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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City! Read More
Are you looking for literary events like book readings, book signings, poetry readings? Then you came to the right place. Start using these unique New York City opportunities today!
Are you looking for literary events like book readings, book signings, poetry readings? Then you came to the right place. Start using these unique New York City opportunities today!
Join the Club!
The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.
So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!
The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.
So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!
14 free poetry readings, book signings, author readings in New York City (NYC) Fri, 05/22/2026 - and on...
Not a day goes by in New York City (NYC) without a free poetry reading or a book signing or a book reading by a famous or not yet famous author. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!
Poetry Reading | Arts Festival: Award-Winning Writier Hosts Multi-Poet Reading + Open Mic
Enjoy a "Poetry Jam with Prose on the Side" curated by playwright, screenwriter, director, artist, and poet Lissa Moira and emceed by Richard West and Didi Champagne. An open mic will follow as time permits.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Sun, May 24
4:00 pm
Free
4:00 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Poetry in the Park: Emerging & Established Prize-Winning Writers
Hear award-winning poetry by established and emerging poets on the plaza: Arden Levine, Chet'la Sebree, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, and Monica Ferrell. Hosted by Jason Schneiderman, acclaimed poet. Arden Levine is the author of Spoke and Ladies’ Abecedary. Her poems, essays, and reviews appear in AGNI, Barrow Street, Harvard Review, Indiana Review, RHINO, and elsewhere, and have been featured by Poetry Society of America, Poetry Foundation, and WNYC's Radiolab. An essayist and poet from the Mid-Atlantic, Chet'la Sebree is the author of the debut essay collection TURN (W)HERE: A Geography of Home as well the poetry collections Blue Opening, longlisted for PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry and a finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Poetry; Field Study, winner of the 2020 James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets; and Mistress, nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Darrel Alejandro Holnes is an Afro-Panamanian American poet whose work centers Afro-diasporic experience and migration. He is the author of Stepmotherland, winner of the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize and the Juan Felipe Herrera Best Poetry Book Award, and Migrant Psalms =, winner of the Drinking Gourd Prize. Monica Ferrell is the author of a novel and three books of poetry, including the forthcoming The Future; You Darling Thing, a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and the Believer Book Award in Poetry; and Beasts for the Chase, winner of the Kathryn A. Morton Prize and a finalist for the Asian American Writers Workshop Prize in Poetry.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, May 26
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | "Writers Read" Live Show: Personal Stories from Accomplished Writers
Enjoy personal stories read aloud by accomplished writers in five minutes or less at this live show hosted by Ed McCann, founder of Writers Read. Edward McCann is the host and the voice of the Writers Read Live Shows and Podcast. He’s an award-winning television writer/producer whose features and essays have been published in many national magazines and literary journals.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, May 27
12:30 pm
Free
12:30 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Evening of Local Poetry
Enjoy an evening of poetry with local poet and playwright Galinsky, with "Five Minute Features" from a dozen poets of all styles.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, May 28
8:00 pm
Free
8:00 pm
Free
Open Mic | Poetry, Music, and Comedy Showcase (Online!)
Join a weekly online showcase featuring poems, songs, and comedy. Performers can sign up for a 4-minute spot by reserving one of 20 Artist-RSVP tickets, available starting Wednesdays at 8:00 PM ET. If all spots are filled, performers may join the “good-luck round” at the end of the session. Audience members are welcome to watch live via Zoom.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, May 28
8:00 pm
Free
8:00 pm
Free
Open Mic | Hear from Emerging Writers or Perform Your Own Work
Hear original work by local, emerging writers of all genres, or share some of your own pieces! All performers welcome! Hosted by novelist Ed Lin. Sign ups start from 7:30PM. 5-minute time slots.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, May 29
8:00 pm
Free
8:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Immigrant Reading Series: Seagulls by Nina Chayka (+ Discussion & Q&A)
Writer Nina Chayka shares his new book, Seagulls, as a part of this immigrant reading series. Nina will be joined in conversation by Claire Messud, author of This Strange Eventful History. Along with a discussion and audience Q&A, Nina will also sign copies of his book.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Sat, May 30
7:00 pm
Free
7:00 pm
Free
Reading | Outdoor Reading Session: Socialize with Likeminded Readers
Grab a book, a picnic blanket, and a friend, and join silent reading sessions with ambient music, followed by lively book discussions with fellow book lovers.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Mon, Jun 1
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Poetry in the Park: Sonnet Celebration with Writers from The New Yorker & The Paris Review
Enjoy a celebration of sonnets with Dora Malech and Phillis Levin, hosted by Jason Schneiderman. Dora Malech’s most recent book of poetry is Trying × Trying. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals, magazines, and anthologies, including The New Yorker, Poetry, and The Best American Poetry. Malech is the Elliott Coleman Professor and department chair in the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, where she also leads the Office of the Arts and serves as editor in chief of The Hopkins Review. Phillis Levin is the author of six poetry collections, including An Anthology of Rain and Mr. Memory & Other Poems, a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize; she is the editor of The Penguin Book of the Sonnet. Honors include the Poetry Society of America’s Norma Farber First Book Award, a Fulbright Scholar Award to Slovenia, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Trust of Amy Lowell. Her poems appear in AGNI, The Atlantic, The Best American Poetry, The Common, Kenyon Review, The New Republic, The New Yorker, Paris Review, Poetry London, The Yale Review, and elsewhere.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Jun 2
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | New Yorker-Featured Authors Disucss Memoir Crafting
Explore the art of memoir in this author panel with writers Jeffrey Banks, Storyteller: Tales from a Fashion Insider; Stefan Merrill Block, Homeschooled; and Ian Jarvis, The Escape Artist.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Jun 3
12:30 pm
Free
12:30 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Pushcart Prize-Winning & NPR-Featured Poets Share Their Work in the Park
Enjoy an evening of poetry hosted by Jason Schneiderman, with readings by Anne Marie Macari, Francisco Aragon, Maggie Dietz, and Yanyi. Anne Marie Macari is the author of six books of poetry, including the forthcoming Amerigun, (Persea, ‘26), and most recently Red Deer and Heaven Beneath. Her poetry and essays have been widely published in magazines such as The Iowa Review, Field, and American Poetry Review. Francisco Aragón is the son of Nicaraguan immigrants. His books include, After Rubén (2020), Glow of Our Sweat (2010), and Puerta de Sol (2005). He’s also the editor of The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry (2007). His work has appeared in over twenty anthologies. Maggie Dietz's new book is If You Would Let Me. Her previous collections are That Kind of Happy and Perennial Fall, which won New Hampshire’s Jane Kenyon Award. Her awards include a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Phillips Exeter Academy, the NH State Council on the Arts, and Jentel Arts. Her work has appeared in AGNI, The Adroit Journal, Bennington Review, Birmingham Poetry Review, Ploughshares, Poetry, Salmagundi, The Threepenny Review and elsewhere. Yanyi is the author of Dream of the Divided Field (One World 2022) and The Year of Blue Water (Yale 2019), winner of the 2018 Yale Series of Younger Poets Prize. His work has been featured in or at NPR’s All Things Considered, New York Public Library, Tin House, Granta, and A Public Space.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Jun 9
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Poetry Open Mic: Share Your Work or Listen to Emerging Writers
Participants can share their original work for up to five minutes. Space is limited to 15 readers; show up on time to get a slot!
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Jun 18
5:30 pm
Free
5:30 pm
Free
Poetry Reading | Poetry & Musical Performances Exploring Movement & Bodies in Motion
Attend La Casita, a citywide festival celebrating global oral traditions, poetry, and music, grounded in the principle that New York City is more fully represented through the sweep of artistic traditions found throughout the five boroughs. This summer’s forward-looking theme is "Movement/Bodies in Motion," curated by Gabriel Ramirez, Rich Villar, Mahogany L. Browne, and Claudia Norman. Hosted by boricua poet Elisabet Velasquez, the event will feature readings from Ethiopian-American poet Hiwot Adilow, Black Mexican-American poet Irene Vásquez, Grand Slam winner Marcus Stokes, and Bronx Poet Laureate Kay Poema. La Casita will also showcase musical performances by Nigerian-American Kingsley Ibeneche and, straight from Queens, norteño music and dance by Suspenso del Norte. There are two ways to access this event: 1. General Admission, first-come first-served. Just show up! 2. Fast Track opening the Monday before the event at noon for all.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Sat, Jun 20
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | GQ & Bustle Contributor Shares Her New Novel, The Very Definition of Love
A reading and conversation with Sophia Benoit, author of The Very Definition of Love, with Sarah MacLean. Bridgerton meets Emily Henry in this fresh take on regency romance about a wallflower writing a dictionary of bawdy slang who arranges her own marriage to the ultimate instructor: the town rake.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Jun 23
8:00 pm
Free
8:00 pm
Free
Join the Club!
Complimentary Tickets
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Classical Music | Faure's Masterpiece and More at a Landmark Venue
Regular Price: $65CFT Member Price: $0.00
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