Will I See You in May?

A big day approaches

Writers must sell themselves, especially these days. The publicity machines aren’t what they used to be and we live in a fractured media environment. A writer can’t be a shrinking violet.

And so I must keep spreading—my novel, Glass Century, will be published May 6. If you haven’t already, please preorder! Preorders are essential for authors. If you like my writing here—if you read this Substack for free, which many thousands of you do—consider a preorder as a form of support for me. A novel, even after shipping, is a lot less than a subscription to Political Currents. If you’re a free reader here, it would mean a great deal if you paid for my book. If you have a paying subscription but wish you could support me further—and own what’s been called a contender for the great American novel of the Millennial generation—please preorder! All formats are now available, including audiobook and e-book.

Glass Century is, in the words of the great Christopher Sorrentino, a novel that “keeps pace with an anxious and changing New York as it tracks its protagonists from the Fear City days of the early seventies through September 11 and onward to the trauma of COVID-19. Generous and funny, this smart, expansive book kept me utterly engrossed.” Or it’s about, as Nell Zink put it, “the only taboo kink left, adultery.” Take it, too, from Junot Diaz: “Tennis and love and the city, and the insatiable fire that is history. Glass Century has it all. Barkan’s novel is both a marvelous paean to NYC and a spectacularly moving novel.”

Come celebrate with me on May 6! We’re having a launch party at P&T Knitwear, a wonderful bookstore in Manhattan. You must RSVP to attend. I cannot emphasize this enough. RSVPs are rolling in fast and if you want to go, please secure your spot. It’s only five bucks. In our inflation age, that’s like dropping a few quarters in a vending machine, circa 2005. I’m doing the launch with Adelle Waldman, who wrote what was perhaps the finest novel of the 2010s. I’ll read from Glass Century but the real fun will be Adelle and I chatting on the New York novel, and the questions you’ll get to ask us.

So get your ticket!

As a reminder, I’ll be at the Hudson Valley Ideas Festival on April 26 and reading in Philadelphia on May 12. Later this spring, I am going to have a couple of West Coast appearances. I’ll have more info on that soon.

In the meantime, thanks for reading, thanks for listening, and I hope to see at my book launch.