City Lights celebrates the publication of "Blessings," a novel by Chukwuebuka Ibeh, published by Doubleday.Purchase here: https://citylights.com/blessings/Obiefuna has always been the black sheep of his family—sensitive where his father, Anozie, is pragmatic, a dancer where his brother, Ekene, is a natural athlete. But when Obiefuna’s father witnes…

Tarek El-Ariss in conversation with Peter Maravelis, celebrating the publication of "Water on Fire: A Memoir of War" by Tarek El-Ariss, published by Other Press.Purchase here: https://citylights.com/middle-east/water-on-fire-memoir-of-war/"Water on Fire" tells a story of immigration that starts in a Beirut devastated by the Lebanese Civil War (1975…

City Lights and Melville House present Yanis Varoufakis in conversation with Peter Maravelis, discussing "Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism" by Yanis Varoufakis, published by Melville House.Purchase here: https://citylights.com/topographies/technofeudalism/Perhaps we were too distracted by the pandemic, or the endless financial crises, or the…

City Lights and Akashic Books celebrate the publication of "Joyce Carol Oates: Letters to a Biographer," edited by Greg Johnson, published by Akashic Books. Purchase here: https://citylights.com/new-nonfiction-in-hardcover/joyce-carol-oates-letters-to-a-biograp/This rich compilation of Joyce Carol Oates’s letters across four decades displays her wa…

City Lights, Fern Books, Center for the Art of Translation, & Villa Albertine San Francisco celebrate the publication of "Like a Sky Inside" by Jakuta Alikavazovic – translated from the French by Daniel Levin Becker, published by Fern Books. Purchase here: https://citylights.com/european-literature/like-a-sky-inside/In March 2020, a young woman spe…

Ana Raquel Minian in conversation with Irma Herrera discussing Minian's, "In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States," published by Viking.Purchase here: https://citylights.com/new-nonfiction-in-hardcover/in-the-shadow-of-liberty-immigrant-det/In 2018, many Americans watched in horror as children wer…

City Lights, ALTA Journal, & Heyday Books celebrate the publication of "The Forgetters: Stories" by Greg Sarris (Heyday Books).Purchase books by Greg Sarris here: https://citylights.com/?search_type=author&s=Greg+SarrisCelebrated storyteller & tribal leader Greg Sarris offers a contemplative & enchanting story cycle in "The Forgetters," a collectio…

City Lights & Semiotext(e) celebrate the publication of "Stubble Archipelago" by Wayne Koestenbaum with a conversation between the author & Tausif Noor.Purchase here: https://citylights.com/stubble-archipelago/Wild new adventures in word-infatuated flânerie from a celebrated literary provocateur. This book of thirty-six poetic bulletins by the humi…

Judith Butler discusses their new book "Who’s Afraid of Gender?" published by Farrar Straus Giroux. Named a "Most Anticipated Book of 2024" by Time, Elle, Kirkus, Literary Hub, The Millions, & Electric Literature.Purchase book here: https://citylights.com/whos-afraid-of-gender/Judith Butler, the groundbreaking thinker whose iconic book "Gender Trou…

Kit Schluter celebrates the publication of "Cartoons," (City Lights) & Garrett Caples celebrates the publication of "Proses: Incomparable Parables! Fabulous Fables! Cruel Tales!" (Wave Books).Purchase "Cartoons:" https://citylights.com/city-lights-published/cartoons/Purchase "Proses:" https://citylights.com/general-fiction/proses-incomparable-parab…

Celebrate Gil Cuadros with Kevin Martin, Rafael Pérez-Torres, & Amy Scholder. Opening by Greyson Wright & readings by Joseph Cassara & Flavia Elisa Mora.City Lights & the SF LGBT Center celebrate the publication of "My Body Is Paper: Stories and Poems" by Gil Cuadros, edited by Pablo Alvarez, Kevin Martin, Rafael Pérez-Torres, & Terry Wolverton, fo…

Jordan Elgrably in conversation with Sarah AlKahly-Mills, with readings from both authors. City Lights celebrates the publication of "Stories from the Center of the World: New Middle East Fiction," edited by Jordan Elgrably, published by City Lights Books.You can purchase copies directly from City Lights here: https://citylights.com/stories-from-th…

City Lights celebrates No.23 in the "Spotlight Poetry Series"Roberto Harrison reads from his work. Introduction by Garrett Caples. Julien Poirier will also be reading from his work. In person event held in City Lights' Poetry Room, hosted by Peter Maravelis. Purchase "Isthmus to Abya Yala" By Roberto Harrison here: https://citylights.com/isthmus-to…

City Lights LIVE, Beacon Press, and Refugee Immigrant Transitions celebrate the publication of “Humanizing Immigration: How to Transform Our Racist and Unjust System” by Bill Ong Hing, published by Beacon Press. “Humanizing Immigration” is the first book to argue that immigrant and refugee rights are part of the fight for racial justice; and offers…

City Lights LIVE! presents Myriam Gurba in conversation with visual artist MariNaomi to celebrate the release of Gurba’s new book “Creep: Accusations and Confessions,” published by Simon and Schuster. A ruthless and razor-sharp essay collection that tackles the pervasive, creeping oppression and toxicity that has wormed its way into society—in our …

City Lights LIVE, The New Press, and Princeton University Press celebrate the publication of two new books: “America Purgatory: Prison Imperialism and the Rise of Mass Incarceration” by Benjamin Weber, published by The New Press, and "To Build a Black Future: The Radical Politics of Joy, Pain, and Care” by Christopher Paul Harris, published by Prin…

City Lights LIVE! presents "Found in Translation: Adventures in Language." As part of its 70th Anniversary programming, City Lights celebrates literature in translation with a discussion moderated by Olivia E. Sears, featuring Gabriela Alemán, Dick Cluster, Gillian Conoloy, Elaine Katzenberger, Emilie Moorehouse, and Mark Schafer. City Lights was c…

City Lights LIVE! celebrates the publication of “Women Who Change the World: Stories from the Fight for Social Justice” from City Lights Books, edited by Lynn Lewis, with a conversation between the editor and contributors Hilary Moore and Malkia Devich-Cyril. – Edited by Lynn Lewis – published by City Lights Books “Women Who Change the World” exami…

City Lights LIVE! presents "Insurgent Beatitudes: The History of a Cultural Center,” a conversation between Elaine Katzenberger, Amy Scholder, and Paul Yamazaki, moderated by David L. Ulin. Continuing its 70th anniversary celebratory programming, City Lights Books brings together those who are at the heart of its core. City Lights was founded as a …

City Lights LIVE celebrates the publication of “the delicacy of embracing spirals” by mimi tempestt, published by City Lights, with a conversation between the poet and Truong Tran. Incendiary, lyrical poems of liberations from the phantasm of Black womanhood. Wedding fierce, jagged lines to an uncompromisingly lyrical flow honed over years of perfo…

City Lights LIVE and Litquake celebrate the final issue of John Freeman’s distinguished journal “Freeman’s: Conclusions,” published by Grove Atlantic, with John Freeman, joined by Jaime Cortez, Elaine Castillo, and Oscar Villaon.Over the course of ten years, “Freeman’s" has introduced the English-speaking world to countless writers of international…

City Lights LIVE celebrates the publication of “The Unsettled” by Ayana Mathis, published by Alfred A Knopf, with a discussion between Ayana and Angela Flournoy.From the best-selling author of “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie,” a searing multi-generational novel—set in the 1980s in racially and politically turbulent Philadelphia and in the tiny town of…

City Lights LIVE and Liveright Books celebrate the publication of “Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights” by Dylan C Penningroth, published by Liveright Books, with a discussion between Dylan and Richard Thompson Ford.A prize-winning scholar draws on astonishing new research to demonstrate how Black people used the law to th…

City Lights LIVE and Beacon Press celebrate the publication of “An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (the 10th Anniversary Edition)” by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, published by Beacon Press, with a conversation between Roxanne and Manu Karuka Vimalassery.Today in the United States, there are more than five hundred federally recognized Indi…

City Lights LIVE presents investigative journalist Justine Barron, in conversation with Rabia Chaudry, Alex Vitale, Kim Brown and Sierria Warren, to celebrate the release of "They Killed Freddie Gray: The Anatomy of a Police Brutality Cover-Up Hardcover," published by Arcade Books. "They Killed Freddie Gray" exposes a conspiracy among Baltimore lea…

City Lights LIVE presents John Szwed in conversation with Raymond Foye celebrating the publication of “Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith,” published by Farrar, Straus, Giroux. “Cosmic Scholar" follows the life and legacy of Harry Smith, the brilliant eccentric who transformed twentieth century art and culture. He was an anthropologi…

City Lights LIVE in conjunction with Princeton University Press presents Joanna Moorhead in conversation with Wendi Norris celebrating the newly published book “Surreal Spaces: The Life and Art of Leonora Carrington” from Princeton University Press. An illustrated biography of the pioneering British artist and writer, Leonara Carrington, tracing he…

City Lights LIVE and Verso Books celebrate the publication of “Writers and Missionaries: Essays on the Radical Imagination” by Adam Shatz, published by Verso Books. “Writers and Missionaries: Essays on the Radical Imagination” dives into the question of what it means to be a politically committed writer. Shatz asks: do writers have an ethical imper…

City Lights LIVE and The New Press celebrate the publication of “War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine” by Norman Solomon, published by The New Press. Solomon is joined in conversation with Kris Welch. “War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine” exposes the dynamics between m…

City Lights LIVE and Dalkey Archive Press celebrate the publication of “small pieces” by Micheline Aharonian Marcom and Fowzia Karimi, published by Dalkey Archive Press. “small pieces” is a collaboration between novelist Micheline Aharonian Marcom and writer and visual artist Fowzia Karimi, pairing Marcom’s short stories with watercolors done by Ka…

City Lights LIVE and Duke University Press celebrate the publication of “The Williamsburg Avant-Garde: Experimental Music and Sound on the Brooklyn Waterfront” by Cisco Bradley, published by Duke University Press. In “The Williamsburg Avant-Garde” Cisco Bradley documents the rise and fall of the underground music and art scene in the Williamsburg n…

City Lights LIVE presents Brandon Shimoda and Emily Luan reading from their books,“Hydra Medusa” and “In 回 / Return,” published by Nightboat Books.“Hydra Medusa” by Brandon Simoda takes us through the poet's day-to-day life as he works five jobs and raises his child. His collection of poems and essays touches on the realities of living on the US-Me…

City Lights LIVE celebrates the publication of Emerald Wounds: Selected Poems by Joyce Mansour (Translator: Emilie Moorhouse), published by City Lights Books.Join us as we dive into the works of iconic Surrealist poet, Joyce Mansour, who emerged from Paris in the 1950s. Mansour is best known for her unfiltered poetry and her participation in the po…

City Lights, in conjunction with Heyday Books, presents Jane Smiley in conversation with Steve Wasserman to celebrate the publication of "The Questions that Matter Most: Reading, Writing, and the Exercise of Freedom" by Jane Smiley, published by Heyday Books. Smiley’s new book offers essays on some of the aesthetic and cultural issues that mark any…

City Lights LIVE presents Kirsten R. Ghodsee discussing her new book "Everyday Utopia: What 2,000 years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life," published by Simon and Schuster. "Everyday Utopia" is an exploration throughout the world and history where varying communities challenge the conventional ways in which we live our lives, rai…

LIVE! From City Lights celebrates author Mircea Cărtărescu and his latest publication, “Solenoid.” Grounded in the reality of late 1970s/early 1980s Communist Romania, Solenoid ruminates on the exchange possible between the alternate dimensions of life and art, as various, monstrous dimensions erupt within the Communist present. Mircea Cărtărescu i…

LIVE! From City Lights celebrates author Yxta Maya Murray’s publication of “God Went Like That: A Novel.” “God Went Like That” follows the EPA report of federal agent Reyna Rodriguez who examines the ramifications of nuclear reactor meltdowns that occurred across three years. Drawing on an actual 2011 Department of Energy dossier that details the c…

LIVE! From City Lights celebrates author adrienne marie brown on her latest novel “Maroons: A Grievers Novel.” The second installment of the Grievers trilogy, “Maroons” is a tale of survival that bears brown’s background as an activist in Detroit. Amidst the Syndrome H-8 pandemic, she learns the importance of community and connection through an aba…

LIVE! From City Lights celebrates author David Mas Masumoto and his new publication, “SECRET HARVESTS: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm.” This event was hosted in conjunction with Red Hen Press and Wasabi Press. With linoleum block and letterpress artist Patirica Miye Wakida, Masumoto unravels the mysteries surroundi…

LIVE! From City Lights celebrates author Robert Greenfield and his latest publication “True West: Sam Shepard’s Life, Work, and Times.” Much like Greenfield’s previous biographies, “True West” delves deeply into the life of world-famous playwright and actor Sam Shepard, whose work was matched by his equally dramatic life and relationships. Greenfie…

LIVE! From City Lights welcomes poet, critic, theorist and McArthur fellow Fred Moten in celebration of his latest poetry collection, “perennial fashion presence falling.” In conversation with award-winning poet Douglas Kearney, Moten shares some pieces from his book, which hold an innate quantum curiosity about the infinitude of the present and th…

LIVE! From City Lights welcomes Ada Zhang, recognized as one of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 for her debut book, “The Sorrows of Others.” In conversation with author and Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate Belinda Huijuan Tang, Zhang touches on her inspirations to write growing up and the Chinese-American experience in her ten short storie…

LIVE! From City Lights welcomes award-winning author Gina Apostol in celebration of her book “La Tercera” for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In conversation with novelist and poet R. Zamora Linmark, Apostol discusses the role of “La Tercera” as a vision of Philippine history and a narration of how the culture has changed throug…

City Lights presents Gillian Conoley in conversation with Norma Cole, celebrating the publication of "Notes from the Passenger" by Gillian Conoley, published by Nightboat Books. This live event was held in the Poetry room and simultaneously broadcasted via Zoom. This event was hosted by Peter Maravelis of City Lights.You can purchase copies of "Not…

LIVE! From City Lights welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist Héctor Tobar as he celebrates the release of his new book "Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of ‘Latino’". In conversation with John McMurtire, senior editor at Zyzzyva, Tobar discusses the inspiration for his book and how the characteriz…

City Lights presents Meredith Broussard. She celebrates the publication of her book “More than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech” published by City Lights Books. This was a virtual event hosted by Peter Maravelis.You can purchase copies of “More Than a Glitch” directly from City Lights here: https://citylights.com/more-th…

City Lights presents LaTasha N. Nevada-Diggs, Eleni Sikelianos, and Anne Waldman reading new poetry and celebrating their three new books of poetry from Coffee House Press: "Village" by LaTasha N. Nevada-Diggs – "Your Kingdom" by Eleni Sikelianos – "Bard, Kinetic" by Anne Waldman. This event was originally broadcast via Zoom and hosted by Peter Mar…

City Lights presents Evan Kennedy in conversation with Sophie Dahlin. Evan Kennedy celebrates the publication of his book “Metamorphoses: City Lights Spotlight No. 22” published by City Lights Books. This event took place in the City Lights Poetry Room and was moderated by Garrett Caples.You can purchase copies of “Metamorphoses” directly from City…

City Lights presents Tim Z. Hernandez in conversation with Peter Maravelis, the City Lights events manager. Tim Z. Hernandez reads from his new collection “Some of the Light: New and Selected Poems,” published by Beacon Press/Raised Voices Series. This was a virtual event.You can purchase copies of “Some of the Light: New and Selected Poems” direct…

City Lights presents Robert Lopez in conversation with Sarah Rose Etter. Robert Lopez discusses his new book “Dispatches from Puerto Nowhere: An American Story of Assimilation and Erasure”, published by Two Dollar Radio. This virtual event was hosted by Peter Maravelis.You can purchase copies of “Dispatches from Puerto Nowhere” directly from City L…