18 Moments in 2018 We’ll Never Forget
A wonderful year of bookish events at Strand
The work of pulling off an event is exhausting, hectic, and one of the most rewarding things a person can do. Impressively, the events team at Strand does just that over 400 times every year. The authors, playwrights, celebrities, artists, chefs, musicians and book fans that visited us in 2018 is a truly impressive list. However, if we included every event we hosted in the last year here, it would take weeks for you to read this article. It took DAYS just to narrow it down to this list! We didn’t even include Banned Books Bingo hosted by SOL, MC5’s Wayne Kramer (The Hard Stuff), Anthony Ray Hinton (The Sun Does Shine), Melissa Broder (The Pisces), Terrance Hayes (American Sonnets for my Past and Future Assassin), or the fact that we are the official booksellers of The New York Book Con and Comic Con. 😉
The events and books you’ll find in this article are just the tip of the iceberg. And if you are feeling a little left out for having missed an event, you can find footage of past events archived on our YouTube channel.
*signed copies available as of article publication!
Tomorrow Will Be Different* by Sarah McBride
March 6, 2018 — While in conversation with author and activist Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan, Sarah bravely shared the great losses of her life and her work as a transgender activist.
How to Love the Empty Air by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz & All Our Wild Wonder* by Sarah Kay
April 2, 2018 —This duo kicked off our Poetry Month celebrations to a sold out crowd! Cristin shared why it is important to her to have three names as an author, and Sarah expanded on why poetry is a great outlet for emotion, but no replacement for mental health care. Plus, these women are friends and mentors to each IRL, which was the cherry on top of a fantastic evening.
Perfect is Boring: 10 Things My Crazy, Fierce Mama Taught Me About Beauty, Booty, and Being a Boss* by Tyra Banks
April 3, 2018 — Tyra and her Mama Carolyn were a power-duo of advice and insight into how to be a strong woman! We even got an in person tutorial from the Smize Queen herself on how to take a perfect picture, every time.
Minority Leader by Stacey Abrams
April 26, 2018 — It was an incredible honor to host recent Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in conversation with writer, editor and podcast host Ashley C. Ford.
Failure Is An Option by H. Jon Benjamin
May 1, 2018 — Also know as Bob Belcher and son Gene Belcher from the animated series Bob’s Burgers, H. Jon Benjamin and Eugene Merman has us in stitches as they traded stories on their failures.
Adjustment Day* by Chuck Palahniuk
May 8, 2018 — This is the most interactive book signing you will ever attend. Chuck Palahniuk goes full fight club for every signing he does, events which often last at least 8 hours as each fan gets to pose for epic pictures with the author.
The Golden House* by Salman Rushdie
June 26, 2018 — Presenting to a sold out crowd in the Rare Book Room, the iconic Salman Rushdie was delighted to share his return to realism with his book The Golden House.
The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins*
July 17, 2018 — Even a huge thunderstorm couldn’t keep these guys away! Well, not everyone anyways. The McElroy family took there D&D podcast to the page with this amazing new graphic novel.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation* by Ottessa Moshfegh
July 30, 2018 — Ottessa was joined by actress and author Lena Dunham to discuss her latest release this past summer.
Feminasty* by Erin Gibson
September 5, 2018 — Co-Host of the Throwing Shade Podcast teamed up with Rify Royalty for a hilarious evening sharing her book, Feminasty.
Rage Becomes Here* by Soraya Chemaly
September 12, 2018 — Joined by writer Samhita Mukhopadhyay, Soraya encourages women to face their rage instead of resist it efforts to de-stigmatize the stereotype of “The Angry Woman”.
American Prison* by Shane Bauer
September 18, 2018 — His remarkable book has made it to the top of many end of year book lists this season, and it’s clear to see why. Watch Shane shares his first-hand observations on private prisons in American during his visit to Strand in the video above.
How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler* by Ryan North
October 2, 2018 — Ryan North presented the stages of history that made current human civilization what it today and was delightful every step of the way! Plus his conversation partners, Christopher Hastings (Dr. McNinja, Gwenpool, Wet Hot American Summer) and Carly Monardo (Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, Magnet Theater), were a TREAT to chat with.
Vengeful* by V.E. Schwab
October 8, 2018 — Queen of addictive book series V.E. Schwab sold out the Rare Book Room in record speed for the release of Vengeful, the next book in her Villains series. She discuss her writing process, including how the soundtrack to John Wick is great for writing, and all of her various upcoming projects.
Gmorning, Gnight! by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Illustrated by and Jonny Sun
October 16. 2018 —500 books, 4 hours, 2 amazing people. Yes, Lin’s shirt says “Mr. Write”. Yes, they are both delightful humans and everything you’d hoped for. No, we didn’t bust out into a mass sing-along of Hamilton. We thought about it, though.
Lu* by Jason Reynolds
October 21, 2018 — Jason Reynolds AND Jacqueline Woodson in one room talking about books and writing was so cool. One local school even made a special field trip just to meet them. Can you say precious?
I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson and Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay* by Phoebe Robinson
October 2018 — In just one month, we hosted 2 amazing women in comedy. Phoebe Robinson chatted about her latest collection of essays with SNL alum Vanessa Bayer and then returned later in the month to talk to Abbi Jacobson about her book! #YQY
Queer Eye: Love Yourself, Love Your Life
November 27, 2018 — Things just keep getting better, but it will be hard to top this! Queer Eye stars Jonathan Vaness, Tan France, Bobby Berk and Karamo Brown (not pictured) were just as genuine and amazing in person as you’d hope. We laughed, we cried, we loved every moment.
2018 isn’t over yet! There’s still time to attend a spectacular event in the Rare Book Room this December, including a book signing of Congo Stories with Ryan Gosling! Hope to see you there.
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