Event Spotlight: Silent Reading Party At Hotel Rex

Event Spotlight: Silent Reading Party At Hotel RexPhoto: Flickr / Karoly Czifra
Rose Garrett
Published on April 30, 2016

Reading quietly is an introvert's dream, but it can be fun to break the mold and pursue this solitary activity with like-minded bibliophiles. That's the concept behind a new "silent reading party" which debuted in early April and has its second installment on Tuesday, May 3rd.

The new monthly meetup takes place at the Hotel Rex (562 Sutter St.), which already has a literary theme to its cozy bar. "It has a perfect back room with a piano in it, and little tables for reading," said author Daniel Handler of Lemony Snicket fame. Handler teamed up with Dan Stone of Radio Silence to organize the event after being inspired by a similar party in Seattle. 

"Reading silently in a bar is a thing that I've liked to do since it became legal for me to do so," he told us. "I was in a hotel in Seattle that has a silent reading party and I was so entranced by the idea that I could be reading quietly in a bar and everyone else would be readying quietly in a bar too," instead of engaging in the noisy chatter typical of drinking establishments. 

The April 5th debut was a success, Handler said, describing it as "a packed quiet house." The event includes little menus that you can use to quietly check off your food or drink order, and Handler says to expect someone—possibly himself—to be playing the piano. And keep in mind that you'll be drinking for a good cause: a dollar from every drink order will go towards a local public school library.

"It was a delight to realize that many people were eager to do this very thing," Handler said, "despite the fact that reading is an activity that is very private."