events

hc(X)change:

10 years of creating community with harlequin creature

April 12 – May 8, 2022 at Blackburn 20|20

323 West 39th Street, 5th floor

full details online here

exhibition opening and hcx launch

readings by allia abdullah matta, Hiromi Kiba, and Sherese Francis with music and video by Ian McLellan Davis, Prajna Desai, Carmen Rothwell, and Lucia Stavros

Friday, April 15th | 6PM EST

Workshop: Magic Zigns and Vision Binders: Oracle Poetry workshop with Sherese Francis

Wednesday, April 20th  | 7-8.30PM EST  

Image in Translation: A conversation between Dubravka Ugresic, Petar Milat, and Vlad Beronja

Friday, April 22nd | 12PM EST *online*

Performance: Mirror Ball (Hanging in front of you?), Hiromi Kiba 

Tuesday, April 26th | 7PM EST

bookmaking workshop with meghan forbes and finissage

Sunday, May 8 | 2-4PM EST

to stay posted on upcoming events, contact us to join a mailing list.

© sasha arutyunova, 2013
© sasha arutyunova, 2012
© sasha arutyunova, 2012
© sasha arutyunova, 2012
© guy willoughy, 2012
© sasha arutyunova, 2012

a sampling of past events

  • hc authors at word up : november 8, 2019 @ word up community bookshop

    (manhattan)

featuring readings from hc book authors Robert Gibbons and Yasmine Lancaster.

featuring readings and demonstration from hc book authors, Sherese Francis, Zahura Akter, Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie, & Damali Abrams.

  • afternoon poetry at city college : february 6, 2018 @ shepard hall (manhattan)

a reading and author’s conversation with Pamela Laskin, Sherese Francis, & Zahura Akter.

featuring readings in translation by Elisa Wouk Almino, Emily Beyda, & Bonnie Chau. followed by a discussion on the artistic practice of literary translation, moderated by meghan forbes.

suspended whispers is the latest chapbook published by harlequin creature. it is a trilingual illustrated edition of poems in persian, french & english. the book is a collaboration between three women, all based in austin, texas at the time of publication: the poet Roja Chamankar, author and translator Emily Beyda, and artist Jade Fusco.

despite the surge in digital publishing, the print platform remains appealing to many artists, writers, curators and designers for its unique aesthetic, archival, and discursive potential. presentations by two independent publishers, nos:books, run by artists Son Ni and Chihoi, and passenger pigeon press, started by artist Tammy Nguyen, on the history and output of their respective presses. harlequin creature’s meghan forbes moderated a discussion that followed the presentations.

a print fest dedicated the vibrant small press and indie zine print culture of nyc, as part of a larger 3-day symposium on printed matter, periodicals, and digital archiving, organized by hc founder meghan forbes.

  • a conversation on the life & work of Siegfried Kracauer in celebration of the little typewriter : april 13, 2017 @ ut-austin fine arts library (austin)

chapbook illustrator Vlad Beronja, in conversation with Sabine Hake (screen nazis, topographies of class, german national cinema) and meghan forbes,  for a discussion of the german-jewish author and film critic Siegfried Kracauer, with special attention paid to his early writings from between the world wars.

  • the little typewriter chapbook launch : march 14th, 2017 7pm @ book culture (manhattan)

in celebration of hc’s first little chapbook. joined by translators Alex Zucker, who will read from his translation of czech author Jáchym Topol’s angel station (forthcoming in may from dalkey archive press) and Jennifer Zoble, reading from the short story collection call me esteban by the bosnian writer Lejla Kalamujić. readings followed by a discussion around central european literature in translation.

  • issue 8/9 launch : feb. 4th, 2017 @ book woman (austin)

celebrating issue 8/9 with readings by hc contributors emily hunt and amanda johnston, as well as local poets Sequoia Maner, Lisa Moore, Lilia Rosas, and Abe Louis Young. co-hosted by meghan forbes & Amanda Johnston.

  • issue 9 launch : dec. 17th, 2016 @ berl’s poetry (bk)

an evening dedicated to literature in translation with readings by issue 9 editors and contributors Elisa Wouk Almino, Ellen Elias-Bursac, María José Gimenez, meghan forbes, and Anne Posten. 

  • issue 8 launch with women writers in bloom : oct. 15th, 2016 @ BookCourt (bk)

hc and WWIB celebrate 5 years with readings by Nívea Castro, Micaela Foley, JP Howard, Pamela Laskin, and Maria Fernanda Snellings. co-hosted by hc editors meghan forbes and JP Howard (curator of Women Writers in Bloom).

  • issue 7 launch : nov. 6th, 2015 @ Ugly Duckling Presse (bk)

new york based poets and visual artists Audra Wolowiec (an issue 7 contributor), Emmalea Russo, and Giovanna Olmos will share their work and participate in a moderated discussion. 

  • issue 7 launch : sept. 27th, 2015 @ alias books (los angeles)

issue 7 contributors Ginger Buswell and Robert Dean, as well as past hc author, Nathan Earl Rose, in conversation on the relationship of text & image in their work, moderated by co-editor meghan forbes. the conversation is accompanied by a pop-up exhibition of pieces from the new exhibition. 

  • issue 6 launch : may 7th, 2015 @ mundo azul international bookshop (berlin)

harlequin creature celebrates the launch of its newest issue “to all, to all children” at mundo azul. joined by writer & illustrator Zack Rock. wine for the adults, craft station for the little ones. 

  • issue 6 launch : april 4th, 2015 @ book court (bk)

our youngest contributors Lola Calise and Lilya Davis will share their work featured in the new issue, and big kids Ian McLellan Davis, Katie Vogel, and Isaac Gillespie will lead a sing-a-long of new music and kid classics alike. all in attendance will also be invited to try their hands at a typewriter, and take home what they write.

  • issue 5.5 launch : november 21st, 2014 @ oslo kaffebar (berlin)

meghan forbes is joined by Brittani Sonnenberg (home leave) & Anne Posten (translator of this beautiful place by Tankred Dorst & shorter days by Anna Katharina Hahn). music by Josias Ender, of the freiburg-based band, Mein Ritter.

  •  issue 5.5 launch : november 13th, 2014 @ literati (ann arbor)

hc editor Hannah McMurray shares the stage with Megan Levand (of why we live in the dark ages, forthcoming from tavern books’ wrolstad contemporary poetry series) and Julie Babcock (of the poetry collection autoplay).

  • issue 5.5 launch : august 24th, 2014 @ touch vinyl (los angeles)

readings by hc editor meghan forbes and contributors Nathan Earl Rose & Michael Goetzman, along with when in drought editors Moneta Goldsmith & Ginger Buswell.

  •  issue 5 launch : may 24th, 2014 @ silent barn (bk)

meghan reads alongside past hc contributor Nathan Earl Rose, as well as udp editors Daniel Owen, Michael Newton and Emmalea Russo. music sets by Due Diligence, Twins of El Dorado, Relatives, Shoe-Ins.

  • issue 5 launch : april 21st, 2014 @ literati bookstore (ann arbor)

Hannah McMurray joined by Matvei Yankelevich (UDP founding editor), Ken Mikolowski (of the alternative press) & Ann Marie Thornburg (past contributor & umich mfa alum) for a night of readings at the hottest spot in town.

  • UDP : D book talk @ Salt & Cedar in detroit, michigan_february 20th, 2014 (detroit)

meghan joins Emily Larned and Aaron Cohick in a lively discussion of printing & publishing small. hosted by Matvei Yankelevich, founding editor of Ugly Duckling Presse, currently on residence at Salt & Cedar.

  • issue 4 launch : november 8th, 2013 @ literati bookstore (ann arbor)

with readings by mfa-ers Gina Balibrera & Ann Marie Thornburg (who has work featured in this issue) & Agricultural Reader editor & poet Jeremy Schmall. 

  •  launch and exhibition opening, issue 4 : november 2nd, 2013 @ supalife (berlin)

another first for us…first time in berlin, and first print show!! editor Hannah McMurray curates an assortment of print works based on the issue theme of the absurd, with the help of Elly Jarvis & Heidi Madagame. works from past & present hc contributors and friends Dave Foarde, Barbara Brown, Alvey Jones and Leander Johnnson will be on display and available for sale. the vernissage on nov. 2nd serves as the issue 4 launch, with readings from the new issue, and berlin friends. works on display through january 2014.

  •  issue 4 launch party : october 16th, 2013 @ shakespeare & synové (prague)

our first here! joined by three celebrated czech poets Jonáš Hájek (of the poetry collections suť and vlastivěda, and also a past contributor to hc), Ondřej Macura (most recently of the new poetry collection sklo), and Viktor Špaček (of the collections zmínky a případky and co drží nizozemí).

  • issue 3.5 launch party : may 21st, 2013, 7pm @ mellow pages library (bk)

featured artist Jade Fusco will discuss her work in this issue devoted to graphic shorts. librarians Matt Nelson & Jacob Perkins will read, and Relatives & Isaac Gillespie will play.

  • issue 3 launch party at work gallery on state street : october 26th, 2012 (ann arbor)

there will be readings from the issue, as well as by francine j. harris, whose book of poems allegiance was recently published by wayne state university press and Jeremy Schmall, author of jeremy schmall and the cult of comfort and co-editor of Agricultural Reader

  • issue 2 launch party at the housing work’s bookstore café : may 9th, 2012 (nyc)

with Agricultural Reader and UDP’s 6×6