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Free events for Sunday, 11/15/26
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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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16 free poetry readings, book signings, author readings in New York City (NYC) Sun, 11/15/2026 - 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 | In Search of Mary Low Tri-lingual Poetry Reading


Celebrating the life and work of surrealist poet Mary Low, with a reading in Spanish, English, and French. In Search of Mary Low represents the first complete collection of Mary Low’s published poetry (1939–2000), edited and translated by the eminent Cuban-American scholar, poet, and literary critic Enrico Mario Santí.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Tue, Nov 17
7:00 pm

free, no reservation required
Poetry Readings, November 17, 2026, 11/17/2026, In Search of Mary Low Tri-lingual Poetry Reading

Reading | Press Launch: New Works from a New Independent Publisher


Readings and discussion in celebration of the launch of BugNip Press, with press director Grant Farred and editorial collective members Sophia Jahadhmy, Oliver Layman, Alex van Biema, and Anton Jahr-Vavrus. Under discussion will be BugNip's The Unsettler (by Farred and the collective, co-published with np:) and Minneapolis Resists, edited by Mary Vavrus. 
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Wed, Nov 18
7:00 pm

free, RSVP required
Readings, November 18, 2026, 11/18/2026, Press Launch: New Works from a New Independent Publisher

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!
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Thu, Nov 19
5:30 pm

free, register for...
Poetry Readings, November 19, 2026, 11/19/2026, Poetry Open Mic: Share Your Work or Listen to Emerging Writers

Author Reading | Pulitzer Prize Finalist Shares New Material


A reading by Nathan Englander followed by a conversation/Q&A with Darin Strauss. The event will conclude with a reception/signing with books for sale. Nathan Englander's most recent novel is kaddish.com. He is also the author of Dinner at the Center of the Earth, the collection What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, as well as the internationally bestselling story collection For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, and the novel The Ministry of Special Cases. He was the 2012 recipient of the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for What We Talk About. His short fiction and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post, Vogue, and Esquire, among other places.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Thu, Nov 19
7:00 pm

free, RSVP required
Author Readings, November 19, 2026, 11/19/2026, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Shares New Material

Reading | The Devil Wears Prada Live Reading Performance


A special evening of literary performance featuring Helen Laser, award-winning audiobook narrator, bringing select passages from Lauren Weisberger’s bestselling novel to life. This November, the group is stepping into the glossy, cutthroat world of Runway magazine. Follow Andy Sachs, a young aspiring journalist who lands a coveted job working for the formidable Miranda Priestly, only to discover that success comes with impossible demands, designer labe
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Thu, Nov 19
8:00 pm

free, RSVP required
Readings, November 19, 2026, 11/19/2026, The Devil Wears Prada Live Reading Performance

Author Reading | Lincoln Center Poet-in-Residence Shares Poetry by Emerging Writers


A reading with writer, playwright, organizer, and educator Mahogany L. Browne, as she presents poets from her New York City Regional Workshop, "Do Not Make Grief Your God." Readers will share works that explore both grief and love, while also responding to political themes and the nuances of sound.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Fri, Nov 20
6:00 pm

free, RSVP required
Author Readings, November 20, 2026, 11/20/2026, Lincoln Center Poet-in-Residence Shares Poetry by Emerging Writers

Open Mic | Hearing from Emerging Writers or Performing 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.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Fri, Nov 20
8:00 pm

free, no reservation required
Open Mics, November 20, 2026, 11/20/2026, Hearing from Emerging Writers or Performing Your Own Work

Poetry Reading | Poetry Festival: Walt Whitman Award-Winning Poets Share Their Work


Readings with Threa Almontaser and Dean Browne. Threa Almontaser (she/her) is the author of the poetry collection The Wild Fox of Yemen (Graywolf Press 2021), winner of the 2020 Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets and longlisted for the 2021 National Book Awards for Poetry. Dean Browne is an Irish poet. He won the 2020 Geoffrey Dearmer Award for his poem "The Last Consultation". His pamphlet Kitchens at Night won the 2021 Poetry Business International Book & Pamphlet Competition. His 2025 debut book After Party was a Poetry Book Society recommendation for autumn 2025. He was appointed as the 2026 writer in residence at University College Cork, and was chosen by United Kingdom poet laureate Simon Armitage to take part in the poet laureate's 2026 library tour event at Newcastle, County Down.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Sat, Nov 21
2:00 pm

free, tickets required
Poetry Readings, November 21, 2026, 11/21/2026, Poetry Festival: Walt Whitman Award-Winning Poets Share Their Work

Reading | Readings Celebrating the Memoir of Late Avant-Garde Artist


Celebrate the publication of The Space Behind the Face: Life Stories, by Robert Wilson with Keith McDermott. The book will be available for purchase, signed by Robert Wilson.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Sat, Nov 21
3:00 pm

free, no reservation required
Readings, November 21, 2026, 11/21/2026, Readings Celebrating the Memoir of Late Avant-Garde Artist

Poetry Reading | Poetry Fest: Award-Winning American & Irish Writers Read Their Pieces


Readings performed by Stephanie Burt and Annemarie Ni Churreain. Stephanie Burt is an American literary critic and poet who is the Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English at Harvard University. The New York Times has called her "one of the most influential poetry critics of [her] generation." Annemarie Ni Churreain is a poet from the Donegal Gaeltacht. Her poetry has been shortlisted for the Shine Strong Award for best first collection in Ireland and for the 2018 Julie Suk Award in the U.S.A.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Sat, Nov 21
3:30 pm

free, tickets required
Poetry Readings, November 21, 2026, 11/21/2026, Poetry Fest: Award-Winning American & Irish Writers Read Their Pieces

Poetry Reading | Poetry Fest: New Yorker-Featured Poets Perform Their Work


Readings by Megan Fernandes and Susannah Dickey.  Megan Fernandes is a New York City poet who has written three collections of poetry. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, Ploughshares, The Kenyon Review, and The American Poetry Review, among others. Susannah Dickey is a novelist and poet from Derry in Northern Ireland. Dickey received an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors in 2020. She is the author of four poetry pamphlets.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Sun, Nov 22
1:00 pm

free, tickets required
Poetry Readings, November 22, 2026, 11/22/2026, Poetry Fest:&nbsp;New Yorker-Featured Poets Perform Their Work

Poetry Reading | Jazz-Inspired Poetry Celebration


Brooklyn poet Patricia Carragon has a special celebration of her latest poetry collection, Stranger on the Shore (Human Error Publishing, 2026). Inspired by the rhythms and improvisational spirit of jazz, the afternoon will feature Carragon and invited readers performing selections from her collection, followed by a discussion and audience Q&A.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Sun, Nov 22
2:00 pm

free, no reservation required
Poetry Readings, November 22, 2026, 11/22/2026, Jazz-Inspired Poetry Celebration

Poetry Reading | Poetry Fest: New Yorker Poetry Editor & Trinity College Professor Share Their Work


Readings from Kevin Young and Peter Sirr. Kevin Young is an American poet and the former director of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture. Author of 11 books and editor of eight others, Young previously served as Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library. A winner of a Guggenheim Fellowship as well as a finalist for the National Book Award for his 2003 collection Jelly Roll: A Blues, Young was Atticus Haygood Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University and curator of Emory's Raymond Danowski Poetry Library. In March 2017, Young was named poetry editor of The New Yorker. Peter Sirr lives in Dublin where he works as a freelance writer and translator. He teaches a course in literary translation for the Translation Centre in Trinity College, Dublin. Intimate City: Dublin Essays was published in 2021.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Sun, Nov 22
4:00 pm

free, tickets required
Poetry Readings, November 22, 2026, 11/22/2026, Poetry Fest: New Yorker Poetry Editor & Trinity College Professor Share Their Work

Reading | Storytelling Party & Open Mic


Eric Vetter brings New York’s best established and emerging authors and storytellers to this bookstore for this storytelling party. This event is curated and co-hosted by author/storyteller Michele Carlo, the author of FISH OUT OF AGUA: My life on neither side of the (subway) tracks.   The show will also include a “Magic Hat Open-Mic” where audience members can sign up for a chance at four minutes of stage time to share their own stories.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Tue, Dec 1
7:00 pm

free, donations welcome,...
Readings, December 01, 2026, 12/01/2026, Storytelling Party & Open Mic

Reading | Kirkus Prize-Winning Writers Read from Their New Anthology on Motherhood (for Ages 21+)


Readings from the book Notes to New Mothers by Julie Buntin, Rebecca Dinerstein Knight, Julia Phillips, Kirstin Valdez Quade, and Kristen Radtke. The event will be followed by a signing with books for sale. You must be 21 or older to attend this event.
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Thu, Dec 3
7:00 pm

free, RSVP required
Readings, December 03, 2026, 12/03/2026, Kirkus Prize-Winning Writers Read from Their New Anthology on Motherhood (for Ages 21+)

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!
   Manhattan, New York, NY
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Thu, Dec 17
5:30 pm

free, register for...
Poetry Readings, December 17, 2026, 12/17/2026, Poetry Open Mic: Share Your Work or Listen to Emerging Writers
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Complimentary Tickets

to shows, concerts ... (CFT Deals!)

Play | Play with Five-time Golden Globe Award Nominee

Regular Price: $49
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Classical Music | Holiday Concert at a Landmark Venue

Regular Price: $40
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Performance | Comedy by 13-time Emmy Winner with Broadway Actors

Regular Price: $69
CFT Member Price: $0.00