This week is a particularly special week! May 2nd is both free comic book day and the first national Independent Bookstore Day! Check the end of this post to find out more about events affiliated with these days.
April 29th – Dystopian Fiction Panel
52 Prince Street
(between Lafayette & Mulberry)
New York City, NY 10012
Time: 7:00pm
If your taste in books favors ravaged landscapes, troubling futures, and oft-unsettling social commentary, it’s a good time to be a reader. As dystopian fiction goes through more and more permutations, we wanted to get some of our favorite writers together to discuss it. This panel will explore the current wave of dystopian fiction, how it mixes with other genres, where it’s going, and what it says about literature and society in general. Our panel will consist of:
Porochista Khakpour
Emily St. John Mandel
Lincoln Michel
Shya Scanlon
Moderated by Jason Diamond and Rahawa Haile
This event is free!
May 1st – Publishing Design Books in the Age of the Internet
41 Cooper Square (entrance on 7th St at 3rd Ave)
New York, New York 10003
Time: 6:30-8:30pm
A talk by Tony Brook and Adrian Shaughnessy on the special challenges of researching, writing, designing and publishing books on graphic design. The co-founders of Unit Editions discuss how they’ve thrived in an era when when it is possible to see nearly everything ever published online, and when bookshops are closing around the world. The talk will reference Unit Editions’ books on such diverse subjects as Herb Lubalin, master typographer Jurriaan Schrofer, the great design manuals of the golden age of identity design, and the imprint’s latest work, Spin: 360° – an attempt to re-think the contemporary monograph.
This even is free.
May 2nd – Independent Bookstore Day @ the Strand Bookstore
828 Broadway (& 12th Street)
New York, NY 10003
Time: 9:30am- 10:30pm
Strand celebrates Independent Bookstore Day alongside 400 other shops, countrywide. Get lost in the stacks (and all of our 18 miles while you’re at it!) as we invite you to special programs for kids and grownups alike and shop some special edition books, prints and merchandise unique to Independent Bookstore Day!
Head up to our second floor Children’s Department for a special character visit with Sesame Street’s Elmo at 11 AM and 2 PM. Stick around at 2-4 PM to get a portrait by the amazing illustrator behind the Last Night’s Reading blog, Kate Gavino, in the Graphic Novel section of the second floor!
Also not to be missed are a signed chapbook by Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay, signed prints by cartoonist Chris Ware, a signed infographic by Knowledge Is Beautiful author David McCandless, and more!
May 2nd – Free Comic Book Day
At your local/favorite comic book shop…
Pick up free one-off comics—including The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, The Avengers,Avatar,even SpongeBob—at your nearest local funny-book haven. Comic nerds’ favorite shops are among those of Midtown Comics, Forbidden Planet, Desert Island and JHU. This year, Bergen Street Comics hosts a family-friendly Superman event, where you can nab the superhero’s classic stories completely gratis
Additionally…
Also, be sure to check out other indie bookstores around the city! In honor of the day, McNally Jackson will be hosting authors in an epic marathon reading of Langston Hughes, alongside book giveaways and other goodies. Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn will have exclusive items for sale, a photo booth with authors, caricature drawings, and more. Click here for updates and participating stores/events.