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The Belladonna* Reading Series

A reading series and independent press that promotes the work of women writers who are adventurous, experimental, politically involved, multi-form, multicultural, multi-gendered, impossible to define, delicious to talk about, unpredictable, and dangerous with language.

Belladonna* was founded as a reading and salon series by Rachel Levitsky at Bluestocking's Women's Bookstore on New York City's Lower East Side in 1999. In 2000, in collaboration with Boog Literature, Belladonna* began to publish commemorative 'chaplets' of the readers' work. erica kaufman joined Levitsky as co-curator/editor in 2002. Then in 2005, the series moved its events to the downtown performance venue, Dixon Place. Since 2010, the group has operated as the Belladonna* Collaborative, a ten-woman editorial board. The bulk of the group's NYC activity is coordinated by Emily Skillings and Krystal Languell. A list of the entire board can be found here.


March 23, 2024: GIST #2, Center for Brooklyn History

with Kaleem Hawa and Rachelle Rahmé. Co-curated by Emily Bark Brown and Ayaz Muratoglu.

Complete recording (39:17): MP3
Media.SAS direct video link: MP4

February 24, 2024: GIST #1, Brooklyn Central Library

with Peter Myers and Jameson Fitzpatrick. Introduced by Emily Bark Brown and Ayaz Muratoglu.

Complete recording (41:42): MP3

February 15, 2022: Close Distances Reading Event, Recorded on Zoom

with 최 Lindsay, Anna Moschovakis, and Zahra Patterson. Introductions by Zoe Tuck and Sawako Nakayasu.

Watch on Media.sas

Complete recording (53:58): MP3

January 9th, 2022: Holiday Fete Fundraiser Party, Recorded on Zoom

with Erica Hunt, Anne Waldman, Carla Harryman, Samuel Ace, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Kimberly Alidio, Asiya Wadud, Rachel Levitsky, James Loop, Sawako Nakayasu, Tonya Foster, Krystal Languell, Julie Patton, Sarah Riggs, Marcella Durand, Lyn Hejinian, and Zoe Tuck.

Watch on Media.sas

Complete recording (02:24:17): MP3

December 21, 2021: Close Distances Reading Event, Recorded on Zoom

with Laura Henriksen, Gabrielle Civil, and Zefyr Lisowski. Introductions by Zoe Tuck and Anna Gurton-Wachter.

Watch on Media.sas

Complete recording (56:46): MP3

February 25, 2021: In-Flux Reading Event, Recorded on Zoom

with Alisha Mascarenhas and Claire DeVoogd. Introductions by James Loop.

Watch on Media.sas

Text Transcript of Readings [PDF]

December 8, 2020: In-Flux Reading Event, Recorded on Zoom

with jay dodd and Cameron Awkward-Rich. Introductions by James Loop, Alma Valdez-Garcia, and Zoe Tuck.

Watch on Media.sas

September 22, 2020: Kimberly Alidio’s : once teeth bones coral : Book Launch Event, Recorded on Zoom

with Gabrielle Civil, Krystal Languell, cheena marie lo, Anne Waldman, and Kimberly Alidio. Introductions by James Loop.

Watch on Media.sas

August 18, 2020: Matters of Feminist Practice Journal Launch Part 3, Recorded on Zoom

with Yanara Friedland, Frances Richard, Adrienne Perry, Rachel Levitsky, and Serena Chopra. Introductions by Poupeh Missaghi and Megan Madden.

Watch on Media.sas

July 7, 2020: Belladonna In-Flux Series, Recorded on Zoom

with Oki Sogumi, Kanika Agrawal, and María José Giménez. Introductions by James Loop, Alma Valdez-García, Poupeh Missaghi, and Zoe Tuck.

Watch on Media.sas

May 19, 2020: Matters of Feminist Practice Journal Launch Part 2, Recorded on Zoom

with Kat Savino, Mary-Kim Arnold, and Petra Kuppers. Julie Patton's contribution unrecorded. Q&A with Poupeh Missaghi.

Watch on Media.sas

March 7, 2020: Jessie Rice-Evans, S*an D. Henry-Smith, and Giannina Braschi at Brooklyn Museum, NYC

Introduction by James Loop

Complete recording (1:04:41): MP3

February 21, 2020: Matters of Feminist Practice Journal Launch Part 1, Printed Matter NYC

with Alexis Almeida, Lida Nosrati, ELÆ [Lynne DeSilva-Johnson], Megan Madden, Teresa Carmody, and Madhu H. Kaza

Introductions by Karla Kelsey and Poupeh Missaghi

Complete recording (1:02:41): MP3

January 17, 2020: Jasmine Gibson and S. Brook Corfman, Bureau of General Services – Queer Division, NYC

Introductions by Alma Valdez-García by James Loop

Complete recording (34:56): MP3

November 18, 2019: Maryam Parhizkar, Emily Skillings, and CL Young at the Chaim & Renee Gross Foundation, NYC

Introduction by James Loop

Complete recording (59:40): MP3

July 12, 2019: Lesbian All Stars, Bureau of General Services – Queer Division, NYC

with Ariel Goldberg, Andriniki Mattis, Natalie Peart, LJ Roberts, Jeanne Thornton, and Jeanne Vaccaro

Complete recording (1:13:13): MP3

June 27, 2019: Pamela Sneed and Samuel Ace on Montez Press Radio

Complete recording (1:21:31): MP3

June 1, 2019: M. NourbeSe Philip, Poets House, NYC

Complete recording (1:49:32): MP3

April 8, 2019: Sahar Muradi and Diana Khoi Nguyen, Queens College, NYC

Introductions by James Loop and Amanda Long; Q&A facilitated by Amanda Long and Zachary Zeringue.

Complete recording (1:30:29): MP3

March 9, 2019: Epic Voices: Bernadette Mayer and Stacy Szymaszek, Poets House, NYC

On the long poem and daily writing; introduction by Rachael Wilson.

Complete recording (1:35:46): MP3

March 4, 2019: Lesbian All Stars, Performance Space New York, NYC

Introduction by Rachel Levitsky.

  1. Raquel Gutiérrez and Ru (Nina) Puro (27:32): MP3
  2. Gail Scott and Pamela Sneed (42:56): MP3
  3. Camille Roy, recorded in absentia (3:45):

January 18, 2019: Reading at McNally Jackson Williamsburg, NYC

Readings by Barbara Henning and Maureen Owen. Introduction by Rachael Wilson.

Complete recording (1:06:10): MP3

December 7, 2018: Belladonna* Roll Call Reading Series reading at Printed Matter, NYC

With Elaine Equi presenting Laura Buccieri and Tina Darragh presenting K. Lorraine Graham

Complete recording (48:36): MP3

November 5, 2018: Belladonna* Roll Call Reading Series reading at McNally Jackson Williamsburg

With Mercedes Roffé presenting Marta López-Luaces and Mónica de la Torre presenting Montana Ray

Complete recording (29:09): MP3

October 16, 2018: Reading co-hosted by The Operating System, Ugly Duckling Presse, and Belladonna* at McNally Jackson Williamsburg

With readings by Margaret Randall, Urayoán Noel, Lila Zemborain, María Vázquez Valdez, and Elizabeth Zuba. MCed by Elae (Lynne DeSilva-Johnson)

Complete recording (1:22:28): MP3

October 14, 2018: Anaïs Duplan and Yumi Shiroma reading at BGSQD for the Queer Zine Fair

Introduced by James Loop and Rachael Guynn Wilson

Complete recording (39:46): MP3

October 11, 2018: Belladonna* Roll Call Reading Series reading at Spoonbill and Sugartown (99 Montrose Ave. location)

with Patricia Spears Jones presenting Serena Fox and Rachel Blau DuPlessis presenting Orchid Tierney

Complete recording (1:04:17): MP3

September 19, 2018: Pamela Sneed's Sweet Dreams Book Launch at the Poetry Project

introduced by Kyle Dacuyen and Rachel Levitsky
featuring readings by Roya Marsh, Shelley Marlow, Tracie Morris, and Pamela Sneed

Complete recording (1:18:34): MP3

August 16, 2018: Pamela Sneed reading from Sweet Dreams at the Matthew Gallery

Introduction by James Loop
In collaboration with Montez Press Radio

Complete recording (42:09): MP3

May 14, 2018: And/With: Aditi Machado and Iman Mersal reading from Belladonna* chaplets at the Institute of Arabic and Islamic Art, New York

Reading by Aditi Machado and Iman Mersal (56:21): MP3

Q&A moderated by Omar Berrada (43:50): MP3

April 10, 2018: And/With: Abdellah Taïa reading from his Belladonna* chaplet and in conversation with Meena Alexander

Presented in conjunction with the Asian American Writers' Workshop, at the Brooklyn Public Library.

Full Recording [recorded by the Asian American Writers' Workshop] (1:22:15): MP3

March 19, 2018: Belladonna* Staff Reading at Queens College

  1. Introduction (5:06): MP3
  2. Javier Zamora (25:00): MP3
  3. Aracelis Girmay (22:01): MP3
  4. Q&A moderated by Christine Ramkarran (26:20): MP3

March 1, 2018: Belladonna* Intern and Staff Reading, Out-Of-Office, at Brooklyn Art Library