The New York City Reading Series Census is an ongoing project to catalogue the contemporary literary scene. Any reading series curator in the New York area can take the survey here.

John Rice and Jenna Telesca have traded off responding for Oh, Bernice.

What is the name of the series, and what is the significance or meaning of the series name?
The reading series is named after our writers collective. The collective, originally nameless when started in 2010, eventually got its name from our email listhost.

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Catapult has had an astounding trajectory since it launched with a event promoting its publication of Padgett Powell’s Cries for Help, Various on September 10th. Elizabeth Koch’s literary enterprise publishes the books, short stories and essays of some of the most talked-about writers at work today (e.g. Powell, Joy Williams, Alexander Chee, Brian Evenson, Scott Cheshire, Hari Kunzru, Lincoln Michel), organizes writing workshops taught by many writers it publishes, and reserves a portion of its website for the writing of its student “community.”

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The New York City Reading Series Census is an ongoing project to catalogue the contemporary literary scene. Any reading series curator in the New York area can take the survey here.

What is the name of the series, and what is the significance or meaning of the series name?
Our name is The Eagle and the Wren. It takes its name in part from Wren’s Day, which takes place in Ireland on Saint Stephen’s Day (December 26th). The history is complex, but apocryphally a wren is supposed to have betrayed Saint Stephen’s hiding place by singing, leading to his martyrdom. Thus, on Wren’s, or “Wran’s”, day, folk go out to “hunt the wren.” This involves “Mumming,” or dressing up to hide your identity, and visiting neighbors. There is also the Irish folktale of the wren that hitched a ride on the Eagle’s tail feather during the birds’ contest to see who could fly the highest. Once the eagle had done its best, the wren hopped off and flew higher, thus the wren is known as “the king of all birds.”

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The New York City Reading Series Census is an ongoing project to catalogue the contemporary literary scene. Any reading series curator in the New York area can take the survey here.

What is the name of the series, and what is the significance or meaning of the series name?
Well, it’s in all caps. FREE WATER. The name itself is loud. Like a RITE-AID sign whose bulbs are shot. RI E- ID. That’s good. FREE WATER is tongue and cheek and FREE WATER is a lazy political statement. I also love the way it sounds.

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The New York City Reading Series Census is an ongoing project to catalogue the contemporary literary scene. Any reading series curator in the New York area can take the survey here.

What is the name of the series, and what is the significance or meaning of the series name?
The series is called Soul Sister Revue, a reading series for established and emerging poets who write in the narrative tradition of storytelling. The series is meant to honor the African tradition of stories passing on through generations.

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Bill Clegg has written two memoirs about addiction. He is also a literary agent. That means there are plenty of expectations about his debut novel Did You Ever Have a Family. He was at Greenlight Bookstore to talk about the book with Darin Strauss.

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The Center for Fiction hosted Kate Walbert and Lily Tuck for a brief reading and conversation about their novels. Walbert’s The Sunken Cathedral follows the story of close friends who survived World War II and emigrate from Europe. Tuck’s latest The Double Life of Liliane examines the life of a Liliane splitting her time between parents on different continents, but draws on personal autobiographical elements of Tuck’s life.

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The New York City Reading Series Census is an ongoing project to catalogue the contemporary literary scene. Any reading series curator in the New York area can take the survey here.

What is the name of the series, and what is the significance or meaning of the series name?
The series is called Pete’s Reading Series because it takes place at Pete’s Candy Store at 709 Lorimer Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

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