The Center for Fiction

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The Center for Fiction A home for writers and readers for over 200 years. We support and celebrate fiction through events, writing workshops, reading groups, awards, and more.

Visit our bookstore, café and bar, auditorium, and membership spaces in Downtown Brooklyn.

Books presenting big philosophical questions—regarding marriage, climate change, memory loss, abuse, and art—offer breat...
10/17/2026

Books presenting big philosophical questions—regarding marriage, climate change, memory loss, abuse, and art—offer breathtaking reading in Melanie Fleishman’s Bookstore Column this week. 📚Check out snippets from her reviews below, and then read them in full here: tinyurl.com/yc4aaemk.

📖 LUNA, PHOENIX, QUEEN by Julie Orringer: “This powerful novel about betrayal, loss, and theft (both of one’s mind to disease and an unfinished manuscript) is informed by Orringer’s husband’s own heart-breaking journey into memory loss.”

📖 SLEEPING BEAUTIES by David Byrne: “[Byrne] dives into the known and the unknown, advising readers to stay open to new experiences. A perfect ‘self-help’ book for our times.”

📖 TO GOD by Esther Yi: “A sense of unease pervades Yi’s new story collection. Yi (shortlisted for our 2023 First Novel Prize) is a provocative writer who gives the reader much food for thought.”

📖 THE NAMES OF THE NEW WORLD by Kawai Strong Washburn: “A poetic and fiercely serious novel about the future we all face, led by a powerful protagonist whose determination to make things right in the ring and in the courts is inspiring.”

📖 WHIDBEY by T Kira Madden: “In the assured hands of Madden, these damaged characters are movingly depicted with great psychological depth.” 🎤 Celebrate with Madden—and all of the First Novel Prize shortlisted authors—at our First Novel Fête on December 4th: benefit.centerforfiction.org/first-novel-fete!

We’ll see you next Friday, 10/23, when Tanaïs, author of the 2022 Kirkus Prize-winning memoir In Sensorium: Notes For My...
10/16/2026

We’ll see you next Friday, 10/23, when Tanaïs, author of the 2022 Kirkus Prize-winning memoir In Sensorium: Notes For My People, and The Center for Fiction 2015 First Novel Prize finalist Bright Lines, launches their latest novel, STELLER SMOKE, at CFF! https://tinyurl.com/yc4aaemk

📖 Stellar Smoke follows Qamar, a struggling musician in a futuristic city, who returns to the island of her childhood in an attempt to repair her relationship with Veda, her brilliant but estranged mother (a scientist, actress, and one-time cult leader). When Qamar arrives, there are no signs of her mother or sister, Palo—and her ensuing journey forces her to confront the tragedies of the past and possibilities of the future.

Tanaïs will be joined in conversation by their friend and former mentor, award-winning author Kiese Laymon. Don’t miss what's sure to be an incisive discussion about technology, sensuality, ancestry, and the eerie bonds that connect us to the unknown.

Do you ever ask yourself “what if?” That’s the common thread between the books in this week’s Bookstore Column with Mela...
10/10/2026

Do you ever ask yourself “what if?” That’s the common thread between the books in this week’s Bookstore Column with Melanie Fleishman! The writers behind four of these novels use historical fact and real characters to frame their stories; the remaining novel is a gothic horror story set in a creepy Victorian mansion—just in time for Halloween! 🍂

📖 Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus: “Batter Gray longs to work at Peck & Peck, the venerable-but-eccentric poetry journal where a few senior people decide who gets in and whose work is instantly incinerated. Batter’s comic yet heartfelt foibles form Garmus’s loving ode to the world of poetry.”

📖 Solace House by Will Maclean: “All the disturbing components of Shirley Jackson or Stephen King are in evidence in Maclean’s spooky novel.”

📖 The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford by Nafissa Thompson-Spires: “The idea for this fast-paced, sardonic ride about a larger-than-life character was sparked by a story the author heard about her great-great-grandfather, as well as her interest in researching the legacies of the all-Black towns of Oklahoma.”

🎤 Celebrate with Thompson-Spires—and all of the First Novel Prize shortlisted authors—at our First Novel Fête on December 4th. benefit.centerforfiction.org/first-novel-fete

📖 Music Against the Night by Yiyun Li: “The story of two prodigies and the costs of ambition is set against the Napoleonic Wars in a lovely novel about musical aspiration. Seeking verisimilitude, Li even took piano lessons as research.”

📖 The Weight of Angels by John Boyne: “Boyne has produced a wry and entertaining reimagining of literary history in which Oscar Wilde gets to experience the 20th century with his inimitable wit intact, through pain and pleasure.”

Read Melanie's full reviews here: tinyurl.com/33dryp8a.

✨ Award-winning authors Percival Everett, Cleyvis Natera, and Danzy Senna will join us at The Center for Fiction 2026 An...
10/08/2026

✨ Award-winning authors Percival Everett, Cleyvis Natera, and Danzy Senna will join us at The Center for Fiction 2026 Annual Awards Benefit on Tuesday, December 8, 2026, as the evening’s featured presenters.

Everett will present the 2026 Medal for Editorial Excellence to Doubleday editor Lee Boudreaux, and Natera will present the 2026 Lifetime of Excellence in Fiction Award to author Julia Alvarez. Senna will announce the winner of The Center for Fiction 2026 First Novel Prize live that evening.

Learn more: benefit.centerforfiction.org!

Consider the role of secrets, the surreal, and the sea in Magenta Naaku’s upcoming reading course on four contemporary m...
10/06/2026

Consider the role of secrets, the surreal, and the sea in Magenta Naaku’s upcoming reading course on four contemporary masterpieces by Ghanaian and Nigerian authors:

📕 Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
📗 The Teller of Secrets by Bisi Adjapon
📘 Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde
📙 Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

These works challenge and complicate outdated social dynamics; explore q***r identities, generational curses, femme freedom and pleasure; examine the undeniable impact of slavery in the U.S. and West Africa; and celebrate African futurism, q***r joy, and the expansiveness of femme desire.

Join us! centerforfiction.org/group-workshop/west-african-literature-secrets-the-surreal-and-the-sea-with-magenta-naaku/

We are thrilled to present The Center for Fiction 2026 First Novel Prize Shortlist! 📖 A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood (C...
09/30/2026

We are thrilled to present The Center for Fiction 2026 First Novel Prize Shortlist!

📖 A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood (Catapult)
📖 Carrying by Samantha Josephs (Putnam Books)
📖 Whidbey by T Kira Madden (Mariner Books)
📖 Ruins, Child by Giada Scodellaro (New Directions)
📖 Offseason by Avigayl Sharp (Astra House Books)
📖 Blow Yourself Up by Ankur Thakkar (Northwestern University Press)
📖 The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
(Scribner Books)

The seven titles were selected from the longlist by this year's judges: R. O. Kwon, Kiese Laymon, Jordy Rosenberg, and Danzy Senna. Swipe to read the judges' commentary—and please join us in congratulating the finalists. 📚

Learn more at: centerforfiction.org/book-recs/2026-first-novel-prize-shortlist.

We're excited to launch EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY (Random House), the much-anticipated new novel from Imbolo Mbue, aut...
09/29/2026

We're excited to launch EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY (Random House), the much-anticipated new novel from Imbolo Mbue, author of the PEN/Faulkner Award-winning debut 'Behold the Dreamers'. 📙

What do we owe to those who have hurt us? Are we defined by our worst moments and our deepest regrets? Can forgiveness ease our suffering? 'Every Story Is a Love Story' considers all these questions and more.

Join Mbue and award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson for a moving discussion about the book's craft and themes by registering here: tinyurl.com/4nuhz3vs. A signing will follow the event.

🎉 Tickets for The Center for Fiction’s 2026 First Novel Fête—the best book(ish) party in Brooklyn—are on sale now!The Fê...
09/25/2026

🎉 Tickets for The Center for Fiction’s 2026 First Novel Fête—the best book(ish) party in Brooklyn—are on sale now!

The Fête is one of our favorite traditions, celebrating the seven authors (soon to be announced…) shortlisted for our First Novel Prize. Expect tarot readings, readings from the finalists' work, door prizes from our generous supporters, wh**ky tastings, and more.

Best of all? Proceeds from the Fête help sustain The Center's work as a nonprofit for readers and writers of all ages, from our KidsRead program with New York City public schools and community programs, to our fellowships and awards for emerging writers.

Excited? You should be! This year’s Fête also features:
🎙️ Emmy-winning comedian, writer, and director Auguste White as our fabulous emcee
🍴 A delicious menu of seasonal bites and desserts courtesy of Winner
🥃 Signature cocktails courtesy of Johnnie Walker
🍷 W**e provided by Selection Massale

Tickets go fast—so get yours ASAP at centerforfiction.org/fete.

Our upcoming workshop, Constraints That Set You Free with Eliot Duncan, the author of PONYBOY, is perfect for writers in...
09/25/2026

Our upcoming workshop, Constraints That Set You Free with Eliot Duncan, the author of PONYBOY, is perfect for writers interested in combining literary analysis, generative prompts, and experimental writing in a fun, non-judgmental setting.

Using the Penguin Book of OuLiPo as a guide, participants will study foundational and contemporary constraint-based texts by authors such as Georges Perec, Italo Calvino, and Anne Garréta. You'll also build an Oulipian toolkit of daily prompts (including constraints of your own invention!) and share work weekly.

📓 This course starts soon, so register ASAP: tinyurl.com/mknk6t8b!

If you write nonfiction, you can still hang out with us. Don’t miss two of our upcoming virtual workshops in October, sp...
09/23/2026

If you write nonfiction, you can still hang out with us. Don’t miss two of our upcoming virtual workshops in October, specifically for essay writers and memoirists:

🖊️ (10.6) From Personal Essay to Lyric Essay with Javier Sinay: As Elizabeth Hardwick famously put it in her introduction to The Best American Essays 1986, reading an essay is like seeing a “mind at work.” In this course, we will read different essays—personal, lyric, and more—to find the engineering behind the literature. We’ll consider point of view, scene work, tone, structure, openings, revision, and more. Sign up at tinyurl.com/y55sxpjr.

🖊️ (10.20) On Memoir: Permission and the Courage to Create with Elissa Altman: In this workshop, participants will navigate thorny questions of story ownership when crafting a narrative that involves others, and use readings and generative exercises to locate the heart of your story. Topics will include: finding the narrator, identifying “characters,” honing in on voice, and more. Sign up at tinyurl.com/35ud4xhp.

Address

15 Lafayette Avenue
New York, NY
11217

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 8pm
Sunday 9am - 8pm

Telephone

+12127556710

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