Fantastic Fiction reading series at the KGB Bar

Fantastic Fiction at KGB is a monthly speculative-fiction reading series held on the second Wednesday of every month at the famous KGB Bar in Manhattan (and during periods of high Covid, broadcast live on YouTube ), hosted by Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel . Admission is always free.

The monthly series, which has been running since the late 1990s , serves as a salon, where writers, editors, agents, and fans of science fiction, fantasy, and horror can co-mingle in a shared event space. The series also served a vital social function during multiple Covid lockdown periods, when we featured authors from all over the globe on our live YouTube channel, and people who were isolated due to the lockdown could keep in contact with the writing community. We also release a free podcast, where we post audio recordings of the monthly readings.

Running the series costs us money. We pay a stipend to our guests, we pay for their drinks at the bar, and we also take them out to dinner after the readings. At present, the series costs about $3,500 per year to run. Unfortunately, we are almost out of money. We hope to raise an additional $15,000 ($25,000 total), which will fund the series for four more years. It would be great if we could raise more!

The continued survival of the series depends on your help!

Disclaimer: no raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to Fantastic Fiction at KGB.

We've currently raised about $3200, enough for one year. Thank you to all donors! We are hoping to raise enough for four more years, so please spread the word if you can!