NYPL’s World Literature & Arts Festival returns
All images courtesy of Robert Krevolin/The New York Public Library
A celebration of storytelling across the world’s diverse cultures and languages is returning to the New York Public Library (NYPL) next week. Running from April 14 through 30, the fifth annual World Literature & Arts Festival is a library system-wide event series highlighting New York City’s vibrant immigrant communities across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island in honor of Immigrant Heritage Week. The festival spotlights the city’s diversity through engaging author talks, performances, culinary experiences, writing workshops, and more.
“We are thrilled to welcome more than thirty trailblazing writers, artists, chefs, and performers from diverse backgrounds to this year’s World Literature & Arts Festival,” Erica Parker, associate director for adult programming at NYPL, said.
“We can’t wait to welcome patrons to this celebration of the myriad ways that creativity and culture intersect in New York City.”
The festival will begin with “The New Rap Language: How Musicians Continue to Transform the Spoken Word” on April 15 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will feature pioneering musicians Audry Funk, Bartika Eam Rai, and Felukah, who will join journalist Jessica Lipsky for a conversation on how their use of native and adopted languages has shaped their unique styles and how their artistry speaks to issues important to them.
On April 22 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the St. George Library Center in Staten Island will host “Latinx Artists Speak: Storytelling, Making, and Belonging,” welcoming Latinx artists Irma Bohorquez-Geisler, Patricia Cazorla, Nancy Saleme, and Libby Paloma for a panel discussion guided by Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Medar de la Cruz. The discussion will explore art as a medium for storytelling and the intersection of Latinx identity, creativity, and community.
Infusing the festival with a touch of sweetness, Manhattan’s Seward Park Library will host a “Celebration of Sweetness with Malai Ice Cream” on April 23, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event will feature Malai Ice Cream founder Pooja Bavishi, who will discuss her latest work, “Malai Cookbook,” a celebration of South Asian ingredients. The evening will also include a performance by local drag artist Malai, along with free artisanal ice cream flavors from the cookbook.
On April 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Parkchester Library in the Bronx will host “New Voices of the Bengali Diaspora: Poetry Reading & Discussion,” featuring poets Ashna Ali and Amatan Noor, moderated by Jafreen Uddin. The evening will include poetry readings and discussions focused on identity, language, gender, and translation.
At Chatham Square Library in Manhattan on April 26 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., “Prologue Part II: Shadow Puppet Performance” will present a shadow puppet performance that follows the journey of two Chinese women from Brooklyn as they share their stories through shadow play, object manipulation, and music.
On April 30, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Bronx Library Center will host “The Latehomecomer Live on Stage.” Presented in collaboration with Literature to Life, this performance will bring Kao Kalia Yang’s memoir, “The Latehomecomer,” a tribute to the author’s grandmother’s remarkable refugee story, to life through a one-woman production by Hmong actress and traditional flower singer Gaosong Heu.
The library will also host two special events as part of its Live at NYPL series. On April 21 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Michelin-starred chef and World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés will share lessons learned in “José Andrés: Change the Recipe.”
Then, on April 29 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio will discuss her new book “Catalina” as part of “Karla Cornejo Villavicencio con Daniel Alarcón: Catalina.” The author will explore how the book addresses the complexities of immigrant identity in the United States, drawing from her experiences as an undocumented student. This event will take place in Spanish.
In celebration of the festival, the library has curated reading recommendations in several languages. New titles will be added throughout April, and all books will be available in the library’s catalog. Availability in multiple languages and formats will vary by title. Learn more here.
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