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Read The Room Presents... The Arty 80's!

June 3, 2024 SOLD OUT

Welcome to READ THE ROOM, a series of readings by some of New York's leading writers. Our guest readers represent a broad cross-section of the literary world, featuring authors of published works from top magazines, newspapers, websites and books.

For this installment, we celebrate NYC’s Downtown art scene in the 1980s. We are thrilled to invite you to an evening of readings and conversation with:

Jennifer Clement, author of The Promised Party: Kahlo, Basquiat and Me

"The kind of book that makes you want to take the next flight to New York" ― Big Issue

“It’s more than a decade since poet and artist Clement published Widow Basquiat… Now comes a more personal prequel, strung together from impressionistic vignettes that chronicle Clement’s coming of age in 1980s New York, where the counterculture ruled, and before that, her childhood in Mexico, a country caught between surrealism and communism…her memories are a perfect synthesis of clarity and mystery.”—The Guardian

And

Brad Gooch, author of Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring 

“A thorough, intricately detailed, and enthralling portrait of a singular artist who followed his own winding road to artistic success until AIDS cut short his highly creative life."—Booklist

“A rewarding deep dive…Gooch captures the innovative, whirlwind creative spirit of the artist…Shot through with details that bring to life the tumultuous social ferment of the era, this honors the inimitable spirit of a defining figure in the art world.” — Publishers Weekly

Your hosts: Ronnie Rodriguez and Kathleen Squires, Chef’s Dinner Table

Not only are we serving up a buffet of contemporary literature, with signed books for sale, we are also sharing food by the Downtown stalwart La Palapa Cocina Mexicana, dessert by Taste It Presents; plus wine, beer and soft drinks too! 

So, come on down to Little Italy and get your culture on!