Kevin Kwan, Jane Mayer & More to Celebrate Doubleday's 125th at Symphony Space

Symphony Space will gather six celebrated authors on the stage of its Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, where each will perform a favorite text from esteemed American publisher Doubleday's vast collection of books. The readings will range from Margaret Atwood's The Testaments (by Hanya Yanagihara) to Stephen King's Carrie (by Colson Whitehead), and will also include classics by Upton Sinclair, Joseph Conrad, and others. This special event, celebrating the 125th anniversary of Doubleday, takes place Wednesday, November 2, at 7pm and will also be live-streamed in high-definition to audiences around the world.

The event at Symphony Space is hosted by Helen Ellis (Southern Lady Code, American Housewife) and features a star-studded lineup of literary luminaries: David Grann (The White Darkness, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon), Kevin Kwan (Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend), and Jane Mayer (Dark Money, Strange Justice), in addition to Colson Whitehead (The Nickel Boys, The Underground Railroad), and Hanya Yanagihara (To Paradise, A Little Life). Each will speak briefly about how the book they've selected to read has influenced their work. The group will then convene to reminisce about their first books, discuss their own writing, and reflect on the influence that Doubleday writers have had on their craft.

The selected works are:

David Grann: Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad (1900)
Jane Mayer: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906)
Kevin Kwan: A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)
Colson Whitehead: Carrie by Stephen King (1974)
Helen Ellis: Fraud by David Rakoff (2001)
Hanya Yanagihara: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (2019)

In-person tickets are $26 ($22 for members, and $17 for those 30 and under), and livestream tickets are $22 ($20 for members). They can be purchased at symphonyspace.org. Symphony Space is located at 2537 Broadway, at 95th Street.

About Doubleday and Penguin Random House

Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, Doubleday was founded in 1897 and publishes an array of commercial and literary fiction and nonfiction titles. Among the bestselling and prize-winning authors on the Doubleday list are Anne Applebaum, Margaret Atwood, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, Pat Barker, Chris Bohjalian, Dan Brown, Bill Bryson, Lincoln Child, David Grann, John Grisham, Mark Haddon, Michio Kaku, Patrick Radden Keefe, Jon Krakauer, Kevin Kwan, Jane Mayer, Candice Millard, Hampton Sides, Colson Whitehead, and Hanya Yanagihara. Doubleday is an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, which is a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Their parent company is Bertelsmann AG, the international media company.

About Symphony Space

Symphony Space is a multi-disciplinary performing arts center where bold programming, presented in a uniquely warm and welcoming environment, forges indelible relationships between artists and audiences.

Symphony Space's fundamental mission is to connect art, ideas, and community through their performances and their commitment to literacy and education through the arts. Known for an array of ground-breaking programs, including Selected Shorts, their immersive Wall to Wall concerts, and their innovative Global Arts education initiative, Symphony Space presents a full slate of original, affordable (and free) programming within New York City and in communities throughout the country through tours, public radio broadcasts, podcasts, and virtual events. On their stages and in the classrooms they serve, Symphony Space fosters access to the arts through all the disciplines.

Symphony Space was founded in the belief that the arts bring people together, transcend barriers, and celebrate both our similarities and differences. Through adventurous and impactful performances, commissions, and conversations, Symphony Space continues to invigorate these guiding principles, harnessing the power of the arts to engage, inspire, and build community.