When I got back from Gainesville, there was a big fact package from Open City waiting for me. I felt like I had won a prize. Inside were three books: Flight Patterns: A Century of Stories About Flying; and a galley of Rachel Sherman’s debut novel, Living Room (dropping this October); and Lost & Found, the second Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood anthology, which clocks a thoroughly impressive gut-busting 853 pages. (The first anthology, you might recall, was Before & After, in 2002). Just a few of the names included: Sam Lipsyte, Jonathan Ames, Charles D’Ambrosio, Phillip Lopate, Daniel Nester, Mickey Z., Iris Smyles, and several dozen others. As Beller explains in his introduction (apropos the question- why does NYC produce so much writing about itself?), “The essential ingredient is density. The density is the drug.” I’ll cheers that one. Anyway, for those of you who actually live here, I thought you might want to know that there’s  a reading for the Beller book tonight in Washington Square Park. Details after the jump (and more on the Sherman and Flight books at some point in the nearish future).

Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood Park-Lit Reading in Washington Sq Park, (the south end, near Macdougal Street) July 8th, 6:30 pm., Wednesday, July 8.

Vince Passaro will read his infamous essay, “To the woman on craigslist who wanted to know the difference between ‘booty call’ and ‘f*ck buddy.”

Also reading will be Jonathan Ames, former fireman Thomas Ziegler, Rachel Cline, and Thomas Beller, reading, “I-Pod on the Tracks,” all from the just released anthology, “Lost and Found: Stories From New York.”