House of SpeakEasy NYC
We bring writers & audiences together in innovative & sustaining ways.
On stage. In schools. On the road.
Our Mission
House of SpeakEasy is grounded in the belief that the ability to read and write enables a person to know their rights, be confident in their identity, and engage boldly and empathetically with the world around them. All of our programs support reading, writing, and public participation in literary culture.
On Stage
Seriously Entertaining
“It was truly a magical night for me. I had so much fun, and House of SpeakEasy is a great organization.”
October 6 | Joe's Pub at The Public Theater
Seriously Celebrating "The New Yorker: From Cover to Cover"
House of SpeakEasy and The New Yorker return to Joe’s Pub for another Seriously Entertaining collaboration, celebrating the release of "The New Yorker: From Cover to Cover", the definitive presentation of the world’s most popular and evocative magazine covers.
Featuring Barry Blitt, Grace Lynne Haynes, Anita Kunz, and Ricardo Siri, with James Yang as quizmaster, and co-hosted by House of SpeakEasy co-founder and chairwoman Amanda Foreman and Françoise Mouly, art editor of The New Yorker and author of "The New Yorker: From Cover to Cover".
November 17 | Joe's Pub at The Public Theater | 7 PM
Truth of the Matter
What are the truths in fiction, and where is the factual accountability in nonfiction? This November, House of SpeakEasy's literary cabaret, Seriously Entertaining, turns its spotlight on the slippery line between story and fact. Join hosts Lucas Wittmann and Peter Godwin for an evening of riffing and ruminating with four extraordinary authors: biologist Stuart Firestein, biographer and historian Amanda Foreman, scholar and lecturer Emily Hauser, and journalist Mikhail Zygar. From the lab to the archive to the front lines of reporting, each writer brings a different discipline's answer to the show's central question.
In Schools
SpeakTogether
“I used to think that writing was just about following a rubric and having perfect grammar. Now, I think that by exploring more about yourself, writing can become a way to meaningfully communicate your story.”
On the Road
Bookmobiles
“Being able to own books and build at-home libraries is a key step in improving literacy skills. It’s been amazing to see the joy on children’s faces as they receive new books and we share in that joy.”
Writer Spotlight
André Aciman
Novelist, Essayist, Proust Scholar
"I came because there’s nothing more exciting than writers talking about what makes them write."
André Aciman’s body of work spans memoir, essay, and fiction: from Out of Egypt, his Whiting Award-winning account of his family’s expulsion from Alexandria to his essay…
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