Center for Fiction Reopens With Standout Season of Literary Programming, Starting September 8th!

The Center for Fiction’s fall programming is befitting of the exciting season in publishing that awaits us.

For the first time in seventeen months, The Center for Fiction is pleased to host some of this season’s author events, writing workshops, and reading groups in person at its beautiful 18,000 sq. ft. Center in the heart of Brooklyn’s cultural district. The Center will continue to provide virtual programming as well.

The Center for Fiction is honored to host Kia Corthron (September 8th), Jonathan Santlofer (September 9th), Deborah Levy (September 14th), Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (September 22nd), Sandra Cisneros (September 23rd), Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar (September 28th), Kei Miller (September 29th), Anthony Doerr (October 5th), Myriam J.A Chancy (October 6th), Shruti Swamy (October 7th), Diane Williams (October 13th), Donald Antrim (October 14th), Brad Kessler (October 20th), Tiphanie Yanique (October 26th), Jelani Cobb (October 28th), Gary Shteyngart (November 2), Jocelyn Nicole Johnson (November 3rd), Peter Ho Davies (November 4th), Paul Auster (November 11),  Lily King (November 16th), and Garth Greenwell (November 18), with more to be announced. A list of upcoming events can be found here.

The season’s educational programming includes a free public event that is part of The Center’s KidsRead initiative, where young readers can virtually meet bestselling middle-grade author Alan Gratz, presented in partnership with The New York Society Library. Workshops led by renowned authors like Chelsea Bieker, William Boyle, Daniel Hahn, Kate Milliken, Wayetu Moore, Julia Phillips, and Madeleine Watts will help writers hone their craft, and reading groups will provide an opportunity for lovers of literature to dive deeper into beloved books.

The Center will also be honoring several writers throughout the fall, including the next group of Emerging Writer Fellows, the winner of the Bridge Book Award, and the winner of the First Novel Prize. The First Novel Prize announcement will take place at the Annual Awards Benefit on December 7th, which this year will also be a celebration of The Center for Fiction’s 200th Anniversary.

On October 1st, The Center’s Reading Room, Lounge, Terrace, and Library will fully reopen to members. The bookstore cafe will also be reopening this fall, serving specialty coffee and espresso drinks, artisanal baked goods, seasonal small plates, wine, and beer. The Center is implementing COVID safety protocols to ensure that its community is safe, and is thrilled to continue its mission of serving as a home for readers and writers.

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The Center for Fiction, now celebrating its 200th year, is a literary nonprofit that brings diverse communities together to develop and share a passion for fiction. Founded as the Mercantile Library of New York in Manhattan, the organization is now based in the heart of the Brooklyn cultural district, with a 18,000 sq. ft. facility that offers New Yorkers an immersive cultural experience centered on reading and writing. Throughout the year, The Center for Fiction provides a vast array of public programming, reading groups, and writing workshops. The First Novel Prize and Emerging Writer Fellowships help build literary careers, and KidsRead/KidsWrite programs inspire an early love of reading and writing in public school students with author-led events. In recent years, the organization’s programming has expanded to include storytelling in all its forms, integrating music, theater, dance, film, television, and the visual arts into its exploration of the best of fiction throughout history and today.