Authors / Interviews

Governing Bodies: Author Q&A with Sangamithra Iyer

Milkweed Staff — 06/10/2025

In anticipation of the release of Governing Bodies: A Memoir, A Confluence, A Watershed this fall, we sat down with author Sangamithra Iyer to learn more about the structure, themes, and interconnected layers in the book, including her work with animal rights.

Milkweed: Governing Bodies is uniquely structured. Can you talk about how you came to that form and why you chose it?

Sangamithra Iyer: Governing Bodies was an ungovernable book to write. The structure was not something I could engineer or impose. The blueprint didn’t come first; it was shaped with iteration over time.

I…

New York, NY —

In Person: Jennifer Kabat at Francis Kite Club with 4Columns

Join Jennifer Kabat with 4Columns’s Place Is the Space, an evening of time-and-space travel marking the publication of Jennifer Kabat’s new book, Nightshining. Place Is the Space is a “call and response” mini-symposium asking artists and writers to consider one place that has held and still holds them, even if they are (or it is) no longer there. The respondents include Paul Chan, Sowon Kwon, Sukhdev Sandhu, Lynne Tillman, and a special video missive from Chris Kraus. The event will be followed by a book signing.

New York, NY —

Virtual: Ada Limón at encore presentation of Poetry & the Creative Mind

Join Ada Limón at the encore presentation of “Poetry & the Creative Mind,” an event featuring actors, artists, and celebrities reading inspiring and favorite poems in support of the Academy’s educational programs. Ada Limón will host, and read alongside Christine Baranski, Natalie Batalha, Danielle Deadwyler, Terrance Hayes, Sofia Kamal, National Student Poet, Stephen King, Tony Kushner, Fran Lebowitz, Lawrence O’Donnell, Morgan Spector, and more. Donations are encouraged.

Events

Solitude Versus Loneliness: Celebrating the Launch of Karen Babine’s The Allure of Elsewhere: A Memoir of Going Solo

Brianna Reed — 05/28/2025

On Wednesday, May 21st, Milkweed hosted a book launch to celebrate the publication of Karen Babine’s newest memoir The Allure of Elsewhere: A Memoir of Going Solo. She was joined by journalist and fellow memoirist Marya Hornbacher. Together, they delighted in conversation on scamps, cats, and what it means to travel solo.  

Tonight’s book launch is packed to the edges with attendees—it is all wiggle room and pressing elbows. Near the front of the crowd, Karen Babine stands haloed by her copper waves and celebratory glitter. As the designated Babine family historian, her launch has shifted into a kind…