Top Shelf: 2025 Fiction All-Stars
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Isaac Fitzgerald chats with the authors of the year's buzziest fiction at this literary wrap party.
Literary fiction is having a moment. Pageturning drama, unforgettable characters, well-crafted prose—the year's top literary fiction has it all. To close the book on 2025, you're invited to an end-of-year celebration with an author panel, giveaways, and more!
Moderated by Isaac Fitzgerald, this panel brings together authors Angela Flournoy, Katie Kitamura, and Sebastian Castillo —whose books were selected by NYPL as some of the Best Books of 2025 — for a lively conversation on their recent work. Plus, the first 75 attendees will receive a free book by one of the featured authors—available while supplies last!*
Following the event, there will be a Meet and Greet with book signing. Join us to meet the authors and connect with readers across the city!
To join in person | Please register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. If registering for multiple tickets, please provide the name of each person who will be attending the event or arrive with your entire party present. Seats cannot be saved for late arrivals. Booked seats that have not been claimed will be released shortly before start time, and seats may become available then. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.
To join online | On the day of the event, registrants will receive a YouTube link to join the program. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register! If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL's YouTube channel.
GET THE BOOKS
- Borrow: Find titles by the featured authors in the catalog below.
Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!
ACCESSIBILITY NOTES
In-Person
- This venue is accessible to wheelchairs.
- You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.
Online
- Captioning will be provided.
- You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Angela Flournoy is the author of The Turner House, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, an Indie Next pick, and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Flournoy has taught at the University of Iowa, Princeton University, and UCLA. She lives in New York.
Katie Kitamura is the author of four previous novels, most recently A Separation and Intimacies, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award and was a finalist for a Joyce Carol Oates Prize. She is a recipient of the Rome Prize in Literature, a Lannan fellowship, and many other honors, and her work has been translated into twenty-one languages. She teaches in the creative writing program at New York University.
Sebastian Castillo is the author of Fresh, Green Life, SALMON, The Zoo of Thinking, Not I, and 49 Venezuelan Novels. He lives in Philadelphia.
Isaac Fitzgerald is the New York Times bestselling author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts (winner of a New England Book Award and the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award). He appears frequently on The Today Show and is also the author of the bestselling children’s book How to Be a Pirate. He lives with his wife on the North Fork of Long Island and is currently working on his next book, American Rambler, forthcoming from Knopf.
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Please submit all press inquiries at least 48 hours before the event: email press@nypl.org.
For all other questions and inquiries, please email adultprogramming@nypl.org.
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*Giveaway books are available on a first come, first served basis while supplies last. Giveaways are available for in-person attendees, one book per person.
New York, NY 10016