Greenwich Village, specifically the historic district at its core, has been described as many things, but “literary” may be among the most common. That’s not only because the neighborhood has an air of sophistication and drama, but because it has attracted some of the nation’s greatest writers over the last 200 plus years. Ahead, learn about just […]
In 1967, gay rights activist Craig Rodwell had a vision for a place that would serve not only as a bookstore but also as a space for community gatherings and activism. As a volunteer for the New York chapter of the Mattachine Society, a political group advocating for gay rights, Rodwell believed that the group […]
East Villager and Harlemite Nellallitea “Nella” Larsen (neé Walker, 13 April 1891 – 30 March 1964) was an American novelist who contributed to the Harlem Renaissance and American Modernism literary movements. Born to a Danish mother and Afro-Caribbean father, Larsen identified as mixed race, and her two novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929), explore race […]
The story of Curious George is so much more than that of one of the most popular children’s books since the 1940s. It’s also the story of a couple who endured and escaped the Nazi occupation of Paris, and found their way to Greenwich Village. Hans Augusto Reyersbach and Margarete Reyersbach were both Jews of […]
Have you ever seen these little boxes when you’re out on a stroll around the neighborhood? Noticed that they were full of fabulous books, magazines, and information? These birdhouse-shaped depositories are part of Little Free Libraries, a grassroots initiative to promote the free exchange of books between neighbors. The Little Free Library is a 501(c)3 […]
Amiri Baraka (October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), born Everett Leroy “LeRoi” Jones in Newark, was one of Greenwich Village’s most outspoken poets of the Black Arts Movement during the 1960s and ’70s. His political advocacy was both illuminating and confrontational, as he attempted to use his writing to document his experience of blackness […]
For most of us right now, traveling the world to explore places or cultures different from our own is not an option. But fortunately through the works of some great Greenwich Village authors, we can safely explore places (and times) very different than our own, and enjoy a bit of the escape we may not […]
Greenwich Village, specifically the historic district at its core, has been described as many things, but “literary” may be among the most common. That’s not only because the neighborhood has an air of sophistication and drama, but because it has attracted some of the nation’s greatest writers over the last 200 plus years. Ahead, learn about just […]