Bryant Park Author Series: Historical Fiction event image
Bryant Park Reading Room, Midtown, Manhattan

Bryant Park Author Series: Historical Fiction

Three novelists on turning real history into fiction, free in the Bryant Park Reading Room — bring lunch and a park chair.

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Three novelists working the same seam from different angles: Simon Elegant reported from Beijing for Time before writing about China's greatest poet, Julie Gerstenblatt won a New England Society Book Award, Carson Markland comes out of short fiction. Ilana Levine of the Little Known Facts podcast moderates, so the questions beat the average bookstore panel. It's free, it's an hour, and you can eat while you listen.

What to expect

Movable chairs in Bryant Park's open-air Reading Room, with three authors in conversation and audience questions at the end. The format is loose and lunchtime-friendly — people arrive with food and leave when they need to. Books are typically available for purchase on site.

Good to know

  • The Reading Room is along the 42nd Street edge of Bryant Park; B/D/F/M to 42nd St–Bryant Park
  • Free with no registration; seating is first-come on park chairs
  • It's a lunchtime program, so bringing food from the park kiosks is normal
  • Fully outdoors — rain moves or cancels it
  • Good for writers and readers alike; the panel talks craft as well as content
  • The park has restrooms and shaded seating a short walk away

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Common questions

Who is on the panel?

Novelists Simon Elegant, Julie Gerstenblatt and Carson Markland, moderated by actress and podcaster Ilana Levine.

Do I need to register?

No. Bryant Park Reading Room programs are free and open with first-come seating.

Can I bring lunch?

Yes — it's a lunchtime program in a public park and eating during the talk is normal.