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Readings and Lectures

KGB Bar (85 E. 4th St., between Bowery and 2nd Ave., East Village | 10003 | 212/505–3360 | kgbbar.com | Subway: F, M to 2nd Ave.; F to Broadway–Lafayette St.) is a downtown nexus of literary readings: start with Sunday Night Fiction or KGB Poetry on Monday night; then there’s True Story nonfiction on Tuesday night, and more.

The reigning arbiter of poetry slams, the Nuyorican Poets Café (236 E. 3rd St., between Aves. B and C, East Village | 10003 | 212/505–8183 | www.nuyorican.org | Subway: F, M to 2nd Ave.) schedules open-mike events, most often on Wednesday night, and hosts the influential granddaddy (b. 1989) of the current spoken-word scene, the Friday Night Poetry Slam.

The Poetry Project (St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery,131 E. 10th St., at 2nd Ave., East Village | 10003 | 212/674–0910 | poetryproject.org | Subway: 6 to Astor Pl.) had its start in 1966, and has been a source of sustenance for poets (and their audiences) ever since. This is where Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, and Sam Shepard first found their voices, and where you’re likely to find folks of the same caliber today. Prime times: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Fodor’s Choice | The famed Strand Bookstore (828 Broadway, at E. 12th St., East Village | 10003 | 212/473–1452 | www.strandbooks.com | Subway: L, N, Q, R, 4, 5, 6 to 14th St./Union Sq.) hosts nonfiction panels, special Family Hour events, and current fiction readings with authors like Marisha Pessl, Thomas McGuane, Calvin Trillin, and Mark Kurlansky.

LOWER EAST SIDE

Film

With vestiges of its life as a vaudeville theater all but gone, the Sunshine Cinema (143 E. Houston St., between 1st and 2nd Aves., Lower East Side | 10002 | 212/330–8182 | www.landmarktheatres.com | Subway: F, M to 2nd Ave.), with its five decent-size screens, is the neighborhood go-to for a mix of art-house and smaller-release mainstream films.

Opera

The Gotham Chamber Opera (410 W. 42nd St., between 9th and 10th Aves., Midtown West | 10036 | 212/868–4460 | www.gothamchamberopera.org | Subway: A, C, E to 42nd St./Port Authority) presents less-known chamber works from the baroque era to the present in inspired productions.

Catching a broader audience’s attention, shows include Moisés Kaufman’s acclaimed rendition of the 1947 El Gato Con Botas by Xavier Montsalvatge (staged at the New Victory Theater); Handel’s Arianna in Creta; a collaboration with choreographer Karole Armitage, Ariadne Unhinged; and a joint venture with the Hayden Planetarium of Haydn’s Il Mondo della Luna, or The World on the Moon.

Latino arts and culture are celebrated with a sly sense of humor at the Teatro SEA @ Los Kabayitos Puppet & Children’s Theater (Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center,107 Suffolk St., between Delancey and Rivington Sts., Lower East Side | 10002 | 212/529–1545 or 212/260–4080 | www.sea-ny.org; www.csvcenter.org | Subway: F to Delancey St.; J, M, Z to Essex St.). Who could resist the Three Little Pigs swinging to salsa music? All shows are presented in English and Spanish.

Readings and Lectures

“Poetry Czar” Bob Holman’s Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery, at Bleecker St., East Village | 10036 | 212/614–0505 | www.bowerypoetry.com | Subway: B, D, F, M to Broadway–Lafayette St.; 6 to Bleecker St.) serves up coffee and comestibles along with its ingenious poetry events. Expect slams and every other permutation of the spoken word—as well as art and music.

GREENWICH VILLAGE

Film

Cinema Village (22 E. 12th St., between University Pl. and 5th Ave., Greenwich Village | 10003 | 212/924–3363 | www.cinemavillage.com | Subway: 4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R to 14th St./Union Sq.) has three tiny screening rooms (with surprisingly good sight lines) that show a smart selection of hard-to-find (some might say obscure) first-run domestic and foreign films.

In addition to premiering new releases, Film Forum (209 W. Houston St., between 6th Ave. and Varick St., Greenwich Village | 10014 | 212/727–8110 | www.filmforum.org