Welcome to our biweekly update on events happening during the next two weeks at The New York Public Library. With 92 locations across New York City, a lot is happening at the Library. We're highlighting some of our events here—including author talks, free classes, community art shows, performances, concerts, and exhibitions—and you can always find more at nypl.org/events. If you want our round-up in your inbox, sign up here. We look forward to seeing you at the Library.  

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

5/23: Metamorphosis: Photographer James Welling talks about his new monograph, Metamorphosis, with curator Quentin Bajac and scholar Robert Slifkin, featuring highlights from Welling's decades of work and a discussion on his first survey show. 6:30 PM.

5/24: Rethinking Othello with Tracy Chevalier: Tracy Chevalier, the author of The Girl with the Pearl Earring, discusses her latest novel, New Boy, and the work of translating the 16th-century Venice of Othello to 1970s suburban Washington, DC. Chevalier will speak with Samhita Mukhopadhyay, the Senior Editorial Director of Culture and Identities at Mic. 6:30 PM.

5/31: Off the Wall: Latin America in Photographs: Meet Edward Grazda, Ann Parker, and John Cohen, three artists featured in the Library's latest exhibition, Viewpoints: Latin America in Photographs, and the curator of Viewpoints, Elizabeth Cronin, as the artists recount their fascinating journeys photographing in Guatemala, Bolivia, and Peru in the 1970s. 6:30 PM.

The Schomburg Center

5/17: American Masters: Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise: The Schomburg screens the first feature documentary about the life of Dr. Maya Angelou (1928–2014), best known for her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This PBS film weaves Angelou's words with rare and intimate archival photographs and videos, presenting hidden moments in her life at important flashpoints in American history. 2 PM.

5/17: Baldwin's The Fire Next Time: A Conversation in Photographs and Prose: Join us for a conversation on James Baldwin and the influence of The Fire Next Time with Pamela Newkirk, Terrance Hayes, and photographer Steve Schapiro, moderated by Kevin Young, Director of the Schomburg. 6:30 PM.

5/19: Annual Commemoration of the Birth of el-JHajj Malik el-Shabazz (Malcolm X): Celebrate the birth of this civil rights leader with a conversation featuring special guests Sonia Sanchez, Kayo Charles, and Lisa Muhammad, as well as spoken word, a live dance performance, messages of admiration from the community, and a pop-up display showcasing his work, archived at The Schomburg. 6 PM.

5/23: Between the Lines: The Wide Circumference of Love by Marita Golden: Marita Golden is an acclaimed, award-winning author of more than a dozen works of fiction and nonfiction. In The Wide Circumference of Love, Golden explores the unsettling effects of Alzheimer’s disease on an African-American family caring for their ailing patriarch while navigating an uncertain future. Golden will speak about her book with Benilde Little, and a book signing will follow. 6:30 PM.

Library for the Performing Arts

5/25: Radical Dance Artists of the 60s and 80s: To mark the opening of the exhibition Radical Bodies: Anna Halprin, Simone Forti and Yvonne Rainer in California and New York, 1955–1972, Yvonne Rainer and Lucy Sexton come to the Library to discuss their careers in dance, avant-garde performance, and how their separate generations have shaped the New York dance scene. 6 PM.

Mid-Manhattan Library

5/22: Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall: Nina Willner, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer who served in Berlin during the Cold War, discusses her memoir, Forty Autumns, about her family's struggles to stay together after the Iron Curtain divided Germany in two. 6:30 PM.

Science, Industry and Business Library

5/22: Federal Resource Fair: All morning and afternoon at SIBL, get timely information about federal programs and resources for New Yorkers from all walks of life. Regional executives representing 18 federal agencies will be on hand to lead workshops and directly answer your questions. 10 AM.

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More Events

Note: Visit nypl.org/events or call ahead for the latest information, as programs and hours are subject to change or cancellation.