The New York Historical Invites Visitors into the Library Reading Room for a Slate of Literary-Themed Friday Night Programs

The Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. Photo courtesy of The New York Historical.

New York Hysterical Comedy Nights Return in June

The New York Historical welcomes visitors to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library throughout the spring for a slate of literary-themed programs along with the return of New York Hysterical comedy nights on Friday evenings. All programs listed are free with pay-as-you-wish admission.

Poetry in the Reading Room
Friday, April 4, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Friday, April 11, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Friday, April 18, 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Celebrate National Poetry Month with a special program in the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library’s historic Reading Room. Essayist, author, and award-winning poet Jason Schneiderman hosts a night of poetry with a lineup of poets reading new and previously published work.

Acclaimed author Russell Shorto sits down on May 9 for the Library’s ongoing program Primary Source, featuring conversations with writers and historians who have researched at the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. Shorto will discuss what documents from the Library’s vast collections helped support his new book, Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America. Visit the online calendar for additional info.

On June 6 and June 13, Silent Book Club takes up residency in the Reading Room, inviting readers to bring a book of their choice, read silently, and then socialize afterward with fellow book lovers.

On June 20, New Yorker writer Rachel Syme leads a workshop on the lost art of letter writing and talks about her new book Syme’s Letter Writer. Visit the online calendar for additional info.

The Reading Room will be open to visitors on Fridays from 5 – 8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 5pm starting in April. Visitors will have the chance to experience the classical interior featuring stained glass windows, ionic columns, and a double height ceiling as well as a special installation of recent acquisitions to the collection. 

New York Hysterical: Stand-Up Comedy
Friday, May 2, 6 – 7 pm
Friday, May 9, 6 – 7 pm
Friday, May 16, 6 – 7 pm

Back by popular demand! Enjoy an early-bird hour of comedy in our Robert H. Smith Auditorium with acclaimed NYC stand-ups. Host Tom Delgado—a comedian, actor, tour guide, and certified New York City history nerd—leads a night of laughs at the Museum with a Gotham spin. Pay-as-you-wish hours are from 5 – 8 pm, so come early or stay late to explore exhibitions like Robert Caro’s The Power Broker at 50 and Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore, the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection.

Blueprints of Resistance: Lessons from LGBTQ+ Activism Past and Present
Friday, June 13, 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Presented in partnership with the American LGBTQ+ Museum, journalist and filmmaker David France joins us for this timely discussion of the awe-inspiring activism, community-building, and resistance that define LGBTQ+ history in the US, celebrating the courage and character of LGBTQ+ heroes as well as reflecting on what the country as a whole can learn from their struggle for acceptance. David France is an award-winning American investigative reporter, author, and Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker behind How to Survive a Plague (2012). Additional speakers to be announced.

The New York Historical 
170 Central Park West (at 77th Street)
New York, NY 10024
www.nyhistory.org  
(212) 873-3400

ADMISSION 
Adults: $24
Seniors/Educators/Active Military: $19
Students: $13
Children (5–13): $6
Children (4 and under): Free
*Pay-as-you-wish Fridays from 5–8 pm

About The New York Historical 
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.