Aidan Levy in conversation with Ammiel Alcalay celebrating the publication of SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins by Aiden Levy Published by Hachette Books Known as the “Saxophone Colossus,” Sonny Rollins is widely considered the greatest living jazz improviser. He is one of our last links to the golden age of jazz—one […]

City Lights in conjunction with the Asian American Writers’ Workshop present Kavita Das in conversation with Wajahat Ali celebrating the publication of Craft and Conscience: How to Write About Social Issues By Kavita Das Published by Beacon Press The first major book for writers to more effectively engage with complex socio-political issues—a critical first step […]

Curtis White in conversation with Cheston Knapp celebrating the launch of Transcendent: Art and Dharma in a Time of Collapse by Curtis White Published by Melville House Acclaimed cultural critic Curtis White examines current fissures in Western Buddhism and argues against the growth of scientific and corporate dharma, particularly in Stephen Batchelor’s Secular Buddhist movement. […]

The Mechanics’ Institute Library together with City Lights, New York Review Books, and Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning present Fête de Colette: The Intimate Worlds of Colette A celebration of the 150th birthday of France’s most famous and provocative woman writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954) and the re-printing of her beloved novel Cheri and The End […]

LaTasha N. Nevada-Diggs, Eleni Sikelianos, and Anne Waldman reading new poetry Celebrating three new books of poetry! About the books: Village by LaTasha N. Nevada-Diggs Village is part poetry collection, part soundscape, Village uses dark humor and keen observation to explore the roots of memory, grief, and estrangement.
 In propulsive and formally inventive verse, LaTasha […]

Thomas Crow in conversation with Carrie Lambert-Beatty celebrating the publication of The Artist in the Counterculture: Bruce Conner to Mike Kelley and Other Tales from the Edge By Thomas Crow Published by Princeton University Press How California’s counterculture of the 1960s to 1980s profoundly shaped—and was shaped by—West Coast artists. The 1960s exert a special […]