Tag Archives: Author Reading

Fountain Bookshop – Book Talk: The Cities We Need: Essential Stories of Everyday Places

Join us at The Fountain Bookshop for an inspiring author talk, Q&A, and signing with Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani, author of The Cities We Need: Essential Stories of Everyday Places.

In this powerful exploration of Brooklyn and Oakland and the importance of community spaces everywhere, Bendiner-Viani blends photography and prose, sharing the stories of residents who give us a personal, intimate view of their neighborhoods. Through their eyes, we witness the vital, often overlooked places that shape our cities – and sometimes, are lost to gentrification and displacement.

Don’t miss this chance to hear from the author herself about the making of this evocative book! 📘💫
🗓️Saturday, February 1st, 2025
⏱️4:00 PM
📍The Fountain Bookshop, 803 w 187th st, NYC (A train to 181 or 190th!)

Word Up at Highbridge Park – It’s My Park Day: Celebrating Faith Ringgold’s TAR BEACH

Saturday, November 16, 2024 – 11:00am to 1:00pm
Raoul Wallenberg Playground (in Highbridge Park)
Amsterdam Avenue & 188th/189th St.
New YorkNY 10032

Storytelling by Esperanza Martell & Musical Performance by Guy Bisserette

Join us on It’s My Park Day to plant bulbs in the Pollinator Garden, to learn about stewardship, and to enjoy poetry, literature, and music with your neighbors! All supplies will be provided. Copies of Faith Ringgold’s picture book Tar Beach will be given away while supplies last.

Organized by Connectemonos; Partnerships for Parks; New York Restoration Project; Word Up Community Bookshop; Catholic Charities Community Services NY–Alianza; Pluma Poética del Arte; ADEUSA; We Run Uptown; OnPoint NYC.

Tar Beach By Faith Ringgold Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9780517885444
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Dragonfly Books – December 3rd, 1996

Hudson View Gardens Lounge: Bloom Readings

“Bloom Readings presents “A September Reading – Two Authors/Two New Books!”, Saturday, September 21st, 6:00 pm, in The Lounge at Hudson View Gardens, just west of the intersection of 183rd St. & Pinehurst Ave. Tickets are $10, and can be purchased in advance with Venmo: @wicked-rufous-press.

Sarah Van Arsdale is a fiction writer, poet, and artist living in New York and Oaxaca, Mexico. Her seventh book, Catch and Release, (Finishing Line Press, 2024) is a book-length poem about the human impact on the sea life in Mexico, levied by Van Arsdale’s watercolor illustrations. Her first novel, Toward Amnesia, was published by Riverhead Books in 1995. She is the author of three other books of fiction: Blue, winner of the Peter Taylor Prize for the novel (2003 University of Tennessee Press);  Grand Isle (SUNY Press, 2012) a novella collection, In Case of Emergency, Break Glass (Queens Ferry Press, 2016), and another book-length poem, The Catamount (Nomadic Press, 2016). She’s assistant director of the Ferro-Grumley Award in LGBTQ Fiction, and she teaches creative writing in the low-residency MFA program at Antioch University.

David Ebenbach is the author of ten books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, including his new novel Possible Happiness, called “a beautiful coming-of-age novel” by Booklist, in a starred review. His books have won such awards as the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the Juniper Prize, among others. His fiction and poetry have also been published in numerous magazines, including The Kenyon ReviewAsimov’s Science Fiction, and The New England Review. He lives with his family in Washington, DC, where he teaches creative writing and literature at Georgetown University. You can find out more at davidebenbach.com

For more information visit BloomReadings.net, or email us at bloomreadings80@gmail.com

Word Up: Families Belong Together, Families Demand Repair: Reparations for Child Welfare Teach-In

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 – 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Word Up Community Bookshop / Librería Comunitaria
2113 Amsterdam Ave. & 165th St.
New YorkNY 10032

register

Join us at Word Up for a teach-in on learning, reflection, and action toward abolition and reparations. We will confront the violent history of family separation, the ongoing harm of state surveillance, and the necessity of repair through a 5-point reparations framework. Together, we will build collective power, deepen our commitment to liberation, and take concrete steps toward ending systems of harm.

This event is free or a $5 suggested donation to Word Up. Please register in advance. 

Word Up Community Bookshop/Libreria Communitaria is located at 2113 Amsterdam Avenue (corner of 165th Street) in Manhattan. Subways: A, C or #1 train to 168th Street (walk south to 165th St, turn left, then walk east to Amsterdam Avenue).

Black Families Love and Unite (BLU) is an organization dedicated to empowering Black and Brown families through education, organizing, and community care.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Imani Worthy is a Bronx native whose family was impacted by the child welfare system in 2019. Following this experience, she pursued advocacy work, holding roles such as Public Speaking Coordinator at Rise Magazine and Family Advocate at the Center for Family Representation. Imani is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Black Families Love and Unite (BLU), an organization dedicated to empowering Black and Brown families and dismantling systems of oppression. She holds an MBA and is deeply committed to holistic and restorative justice practices, including circle keeping and somatic wellness to create meaningful change for our communities.

Nancy Fortunato, Senior Family Organizer, has over 10 years of advocacy and organizing experience as an impacted parent and an expert on systemic racism. She graduated from the Child Welfare Organizing Project and the Institute of Transformative Mentoring at The New School. Nancy has held roles at the East Harlem Community Partnership Program, the Center for Human Development and Family Services, and RISE, where she was promoted to Senior Parent Leader. She is currently a Peer Navigator at Justice For Families.

Cassandra Gonzalez, Family Organizer with two years of advocacy and organizing experience, is an Afro Latine parent of two boys who embraces inclusivity and gender diversity. With a passion for cooking and a commitment to empowerment, Cassandra utilizes their life experiences to support and uplift fellow parents, reflecting their resilience and compassion.