Goose Magic
Friday, October 6, 2023 - 10:00am
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Whitridge Room | Ages 2 and Older | For Members Only
Enjoy favorite nursery rhymes, picture books, and songs.
The Writing Life
The Writing Life: Prompt! Online with Charlie Allenson
Friday, September 8, 2023 - 11:00am
Friday, October 6, 2023 - 11:00am
Friday, November 10, 2023 - 11:00am
Friday, December 1, 2023 - 11:00am
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on the Zoom Meetings platform | for members only | free of charge | registration required
Join your fellow member writers for a fun and stimulating hour+ of prompts, writing, and sharing.
Special Event
Quack! Quack! Questions!
Saturday, October 7, 2023 - 2:00pm
Saturday, November 4, 2023 - 2:00pm
Saturday, December 9, 2023 - 2:00pm
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Peluso Family Exhibition Gallery | open to the public | drop in
Drop by to see our cheery family-friendly exhibition and chat with the expert. You can catch Margery Quackenbush on three select Saturdays answering your questions about Robert Quackenbush and his art in the gallery.
Special Event
Closing: Italian American Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day 2023
Monday, October 9, 2023 - 9:00am
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holiday closing
The Library is closed all day Monday, October 9, for Italian American Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day. Otherwise we observe normal hours.
Children
Crafternoon
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 - 4:00pm
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Whitridge Room | All Ages | For Members Only
Leaves are falling and Halloween is on its way! Come get crafty at the Library!
Special Event
Happy Hour, October 2023
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 - 5:30pm to 7:00pm
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Members' Room | for members and their guests | free of charge | drop in
End your day with wine and light refreshments in the beautiful Members' Room. Library members and their guests are welcome.
The Writing Life
The Writing Life: Prompt! In Person with Carol Weston
Thursday, September 7, 2023 - 11:00am
Thursday, October 12, 2023 - 11:00am
Thursday, November 2, 2023 - 11:00am
Thursday, December 7, 2023 - 11:00am
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Whitridge Room | for members only | free of charge | registration required
Join your fellow member writers for a fun and stimulating hour+ of prompts, writing, and sharing.
The Writing Life
The Writing Life Special Event: Live from the Library, Fall 2023
Thursday, October 12, 2023 - 6:00pm
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Members’ Room | open to the public | $15 per person | registration required
Library members read from their own short stories, novels, poetry, criticism, memoir, and plays.
Children
Mother Goose Magic
Friday, October 13, 2023 - 10:00am
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Whitridge Room | Ages 2 and Older | For Members Only
Enjoy favorite nursery rhymes, picture books, and songs.
Special Event
Members' Room: A.E. Stallings, “Frieze Frame”: Artists and the Debate Around the Elgin Marbles, with The Hudson Review
Monday, October 16, 2023 - 6:00pm
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Members' Room | open to the public | free of charge | registration required
The Hudson Review celebrates its 75th anniversary this year with an original in-depth essay by A.E. Stallings, "Frieze Frame: How Poets, Painters (and Actors and Architects) Framed the Ongoing Debate Around Elgin and the Marbles of the Athenian Acropolis." At this special event, Ms. Stallings will give an illustrated talk about the history of the Elgin Marbles, discussing the 19th century’s many attitudes toward them through the present-day debate about their future. Light refreshments will be served.
Special Event
Livestream: A.E. Stallings, “Frieze Frame”: Artists and the Debate Around the Elgin Marbles, with The Hudson Review
Monday, October 16, 2023 - 6:30pm
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Livestream | open to the public | free of charge | registration required
The Hudson Review celebrates its 75th anniversary this year with an original in-depth essay by A.E. Stallings, "Frieze Frame: How Poets, Painters (and Actors and Architects) Framed the Ongoing Debate Around Elgin and the Marbles of the Athenian Acropolis." At this special event, Ms. Stallings will give an illustrated talk about the history of the Elgin Marbles, discussing the 19th century’s many attitudes toward them through the present-day debate about their future.
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Today's Events
Exhibitions
The Library showcases our historic collections and the literary culture of the city with themed public exhibitions on the second floor. Exhibitions are offered for six to twelve months, and both members and nonmembers are welcome to drop by any time the Library is open.
Current Exhibition:
The New York Society Library
53 East 79th Street
New York, NY 10075
212.288.6900
reference@nysoclib.org
Hours of Operation
Monday / Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday / Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Holiday Closing: Italian American Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day
The Library will be closed
Mon, 10/9.
Otherwise we observe normal hours.