Sick: Porochista Khakpour with Eileen Myles

How do you survive an illness when the source of the ailment can’t be named? 

In her new memoir, Sick, Porochista Khakpour recounts a lifetime of misdiagnoses that left her riddled with anxiety about an unknown cause. When she ultimately learns of her late-stage lyme disease, she embarks on an arduous and emotional quest for a cure that takes her from New York to Los Angeles, New Mexico, and Germany, all the while meditating on the physical and psychological impacts of uncertainty, and the eventual challenge of accepting the diagnosis she had searched for over the course of her adult life.

“This is a book that throws me into the time of my own being,” writes poet and novelist Eileen Myles. “Sick is something gut-wrenching and new, a globally intimate book.” They join Khakpour for a conversation about what it takes to write one’s way through illness. 

FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED
For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form one hour before the program.

PRESS 
Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc.) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Ayofemi Kirby at ayofemikirby@nypl.org.