Join local Queens authors S. A. Chakraborty and Zoraida Córdova on Tuesday, September 24th at 7 p.m. for a reading and discussion of The Kingdom of Copper, the second book in her Daevabad Trilogy, an epic fantasy set in the 18th century Middle East.

The Kingdom of Copper: Nahri’s life changed forever the moment she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Whisked from her home in Cairo, she was thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabad—and quickly discovered she would need all her grifter instincts to survive there. 

Now, with Daevabad entrenched in the dark aftermath of a devastating battle, Nahri must forge a new path for herself. But even as she embraces her heritage and the power it holds, she knows she’s been trapped in a gilded cage, watched by a king who rules from the throne that once belonged to her family—and one misstep will doom her tribe..

Meanwhile, Ali has been exiled for daring to defy his father. Hunted by assassins, adrift on the unforgiving copper sands of his ancestral land, he is forced to rely on the frightening abilities the marid—the unpredictable water spirits—have gifted him. But in doing so, he threatens to unearth a terrible secret his family has long kept buried.

And as a new century approaches and the djinn gather within Daevabad's towering brass walls for celebrations, a threat brews unseen in the desolate north. It’s a force that would bring a storm of fire straight to the city’s gates . . . and one that seeks the aid of a warrior trapped between worlds, torn between a violent duty he can never escape and a peace he fears he will never deserve.

S. A. Chakraborty is a NY-based speculative fiction writer and history buff. Her debut, The City of Brass, was short-listed for the Locus, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy Awards. Originally (and proudly!) from New Jersey, S. A. currently resides in Queens with her husband and daughter. When not buried in books about Mughal miniatures and Abbasid political intrigue, she enjoys hiking, knitting, and recreating unnecessarily complicated, medieval meals for her family. You can find her online most frequently at Twitter (@SAChakrabooks) where she likes to ramble about history, politics, and Islamic art.

Zoraida Córdova is the award-winning author of Star Wars: A Crash of Fate, the Brooklyn Brujas series, and The Vicious Deep trilogy. Her short fiction has appeared in the New York Times bestselling anthology Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, and Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft. She is the co-editor of Vampires Never Get Old, a YA anthology forthcoming from Imprint/Macmillan in fall 2020. Zoraida was born in Ecuador and raised in Queens, New York. When she isn’t working on her next novel, she’s planning her next adventure.
 

Join local mystery writers Alex Segura and Alison Gaylin for a conversation, reading, Q&A, and book signing on Thursday, September 26th at 7 PM.

MIAMI MIDNIGHT: THE THRILLING FINAL CHAPTER IN ALEX SEGURA’S ACCLAIMED PETE FERNANDEZ SERIES! A year has passed since Pete Fernandez’s latest, closest brush with death. After months of recovery, the newly sober Pete has managed to rebuild his life, contentedly running a small Miami bookstore and steering clear of the dangers of private eye work. So when an aging Cuban mobster asks Pete to find out who killed his drug-addicted, jazz pianist son and to locate his missing daughter-in-law, Pete balks. Until another victim suggests that the murder of the gangster’s son may be connected to the people that nearly ended Pete’s life, while revealing an unexpected, dangerous truth about the death of the Miami PI's own mother. 

NEVER LOOK BACK: For thirteen days in 1976, teenage murderers April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy terrorized Southern California's Inland Empire, killing a dozen victims before perishing themselves in a fire... or did they? More than 40 years later, twentysomething podcast producer Quentin Garrison blames his troubled upbringing on the murders. And after a shocking message from a source, he has reason to believe April Cooper may still be alive. Meanwhile, New York City film columnist Robin Diamond is coping with rising doubts about her husband and terrifying threats from internet trolls. But that's nothing compared to the outrageous phone call she gets from Quentin... and a brutal home invasion that makes her question everything she ever believed in. Is Robin's beloved mother a mass murderer? Is there anyone she can trust?

Alex Segura is the author of the Pete Fernandez mystery series set in Miami, short stories that have appeared in numerous anthologies, and a number of best-selling and critically acclaimed comic books. He also co-writes the LETHAL LIT podcast.

USA Today and International Best-selling author Alison Gaylin has been nominated for the Edgar four times. Most recently, her thriller IF I DIE TONIGHT, won the award in the category Best Paperback Original.  
 

The next General Interest Book Club Meeting will be held on Sunday, September 29th at 1pm.

We'll be discussing Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown, available in store 10% off up until the date of the discussion.

Questions about this group? Email us at info@astoriabookshop.com.

Come to the Bookshop ready to tell a five-minute true story about something that happened to you. Don't worry about sticking to a theme...you don't have to. Participants' names will be pulled from a basket, open-mic style. And of course, non-storytellers welcome to join the audience! For 5 years we've had performances from authors with big book deals, standup comics with national TV credits, The Moth GrandSLAM performers and complete and total strangers who had a story to tell. FREE show. Hosted by David Lawson.

Instructor: Ezequiel Zaidenwerg (Argentina)

EN CONSTRUCCIÓN: Workshop

Following our commitment to creating platforms and a space for creative writing by Latin American artists, EN CONSTRUCCIÓN is hosting its first two-session workshop.

In this two-session workshop we will study - without claims of theoretical exhaustiveness - the rhythmic history of our language. Once we have drawn a minimum panorama, we will focus on incorporating, through practical exercises in writing, translation and improvisation, the resources related to popular music and rhythm - mainly metric and rhyme, but also the anaphora and alliteration - as well as some of the best known traditional forms, such as romance, the décima and the sonnet.

Join theoretical physicist Sylvester James “Jim” Gates, Jr on Sunday, October 6th at 1 p.m. for a reading and discussion of his latest book, Proving Einstein Right: The Daring Expeditions that Changed How We Look at the Universe.

Proving Einstein Right: A thrilling adventure story chronicling the perilous journey of the scientists who set out to prove the theory of relativity--the results of which catapulted Albert Einstein to fame and forever changed our understanding of the universe.

In 1911, a relatively unknown physicist named Albert Einstein published his preliminary theory of gravity. But it hadn't been tested. To do that, he needed a photograph of starlight as it passed the sun during a total solar eclipse. So began a nearly decade-long quest by seven determined astronomers from observatories in four countries, who traveled the world during five eclipses to capture the elusive sight. For years, they faced thunderstorms, the ravages of a world war, lost equipment, and local superstitions. Finally, in May of 1919, British expeditions to northern Brazil and the island of Príncipe managed to photograph the stars, confirming Einstein's theory.

At its heart, this is a story of frustration, faith, and ultimate victory--and of the scientists whose efforts helped build the framework for the big bang theory, catapulted Einstein to international fame, and shattered the foundation of physics that had been in place for two centuries.

Sylvester James “Jim” Gates, Jr. is a theoretical physicist who is most known for his work on supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory. He is the Brown Theoretical Physics Center Director, Ford Foundation Professor of Physics, Affiliate Professor of Mathematics, and Faculty Fellow, Watson Institute for International Studies & Public Affairs at Brown University. In 2013, he was awarded the National Medal of Science, the highest award in the United States given to scientists. He is former president of the National Society of Black Physicists, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Institute of Physics in the United Kingdom. Professor Gates gives popular-level lectures regularly and makes frequent appearances in documentaries about science.

Join beloved literary mystery writer Kate Racculia for a reading and discussion of her latest book, Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts, on Wednesday, October 9th at 7 PM.

TUESDAY MOONEY TALKS TO GHOSTS is a deliciously funny ode to imagination, overflowing with love letters to art, from The Westing Game to Edgar Allan Poe to Madonna to the Knights of the Round Table. It’s about a quirky woman who mostly keeps to herself until her town’s most eccentric billionaire dies and leaves a series of mysterious clues that lead to a vast portion of his wealth. Puzzle-loving Tuesday joins with a rag-tag cast of hilarious characters to solve the riddles. She thinks she can get by with her quick wit and knack for trivia, but soon finds that the clues require more—the hunters must face painful ghosts from their pasts and look within to solve the game and earn the treasure. The result is a deep dive into the human psyche and what we need from ourselves and from others to realize our most potent desires.

Kate Racculia is the author of This Must Be the Place and Bellweather Rhapsody, winner of the American Library Association’s Alex Award. She received her MFA from Emerson College and works for the Bethlehem Area Public Library in Pennsylvania.

Parenting for Social Justice meets every other month after reading a predetermined book that focuses on topics such as race, gender, social class, and similar subjects.
 
All are welcome to attend, however, meetings will aim to encourage dialogue between parents. Discussions will include issues such as implicit racial bias, cultural appropriation, and white privilege in order to raise self-awareness on these topics and also consider how personal insights can be translated into parenting techniques as well as interactions with other families and people in our community.

The next selection is Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis, which we will discuss on Saturday, October 12th at 3pm.

psjbookclubastoria@gmail.com for inquiries.

Join NYC food writer Lauren Shockey on Sunday, October 13th at 1 p.m. for a reading and discussion of her latest book, Hangover Helper, as well as featured drinks and snacks, including: Fernet + Cokes, Pickle Brine Bloody Marys, Albania Chilled Cucumber Soup, Kimchi Bacon Fried Rice, and Sausage Rolls.

Hangover Helper is a playful cookbook filled with tried and true recipes to cure your hangover, collected from culinary traditions from around the world. Each of the over 50 recipes will include a rating system that will indicate how easy it will be to prepare when hungover. Some dishes, such as the Bacon, Egg and Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza Bagel, can be made even if still drunk the following morning! Others will make use of traditional pantry staples and leftover classics to whip up dishes on the fly, like Bacon Kimchi Fried Rice. Also included are brunch cocktails for a hair-of-the-dog approach, alongside non-alcoholic beverages if you're going full-detox. Of course, having a hangover is not be a requirement to enjoy them – this is just as much a book for armchair drinkers as it is for world-weary tipplers!

Lauren Shockey is a food writer and trained chef whose first book, Four Kitchens, recounted the year she spent learning to cook in restaurants in New York, Hanoi, Tel Aviv, and Paris. Formerly the
restaurant critic at The Village Voice, she has written for print and online publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, Saveur, Slate, and many more. She lives in New
York City with her husband and son. Her website is www.laurenshockey.com. 

On Tuesday, October 15th at 7 p.m., join author Tres Dean for a night of Rock trivia, drinks on the rocks (of course), and a reading and discussion of his debut book, For Your Consideration: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

For Your Consideration: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson: There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and the awesomeness of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. This illustrated collection of humorous essays and fun extras makes the case for one of our most iconic celebrities, from the wrestling mat to the silver screen.

Sporting a proverbial perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%, Certified Fresh, The Rock embodies everything we want from our Hollywood superstars . . . and everything we admire in those who so boldly pursue the American Dream. But how did it all happen? How did a loathed professional wrestler become the most famous person in the world? Was it just good timing? Years of trial and error? Countless hours in the gym? A winning smile? Or his total mastery of Instagram Stories?

For Your Consideration: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson looks at the distinct phases of the legend’s career, examining the ways in which he has become both an onscreen heartthrob and an off-screen hero. Composed of five critical essays and fun extras, including an all-Rock version of the Oscars, a quiz identifying the best Rock character to take to the prom, and a definitive ranking of The Rock's catchphrases, this book is sure to satisfy pop culture enthusiasts and The Rock's hardcore fans alike.

Tres Dean is an author and comic creator from Richmond, VA currently living in New York. He's covered pop culture, fashion, fitness, and health for publications like GQ, Men's Health, HuffPost, Geek, Uproxx, and many others. As a comic creator his work has appeared in Dark Horse Comics as well as various anthologies. He co-created the series Dodger with artist Jamie Jones as well as Kill the Drug War with Stewart Jester and Kendrick Drews. For Your Consideration: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is his first book. 

Join NYC author Derick Lugo for a reading and discussion of his debut memoir The Unlikely Thru-Hiker: An Appalachian Trail Journey. 

The Unlikely Thru-Hiker: Derick Lugo had never been hiking. He certainly couldn’t imagine going more than a day without manicuring his goatee. But with a job cut short and no immediate plans, this fixture of the New York comedy scene began to think about what he might do with months of free time. He had heard of the Appalachian Trail, but he had never seriously considered attempting to hike all 2,192 miles of it. Suddenly he found himself asking, Could he do it? 

The Unlikely Thru-Hiker is the story of a young black man setting off from the city with an extremely overweight pack and a willfully can-do attitude. What follows are lessons on preparation, humility, race relations, and nature’s wild unpredictability. Through it all, Derick (Mr. Fabulous) refuses to let any challenge squash his inner Pollyanna, persevering with humor, tenacity, and an unshakeable commitment to grooming that sees him from Georgia to Maine.

Derick Lugo had never hiked or camped a day in his life. This Brooklyn-born, New York City urbanite hopped a train to Georgia, grabbed a taxi at the station, and told the cab driver to drop him off at the beginning of the Appalachian Trail. Then he did as he has always done — put one foot in front of the other and never looked back. 

After hiking for more than 2,000 miles, he now feels invincible and plans to cross the Sahara barefoot. (Not really, but when an ambitious spirit is successful, it will strive for even greater accomplishments.)Find him online at: @dericklugo (Instagram), @dericklugo (Facebook) and at dericklugo.com

Join us for a special storytime with children's book illustrator Sergio Ruzzieron Thursday, October 17th at 11 a.m.

This imaginative story from Ruth Krauss—one of the most beloved children’s book authors of all time—and celebrated artist Sergio Ruzzier is a remarkable collaboration that captures the timeless spirit of Krauss’s signature wit and humor. Paired with Ruzzier’s irresistible drawings, this story will delight readers of all ages and inspire them to roar like dandelions.

Sergio Ruzzier has written and illustrated many picture books, including Fox and Chick: The Party, a 2019 Geisel Honor Book; Two Mice; and more. He was awarded the prestigious Sendak Fellowship in 2011. His work has been awarded by American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, and The Society of Publication Designers. He also won the Parents’ Choice Gold Medal for The Room of Wonders and This Is Not a Picture Book. Born in Milan, Italy, he has been living in Brooklyn, New York, since 1995. 
 

EN CONSTRUCCIÓN: Workshop

Following our commitment to creating platforms and a space for creative writing by Latin American artists, EN CONSTRUCCIÓN is hosting its first two-session workshop.

SABOR! Practical History of Poetic Rhythm (in Spanish)
Instructor: Ezequiel Zaidenwerg (Argentina)

In this two-session workshop we will study - without claims of theoretical exhaustiveness - the rhythmic history of our language. Once we have drawn a minimum panorama, we will focus on incorporating, through practical exercises in writing, translation and improvisation, the resources related to popular music and rhythm - mainly metric and rhyme, but also the anaphora and alliteration - as well as some of the best known traditional forms, such as romance, the décima and the sonnet.

Join local author Virginia Frances Schwartz on October 20th at 1 p.m. for a reading and discussion of her latest YA/Adult Crossover novel, Among the Fallen.

Among the Fallen: Sixteen-year-old Orpha is imprisoned for crimes she did not commit, and harboring a terrible secret about her abuser, but an unusual invitation from Charles Dickens to live in a home for fallen women offers hope.

From the infamous Tothill prison, Orpha is haunted by recurring flashbacks of sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, and the horrors of a Victorian workhouse, but she refuses to be crushed. Her heartbreaking yet inspiring story tells of the resilience and courage needed to make a new life for herself against all odds with the support of the amazing women of Urania cottage and the help of famous author Charles Dickens. 

Virginia Frances Schwartz was born in Canada, educated in NY, and has taught writing for over twenty-five years. She studied The Writing Process Method at Columbia University, was a Staff Developer in a School of Writing & Publishing and currently teaches Creative Writing at UCLA Extension online. Her eight award winning YA & middle grade novels include If I Had Two Wings, Send One Angel Down, Initiation, Messanger, 4 Kids in 5E, 1 Crazy Year, Crossing to Freedom, and Nutz!. She divides her time between Queens and upstate NY.
 

Join Leah Vernon on Tuesday, October 29th at 7 PM at the Astoria Bookshop for a reading and discussion of Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim. 

UNASHAMED is a searing, honest memoir of one young woman’s journey toward self-acceptance as she chooses to live her life unapologetically. Tired of the constant policing of her clothing in the name of Islam and Western beauty standards, Leah Vernon takes to task the myth of the perfect Muslim woman with frank dispatches on her love-hate relationship with her hijab and her faith, on weight, on mental illness, on domestic violence, on sexuality, and on the process of finding her voice. With charming irreverence, Vernon reflects on her experiences hustling paycheck to paycheck, navigating the millennial world of dating, and coming to see her body as a symbol of rebellion and hope.

Leah Vernon is based in New York, is a style blogger, plus-size model, public speaker, and activist. She has been featured in BuzzFeed, HuffPost, Elle, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, Teen Vogue, MuslimGirl, and hundreds of combined podcasts, television appearances, radio spots, and other features. She has also worked with national and international brands such as Adidas Originals, Torrid, Lane Bryant, Ashley Stewart, Addition Elle, and Eloquii. 

Join NYC author Jackson Bird for a reading and discussion of his debut memoir Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, Finding My Place. 

Sorted: When Jackson Bird was twenty-five, he came out as transgender to his friends, family, and anyone in the world with an internet connection. Assigned female at birth and having been raised a girl, he often wondered if he should have been born a boy. Jackson didn’t share this thought with anyone because he didn’t think he could share it with anyone. Growing up in Texas in the 1990s, he had no transgender role models. He barely remembers meeting anyone who was openly gay, let alone being taught that transgender people existed outside of punchlines.

Today, Jackson is a writer, YouTuber, and LGBTQ+ advocate living openly and happily as a transgender man. So how did he get here? In this remarkable, educational, and uplifting memoir, Jackson chronicles the ups and downs of growing up gender confused. Illuminated by journal entries spanning childhood to adolescence to today, he candidly recalls the challenges he faced while trying to sort out his gender and sexuality, and worrying about how to interact with the world. With warmth and wit, Jackson also recounts how he navigated the many obstacles and quirks of his transition––like figuring out how to have a chest binder delivered to his NYU dorm room and having an emotional breakdown at a Harry Potter fan convention. From his first shot of testosterone to his eventual top surgery, Jackson lets you in on every part of his journey—taking the time to explain trans terminology and little-known facts about gender and identity along the way. Through his captivating prose, Bird not only sheds light on the many facets of a transgender life, but also demonstrates the power and beauty in being yourself, even when you’re not sure who “yourself” is.

Jackson Bird is a YouTube creator and LGBTQ+ advocate dedicated to demystifying the transgender experience. His TED Talk “How to talk (and listen) to transgender people” has been viewed over a million times. Jackson is a recipient of the GLAAD Rising Star Digital Innovator Award and lives in New York City. You can follow him online @JackIsNotABird.
 

American Resistance traces activists from the streets back to the communities and congressional districts around the country where they live, work, and vote. Using innovative survey data and interviews with key players, Dana R. Fisher analyzes how Resistance groups have channeled outrage into activism, using distributed organizing to make activism possible by anyone from anywhere, whenever and wherever it is needed most. Beginning with the first Women’s March and following the movement through the 2018 midterms, Fisher demonstrates how the energy and enthusiasm of the Resistance paid off in a wave of Democratic victories. She reveals how the Left rebounded from the devastating 2016 election, the lessons for turning grassroots passion into electoral gains, and what comes next. American Resistance explains the organizing that is revitalizing democracy to counter Trump’s presidency.

Dana R. Fisher is professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her books include Activism, Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America (2006). 

Vanessa Wruble has dedicated her life to producing socially relevant media, political organizing, and redefining the global narrative of modern African culture. Okayafrica, the company she started with Questlove of The Roots, is now the largest media company focusing on a forward-thinking, nuanced view of Africa today. She previously worked as the first  international correspondent at Al Gore’s Current TV, as a Communication Specialist for the United Nations, and as a journalist for several print magazines. Wruble first arrived in Africa to work in humanitarian aid for an NGO in Sierra Leone, but quickly turned from development to deep immersion in the many, and unique, cultures overflowing on the continent. During her extensive time living and working in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Gabon, Sao Tome & Principé, Equatorial Guinea, and Somalia, Wruble found herself working with and representing some of Africa’s biggest music stars. That lead her to the great honor of working with the family of Fela Kuti to re-release his music, assist in the production of Fela! on Broadway, and reignite the legacy of Fela as an anti-colonialist, political revolutionary in the collective global consciousness.

Wruble graduated Cum Laude from Williams College where she studied Women’s Issues, Psychology, and Fiction Writing. She holds Master’s Degrees from The New School for Social Research in Psychology and from NYU in Interactive Media, where she focused on using technology to enable rich human interaction, and is an echoing green social entrepreneurship fellow. Vanessa helped to found the Women’s March on Washington, where she served as the Head of Campaign Operations, so as to right the imbalance of power, fight on behalf of all marginalized people, and ensure the end of structural patriarchy.