July, 2026 | Lit Pub Crawl Newsletter

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This month, we're celebrating the words that helped shape a nation, the stories that continue to shape us, and a few books we'd happily carry in our bags for the rest of summer.

Join us this Saturday as we celebrate the writers, artists, and revolutionaries who helped shape America right here in the heart of New York City. We'll raise a glass to revolution at the legendary Marie's Crisis and honor the legacy of one of America's greatest Founding Fathers and luminaries of progress, Thomas Paine, whose works like Common Sense and The American Crisis inspired ordinary people to reimagine what liberty means.

"We have it in our power to begin the world over again."
— Thomas Paine

As we commemorate 250 years as a nation, we'll celebrate Paine's enduring belief that the pursuit of reason, liberty, and democracy belongs to everyone.

This Month in the Village…

✨ For those of you who keep time by books instead of clocks:

Upcoming Tours

🍻 Literary Pub Crawl

Walk the streets of Fitzgerald, Kerouac, Baldwin, Millay, Paine, and more. Hear their stories where they lived, loved, argued, and occasionally drank.

✒️ Greenwich Village Writers Walk

A walking tour—fewer spirits (well, of the alcoholic sort). Ideal for those who prefer their wit neat.

On Our Nightstands…

☀️ The Books We Return To Every Summer

Some books simply belong to the summer season.

Whether they're reread for the tenth time, or finally pulled from the shelf after years of good intentions, or comfort reads thrown into beach bags, these are the stories our guides keep coming back to.

• Explore the Reading list

From the Archives…

Enjoy some of our wacky literary wanderings...

• ✂️ Burroughs, Cut-Ups & the Occult: Beat writers, occult experiments, accidental masterpieces... and perhaps more drugs than anyone should reasonably encounter in one lifetime. Dive into William S. Burroughs' wonderfully alluring cut-up technique, and maybe try creating a few literary accidents of your own!

• 🎃 Summerween Is a Lifestyle Choice: When July gets too hot, our thoughts inevitably drift toward ravens, ghost stories, and crisp October evenings. Discover the surprising connection between Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe, learn the origins of the elusive Summerween holiday, and consider whether carving a raven into a watermelon might actually be a perfectly reasonable weekend activity for July.

A Little Village Lore

(Just a little bonus for the curious readers who read all the way through!)

Did You Know?

Thomas Paine is remembered as one of America's Founding Fathers, yet he never signed the Declaration of Independence.

Instead, his influence came through his pen. Months before Congress adopted the Declaration, Common Sense persuaded thousands of colonists that independence wasn't just possible—it was necessary. (If you're a Hamilton fan, you've already encountered many of Paine's revolutionary ideas woven throughout the story—we see you Angelica in “The Schuyler Sisters”). 📜🪶⭐️👆🏼🗽

Sadly, Paine's own story ended quite differently. Despite helping inspire a revolution, he died in relative obscurity in 1809, with only a handful of mourners attending his funeral.

Of course... that's only part of the tale. There are a few more delightfully strange twists to Paine's afterlife that we'll save for the tour. 🍻

Thank you…

Join us this month and celebrate the writers whose words continue to shape New York.

🎟️ Use code COMMONSENSE to join the revolution!

Here's to the writers who remind us that words can change the world. Stay curious. And a little bohemian.

We hope to see you in the Village soon!