Beginning June 7, we open the Individual Study Rooms and the Hornblower Room on the Fifth Floor to fully vaccinated members ONLY. All the latest details on our COVID-19 response here.
News and Links



Kick off Pride Month with a list of recent books related to LGBTQ+ experience and history.

"We must cultivate our garden," wrote Voltaire - and conservator Christina Amato gets inspiration from gardening books - contemporary and vintage.

Did you join the Library between June 2020 and June 2021? You’re invited to our (online) New Members Party, June 7, 6:00 PM. For full details or to RSVP, contact Diane Srebnick.

Get a peek at our Black Literature Matters exhibition - and visit the Peluso Family Exhibition Gallery anytime the Library is open.

One-Question Survey

What book are you looking forward to reading this summer - or what book would you recommend to others? All genres, topics, periods welcome. ADD YOUR RESPONSE HERE.
CONVERSATION - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Kirstin Valdez Quade, The Five Wounds: A Novel, in conversation with Meg Wolitzer

Thursday, June 3, 6:00 PM
online | $10 per person | registration required
 
From an award-winning storyteller comes a stunning debut novel about a New Mexican family’s extraordinary year of love and sacrifice - named one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021 by Oprah Magazine, The Week, The Millions, and Electric Lit. In this special event, Ms. Quade talks about The Five Wounds and the art of fiction writing with award-winning novelist Meg Wolitzer.

Interested in this event, but not ready to register? Get a reminder closer to the date.
SPECIAL EVENT - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
The 25th Anniversary New York City Book Awards Ceremony

Wednesday, June 9, 6:00 PM
YouTube Live | free of charge | no registration required
The New York City Book Awards, founded in 1996, honor each year’s best books about the city. This year's special ceremony honors the creators of great New York City books from 2019 and 2020.
THE WRITING LIFE - FOR MEMBERS ONLY
Prompt! with Terena Elizabeth Bell

Friday, June 11, 11:00 AM
online | by donation | registration required
 
Join your fellow member writers for a fun and stimulating hour+ of prompts, writing, and sharing.

Interested in this event, but not ready to register? Get a reminder closer to the date.
SPECIAL WRITING LIFE EVENTS - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Jeffrey Deaver, Laurie King, and Charles and Caroline Todd, How to Write a Mystery
(co-sponsored with Mystery Writers of America - New York Chapter)

Monday, June 14, 6:00 PM
online | free of charge | registration required
 
Acclaimed mystery writers Jeffrey Deaver, Laurie King, Charles Todd, and Caroline Todd discuss crafting mysteries and their ever-shifting publishing landscape. This panel celebrates the release of How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America.

This panel is followed by a related workshop:
Monday, June 21, 2:00 PM
online | free of charge | registration required
Attend either or both.

Interested in these events, but not ready to register? Get a reminder closer to the date.
NEW! SEMINAR - FOR MEMBERS ONLY
"What's with This Trojan War Anyway?" with Jane Mallison

Thursdays June 17, July 1, July 15, July 29, 11:00 AM
online | $60 for the four sessions | registration required

Archeologists place the Trojan War somewhere around 1200 B.C.E. How then to explain the fact that the last twenty years have witnessed an outpouring of books on this topic? In the context of the classic ancient texts, discussion covers contemporary reinterpretations from David Malouf to Ursula LeGuin to Daniel Mendelsohn.

Interested in this event, but not ready to register? Get a reminder closer to the first date.
LECTURE - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Annette Gordon-Reed, On Juneteenth
in conversation with Elizabeth Cobbs

Thursday, June 17, 6:00 PM
online | free of charge | registration through the Boston Athenaeum required

Interweaving American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed, the descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas in the 1850s, recounts the origins of Juneteenth and explores the legacies of the holiday that remain with us.

Interested in this event, but not ready to register? Get a reminder closer to the date.
LECTURE - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Hayden Herrera, Upper Bohemia: A Memoir

Thursday, June 24, 6:00 PM
online | $10 per person | registration required

A poignant coming-of-age memoir by the daughter of artistic, bohemian parents—set against a backdrop of 1950s New York, Cape Cod, and Mexico.

Interested in this event, but not ready to register? Get a reminder closer to the date.
SPECIAL EVENT - FOR MEMBERS AND GUESTS
Celebration of Member Writers, June 2021

Tuesday, June 29, 6:00 PM
online | free of charge | registration required

Members and guests are cordially invited to a celebration of Library members who have published books January-June 2021.

Have you published a new book during that time? Let us know at writers@nysoclib.org.

Interested in this event, but not ready to register? Get a reminder closer to the date.
Plus
Outside Event of Interest: Fiction Book Club
Some Library members have formed an independent book club. A few additional readers are welcome; they should be Library members and plan to attend each month.
 
Currently the group is reading American mystery novels and stories last printed in The Black Mask, a famous pulp magazine in the 20s, which introduced Dashiell Hammett to American audiences.
 
Contact Carol Stanger if you are interested in participating or learning more. 


Request a Book Bundle from our Children's & YA librarians!



More events are added throughout the season. If you were forwarded this message, sign up here to get our newsletter in your inbox.
The 2020-2021 New York City Book Awards are generously underwritten by Ellen M. Iseman.

The Black Literature Matters exhibition is presented with generous support from The Florence Gould Foundation.

The Writing Life events in 2021 are generously underwritten by Jenny Lawrence.
Quick Links
 
Library Hours
Monday and Friday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Saturday and Sunday 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

The Library will be closed Saturday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth.