Free Highlights: Things to Do in NYC, May 2026

Library events, book sales, and other literary adventures happening this month in New York City

The Brooklyn Book Bodega is an organization dedicated to increasing the number of 100+ book homes in NYC, and also a place where I occasionally get to shamelessly organize piles of books. Photo: Brooklyn Book Bodega

Living in New York City has long forced me to live with less.

I am of course at times annoyed by this. One of the hardest concessions for me has to do with books. As long as I can remember I’ve been surrounded by books. I was surrounded by children’s books and my parents’ books as a child, and by middle school, my bedroom shelves were filled wall-to-wall with books. At one point I marked every one across the top with my name in Sharpie.

I may not read many children’s books these days, but I still encounter them whenever I volunteer with the Brooklyn Book Bodega, an organization I recommend for anyone interested in increasing the number of 100+ book homes in NYC. In my May 2026 Blankman List, I include their May 3 book collection drive in Cobble Hill, and I direct interested readers to their website, which includes other events and ways to volunteer.

When it comes to books for adults, when assembling events each month, I’m struck by how often books can tie into anything. You don’t even have to be much of a reader to attend book events, like culinary events tied to cookbooks or art events paired with exhibition catalogues. The events below are all tied to books and literature in one way or another but strive to avoid assumptions about you as a reader. As always, many come from my full, unthemed May 2026 list.

Disclaimer: Before going anywhere, please confirm the date, time, location, cost, and description using the listed website. Any event is at risk of being rescheduled, relocated, sold out, at capacity, or canceled. Costs are rounded to the nearest dollar and may change. I try to vet quality and describe accurately, but I may misjudge. All views are my own.

Book Sales and Collections

Between the discount carts surrounding The Strand and the displays in the New York Rare Book Gallery, NYC is a premiere city for book collectors and enthusiasts. May is an especially good time for the discerning collector, as the month begins with the 66th Annual International Antiquarian Book Fair, which includes a few related events like the Rare Book & Fine Press Fair, also called out below.

• Saturday, May 2: Manhattan Rare Book & Fine Press Fair

  • One-day book fair dedicated to the contemporary book arts with the “highest standard of craft and design”; 9 am–5 pm

  • $20 entry

  • St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church

  • 869 Lexington Ave (Lenox Hill, Manhattan)

• Sunday, May 3: Children’s Book Drive at Books Are Magic

  • Book drive to collect new or gently used books as part of the Brooklyn Book Bodega’s mission to increase access to books for kids 0–18; 12–2 pm

  • Free (this is for book donations, although they organize book giveaways, too)

  • Books Are Magic

  • 225 Smith St (Cobble Hill, Brooklyn)

• Through Sunday, May 3: 66th Annual International Antiquarian Book Fair

  • Renowned book fair sanctioned by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America [ABAA] featuring rare books and ephemera; hours range between 12–9 pm; Apr 30–May 3

  • $35–$78 general / $10 student

  • Park Avenue Armory

  • 643 Park Ave (Lenox Hill, Manhattan)

• Saturday, May 2 & Wednesday, May 27: St. Agnes Library Book Sale

  • Library sale of books and materials donated from partners and neighbors; 12–4 pm

  • Free entry

  • St. Agnes Library

  • 444 Amsterdam Ave (Upper West Side, Manhattan)

The work of 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet Rumi can be found throughout NYC, such as this book in The Met’s collection or a May 9 talk at Poets House. Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Song and Poetry Writers

Writing is of course not limited to books, and NYC is home to all sorts of expression. As always, my full Blankman List includes many additional musical performances, but here I offer a few highlights of the songs and poetry happening around the city this month.

• Wednesday, May 6: Chad Cannon & Hui Wu: Music for the Ocean

  • Concert for piano, violin, and harp, with animation and sound design intended to “conjure an entire ocean world,” followed by a science panel Q&A; 7 pm

  • $75–$125

  • Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space

  • 2537 Broadway (Upper West Side, Manhattan)

• Wednesday, May 6: Passwords: Jawid Mojaddedi on Rumi

  • Talk by translator and Islamic studies professor Jawid Mojaddedi on the 13th-century poet Rumi’s unique narrative style; 7–9 pm

  • $10 suggested

  • Poets House, Kray Hall (also streamed online)

  • 10 River Terrace (Battery Park City, Manhattan)

• Friday, May 8: Dylan Pham, Ian Santora & Kazuya

  • Concert of indie folk singer-songerwiters Dylan Pham, Ian Santora, and Kazuya in an intimate gallery/performance space; 7–11:30 pm

  • $15 advance / $20 doors

  • Unruly Collective

  • 200 Cooper St (Bushwick, Brooklyn)

• Wednesday, May 27–Sunday, May 31: Miles Davis Centennial Celebration

  • Jazz quintet with members connected to Miles Davis’ career performing music in celebration of Davis’ 100th birthday; sets at 6, 8 & 10 pm

  • $25–$75 (dinner menu entrees are $30–$41)

  • Smoke Jazz & Supper Club

  • 2751 Broadway (Upper West Side, Manhattan)

Book Culture has a few locations throughout NYC, with its LIC location hosting a book club this May discussing John Williams’ 1965 novel Stoner. Photo: Google Maps

Book Discussions

For years I’ve meandered in and out of clubs and always felt (1) a sense of community in being around other people who have read the same book and (2) kind of weird talking about it. For me, there’s this mismatch between the solitude required to read a book and the sociability that comes with meeting about it. Book clubs always humble me, too. “You got that out of the book? I can’t even remember the damn character’s name.” But in the spirit of Community Week NYC happening this May, I highlight a few book discussions happening around the city, including one that’s part of the Community Week lineup.

• Tuesday, May 12: Minding Our Mortality: Book Club

  • Book club focused on topics of death and mortality discussing neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi’s posthumous memoir When Breath Becomes Air; 7–8:30 pm

  • $10 suggested donation (includes snacks and beverages)

  • Neighbor

  • 176 9th Ave (Chelsea, Manhattan)

• Thursday, May 14: Don’t Believe Everything You Think Book Discussion

  • Guided discussion in a welcoming space about Joseph Nguyen’s 2022 book Don’t Believe Everything You Think; part of Community Week NYC May 9–17

  • $11 entry

  • Address provided upon registration

  • Manhattan, NYC

• Thursday, May 21: LIC May Book Club

  • Monthly bookstore-organized book club meeting discussing John Williams’ 1965 novel Stoner; 6–8 pm

  • Free entry (includes refreshments; book is 20% off)

  • Book Culture LIC

  • 26-09 Jackson Ave (Long Island City, Queens)

• Wednesday, May 27: Crime Wave Book Club with Andrei & Patrick

  • Crime fiction book club discussing William Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 classic noir novel, Nightmare Alley; 6:30 pm

  • $5 (includes $5 store voucher)

  • McNally Jackson Books Downtown Brooklyn

  • 445 Gold St, 1st floor (Downtown Brooklyn)

The famed 1932 photograph of 30 Rock construction workers eating lunch atop a dizzyingly high construction beam is the subject of a book talk this May at the Skyscraper Museum. Photo: public domain

Book Talks

One of the beauties of a book for me is that the possibilities inside are truly endless. Puzzle books, cookbooks, art books, children’s books, textbooks, sheet music, instruction manuals. . . . I don’t mean to belabor the point, but just about anything can be the topic of a book talk, like the above photograph of construction workers eating lunch atop a skyscraper construction beam.

• Sunday, May 3: An Afternoon with Abdellah Taïa

  • Talk by Moroccan writer Abdellah Taïa on the English translation of his 2022 book Living in Your Light, about a resilient Moroccan countrywoman; 3 pm

  • Free

  • Albertine

  • 972 5th Ave (Upper East Side, Manhattan)

• Thursday, May 7: Civic Advocacy: Lessons Learned in the Aftermath of 9/11

  • Conversation between author John Feal, law professor Rupa Bhattacharyya, and others about Feal’s book on 9/11 responders who “took on congress”; 6–7 pm

  • Free

  • National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Auditorium

  • 180 Greenwich St (Financial District, Manhattan)

• Tuesday, May 19: Person, Place, Thing with Randy Cohen: Alan Klein & Alexander Neubauer

  • Live podcast recording of Person, Place, Thing with Randy Cohen featuring Alan Klein and Alexander Neubauer, editors of Risings: The Irish Literary Revival and the Making of a Nation; 6:30–7:30 pm

  • Free

  • The Grolier Club

  • 47 E 60th St (Lenox Hill, Manhattan)

• Tuesday, May 26: Lunch on a Beam: The Making of an American Photograph

  • Conversation between archivist Christine Roussel and author William Bartlett on Roussel’s book about the famous photograph “Lunch on a Beam”; 6 pm

  • Free

  • The Skyscraper Museum

  • 39 Battery Place (Lower Manhattan)

Dramatic Texts

For anyone looking to buy literal dramatic texts, I recommend checking out the Drama Book Shop on 39th Street in Manhattan. But of course dramatic texts are best performed, not simply read. In NYC, you kind of get to have it all, from racy Off-Broadway shows with titles like Get F***ed to showy revivals of Broadway staples like Cats.

• Thursday, May 7–Saturday, May 16: The Big Bad

  • Workshop production of a play centered around a mental health crisis that “explores international trauma and the supernatural”; 7 pm; May 7–16

  • $37–$53

  • Abron Arts Center, Underground Theater

  • 466 Grand St (Lower East Side, Manhattan)

• Opens Thursday, May 14: El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego

  • New magical-realist opera from composer Gabriela Lena Frank about “Mexico’s painterly power couple” Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera; 7:30 pm

  • $33–$490

  • Metropolitan Opera House

  • 30 Lincoln Center Plaza (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)

• Thursday, May 21: Broadway on the Radio: CATS: The Jellicle Ball

  • Performances from CATS: The Jellicle Ball and a discussion moderated by journalist Alison Stewart on the musical’s current revival; 12 pm

  • $25–$50

  • The Greene Space

  • 44 Charlton St (Hudson Square, Manhattan)

• Thursday, May 21–Sunday, May 24: Get F***ed

  • Off-Broadway play by writer and filmmaker Reese Carmen Villella about “sexually active 20-somethings”; 9:30 pm; May 21, 23 & 24

  • $23–$43

  • The Tank

  • 312 W 36th St (Midtown, Manhattan)

The famed New York Public Library by Bryant Park (which is currently host to a “Treasures” exhibit) is just one of hundreds of libraries with events and exhibits throughout the city. Photo: Diliff

Library Events

The public library system of NYC (which includes the Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library, and the Manhattan Public Library spanning the remaining boroughs) collectively have expansive calendars of free events, but this city includes plenty of private libraries too with programming available to the public, like the Morgan Library & Museum or the Horological Society of New York’s research library.

• Through Sunday, May 3: 100 Years of the Schomburg Center

  • Exhibition of highlights from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture collection

  • Free

  • New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Gottesman Hall

  • 476 5th Ave (Bryant Park, Manhattan)

• Monday, May 4: From Theory to Mechanism: Armin Strom’s Approach to Resonance

  • Lecture by watchmaker and Armin Strom co-founder Claude Greisler on “the journey from theory to mechanism”; 6–9 pm (5:30 pm doors)

  • Free

  • Horological Society of New York [HSNY], General Society Library

  • 20 W 44th St

• Saturday, May 9: Afternoon Board Game Guild

  • Monthly board game meetup with May’s game being Long Shot: The Dice Game; 3:30–4:30 pm

  • Free

  • Queens Public Library at Douglaston/Little Neck

  • 249-01 Northern Blvd (Little Neck, Queens)

• Saturday, May 9 & Saturday, May 30: “The Warehouse” Exhibit Walk Through

  • Guided tour of “The Warehouse,” a collaborative exhibit between artist Vic Liu and activist Mariame Kaba about mass incarceration; 1:30–4:30 pm

  • Free

  • Brooklyn Public Library – Bedford Branch

  • 496 Franklin Ave (Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn)