free things to do in New York City
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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!
19 free poetry readings, book signings, author readings in New York City (NYC) Fri, 01/09/2026 - 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 | Multilingual Poetry Night: Quantum Age
Discover the concepts of Quantum Age Poetry and Quantum Poetics with this multilingual poetry event exploringinnovative poetic frameworks.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Jan 14
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 pm
Free
Reading | Open Mic StorySLAM on UFOs and the Unknown with The Moth
This open mic StorySLAM hosted by The Moth invites participants to share true, personal stories about UFOs, paranormal experiences, and the unknown. Attendees selected at random will take the stage to tell their stories without notes, while others are welcome to listen.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Thu, Jan 15
7:00 pm
tickets are donation-based...
7:00 pm
tickets are donation-based...
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, Jan 15
8:00 pm
Free
8:00 pm
Free
Reading | Read Proust's Final Work, Time Regained
Read or re-read Proust's last volume, Time Regained, with Alex Klameth, Proust Center-JML Facilitator. If you are a re-reader, you may join... if you don't reveal any spoilers! Any translation or language is welcome.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Sat, Jan 17
2:30 pm
Free
2:30 pm
Free
Reading | Publishers Weekly Writer Shares Her New Nonfiction Book, Nothing Random
Publishers Weekly writer/editor Gayle Feldman reads from her new book Nothing Random. Synopsis: At midcentury, everyone knew Bennett Cerf: witty, beloved, middle-aged panelist on What’s My Line? whom TV brought into America’s homes each week. But they didn’t know that the handsome, driven, paradoxical young man of the 1920s had vowed to become a great publisher and, a decade later, was. By then, he’d signed Eugene O’Neill, Gertrude Stein, and William Faulkner, and had fought the landmark censorship case that gave Americans the freedom to read James Joyce’s Ulysses. With his best friend and lifelong business partner Donald Klopfer, and other young Jewish entrepreneurs like the Knopfs and Simon & Schuster, Cerf remade the book business: what was published, and how. Using interviews with more than two hundred individuals, deeply researched archival material, and letters from private collections not previously available, this book brings Bennett Cerf to vibrant life.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Tue, Jan 20
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 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, Jan 22
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
Join the Club!
Thu, Jan 22
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, Jan 23
8:00 pm
Free
8:00 pm
Free
Reading | NYT Journalist Shares His New Book, Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America's Gay Restaurants
In this conversation about Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America's Gay Restaurants, author Erik Piepenburg takes us on a culinary tour of spaces filled with joy, sex, sorrow, activism, and nostalgia, joined by colleagues from the food world Florent Morellet, Telly Justice, and Camille Lindsley. Dining Out explores how gay people came of age, came out, and fought for their rights not just in gay bars or the streets, but in restaurants. From cruisy urban cafeterias of the 1920s to mom-and-pop diners that fed the Stonewall generation to the intersectional hotspots of the early 21st century. Using archival material, original reporting and interviews, and first-person accounts, Erik Piepenburg explores how LGBTQ restaurants shaped and continue to shape generations of gay Americans.
New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Mon, Jan 26
6:30 pm
Free
6:30 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
Join the Club!
Thu, Jan 29
8:00 pm
Free
8:00 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
Join the Club!
Fri, Jan 30
5:30 pm
Free
5:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | The Story of A Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Spanish Empire
Join acclaimed author and journalist Julian Sancton for a talk marking the release of his latest book, Neptune’s Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire. Sancton discusses the true story of the San José, a Spanish galleon that sank off the coast of Colombia carrying vast amounts of gold and silver, and the decades-long effort to locate the wreck. The event includes readings from the book, a presentation with photographs, and a moderated discussion. A book signing follows, with copies available for purchase.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Sat, Jan 31
2:30 pm
Free
2:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | Animator & Cartoonist Shares His New Book, New York Animation 1966-1999. A City in Motion (+ Q&A)
Robby Gilbert, author of New York Animation 1966-1999. A City in Motion, will be giving a short reading from this book, talking about the research that went into this invaluable book and stories of some of the animators he has interviewed. A Q&A with the audience will follow.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Sun, Feb 1
2:00 pm
Free
2:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Deborah Burke Shares Her New Novel, Mean Higher High Water
Writer Deborah Burke reads from her new book, Mean Higher High Water. Synopsis: A climate-steeped fairytale for anyone haunted by the future. Humans are excellent at finding ways to adapt—but not everyone is going to be very happy about it. For Nia, an aging, sharp-tongued forager with a grief problem, survival means finding someone to blame.
New York City, NY; NYC
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Sun, Feb 8
2:00 pm
Free
2:00 pm
Free
Reading | Writer Larissa Pham Shares Her New Novel, Discipline
Experience a reading with Larissa Pham as she sits down with Jennifer Cho Salaff to discuss her new novel, Discipline. About Discipline: In the novel, the main character, Christine, is on a book tour for her book, which is a thinly veiled revenge fantasy based on a relationship she had with a former professor. Her world is turned upside down when he reaches out after years of silence and invites her to visit him on a remote island off the coast of Maine. "A taut, electrifying debut about a woman forced to confront unsettling truths about herself, her past, and the life she rebuilt following a ruinous affair with her former mentor, from a 'lit world phenom'" -Harper’s Bazaar
New York City, NY; NYC
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Wed, Feb 11
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Author Reading | Writers' Showcase: Short, Original Works on Opportunity & Difficulty
Prepare to be surprised and captivated when members of the National Arts Club’s Literary Committee present short readings from their original works on the theme of creating opportunity from difficulty – or even crisis – in a world where problems are never in short supply.
New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Fri, Feb 20
6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free
Reading | Read Proust's Final Work, Time Regained
Read or re-read Proust’s last volume, Time Regained, with Alex Klameth, Proust Center-JML Facilitator. If you are a re-reader, you may join... if you don't reveal any spoilers! Any translation or language is welcome.
New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Sat, Feb 21
2:30 pm
Free
2:30 pm
Free
Author Reading | Young Adult Author Corey Ann Haydu Shares Her Books & Discusses Her Craft
Attend a reading and conversation with author Corey Ann Haydu (OCD Love Story, Eventown) as she sits down with Emily X.R. Pan (The Astonishing Color of After) to talk about process, craft, working across genres and categories, and maintaining a creative life.
New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Tue, Feb 24
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
Join the Club!
Fri, Feb 27
5:30 pm
Free
5:30 pm
Free
Join the Club!
Complimentary Tickets
to shows, concerts ... (CFT Deals!)
Concert | Met Opera Singers Perform Spirituals, Opera Selections and More
Regular Price: $25CFT Member Price: $0.00
Performance | Sound Theater Experience Exploring Sex, Identity, & Consumption
Regular Price: $40CFT Member Price: $0.00
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