I attend a lot of author events around NYC. (And I mean a lot!) And when I do attend, I confess that when authors read from their novels, it’s my least favorite part of the night. It’s not because their work isn’t magnificent. I think it’s mainly for two reasons. One: Novels aren’t necessarily designed to be performance pieces, so it’s exceedingly difficult to pull a portion of text and read it without context. It’s an entirely different experience. And two: At these events, the time with the author is so limited; I much prefer when they speak candidly about the work and what influenced its creation, which THEN allows me to enjoy reading it even more.

This past year, I became part of the organizing team behind the NYC Writers Circle Meetup Group. My friend, Natalie Kimber, an agent for The Rights Factory, has led the group for the last several years, keeping it alive through the pandemic. On the last Wednesday of each month, we host a reading series that Natalie curates spectacularly, and I have to admit, it’s completely changed my mind about reading in public for a few reasons.

WRDS superstar Vanessa Lanang reading at the NYC Writers Circle.

Because our group is made up of both aspiring and emerging writers, for many people who read, it’s their first time reading in front of a group. I have yet to talk to anyone who has read and hasn’t told me beforehand how nervous they are about what they are about to read. But once they do, magical things begin to happen. The people who attend our event are also creatives, so it’s a very supportive room. The reader experiences immediate gratification for the quality of their work. And perhaps best of all, it inspires other people in the room to want to create something to read at the series.

After participating in the series for the last year, I now find myself seeking out new reading series. Our friends Rita Puskas, Marisa Cadena and Ken Ho produce an incredible series on the third Tuesday of every month at the Greenpoint Palace. The last session blew me away with the talented readers, all expressing their work in different forms: poetry, short story, memoir, and even novel excerpt. And best of all, it’s made the experience completely interactive. I have probably met over 200 writers in the last year just from attending the readings alone.

Carlos Jimenez, Marisa Cadena, Hank Jost, Jimmy Cajoleas, Geoff Rickly and Rita Puskas at the Palace Reading Series in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Practicing what I preach, I’ll be reading at a few series this year from some creative nonfiction I’ve written. I’ll post the readings here once the dates and locations have been confirmed. But I highly recommend to all of my author and writer friends to read from their work. Create something specifically to read. It’s a wonderful exercise that helps remind you why you do this in the first place.

Read Me: Books I Like

The Somber Hilarity – Rita Puskas

Rita gifted me her book at the last Palace Reading Series, even though I was insisting on paying for it. “This is why artists starve!” I said. Rita’s work reminded me of a conversation I had with Adrian McKinty, the great Irish crime fiction writer. Adrian grew up in Northern Island, and we were discussing the growing number of films set there and how they get it wrong. “They are all completely devoid of humor,” Adrian said. “Whenever something awful happened, the next day on the playground, someone always found a way to make a joke about it. Humor is how we cope with tragedy.” And this is what Rita does so well. Having been a survivor of substantial trauma in her life, Rita knows how to capture the worst that humans have to offer, and how we survive that through humor.

King: A Life – Jonathan Eig

During the MLK holiday, I used the time to re-read my old pal Jon Eig’s amazing biography of Martin Luther King Jr that is meticulously reported and tries to peel back the layers that we have projected onto the man, like a historical game of telephone. Jon does a magnificent job of separating fact from fiction to create a portrait that is admirable.

Someone Who Isn’t Me – Geoff Rickly

I humbly admit I didn’t know a lot about Geoff’s music as the lead singer of Thursday. But when he read at the Palace Reading Series from his memoir, I immediately went up afterward to have a long conversation with him about his book. It’s an incredible look at how he dealt with crippling drug addiction, but again, it’s done with such incredible humor he had the entire crowd mesmerized by his story. Rose Books published the book, and it is not being distributed through Amazon, so even more of a reason to support him.

Found Treasures

Tucked inside this story about the disappearance of pork stores in NYC, one of my local butchers, Staubitz Market, is having a GoFundMe to avoid bankruptcy. Some of these businesses have been around for over 100 years. It’s heartbreaking to watch.

This short documentary on the Milwaukee Beer Blind Bowling League is magnificent.

I have yet to visit this bookstore/wine bar in the East Village, but it is on my list of things to do.

Steven Soderbergh talks about all the books he read in 2023. It's very cool to hear Donald Westlake's books are among them.

Jon Stewart is back!

I wish I still had a sports magazine, just to interview this 52-year-old man who chainsmoked his way through a complete marathon.

The Secret Room is one of my favorite podcasts. I understand that people volunteer to be interviewed, but Ben Hamm seems to make the most out of every interview.

My pal Wesley Browne tipped me off to the genius that is Crystal Wilkinson, and she will be in Brooklyn on Monday evening to celebrate her book on Black Appalachian cultural heritage, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts.

Until next week…