Mystery book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Stanza LIVE You Don't Know Poe
This one-man show blends live storytelling and full audio production by Harlan Guthrie, creator of the hit horror podcast MALEVOLENT, to prove YOU DON’T KNOW POE.
Join author and storyteller Matthew Mercier, as he recounts his time in Poe’s Bronx home. Alone in Poe’s basement, Mercier grappled with loneliness, his own demons, and Poe himself. He emerged with a whole new understanding of Horror’s First Master, and stories to share with you at this special Halloween show.
After the show, hang with Mercier, share your own stories, and celebrate Horror’s First Master.
Set in the cozy and sophisticated Madam Brett Social Club, accompanied by themed cocktails, and a special Poe toast, this is the perfect Halloween date night in Beacon.
Matthew Mercier
Matthew Mercier is a writer and storyteller lucky enough to be living on a wild patch of forest and wetlands in upstate New York. He’s worked as a tour guide at the Mystic Aquarium, run a youth hostel in Albuquerque, been slimed as a salmon packer in Naknek, Alaska, provided showers for homeless men on the Bowery, and proudly served four years as docent and caretaker for the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in The Bronx. He earned an MFA from Hunter College, where he taught writing and children’s literature. His work has appeared The Brooklyn Rail, Mississippi Review, Glimmer Train, Rosebud Magazine, Creative Nonfiction, The Fairy Tale Review, Shotgun Honey and Mystery Tribune. He’s told stories live on stage with The Moth and been heard on NPR’s The Moth Radio Hour, as well The Story Collider, RISK and The Truth podcasts. He’s been awarded a residency from the Saltonstall Foundation, and the Leon B. Burstein scholarship for Mystery Writing from the New York chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Literature book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Jeannie Zusy workshop
Join author and playwright Jeannie Zusy for this five-session generative writing workshop. In this safe space, you are encouraged to tell your unique story, be it fiction or memoir, to complete a short piece or find an approach to committing to a longer one. Here we will practice trusting the flow, leading with heart, being open to surprises, and embracing a sense of play. We will also take seriously the commitment to crafting, editing, and completing your piece. Each session will include guided writing exercises, opportunities to share, and suggested take-home assignments. The workshop culminates with a celebration and option to read your original piece publicly at Stanza Books!
Oct 7, 14, November 4, 11, 18, 7-9PM and a public reading December 2, 7PM.
Jeannie Zusy
Jeannie Zusy’s novel THE FREDERICK SISTERS ARE LIVING THE DREAM was published by Simon & Schuster/Atria Books. She’s been published by McSweeney’s, Smith and Kraus Best Plays, The Today Show, Purple Clover, and others. Recently, she developed and performed her full-length solo play TURKISH DELIGHT at The Barrow Group in NYC. Her award-winning screenplay LADIES ROOM LA was produced by Pegasus Films. Her plays and musicals have been produced and workshopped by Hit House Creative, Playwrights Horizons, Hudson Stage, Cape Cod Theater Project, The Flock Theater Company, Croton Children’s Theater, and more, with one a runner-up for The O’Neill Theater Festival. In October, her play IF ONLY will be presented at the Newburgh Fringe Festival, directed by Hamp Fluker of Fable & Sow.
Dark Fiction book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Fantasy book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Jeannie Zusy workshop
Join author and playwright Jeannie Zusy for this five-session generative writing workshop. In this safe space, you are encouraged to tell your unique story, be it fiction or memoir, to complete a short piece or find an approach to committing to a longer one. Here we will practice trusting the flow, leading with heart, being open to surprises, and embracing a sense of play. We will also take seriously the commitment to crafting, editing, and completing your piece. Each session will include guided writing exercises, opportunities to share, and suggested take-home assignments. The workshop culminates with a celebration and option to read your original piece publicly at Stanza Books!
Oct 7, 14, November 4, 11, 18, 7-9PM and a public reading December 2, 7PM.
Jeannie Zusy
Jeannie Zusy’s novel THE FREDERICK SISTERS ARE LIVING THE DREAM was published by Simon & Schuster/Atria Books. She’s been published by McSweeney’s, Smith and Kraus Best Plays, The Today Show, Purple Clover, and others. Recently, she developed and performed her full-length solo play TURKISH DELIGHT at The Barrow Group in NYC. Her award-winning screenplay LADIES ROOM LA was produced by Pegasus Films. Her plays and musicals have been produced and workshopped by Hit House Creative, Playwrights Horizons, Hudson Stage, Cape Cod Theater Project, The Flock Theater Company, Croton Children’s Theater, and more, with one a runner-up for The O’Neill Theater Festival. In October, her play IF ONLY will be presented at the Newburgh Fringe Festival, directed by Hamp Fluker of Fable & Sow.
WORKSHOP: TEN KIDS ENTER, ONE STORY LEAVES
Fresh off the publication of our first COMICS BY KIDS, we heard you loud and clear, and we’re firing up the monthly sessions again. This next one is a take on Exquisite Corpse. A bunch of kids, one story. One storyteller draws a panel. Passes it off. The next storyteller draws a panel. And so on, and so on.
Learn improvisation
Learn to work with others
Learn to let go and have fun with your work!
And, we’re doing some new stuff with this one!
FIRST. This workshop kicks off a new format. Part learning, part hang-time with your friends. We’ve wanted to create this space for some time. A space where young creators could not only learn, but also hang and make new friends. So the workshop will be about 45 min, and then about 45 min of hang-time. Kids can keep drawing, share work with others, jawbone the latest schoolyard gossip, or just chill.
SECOND. From now on, workshop purchases count toward your Stanza Frequent Buyer points! Are you reading this and like “WHA???” Join Stanza’s frequent buyer program, and every $200 you spend, you get a $20 voucher. Books, cards, workshops, ESCAPES, you are generous to us, we wanna give it right back.
THIRD. There are two scholarship spots available here.
“If money’s tight this month, I own a bookshop, so believe me, I get it. We’ve always done things like this, but we’re going to get better at broadcasting. This will have to be first come, first serve. But honestly, the Stanza community is pretty tight, so if we run into any issues, we'll just work it out.” -Mark
Sci-Fi book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Jeannie Zusy workshop
Join author and playwright Jeannie Zusy for this five-session generative writing workshop. In this safe space, you are encouraged to tell your unique story, be it fiction or memoir, to complete a short piece or find an approach to committing to a longer one. Here we will practice trusting the flow, leading with heart, being open to surprises, and embracing a sense of play. We will also take seriously the commitment to crafting, editing, and completing your piece. Each session will include guided writing exercises, opportunities to share, and suggested take-home assignments. The workshop culminates with a celebration and option to read your original piece publicly at Stanza Books!
Oct 7, 14, November 4, 11, 18, 7-9PM and a public reading December 2, 7PM.
Jeannie Zusy
Jeannie Zusy’s novel THE FREDERICK SISTERS ARE LIVING THE DREAM was published by Simon & Schuster/Atria Books. She’s been published by McSweeney’s, Smith and Kraus Best Plays, The Today Show, Purple Clover, and others. Recently, she developed and performed her full-length solo play TURKISH DELIGHT at The Barrow Group in NYC. Her award-winning screenplay LADIES ROOM LA was produced by Pegasus Films. Her plays and musicals have been produced and workshopped by Hit House Creative, Playwrights Horizons, Hudson Stage, Cape Cod Theater Project, The Flock Theater Company, Croton Children’s Theater, and more, with one a runner-up for The O’Neill Theater Festival. In October, her play IF ONLY will be presented at the Newburgh Fringe Festival, directed by Hamp Fluker of Fable & Sow.
Literature book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Stanza ESCAPE - Private Event
Stanza will close at 7PM to host one of our private ESCAPE events.
COMICS club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Stanza ESCAPE - Private Event
Stanza will close at 7PM to host one of our private ESCAPE events.
In Comparison
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Sci-Fi book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Dan Poblocki IN PERSON
This special Halloween event is not only for those who love spooky stories. It’s also for our young creators. Dan will read from the new edition of his book Tales to Keep You Up at Night. Then, he’ll share some insights into his writing process, how he comes up with ideas, how he overcomes challenges, how he writes like a pro.
This is a golden opportunity for our young creators to meet a real pro author, and talk to him about writing!
Jeannie Zusy workshop
Join author and playwright Jeannie Zusy for this five-session generative writing workshop. In this safe space, you are encouraged to tell your unique story, be it fiction or memoir, to complete a short piece or find an approach to committing to a longer one. Here we will practice trusting the flow, leading with heart, being open to surprises, and embracing a sense of play. We will also take seriously the commitment to crafting, editing, and completing your piece. Each session will include guided writing exercises, opportunities to share, and suggested take-home assignments. The workshop culminates with a celebration and option to read your original piece publicly at Stanza Books!
Oct 7, 14, November 4, 11, 18, 7-9PM and a public reading December 2, 7PM.
Jeannie Zusy
Jeannie Zusy’s novel THE FREDERICK SISTERS ARE LIVING THE DREAM was published by Simon & Schuster/Atria Books. She’s been published by McSweeney’s, Smith and Kraus Best Plays, The Today Show, Purple Clover, and others. Recently, she developed and performed her full-length solo play TURKISH DELIGHT at The Barrow Group in NYC. Her award-winning screenplay LADIES ROOM LA was produced by Pegasus Films. Her plays and musicals have been produced and workshopped by Hit House Creative, Playwrights Horizons, Hudson Stage, Cape Cod Theater Project, The Flock Theater Company, Croton Children’s Theater, and more, with one a runner-up for The O’Neill Theater Festival. In October, her play IF ONLY will be presented at the Newburgh Fringe Festival, directed by Hamp Fluker of Fable & Sow.
Fantasy book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
stanza LIVE - DEAD POETS EDITION
We’re moving Beacon’s coolest costume party to The Madam Brett Social Club!
Come dressed as your favorite dearly deceased poet and read from their work- and if there's time in the five-minute slot, read something original as well! We'll get through as many poets on the signup list as we can, on a first-come, first-serve basis. The final part of the evening will be an audience-applause-based Costume Contest, with the First Place winner taking home a $40 Stanza Gift Card - the Runner-Up will win a $20 gift card.
We moved this to MBSC to give a better environment for the party. It’s more comfortable, you can get drinks, you got comfy couches, an upgrade for this kind of party.
We're changing this to be free to our frequent buyers ( we know that's most of you! ). If you're not one now, sign up at the shop. It's free, every $200 you spend, you get $20 back, and we'll continue adding perks. Like: your Stanza ESCAPE purchases apply to your frequent buyer account. In the new year, your workshop purchases will apply. When we open the comics shop, we'll share frequent buyer points across both stores. We're working to expand this program to give you more and more thanks for supporting the shop.
This is free to Stanza frequent buyers and MBSC members. Stanza frequent buyers use code MBSC20 when you RSVP.
Jeannie Zusy workshop
Join author and playwright Jeannie Zusy for this five-session generative writing workshop. In this safe space, you are encouraged to tell your unique story, be it fiction or memoir, to complete a short piece or find an approach to committing to a longer one. Here we will practice trusting the flow, leading with heart, being open to surprises, and embracing a sense of play. We will also take seriously the commitment to crafting, editing, and completing your piece. Each session will include guided writing exercises, opportunities to share, and suggested take-home assignments. The workshop culminates with a celebration and option to read your original piece publicly at Stanza Books!
Oct 7, 14, November 4, 11, 18, 7-9PM and a public reading December 2, 7PM.
Jeannie Zusy
Jeannie Zusy’s novel THE FREDERICK SISTERS ARE LIVING THE DREAM was published by Simon & Schuster/Atria Books. She’s been published by McSweeney’s, Smith and Kraus Best Plays, The Today Show, Purple Clover, and others. Recently, she developed and performed her full-length solo play TURKISH DELIGHT at The Barrow Group in NYC. Her award-winning screenplay LADIES ROOM LA was produced by Pegasus Films. Her plays and musicals have been produced and workshopped by Hit House Creative, Playwrights Horizons, Hudson Stage, Cape Cod Theater Project, The Flock Theater Company, Croton Children’s Theater, and more, with one a runner-up for The O’Neill Theater Festival. In October, her play IF ONLY will be presented at the Newburgh Fringe Festival, directed by Hamp Fluker of Fable & Sow.
Literature book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
COMICS LAUNCH PARTY
Stanza is on a mission to help young people keep their love of books alive. We want them to view bookshops as magical realms, where they can lose themselves in worlds, create worlds of their own, and find community among other readers and creators.
This summer, Stanza hosted 13 young creators at the Summer COMICS Intensive. Over the course of one week, they went from zero to finished comic. They learned character, plot, conflict, visual storytelling, inking, and color. They even had a special visit from a pro comics creator.
Now, we’re combining their work into one comics anthology and putting it out in the world. This event is a launch party to celebrate these young creators, view their work, and of course, get your hands on their all new comics!
Proceeds from the sale of this comic will benefit a local organization. We did the same with our 2025 Beacon Literary Scene Anthology.
Whether you have kids or not, join us Oct 3 at the Howland Cultural Center to discover and support the next generation of comics creators.
Stanza Salon - Salon of HORRORS
Read about our Salon series here. Salon tix are $5. And that $5 comes off the purchase of the visiting authors’ books at the event.
COMICS club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Mystery book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Dark Fiction book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Sci-Fi book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Stanza Salon - KOBUK THE DESTROYER
Read about our Salon series here. Salon tix are $5. And that $5 comes off the purchase of a visiting author’s book at the event.
Alex Davies
I’m a journalist and author born and raised in New York, and I tell stories about the people, technologies, and ideas shaping the future. I’ve reported for and led editorial teams at Wired, The Athletic, and Business Insider, covering everything from autonomous vehicles and electric aviation to Formula 1 and the engineers behind the systems we rely on every day.
My debut book Driven: The Race to Create the Autonomous Car (Simon & Schuster, 2021), is an award-winning inside account of the self-driving industry. My forthcoming book, Kobuk the Destroyer: And Other Tales from the Wild, Unseen World of Test Engineering (W.W. Norton, 2026), explores the hidden world of product testing and the people pushing machines, medicines, and models to their limits to keep the world safe.
I now work at Amazon, where I lead feature storytelling through deeply reported, narrative features about the people, inventions, and ideas shaping the company’s future.
I graduated cum laude from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I studied history and French. After years in newsrooms across the country, I now live in New York’s Hudson Valley with my husband, daughter, and dog.
Davey Alba
I’m a technology reporter for Bloomberg, based in New York City. I cover Big Tech and its power in all its forms.
Most recently, I was a reporter for The New York Times, where I covered online disinformation and its global harms. Before that, I was a senior reporter at BuzzFeed News, where I wrote about artificial intelligence and tech’s invasive effects on people and communities. And a few years ago, I worked as a reporter for WIRED in Silicon Valley.
In 2019 I won a Livingston Award for excellence in international reporting for my piece, “How Duterte Used Facebook To Fuel the Philippine Drug War.” I also won a 2019 Mirror Award in the special topic category, Best Story on Journalism in Peril, for the same feature. In 2020, I and several of my Times colleagues won an honorable mention at the SABEW Awards for our stories exploring the information ecosystem’s growing dark side. In 2022, I and my Bloomberg colleagues won an Online Journalism Award and a Deadline Club Award for our reporting on the post-Roe information crisis, and we were Sigma Award and SABEW finalists in the investigations category.
I’ve spoken publicly about my work at Oxford University during the Blavatnik School of Government’s “Challenges of Government” 2018 Conference, and at the University of Florida, where I was the Science Journalist in Residence for Spring 2019.
I studied science writing at Columbia University, and grew up in Manila, Philippines. Today I live in Brooklyn, New York, with my two cats, Laser Beam and Vivienne.
Fantasy book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Literature book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
COMICS club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Dark Fiction book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Sci-Fi book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Fantasy book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Literature book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
COMICS club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Paul Tremblay Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep
Book launch!
This event is ticketed: $5.
Your $5 comes off the price of Paul’s latest book purchased at the event. If you come and grab the book at Stanza ahead of time, just email us and we’ll reserve you a spot for free!
Seating is limited, so get a ticket NOW!
Friendly reminder, no outside books allowed at Stanza events.
Mystery book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Sci-Fi book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-
your local library, libro.fm/stanzabooks
Then just RSVP and come ready for great discussion!
Fantasy book club
It’s easy to join any Stanza book club
Get your books at Stanza
-or-