Belletrist NYC Book Club
Join Belletrist, the book club founded by best friends Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss, for an elevated evening of community and conversation inspired by its November selection, Jane Schoenbrun’s Public Access Afterworld.
The evening will be moderated by Karah Preiss.
A mysterious realm on the other side of our screens. A dark force that draws victims into its static. The unlikely hero called to save them and herself from this electric hell. Public Access Afterworld is the profound, binge-all-night, headrush of a novel by the celebrated filmmaker of I Saw the TV Glow and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.
We recommend reading the book beforehand to get the most from the discussion, but don’t let an unfinished copy keep you away. Everyone is welcome to listen, reflect, and participate.
Ready to start reading? Order your copy of Public Access Afterworld here.
What to expect
An evening of literary luxury in The Moss’s Symposium space
Author conversation
Curated small-group conversations
Thoughtfully guided discussion
Facilitated mingling with fellow readers
A complimentary drink list and light bites
A welcoming space for longtime Belletrist community members and newcomers alike
🎟️ Standard Ticket
Register before November 8th for early savings on admission.
Your ticket includes an open bar, light bites, and guided book club programming from Belletrist.
Refunds and Exchanges
All registrations are final and cannot be refunded or exchanged. Thank you for your generous support of the Belletrist community. It is what makes gatherings like this possible.
Photo Policy
We love capturing the magic of Belletrist gatherings. By attending, you consent to being photographed or filmed for use across Belletrist’s platforms. If you would prefer not to be included, please let us know when you arrive.
About the Book
At 5:35 p.m. on September 3, 1988, Dallas weatherman Ray “Can You Say Sunshine” Davino makes passing reference to Public Access Afterworld during a rambling monologue, right before he puts a gun to his head on live television and pulls the trigger.
On June 12, 2009, David Sawyer and Erin Morrison, two lonely, TV-obsessed suburban teens who might be falling in love, gather in Erin’s basement to watch TV’s analog-to-digital transition. But in the static that follows, Erin witnesses surreal broadcasts from a pirate TV network called Public Access Afterworld, and their lives are changed forever.
Seventeen years later, Bethany Peters toils through the night shift at megacorp GlobalVill’s bleak Austin campus. A trans content moderator, she spends her evenings reviewing an endless stream of horrific videos. But then a young streamer begins to crop up in her feed calling out to Public Access Afterworld.
But what is Public Access Afterworld?
Spanning decades and realities, with an unforgettable ensemble of outcasts and nerds—especially the messy but wholly relatable Bethany, who must overcome paranoia and self-doubt to transform into a hero of our times—Public Access Afterworld will have you reading through the night and rooting for its characters to survive. A mesmerizing mash-up of speculative fiction, horror, and conspiracy, it marks the arrival of a major new force in contemporary fiction by a groundbreaking filmmaker who’s been compared to David Lynch and Paul Thomas Anderson.
About Belletrist
Belletrist was founded in 2017 by best friends Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss, inspired by a question that appeared again and again in their thousands of texts and phone calls: What are you reading?
Since then, Belletrist has selected more than 75 books for its book club and featured dozens more across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and its newsletter, The Belletrist Brief. Through its thoughtfully curated selections and conversations, Belletrist has built a vibrant community around books, culture, and the joy of reading together.
In 2019, Emma and Karah expanded Belletrist into Belletrist Productions. To date, the company has produced two popular television series, First Kill for Netflix and Tell Me Lies for Hulu. Belletrist Productions has a first-look deal with Max, with additional film and television projects in development.
About Moss New York
Moss is a new and inspired kind of members club where New Yorkers of all types gather in the shared pursuit of Intelligent Leisure and Physical Culture. It's a home away from home at the center of Manhattan for all the ways you spend your time—connecting, disconnecting, engaging, unwinding, and yes, book-clubbing.