KGB (bar)
Soviet-era themed bar in New York City, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KGB is a Soviet era-themed ("Communist chic"[1] ) bar located in the East Village of New York City.
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 Interactive map of KGB | |
| Location | 85 E. 4th Street, East Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States |
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| Coordinates | 40.726580°N 73.989923°W |
| Type | Bar |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1993 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
History
Before its present incarnation, the building had been the Palm Casino, a speakeasy controlled by Lucky Luciano. From 1948 to 1988 it was a private social club for communists and socialists.[2] On the bar's walls are "Stalinist woodcuts, World War II posters, a picture of Valentina V. Tereshkova, hammer-and-sickle flags and the odd Lenin bust and balalaika."[3][4]
Inspired by the Soviet-era memorabilia stored in the building,[5] KGB Bar opened in 1993,[6] and became one of the most popular book-reading venues in New York City.[2] Popular authors read here pro bono on Sunday evenings (fiction), Monday evenings (poetry), and most Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.[7] The bar is home to KGB Bar Lit, a literary magazine founded in 2006 by Denis Woychuk.[8][9] The New York writer and critic Carrigan Miller re-launched the publication in 2023 and serves as its Editor-in-Chief.[10][11] KGB has been named best literary venue in New York City by New York magazine[citation needed], The Village Voice[citation needed], and others.[3]
Reading series
The bar and magazine host several regular reading series which include:
- Trumpet Fiction – Literary fiction and arts, held on the second Saturday of every month, hosted by Jonathan Kravetz.
- Fantastic Fiction – A monthly speculative fiction reading series at the KGB Bar, held on the third Wednesday of every month, currently hosted by Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel.
- Monday Night Poetry Series – Founded by David Lehman and Star Black, this series has lasted more than a decade and features contemporary poets in its fall and spring seasons. The series spawned a book, The KGB Bar Book of Poems, in 2000. Currently, the event is hosted by John Deming, Jada Gordon, Susan Lewis, and Tyler Allen Penny.