LIVE from NYPL: Past Programs

Welcome to the LIVE from NYPL archive. We encourage you to explore our vast library of past programs dating back to 2005.

Visit the LIVE from NYPL homepage to check out upcoming events and connect with us.

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The Unmarked Graveyard season artwork The Unmarked Graveyard

Stories from Hart Island

Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 7 - 8 PM
Go behind the latest season of Radio Diaries' new series, "The Unmarked Graveyard," which untangles mysteries of people buried in America's largest public cemetery.Read More ›
Ayad Akhtar headshot Courtesy Ayad Akhtar
Adrienne LaFrance headshot Courtesy Adrienne LaFrance
Imani Perry headshot Courtesy Imani Perry

Banned: Censorship and Free Expression in America

Thursday, October 5, 2023, 7 - 8 PM
Ayad Akhtar and Imani Perry will be in conversation with Adrienne LaFrance to discuss the dangers of book banning and limits on freedom of expression.Read More ›
Mary Annaïse Heglar headshot Courtesy Mary Annaïse Heglar
Akil Kumarasamy headshot Akil Kumarasamy © Vidhya Manivanna
Sam J. Miller headshot Courtesy Sam J. Miller
Nathaniel Rich headshot Courtesy Nathaniel Rich

Confronting Climate Grief in Fiction with Akil Kumarasamy, Sam J. Miller, Nathaniel Rich, and Mary Annaïse Heglar

Thursday, September 21, 2023, 7 - 8 PM
Writers whose novels and stories have crossed the intersection of climate change and mental health ask whether fiction can have a meaningful impact on how we handle the climate crisis.Read More ›
Alondra Nelson headshot Alondra Nelson © Dan Komoda
Karen Kornbluh headshot Courtesy Karen Kornbluh
Maria Ressa headshot Courtesy Maria Ressa
Olatunbosun Tijani headshot Courtesy Olatunbosun Tijani
Tim Wu headshot Courtesy Tim Wu

Building the World We Want: Artificial Intelligence and Global Governance

Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 7 - 8 PM
Acclaimed scholar and writer Alondra Nelson leads a discussion on the transnational impacts of artificial intelligence and the need for global collaboration.Read More ›
Sister Helen Prejean headshot Sister Helen Prejean © Scott Langley
Joyce DiDonato headshot Joyce DiDonato © Simon Pauly
Ryan McKinny headshot Ryan McKinny © Jiyang Chen
Shamil Idriss headshot Courtesy Shamil Idriss

Dead Man Walking: Sister Helen Prejean, Joyce DiDonato, Ryan McKinny, and Shamil Idriss

Tuesday, September 19, 2023, 7 - 8 PM
An evening of performance and conversation explores the Met Opera’s highly anticipated premiere of Dead Man Walking, as well as the memoir, and the woman, that inspired it. Read More ›
Myriam Gurba headshot Myriam Gurba © Geoff Cordner
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd headshot Julianne Escobedo Shepherd © Ashok Kondabolu

Creep: Myriam Gurba with Julianne Escobedo Shepherd

Wednesday, September 6, 2023, 7 - 8 PM
Gurba shines a light on creepy cultures and the systems of oppression that shape women’s lives. Read More ›
Dance Party NYC

Dance Party NYC: 50 Years of Hip-Hop

Saturday, August 5, 2023, 3 - 5 PM
Hip-hop’s 50th anniversary heats up at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Dance Party NYC!Read More ›

Rooftop Happy Hour with the Whiting Foundation

Thursday, July 27, 2023, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Join us on the SNFL terrace for readings, drinks, crafts, and more with the Whiting Foundation! Read More ›
Pride at NYPL

Rooftop Happy Hour with Lesbian Herstory Archives

Friday, June 30, 2023, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Join us on the SNFL terrace for readings, drinks, crafts, and more with Lesbian Herstory Archives! Read More ›
Luis Alberto Urrea headshot Courtesy Luis Alberto Urrea

Luis Alberto Urrea: Good Night, Irene

Tuesday, June 27, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
The new novel by the award-winning author tells an overlooked story of women’s heroism in World War II, inspired by the experiences of his own mother.Read More ›
Joel Meyerowitz headshot Courtesy Joel Meyerowitz
Lorenzo Braca headshot Courtesy Lorenzo Braca

Joel Meyerowitz with Lorenzo Braca: The Pleasure of Seeing

Wednesday, June 14, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
The pioneering street photographer who reshaped the use of color recounts the story of his life and career.Read More ›
Pride at NYPL
Amelia Possanza Amelia Possanza © Becca Farsace
Casey McQuiston headshot Casey McQuiston © Sylvie Rosokoff

Lesbian Love Story: Amelia Possanza with Casey McQuiston

Tuesday, June 6, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Uncover romances and role models written out of history and what their stories can teach us all about how to love.Read More ›
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah headshot Courtesy Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Tochi Onyebuchi headshot Tochi Onyebuchi © Christina Orlando

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah with Tochi Onyebuchi: Chain-Gang All-Stars

Wednesday, May 31, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
The bestselling author discusses his debut novel, an “alarmingly pertinent dystopian” vision of violence and criminal justice. Read More ›
Lilliana Mason headshot Courtesy Lilliana Mason
Jeff Sharlet headshot Jeff Sharlet © Julia Rabig
Nermeen Shaikh headshot Courtesy Nermeen Shaikh

Jeff Sharlet and Lilliana Mason with Nermeen Shaikh: Political Violence & Antidemocratic Extremism

Tuesday, May 30, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Discuss the ever-hardening fractures in politics, culture, and social life with a bestselling journalist and a political scientist who both focus on American polarization.Read More ›

Rooftop Happy Hour with Singapore Unbound

Friday, May 26, 2023, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Join us on the SNFL terrace for readings, drinks, crafts, and more with Singapore Unbound! Read More ›
David Remnick headshot David Remnick © Brigitte Lacombe
Kelefa Sanneh headshot Kelefa Sanneh © Jason Nocito

David Remnick with Kelefa Sanneh: Holding the Note

Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and editor of The New Yorker reflects on a half century of American music.Read More ›
Sherrilyn Ifill headshot Courtesy Sherrilyn Ifill

Sherrilyn Ifill: How America Ends and Begins Again

Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
The former head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund delivers the annual Robert B. Silvers Lecture. Read More ›
Matthew Desmond headshot Matthew Desmond © Barron Bixler
Andrea Elliott headshot Andrea Elliott © Nina Subin

Matthew Desmond and Andrea Elliott: Poverty, by America

Monday, May 1, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author reimagines the American debate on poverty, making an original and ambitious argument about why it persists here: because too many of us benefit from it.Read More ›

Rooftop Happy Hour with Words Without Borders

Friday, April 28, 2023, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Join us on the SNFL terrace for readings, drinks, crafts, and more with Words Without Borders! Read More ›
Geoff Dyer headshot Geoff Dyer © Guy Drayton
Chloé Cooper Jones headshot Courtesy Chloé Cooper Jones

Geoff Dyer and Chloé Cooper Jones: Transatlantic Conversations

Thursday, April 20, 2023, 1 - 2 PM
Dyer and Jones discuss sporting matches and everyday battles; failure and triumph; what it means and what it takes to live life to the fullest, and when and how to bow out. Read More ›
Sasha Velour headshot Sasha Velour © Tanner Abel, Nicholas Needham
Joe E. Jeffreys headshot Joe E. Jeffreys © Ves Pitts

Sasha Velour and Joe E. Jeffreys: Drag Manifesto

Monday, April 17, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Velour spotlights the revolutionary art form of drag and its rich, often overlooked history. Read More ›
Dasha Kiper headshot Dasha Kiper © CEOportrait
David Hyde Pierce headshot Courtesy David Hyde Pierce

Rethinking Alzheimer’s and Caregiving: Dasha Kiper and David Hyde Pierce

Thursday, April 13, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Kiper’s new book blends science and storytelling to illuminate the complex relationship between the mind of someone with dementia and the mind of the person caring for them.Read More ›
The Library After Hours in purple text written on a plain yellow background

Library After Hours: Icons of Women’s History

Friday, March 31, 2023, 7 - 10 PM
Celebrate Women’s History Month at the return of the city's most cerebral happy hour!Read More ›
Devoney Looser headshot Devoney Looser © Arizona State University
Ruth Franklin headshot Ruth Franklin © Anthony DelMundo
Beanie Feldstein headshot Courtesy Beanie Feldstein

Jane and Anna Maria Porter: the Most Famous Novelists You’ve Never Read

Monday, March 27, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
They paved the way for Jane Austen and the Brontë Sisters. Why haven’t we ever heard of them?Read More ›
Emma Smith headshot Courtesy Emma Smith

Emma Smith: Why Do We Still Burn Books?

Wednesday, March 22, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
The Professor of Shakespeare Studies at University of Oxford lectures on the history of book-burning from the ancient Mediterranean to Margaret Atwood.Read More ›