Library Talks

Bestselling author Maggie Nelson's latest book, “The Argonauts,” received the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism. In this conversation with poet and critic Wayne Koestenbaum, Nelson talks about justice, empathy, and the nature of grief.

Macarthur Award-winning author Colson Whitehead's latest book, “The Underground Railroad,” was released August 2nd to widespread critical acclaim and recently named an Oprah’s Book Club Pick. The author, a former fellow at NYPL’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, came to the Library in 2015 to discuss his book “The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky & Death,” which chronicles his experience as an amateur card player trying his hand at the World Series of Poker. In this conversation with NYPL’s Jessica Strand, Whitehead talks about what he learned about the human condition in Las Vegas—and discusses the early stages of writing what would become this year’s hit, “The Underground Railroad.”

Award-winning poet Kevin Young will be joining the NYPL family this fall as the new director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. He came to the Library last November for a talk with chef and writer Gabrielle Hamilton, owner of the acclaimed New York City restaurant Prune and author of the memoir “Blood, Bones, & Butter.” In this wide-ranging conversation, co-presented by The Academy of American Poets, Young and Hamilton talk about food, verse, and the links between sense and memory.

Renowned cancer physician and researcher Siddhartha Mukherjee came to the Library this spring to discuss his new book “The Gene: An Intimate History,” a fascinating examination of our understanding of human heredity and its influence on our personalities, fates, and choices. In this conversation with “The New Yorker” editor David Remnick, Mukherjee talks about medicine, writing, and the links between biology and personal narrative.

Writer, artist and vocalist Laurie Anderson, one of America’s most renowned and daring creative pioneers, came to the Library this spring to discuss her life and work. In this conversation with NYPL’s Paul Holdengraber, Anderson talks about art, inspiration, and trusting the physical.

We’re celebrating Ernest Hemingway’s birthday with an event from the archives. Nobel Prize winning poet Derek Walcott gives us a new appreciation of Hemingway as a great and influential Caribbean writer, discussing Hemingway's influence on his writing, and paying tribute to him with readings of his own poems.

This week, we’re thrilled to welcome acclaimed author and Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro in a talk with Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe Award-winning actor John Lithgow. In a conversation that covers drama, language, and the relationship between history and art, the two discuss Shapiro’s latest book, “The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606”—which examines how tumultuous events in England in 1606 affected Shakespeare and shaped the three great tragedies he wrote that year: "King Lear," "Macbeth," and "Antony & Cleopatra."

This week, we’re bringing you a very special episode produced in partnership with Public Radio International. Along with a panel of speakers including NYPL’s Denise Hibay, the World in Words’ hosts Patrick Cox and Nina Porzucki examine the state of endangered languages around the world: Why do languages become endangered, and how have some speakers worked to ensure a future for their native tongues? In this special live podcast taping, we explore what’s happening to endangered languages from Ainu to Zaza.

Award-winning English author Geoff Dyer came to the Library this spring to discuss his latest book, “White Sands: Experiences from the Outside World.” In this conversation with NYPL’s Jessica Strand, Dyer talks about travel, unexpected awareness, and looking for meaning in the world around you.

Award-winning photographer Bruce Davidson's prolific body of work includes documentations of the 1960s Civil Rights movement and the gritty underbelly of New York City in the late 70s. He came to the Library this spring for a conversation with Academy Award-winning actor Matt Dillon, who is a great admirer and collector of Davidson’s work. In this riveting discussion between the two great artists, Davidson and Dillon talk about images, storytelling, and the joy of working in silence.