Lit Up NYC is Eckleburg’s weekly guide to readings, launches and literary conversations across New York, for today, the week ahead and next weekend. Times and tickets change, so check each event’s page before you go.
The Week Ahead
Monday, November 16
- 7 PM, Manhattan: Queer Detectives: An Investigation. McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton Street.
“In order to understand anything about the world,” Asya Sağnak writes in the latest issue of Lux, “the detective has to cruise it, to let it lead them around the corner… Details - 7 PM, Brooklyn: Book Launch: Bodega Cats of New York by Dan Rimada. POWERHOUSE Arena.
Get to know the working cats of New York City and the owners of these neighborhood stores through powerful narratives and 150 heartwarming photographs. Details - 8 PM, Manhattan: Sophia Dahlin + Harron Walker. The Poetry Project, St. Mark’s Church, 131 E. 10th St.. $10.
A Poetry Project reading. Details
Tuesday, November 17
- 7 PM, Manhattan: Róisín Tapponi & Matthew Higgs. McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton Street.
This irreverent debut novel from a startling new talent explores hedonism and heritage among the cold glitz of London’s commercial art worldRomy, an art history student, is committed to a headlon… Details
Wednesday, November 18
- 7:30 PM, Manhattan: National Book Awards Watch Party. McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton Street.
Join us at McNally Jackson as we watch the ceremony for the 77th National Book Awards! We will cast ballots on the 2026 Winners of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Translate… Details - 8 PM, Manhattan: Amy Ching-Yan Lam + Jacqueline Waters. The Poetry Project, St. Mark’s Church, 131 E. 10th St.. $10.
A Poetry Project reading. Details
Thursday, November 19
- 7 PM, Manhattan: New York reads Man in the Mirror: Part II. McNally Jackson Seaport, 4 Fulton Street.
Part I: Thursday, October 29thPart III: Thursday, December 10th Led by Anand Giridharadas and Sarah McNally, McNally Jackson Books is hosting a three-month reading group for Anand's incredible… Details
Friday, November 20
- 8 PM, Manhattan: Crackhead Barney + Ann Liv Young. The Poetry Project, St. Mark’s Church, 131 E. 10th St.. $10.
A Poetry Project reading. Details
Saturday, November 21
- 6 PM, Brooklyn: BAD POLY: Spill the Tea Edition – featuring Michelle Tea, Alex Alberto, Ashna Ali & Ro White. POWERHOUSE Arena.
An open mic & community fundraiser to share queer, trans, and poly stories, poems, performances, and more. Details
Eckleburg was founded in 2010 as an online and print literary and arts journal. We take our title from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and include the full archives of our predecessor Moon Milk Review. Our aesthetic is eclectic, literary mainstream to experimental. We appreciate fusion forms including magical realist, surrealist, meta- realist and realist works with an offbeat spin. We value character-focused storytelling and language and welcome both edge and mainstream with punch aesthetics. We like humor that explores the gritty realities of world and human experiences. Our issues include original content from both emerging and established writers, poets, artists and comedians such as authors, Roxane Gay, Rick Moody, Cris Mazza, Steve Almond, Stephen Dixon, poets, Moira Egan and David Wagoner and actor/comedian, Zach Galifianakis.