Gurba shines a light on creepy cultures and the systems of oppression that shape women’s lives.

In-person registration for this event has sold out, but livestream tickets are still available. A limited number of standby tickets will be available on the night of the event.

A creep can be a singular figure, a villain who makes things go bump in the night. Myriam Gurba’s new essay collection, a mix of true crime, memoir, and history, is an informal sociology of creeps that surveys toxic traditions in the United States which help create the abusers who haunt our books, schools, and homes. She charts how oppression is collectively enacted, sustaining ecosystems that unfairly distribute suffering and premature death to society’s most vulnerable.

Myriam Gurba speaks with journalist Julianne Escobedo Shepherd about liberating us from toxicity.

To join the event in person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For LIVE from NYPL events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment; we will do our best to accommodate everyone. Booked seats that have not been claimed will be released shortly before start time, and seats may become available then. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

To join the livestream | A livestream of this event will be available on the NYPL event page. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register! If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL's YouTube channel.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Myriam Gurba is a writer and artist. She is the author of the true crime memoir Mean, a New York Times Editors’ Choice. O, The Oprah Magazine, ranked Mean as one of the best LGBTQ books of all time. Publishers Weekly describes Gurba as having a voice like no other. Her essays and criticism have appeared in The Paris Review, Time, and 4Columns. She has shown art in galleries, museums, and community centers. She lives in Pasadena, California.

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd has written for such publications as The Guardian, Vanity Fair, and Pitchfork, where she is a staff contributor. The former editor-in-chief of Jezebel, she is at work on her first book for Penguin, Vaquera, about growing up Mexican American in Wyoming and the myth of the American West.  

READ THE BOOK:

• Borrow: NYPL Catalog


• E-Book app: SimplyE, available on iOS and Android


• Purchase: The Library Shop — proceeds benefit The New York Public Library

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ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person | Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template. This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs. 

Livestream | Captions and a transcript will be provided. Media used over the course of the conversation will be accompanied by alt text and/or audio description. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

CONNECT

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LIVE from NYPL is made possible by the continuing generosity of Celeste Bartos, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos, the Margaret and Herman Sokol Public Education Endowment Fund, and the support of Library patrons and friends.

Myriam Gurba © Geoff Cordner
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd © Ashok Kondabolu