Free activities and events in New York City


Andrew Dana Hudson launches “Absence,” in conversation with Jinwoo Chong

Published: May 10, 2026; Aithor: Julia Sonrisa

When: May 14, 2026
Where: Lofty Pigeon Books

Address: 743 Church Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218, United States

Phone: +1 347-240-3816

Web: https://www.loftypigeonbooks.com/

“Hudson gives a skillful metaphysical twist to a tale of apocalyptic horror in this strikingly original novel.” — Publishers Weekly

Join us for the New York launch of Absence, Andrew Dana Hudson’s gripping, moving, and genre-building speculative debut about a world unraveling from an epidemic of human vanishing.

Andrew will be joined by writer Jinwoo Chong for a reading, conversation, and Q&A, followed by a reception and signing.

Preorder your copy of Absence

Can’t make it to the event? Preorder at the link above to receive a signed copy for store pickup or shipping. Indicate any personalization requests in the “Instructions and comments” field during checkout.

About the book

People are “popping.” Disappearing, one by one, into thin air. A global cataclysm known as Spontaneous Human Absence. In a world where prospects for survival are increasingly grim, hopelessness prevails, political rifts widen, and doomsday predictions flourish.

Harvey Ellis works the night shift for the Bureau of Depopulation Affairs, an ad hoc federal agency meant to contain and catalog the crisis. Harvey’s job: to investigate claims of Absence, and, if validated, issue a standard government stipend to boost morale. Still recovering from losses of his own, Harvey is content in his routine—until his life is shaken by an unexpected assignment from the central office.

A woman long thought Absent has reappeared in her hometown of Dawnville, Kansas, claiming she’s been to the other side and back. But is her wild and irresistible account true, or is she just the latest false prophet, offering hope to a world desperate for it? Together with his no-BS partner, Shonda Erins, Harvey travels to Dawnville to find out.

A resonant portrait of a world beset by confusion and dismay, Andrew Dana Hudson’s debut is a vividly imagined novel of cosmic proportions, examining life in a time of exception and the stories we tell to get by.

Time: 6:30 pm EST

Free!

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