free things to do in New York City
Free events for Thursday, 12/18/25
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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!
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10 free poetry readings, book signings, author readings in New York City (NYC) Thu, 12/18/2025 - 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 | Local Poets Take the Stage


Live poetry curated by 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, Dec 18
8:00 pm
Free
Poetry Readings, December 18, 2025, 12/18/2025, Local Poets Take the Stage

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, Dec 18
8:00 pm
Free
Open Mics, December 18, 2025, 12/18/2025, Poetry, Music, and Comedy Showcase (Online!)

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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Fri, Dec 19
5:30 pm
Free
Poetry Readings, December 19, 2025, 12/19/2025, Poetry Open Mic: Share Your Work or Listen to Emerging Writers

Open Mic | Share Your Poetry & Listen to Others


Sign ups start from 7:30PM. 5-minute time slots. All performers welcome! Hosted by Ed Lin
   New York City, NY; NYC
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Fri, Dec 19
8:00 pm
Free
Open Mics, December 19, 2025, 12/19/2025, Share Your Poetry & Listen to Others

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, Dec 25
8:00 pm
Free
Open Mics, December 25, 2025, 12/25/2025, Poetry, Music, and Comedy Showcase (Online!)

Poetry Reading | Day of Poetry & Music (+ Open Mic)


Nuyorican Poets Cafe hosts a day of poetry by Nuyorican poets, music by Johnny Mambo and Friends, and an open mic for guest poets in the audience.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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Sat, Jan 3
3:00 pm
Free
Poetry Readings, January 03, 2026, 01/03/2026, Day of Poetry & Music (+ Open Mic)

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
Readings, January 20, 2026, 01/20/2026, Publishers Weekly Writer Shares Her New Nonfiction Book,&nbsp;Nothing Random

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
Poetry Readings, January 22, 2026, 01/22/2026, Evening of Local Poetry

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
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Mon, Jan 26
6:30 pm
Free
Readings, January 26, 2026, 01/26/2026, NYT Journalist Shares His New Book,&nbsp;Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America's Gay Restaurants

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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Fri, Jan 30
5:30 pm
Free
Poetry Readings, January 30, 2026, 01/30/2026, Poetry Open Mic: Share Your Work or Listen to Emerging Writers
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Play | Broadway Stars in a Play About Lifelong Friendship

Regular Price: $77
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Classical Music | Music by One of The Most-Performed Living Classical Composers at a Landmark Venue

Regular Price: $40
CFT Member Price: $0.00
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