Join us at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building for the city’s most cerebral happy hour.

While registration for this event has ended, we may have a limited number of tickets available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. Find out everything The New York Public Library is doing to celebrate James Baldwin's centennial year, including free exhibitions, a walking tour, a book list, and more.

Close out the year with a one-night-only celebration of James Baldwin's life and legacy. Explore a special display about Baldwin's early career in the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library's Treasures and learn more about JIMMY! God’s Black Revolutionary Mouth, on view at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, featuring materials never before shown in public. Plus, get special after-hours access to the Rose Main Reading Room and other gorgeous Library spaces, with live readings and music, a special collections display, 16mm films, and more. 

Special access includes:

• One-night-only display of photographs, books, and more curated from the Schomburg Center’s Photographs and Prints Division and the Berg Collection of English and American Literature


• Readings of beloved Baldwin works by artists and writers including Phoebe Robinson, Darryl Pinckney, Tayari Jones, Daphne Brooks, and more


• Live musical performances by singer Candice Hoyes in the Rose Main Reading Room


• Selections of Baldwin’s favorite music


• 16mm films curated from the Reserve Film and Video Collection spotlighting the writer, his influences, and passions


• Crafts and coloring inspired by NYPL collections


• Unique library-related books and gifts in the Library Shop

Plus: Dance the night away with music, try your hand at games and puzzles, or relax with crafts and coloring. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase.

21+ | ID required | #NYPLafterhours

TICKETS

Tickets for this event are Pay What You Wish, with a suggested cost of admission of $15. Your contribution benefits The New York Public Library and helps us cover the costs of this event. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

If you miss your chance to get a ticket in advance, we may have a limited number of tickets available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Doors will open at our 42nd St entrance and the Marshall Rose Plaza (located at 40th St and 5th Ave) at 7 PM, with final entry at 9:30 PM. Both of these entrances are accessible. 

All tickets are final sale.

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.

VISIT THE EXHIBITIONS

JIMMY! God's Black Revolutionary Mouth
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Through February 28, 2025

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is home to Baldwin’s archive of personal papers. In celebration of his 100th birthday, on public display for the first time, we proudly present selections from the James Baldwin Papers that highlight his literary career and legacy from childhood to death, along with items from other research collections that illuminate the passion, brilliance, and courageous spirit of James “Jimmy” Baldwin. Learn more.

James Baldwin: Mountain to Fire
Gottesman Hall, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

Baldwin was a constant NYPL patron in his youth, and today his vast archive of personal papers is kept by the Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Discover never-before-exhibited literary manuscripts—including draft pages from Go Tell It on the Mountain, Giovanni’s Room, and The Fire Next Time—and other remarkable items from our research collections, presented in a special display in the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library's Treasures in honor of Baldwin’s 100th birthday year. Learn more.

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION

This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs (enter at 42nd Street or the Marshall Rose Plaza, located at 40th St and 5th Ave). Assistive listening devices are available on-site. ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing accessibility@nypl.org.

For other accessibility information, please contact accessibility@nypl.org.

CONNECT

Please submit all press inquiries at least 48 hours before the event: email press@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

For all other questions and inquiries, please email publicprograms@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

The New York Public Library's free services and resources are made possible thanks to the support of the Friends of the Library. Join this group of Library lovers and take advantage of special membership benefits, like invitations to members-only virtual events, discounts at the Library Shop, and more. Join now.

The Library After Hours is made possible with the generous support of Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos.

Treasures programming is made possible by the Estate of Helen Sisserson.