“I’ve come to understand that we need to tend to the living weave of thought and feeling that becomes writing, just as we tend to other things we want to keep alive, like children and plants,” writes Eleni Sikelianos, author of Memory Rehearsal (@citylightsbooks.bsky.social). at.pw.org/WRSikelianos

“I let myself be dragged toward the door when it was my turn, a vague hymn rising from the orchestra: ‘It’s good to feel like dead meat in summertime.’” From Joyce Mansour’s Satisfied Sarcophagi, out this summer with @citylightsbooks.bsky.social.

Ambient 1: Music for Airports by Brian Eno "This album is like a Pavlovian signal — I put it on, I write." —Eleni Sikelianos's playlist for her new book MEMORY REHEARSAL (City Lights May 2026) ❤️ @largeheartedboy.bsky.social playlist: bit.ly/4gxVKFN

Summer reading recommendations from Bay Area book people!

For our Summer Books Guide we asked well read booksellers from places like @greenapplebooks.bsky.social, @citylightsbooks.bsky.social, @booksmith.bsky.social, and Christopher’s Books for their summer must-reads: sf.gazetteer.co/staff-picks-...

"We've both seen a lot of change in the book business; one of the things that hasn't changed is the importance of conversation."—Paul Yamazaki on the Open Book Podcast open.spotify.com/show/5cUvUFg...

Last week our podcast featured Eleni Sikelianos in conversation with Matthew Zapruder discussing Sikelianos' latest work, published by City Lights! Listen at the links below, or on Apple Podcasts! Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/livefromcity... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7uGq...

Eleni Sikelianos talks about her memoir, MEMORY REHEARSAL, with the hosts of MEMOIR NATION. They discuss what it means to embody the life of an ancestor you never knew in your writing, & the role of photographs as narrative rather than decorative elements. A fascinating exploration. bit.ly/4fyyYxa

'The child in the picture is my grandfather, Glaukos. He is an old man in every memory I have of him, but he too was once young."——Eleni Sikelianos, from "Glaukos," published in MEMORY REHEARSAL (just published by City Lights!) Excerpted at Air/Light Magazine airlightmagazine.org/.../issue-13...

Celebrating Allen Ginsberg on his centennial 👑🎂 photo taken at Fantasy Records in Berkeley CA, 1950s

Eleni Sikelianos is at Naropa University's Summer Writing Program this Thursday, June 4th! 2:30pm: Artist's Talk 7pm: Faculty Reading with Fargo Tbakhi & Lucia Hinojosa Both events take place in the Performing Arts Center on Naropa University’s Arapahoe Campus bit.ly/4dYHJhD

"I write about what goes through my mind, and naturally, the world goes through my mind. So it looks like I'm writing about the world, but I'm just writing about notating the record of my mind's epiphanies."—Allen Ginsberg Ginsberg's Centennial is Weds., June 3rd! www.npr.org/2026/05/31/n...

Fresh ink! I reviewed Memory Rehearsal by Eleni Sikelianos for The Providence Eye: pvdeye.org/memory-rehea... @citylightsbooks.bsky.social @thepvdeye.bsky.social

Sunnylyn Thibodeaux, Lucky Charms: New and Selected Poems 2000-2025 / @nolapoet.bsky.social @citylightsbooks.bsky.social ; robmclennan.blogspot.com/2026/06/sunn...

Rest in Peace David Henderson 1942 - 2026 www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/b...

awaiting spouse from an appointment, with my newly-purchased copy of Sunnylyn Thibideaux’s selected poems from City Lights // @citylightsbooks.bsky.social @nolapoet.bsky.social

Join us for our last two events before our June break! 🔴 TONIGHT Tuesday 5/26 7pm PT/10pm ET THROUGH THE GATES OF HELL: American Injustice at Guantanamo Bay Joshua Colangelo-Bryan w Philip Kearney [Humanitas Media] Join us at the bookstore or join the livestream here: citylights.com/events/joshu...

🛶 TONIGHT 5/21 7pm PT/10pm ET Barry Gifford THE EXCEPTION: Uncle Buck’s Book of Irrepressible Navigation @sevenstories.bsky.social If you can't make it to the bookstore, register here to join us online: citylights.com/events/barry...

Join us!! www.litquake.org/events-1/uns...

“MEMORY REHEARSAL Is Rooted In Santa Barbara: Eleni Sikelianos Discusses Her New Book at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.”— David Starkey, Santa Barbara Independent Join us this Thursday, May 21, at 5pm! www.sbma.net/events/paral...

Happy Publication Day to Eleni Sikelianos! MEMORY REHEARSAL is here. “A poet’s immersion in Greek classicism forges a stronger bond with her bloodline. . . . A moving family memoir and a triumph of cultural archaeology.”–Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review citylights.com/city-lights-...

Congratulations to 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐬 on the publication of 𝑴𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒍 @citylightsbooks.bsky.social! Read two extracts and an interview in the Spring issue of Amsterdam Review: bit.ly/AmsterdamReview #prose #poetry #fiction #nonfiction #writingcommunity

🌲 TONIGHT Monday 5/18 7pm PT/10pm ET at City Lights LIVE! Cole Swensen with Norma Cole Discussing VEER [@alicejamesbooks.bsky.social] If you can't make it to the bookstore, register for the free livestream here: citylights.com/events/cole-...

Cole Swensen's latest poems "roam adventurously through nature, a hike undertaken by someone who dares delve into the minds of crows, scamper up tree trunks, or edge daringly close to the sun." Hear them read live at @citylightsbooks.bsky.social Mon/18.

Eleni Sikelianos in the Bay Area this week celebrating the publication of MEMORY REHEARSAL, published by City Lights! More info on all events: citylights.com/publishing/a...

TONIGHT Monday 5/11 we have two events to share! 6pm PT/9pm ET Linford D. Fisher w/ Paul C. Rosier STEALING AMERICA INDIGENOUS CITIZENS @wwnorton.com Register: citylights.com/events/linfo... 7pm PT Kronos Quartet w/ Poets performing HOWL Offsite at The Chapel Info: citylights.com/events/krono...

This week's LIVE! from City Lights podcast features Max Lawton & Sean Thor Conroe discussing Lawton's translation of THE BEGINNINGS by Antonio Moresco. @deepvellumbooks.bsky.social @catranslation.org @maxlawton.bsky.social Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/livefromcity...

Monday, May 11th, 7pm at The Chapel in San Francisco: Come Celebrate Allen Ginsberg's Centennial with Us!! wl.eventim.us/event/allen-...

"A Black lesbian vampire escapes slavery and spends immortality searching for meaning in this pioneering work of speculative fiction that explores themes of queer identity, race, and family." —The Brooklyn Public Library on THE GILDA STORIES, one of the 250 Most Influential Titles in U.S. History !

Front row with Molly Crabapple at @citylightsbooks.bsky.social San Francisco

Daily(ish) #SmallPress #books: Lessons in Drag by Kareem Khubchandani, with LaWhore Vagistan, @brandeispress.bsky.social & Little Red Barns by @willpotter.bsky.social, @citylightsbooks.bsky.social. See alt-text. #DSPBposts #bookish 💙📚 #BookSky #booktok #booksta #bookstagram #booklovers

Coming up this Saturday 5/9, don't miss a special virtual symposium on the work of Léopold Sédar Senghor sponsored by @citylightsbooks.bsky.social, featuring the editors of "The Essential Senghor." buff.ly/c6QIS5i

🎉 At City Lights TONIGHT Tuesday 5/5 7pm PT ZYZZYVA Literary Magazine Issue 32 & Cinco De Mayo Celebration! @zyzzyvamag.bsky.social @ovillalon.bsky.social @anitafelicelli.bsky.social @sarahkmatsui.bsky.social In-store only! Seating on a first-come, first-serve basis, free!

Chicago! Mark your calendars . . .

A new ZYZZYVA is here and you know what that means. We’re celebrating! Join us with our friends @citylightsbooks.bsky.social for pizza, drink, and readings from 132 contributors @anitafelicelli.bsky.social + @sarahkmatsui.bsky.social + Carolyn Burke. Cinco de Mayo, 7pm Free to attend

Join us to celebrate the publication of Eleni Sikelianos's MEMORY REHEARSAL! More details at citylights.com/publishing/a...

Tonight at @citylightsbooks.bsky.social in San Francisco: @quinnslobodian.com and Ben Tarnoff with their new book, "Muskism: A Guide For The Perplexed." Quinn's deep work on "zone fever" and extreme tech politics helped spark my own. Registration closes soon! citylights.com/events/quinn...

Make plans now to attend an exciting online symposium on May 9 hosted by @citylightsbooks.bsky.social: "(Re)Reading Senghor: Poet-Politician at the Crossroads" featuring the editors of our recent translations of Senghor's work. buff.ly/Ydghl42

This week at City Lights LIVE! 🎧 TONIGHT Monday 4/27 6pm PT/9pm ET Adele Bertei with Howard Rodman NO NEW YORK: A Memoir of No Wave and the Women Who Shaped the Scene @beaconpress.bsky.social ***ONLINE ONLY*** Join us on Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/87319176919

This week our podcast features @waynekoestenbaum.bsky.social in conversation with @tausifnoor.bsky.social! Don't miss it! Up now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud! soundcloud.com/livefromcity... open.spotify.com/episode/2O9c... MY LOVER, THE RABBI: A Novel @fsgbooks.bsky.social

Come celebrate Allen Ginsberg's centennial with us on Monday evening May 11th, 7pm at The Chapel, in San Francisco! citylights.com/events/krono...

City Lights mourns the loss of our friend and former coworker, Richard Berman. Richie worked at City Lights from the 1970s to the early 2000s, and was our store manager for most of that time. Richard Berman. January 17, 1945 — April 17, 2026

@citylightsbooks.bsky.social - Allen Ginsberg Centennial events - Kronos Quartet, Philip Glass, Bob Rosenthal & more - allenginsberg.org/2026/04/f-a-...

In the latest episode of LIVE! From City Lights, @deanrader.bsky.social sits down with Matthew Zapruder to talk about each of their new books, NOTES and HOW TO CONTINUE, both published by The Economy Press. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Soundcloud now! soundcloud.com/livefr.../de...

This Wednesday at City Lights LIVE! 🎷 4/15 6:30pm PT John Coltrane @ 100 Emory Douglas in conversation with Archbishop Franzo W. King D.D. (moderated by Dr. Nicholas Baham III) citylights.com/events/john-... Find the rest of our upcoming events here: citylights.com/events/

The latest of LIVE! From City Lights, our podcast, is up! This one features a conversation between Camille T. Dungy and Tonya M. Foster about Camille T. Dungy's AMERICA, A LOVE STORY @weslpress.bsky.social Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/livefromcity... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2RBJ...

Inspired by Rae Alexandra’s recently released book, UNSUNG HEROINES (pub'd by City Lights!), hosts Drew and Nicole share the harrowing story of Mary Kelly, aka Lucretia Henkel, on the “Outside Lands Podcast.” Kelly was a powerhouse and advocate for refugee rights after the 1906 earthquake.

title poem LUCKY CHARMS from Sunnylyn Thibodeaux's new book, published today by City Lights!

Big publishing week for #NationalPoetryMonth with #poetry #books from @wesmediaproject.bsky.social, Graywolf Press, Knopf, Nightboat Books, Wave Books, @citylightsbooks.bsky.social, Coffee House Press, BOA Editions, @coppercanyonpress.bsky.social & many more. phillychapbookreview.org/new-poetry-t...