On July 14th, Molasses Books, Bushwick’s beloved bar, cafe, and bookstore, will once again become the site of of a reading series where writers are asked to present their funniest, sexiest, and saddest work. Next month’s reading will feature work from writers who have published in outlets such as Esquire, xoJane, McSweeney’s, and the American Poetry Review. Bushwick Daily sat down over email with founders and hosts Amira Pierce and Nate Waggoner to talk literary shop.

Both Pierce and Waggoner agree readings are more fun when the rules limit writers. Pierce says, “We decided we needed to start a reading series where a handful of different readers read for a limited amount of time, and were required to make the audience feel something. The cool thing is we wrote a manifesto and it actually happened. Cooler still: we brought Nate into our fold and have made the event happen again, years later, out on the west coast and here in Bushwick!”