Reading Series Census: Vapors
By Ian MacAllen
Tuesday, January 19th, 2016 | 13,424 views
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?
Vapors—the umbrella term for hysteria, mania, depression and other illnesses ascribed to women—is focused on historical concepts of madness and its treatments. The title also speaks to the nature of poetic performance, that it exists in a moment, that it can impact despite its ephemeral state.