Tonight
Twenty-five-year-old Vine sensation Nicholas Megalis will invite fans into the mega-weird, anxiety-ridden world of his mind at a reading of his new collection of short stories. In this illustrated journal Megalis chronicles life as an imaginative kid who grew up in a “ridiculous family of artists, Greek immigrants, and all-around weirdos.” According to the synopsis, it covers the topics of “borderline fireworks pyromania, chain-smoking at age seven, psychotic magic trick obsessions, the perils of being a thirteen-year-old boy.” March 31 at 7 p.m. Barnes and Noble, 33 East 17th St., Union Square.
Meghan Daum (The Unspeakable) is hosting a discussion with writers Anna Holmes (founder of Jezebel), Laura Kipnis (Men) and Paul Lisicky (Lawnboy) for the launch of her new essay anthology Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids. Daum told the Huffington Post Thursday that she has long fluctuated between being “sort of ambivalent to pretty decisive” about not having kids, and while she’s grown more comfortable with her choice, she was “hungry for voices” talking about childlessness in a “thoughtful, respectful, interesting way.”
Tuesday, March 31 at 7 p.m. Housingworks Bookstore, 126 Crosby Street (Nolita).
Wednesday
Hear rising star poets read their poems, collected in the new anthology Please Excuse This Poem: 100 New Poets For The Next Generation. The book delves into American poetry by young writers, pulled from sources ranging from The New Yorker to Twitter. Mark Bibbins (They Don’t Kill You Because They’re Hungry), Alex Dimitrov (Begging for It), and others round out the night’s discussion, hosted by Brett Fletcher Lauer, deputy director of the Poetry Society of America, and Lynn Melnick, author of If I Should Say I Have Hope. April 1 at 7 p.m. Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway, Noho.
Thursday
History buffs take note: here’s your chance to revisit bygone Greenpoint with Brooklyn’s Historic Greenpoint, a collection of hundreds of vintage maps, photos and a fully indexed history of the neighborhood covering churches, schools, trolleys, buses, police and more. Join the author, historian and Brooklyn native Brian Merlis for the unveiling of this exhaustive account, which he told the Greenpoint Gazette would be “a gorgeous recount of the history of this neighborhood. It’s not like one of those paperback Arcadia books, but one that is meant to last a long time and be a keepsake.” April 2 at 7 p.m. WORD Bookstore, 126 Franklin St., Greenpoint.
Friday
Watch professional poets perform and Slam winners spit at the semi-final round of the Nuyorican Poets Café slam poetry competition. Judges are randomly picked from the audience (it could be you!). A line forms outside the historical venue, where Allen Ginsberg was a patron and Rosario Dawson and Rosie Perez frequented open mic nights, about an hour before admittance, which begins at 10 p.m. If you want to avoid the wait, VIP tickets can be purchased online for $28. April 3, general admission begins at 10 p.m. Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 E. 3rd St. East Village.
“Bare! True Stories of Sex, Desire and Romance” brings together storytellers, comedians, sex educators and others to share true tales from their own experiences of sex, desire and romance. With stories as diverse as the people telling them, Bare! opens doors to bedrooms, back seats and dungeons to tell what your mama left out about the birds, bees and in-betweens. The event is hosted by Jefferson and features author/journalist/comedian Harmon Leon, comedian Will Miles (who describes his style as Carlton Banks if all of Will Smith’s ridicule finally got to him) and comedian and Moth GrandSLAM champion Giulia Rozzi. April 3 at 10 p.m. Sidewalk Cafe, 94 Avenue A (East VIllage).
