Join a Candlelit Literary Salon in Brooklyn this May

The Lit Salon, an intimate evening of literary discussion, live music, and specialty cocktails, returns this May with a new group of fascinating authors! Hosted inside Maison Brooklyn, the historic Brooklyn townhome of Untapped New York founder Michelle Young, the Lit Salon highlights authors of the most exciting new releases. This May, celebrate the launch of a new novel, Shanghailanders, with author Juli Min in conversation with author Vanessa Chan of The Storm We Made and hear about New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacob’s experiences writing The Year of Living Constitutionally.

The ambiance at the Lit Salon is set by aromatic candles from Aerangis and fresh flowers from Ode à la Rose, an NYC flower delivery service specializing in French-style bouquets. Each themed cocktail served is made with Fort Hamilton Distillery liquors.

Upcoming Events;

Shanghailanders is a dazzling and ambitious debut novel that follows a cosmopolitan Shanghai household backward in time—beginning in 2040 and moving through our present and the recent past—exploring their secrets, their losses, and the ways a family makes and remakes itself through the years. On May 14th, Juli Min joins Michelle Young and Vanessa Chan, author of The Storm We Made, at the Lit Salon.The Storm We Made is a Good Morning America pick which the show dubbed a “total page-turner.” It is a spellbinding novel set in Malaysia during World War II. 

The Junglebird cocktail, which was first created in Malaysia, will be served and a performance by The Brownstone Trio—Michelle Young, Benedict Wong, and Steven Wu—will open the event, followed by an hour of conversation and audience Q&A hosted by author and journalist Michelle Young. A book signing and mingling with complimentary drinks will conclude the event. You can order the book with your tickets for pickup at the event or pre-order the book separately.

On May 21, The Lit Salon will feature New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs at the launch of his new book The Year of Living Constitutionally. The book chronicles his hilarious adventures in attempting to follow the original meaning of the Constitution, as he searches for answers to one of the most pressing issues of our time: How should we interpret America’s foundational document?

A.J. Jacobs learned the hard way that donning a tricorne hat and marching around Manhattan with a 1700s musket will earn you a lot of strange looks. In The Year of Living Constitutionally. He asserts his right to free speech by writing his opinions on parchment with a quill and handing them out to strangers in Times Square. He consents to quartering a soldier, as is his Third Amendment right. Martha Washington’s Rum Punch will be served and a performance by The Brownstone Trio will open the event. You can order the book with your tickets for pickup at the event or pre-order the book separately.

On June 19, The Lit Salon will feature Julie Satow on the launch of her new book When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion (Doubleday). Satow, an award-winning journalist and author of the widely acclaimed 2019 book, The Plaza, draws on her expert knowledge of New York City history and culture to whisk readers back to a bygone era of innovation and glitz. Satow chronicles the rise of the department store through dazzling portraits of three female powerhouses who broke barriers and created new and evolving possibilities for working women. In the golden age of the American department store, every wish could be met under a single roof: one could take afternoon tea, browse the latest fashions, and even plan a wedding or funeral. From bustling big cities to Main Street, USA, women—shopper and shopgirl alike—found newfound opportunities for independence. Men may have owned the buildings, but inside, women ruled. Though the names of these iconic stores, from Bendel’s to Lord & Taylor, are infamous, the stories of the women who ran them have been largely lost to history—until now. WHEN WOMEN RAN FIFTH AVENUE follows three women who battled sexism, corporate hierarchies, and complex love lives to become presidents of some of America’s most famous department stores, and in the process, change American fashion forever.

Next, check out our first Lit Salon on The Untapped New York Podcast!