Kafka Studies
Francis Levy's new story collection, "The Kafka Studies Department," from Heliotrope Books, adds "a lightly absurdist take on human psychology to the landscape of literary brevity," as a review in these pages put it. The theme is reversals — of fortune, feeling, power, and roles, Evan Harris wrote, "as landmine and as saving grace."
You could also heed a release calling the stories "inspired by Kafka, infused with dark humor as they investigate the human condition." Either way or both, Mr. Levy, who lives in Wainscott part of the year, will talk about such and much more with Patty McCormick, a Sag Harbor writer, on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Canio's Books in that village.
Women of Journalism: A Talk
Brooke Kroeger's latest exploration of American history, "Undaunted," published by Knopf, looks at women who helped reshape journalism. To explore the subject, on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton, she'll be joined by an industry veteran, David M. Alpern, formerly of Newsweek, where he witnessed an uprising among women researchers seeking equality in pay, job titles, and assignments.
Ms. Kroeger has written for United Press International and The New York Times and has taught at New York University. She has a house in East Hampton. Mr. Alpern, of Sag Harbor, hosted the "Newsweek on Air" and "For Your Ears Only" network radio shows for many years. The talk starts at 1 p.m. Registration is on the library's website.