House Of SpeakEasy

House Of SpeakEasy House of SpeakEasy connects authors and audiences in innovative and sustaining ways.

House of SpeakEasy is grounded in the belief that the ability to read and write enables a person to know their rights, to be confident in their identity, and engage boldly and empathetically with the world around them. Founded in 2013 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, SpeakEasy is dedicated to the idea that literature matters, and that the essence of literary culture is the relationship between writers an

d their readers. To foster that relationship, SpeakEasy seeks to: 1) bring authors out from behind the book into direct contact with audiences; 2) ensure that writers are compensated for their work and time; and 3) stimulate the audiences of tomorrow by exposing them to the best writing of today. SpeakEasy provides literary programming to students and communities in underserved communities and delivers literature to "book deserts," areas deprived of bookstores and without access to libraries, via a mobile book truck.

Our first weekend on the road with the "We the People" tour! The Bookmobile posted up in Portland, Maine at a food truck...
06/15/2026

Our first weekend on the road with the "We the People" tour! The Bookmobile posted up in Portland, Maine at a food truck park on the Eastern Promenade and stayed for the full day—long enough to share books with the food truck vendors, draw families over from the playground, and fall into plenty of conversations with interested locals—including a Harvard college professor and a traveler from Pennsylvania (who we spotted as a keen reader by the Plutarch peeking out of his bag).

Then, on to a packed downtown fair in Portsmouth, where curiosity about the tour ran higher than anywhere yet, with plenty of new, free, Library of America texts sent home with eager readers.

Check out the tour at bit.ly/WeThePeople2026 🚚 🇺🇸

Where better to celebrate America’s history than one of our nation’s most famous beginnings? Day 2 of the “We the People...
06/12/2026

Where better to celebrate America’s history than one of our nation’s most famous beginnings? Day 2 of the “We the People” tour brought us to Plymouth Rock, then carried on into the present, from the Mayflower replica to Boston Common to a Boys & Girls Club in Allston, where school buses delivered new readers every fifteen minutes.

Where better to celebrate America's history than one of our nation's most famous beginnings? Day 2 of the "We the People...
06/12/2026

Where better to celebrate America's history than one of our nation's most famous beginnings? Day 2 of the "We the People" tour brought us to Plymouth Rock, then carried on into the present, from the Mayflower replica to Boston Common to a Boys & Girls Club in Allston, where school buses delivered new readers every fifteen minutes.

And we’re off! Day one of House of SpeakEasy’s “We the People” Bookmobile Tour took us to New Haven and Providence. Don ...
06/11/2026

And we’re off! Day one of House of SpeakEasy’s “We the People” Bookmobile Tour took us to New Haven and Providence. Don Geci, our Bookmobile Manager, shares the day’s notes:

“We got to East Shore Park in New Haven around 9am, slightly early in order to reorganize after the prior night’s show. We parked outside of a senior center and the NHPL Readmobile joined us shortly thereafter. We caught some seniors on their way in and out of their morning yoga and a few of the local gardeners came to peruse the selection. A handful of people came by after having seen the flyer I sent to NHPL and New Haven Reads. It was a relatively slow morning but we managed to give out about 80 books.

We drove from there to Harris House in Providence where we deployed from 12:30-2pm. Christine, a friend of Shannon at Belveron, brought out the community and we had a particularly strong turnout of Spanish speakers. Gave out some 100 books.

Afterwards, we followed Christine to another location at Cathedral Square where we rendezvoused with the manager of another housing development. This was the biggest turnout of the day as we often waved peopled down from the nearby street. I’d estimate around 120 books. We were there until about 4:30 when to started to drizzle.”

Stay tuned as we continue our journey North before heading down to Georgia at our bio or bit.ly/WeThePeople2026

Day one of House of SpeakEasy’s “We the People” Bookmobile Tour: morning yoga-goers and gardeners in New Haven, a crowd ...
06/11/2026

Day one of House of SpeakEasy’s “We the People” Bookmobile Tour: morning yoga-goers and gardeners in New Haven, a crowd of Spanish-speaking readers in Providence, and neighbors waved down from the street at Cathedral Square. Three stops, two states, and plenty of new free books in readers’ hands before the first raindrops fell.

Stay tuned as we continue our journey at our bio or bit.ly/WeThePeople2026

Democracy isn't a document we inherit; it's a question each generation has to keep asking. President & Publisher of Libr...
06/11/2026

Democracy isn't a document we inherit; it's a question each generation has to keep asking.

President & Publisher of Library of America Max Rudin on the unfinished work at the heart of "we the people," from House of SpeakEasy's Seriously Entertaining: "We the People." 🇺🇸✨

Thank you for joining us last night at Seriously Entertaining: “We the People,” a memorable collaboration with Library o...
06/11/2026

Thank you for joining us last night at Seriously Entertaining: “We the People,” a memorable collaboration with Library of America.

Co-hosted by journalist and historian John Avlon and President & Publisher of Library of America Max Rudin, this show supported an inquiry into what “We the People” means on America’s 250th.

The night featured a captivating array of reflections on this milestone, our communities, and our complicated country:

James Basker challenged our assumptions about who counts as a Founding Father, sharing the largely forgotten stories of Black writers who shaped this country from its very beginnings.

Terrance Hayes took us behind the scenes of one of his American Sonnets, offering an intimate meditation on community, resilience, and the making of a poem.

Chyana Marie Sage reflected on inherited history and how the legacies of our forebears continue to shape all of us.

Heidi Schreck revealed the figure she accidentally left out of her celebrated play "What the Constitution Means to Me," and offered a moving tribute to the “invisible work of fighting back.”

Subscribe to our YouTube channel today and watch these incredible stories: www.youtube.com/

What does "We the People" mean? TONIGHT, 7:00PM at Joe's Pub & Online, John Avlon, James Basker, Terrance Hayes, Max Rud...
06/09/2026

What does "We the People" mean?

TONIGHT, 7:00PM at Joe's Pub & Online, John Avlon, James Basker, Terrance Hayes, Max Rudin, Chyana Marie Sage, and Heidi Schreck take the stage for Seriously Entertaining: "We the People" to reflect on these foundational words, America's 250th, our communities, and our complicated country.

🎟️ Last-call for tickets, take 20% off with code WRITER20: bit.ly/SeriouslyEntertaining
🎥 Watch the live-stream: https://youtube.com/live/t8MN8FDsDxU

“I first performed this little show a decade ago, for an audience of maybe 20 people, mostly friends. I’ve performed it ...
06/03/2026

“I first performed this little show a decade ago, for an audience of maybe 20 people, mostly friends. I’ve performed it during presidential elections, Supreme Court hearings, marches and protests. Every time I walk out there, the world has changed. I never quite know what is going to happen.”

Heidi Schreck () is a playwright, screenwriter, and actress whose play “What the Constitution Means to Me” ran on Broadway for 183 shows, was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and earned Schreck nominations for the Tony Award for Best Play and Best Actress in a Play.

The night of Seriously Entertaining “We the People” the House of SpeakEasy Bookmobile will embark on a tour of the 13 original colonies. This show and tour support an inquiry into what “We the People” means, examining how democracy shaped the nascent United States 250 years ago, and how it continues to evolve. Presented in collaboration with Library of America (), Seriously Entertaining: “We the People” reflects on this milestone, our communities, and our complicated country.

Featuring Heidi Schreck alongside James Basker () Terrance Hayes, and Chyana Marie Sage (), Seriously Entertaining: “We the People” will be co-hosted by journalist and historian John Avlon () and Max Rudin, president of Library of America.

🎟️ Last tickets are going fast. Get yours today at the link in our bio.

"I first performed this little show a decade ago, for an audience of maybe 20 people, mostly friends. I’ve performed it ...
06/03/2026

"I first performed this little show a decade ago, for an audience of maybe 20 people, mostly friends. I’ve performed it during presidential elections, Supreme Court hearings, marches and protests. Every time I walk out there, the world has changed. I never quite know what is going to happen."

Heidi Schreck is a playwright, screenwriter, and actress whose play "What the Constitution Means to Me" ran on Broadway for 183 shows, was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and earned Schreck nominations for the Tony Award for Best Play and Best Actress in a Play.

The night of Seriously Entertaining "We the People" the House of SpeakEasy Bookmobile will embark on a tour of the 13 original colonies. This show and tour support an inquiry into what “We the People” means, examining how democracy shaped the nascent United States 250 years ago, and how it continues to evolve. Presented in collaboration with Library of America, Seriously Entertaining: “We the People” reflects on this milestone, our communities, and our complicated country. Featuring Heidi Schreck alongside James Basker, Terrance Hayes, and Chyana Marie Sage, Seriously Entertaining: "We the People” will be co-hosted by journalist and historian John Avlon and Max Rudin, president of Library of America.

🎟️ Last tickets are going fast. Get yours today at bit.ly/SeriouslyEntertaining

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