June Events For Myth Lovers
Franz von Matsch’s Triumphant Achilles is in the public domain.
Virtual Events
On Thursday June 2, you can attend a five part series of online discussions about Homer’s Iliad, with each part structured around a component of the opening lines of the epic “Anger be now your song, immortal one, Achilles' anger, doomed and ruinous, that caused the Achaeans loss on bitter loss and crowded brave souls into the undergloom, leaving so many dead men carrion for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done.”
On Thursday June 2, you can learn how to make digital comics for free using the Pixton, an online comic and storyboard creation program.
In four online classes starting Saturday June 4, learn about Hindu gods and goddesses, especially the ancient Indian myth ‘Churning of the Milky Ocean,’ which centers around a conflict between the children of limited vision and the children of larger vision, both whom are needed to explore the ocean of consciousness.
Inquiring minds need to know: did the ancient Mesopotamians enjoy a good dinner, rejoice in love, fling curses at a faithless spouse, and quake in fear at the wrath of gods? Find out in a zoom talk on June 5.
On June 6, join a discussion about the symbolism and archetypal imagery in the story of Medusa and then on July 11 of Medea.
On June 7 Jennifer Saint will discuss her new book Elektra.
On June 7, learn about the history and mythology of the menstrual hut, where women are banished from their homes during the “wrong” time of the month.
On June 11, take a workshop to research myths for inspiration, relocate mythic figures to different times and places, and develop frameworks for thinking about how myth resonates with or is in opposition to our own outlooks and values..
On June 12, attend an online discussion of Bioróg, the little Druid woman who saved Ireland from the tyranny of the Formorians.
On June 12, take an online tour of the temple of Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god who defeated death and became the god of the underworld.
On June 15, the oral storytellers Jon Mason and Aela Norman-Mason will share fairy folktales from the British Isles and neighbouring lands, exploring all the magic, the danger, the dearest hopes and darkest fears that these mysterious beings hold for us.
On June 22, The American Research Center in Egypt, in collaboration with ARCE/NY and the Archaeology Committee of The National Arts Club, will present a lecture by Dr. Marc Gabolde in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun. In person in NYC or virtual.
On June 27, learn about how psychoanalysts interpret the fairy tale of featuring a woman who rescues her brother, which can be seen as a metaphor for the animalistic and spiritual duality in humans.
On June 28, learn about the witches, dragons, mermen, ghosts, evil pixies or just strange people in the folklore of Sussex, England.
On July 20, learn a meditation technique that can give you a feeling of peace comparable to that of a near-death experience.
Gustav Klimt’s painting The Kiss is in the public domain.
New York City Events
Central Park Summerstage kicks off on June 4 with a concert by Aurora, who sings like “There’s a reason why hell’s so hot.”
On June 6, Maya Deane will discuss her debut novel Wrath Goddess Sing, a rewrite of the Iliad in which Achilles is a trans woman.
On different evenings from June 9 through the 23rd, you can watch Jurassic World:Dominion at the drive in, walk in or bike at the Skyline movie theater in Greenpoint.
On June 14, the 5th Ave museums from 82nd to 105th street will be free to the public.
On June 17, a quartet of stars from City Opera’s Pride Series will pretend to be mythological characters and sing arias in Bryant Park.
Free Sbakespeare in the Park begins on June 17 this summer and will feature productions of Richard III and As You Like It.
On June 18, the landlocked mermaids will come out at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade.
On any day other than Monday or Tuesday in June and July, you can pretend to have a more interesting life by participating in an interactive experience that puts you in the center of a Stranger Things story.
In June and July you can go see The Fans Strike Back, an exhibition featuring more than 600 official items from the Star Wars Universe.
Explore the life and works of the surrealist artist Magritte in a new virtual reality exhibition.
Watch a New York City Ballet show, including Midsummer Night’s Dream in June.
Participate in the immersive theater experience Sleep No More, which portrays Shakespeare’s classic Scottish tragedy through the lens of suspenseful film noir. Tickets are available any night other than Tuesday.
Go to Gotham City, where top scientists are missing and Batman and Batgirl need new recruits. Gather intelligence, dodge lasers and communicate with some Gotham City characters in an interactive experience.
Any day you want you can go to Beetle House, a restaurant that takes inspiration from Tim Burton, Alfred Hitchcock, Bram Stoker, Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe and many more. The menu includes, Blood Bags, Hautned Lemonade, Bio-Exorcism’s, among other things. Dining in only, which adds a new COVID element to the scare show.
Check out the dragons, kings, pirate ships, Merlin’s flying machines and other spectacles at the new Legoland in Goshen, New York.
Get Butter Beer at the new Harry Potter-themed store and bar at 935 Broadway near the Flatiron Building.
Miss going to the movies? Watch a socially distanced one outside with your friends at Sidewalk Cinema on Thames Street in Brooklyn.
Check out the images of buddhas, bodhisattvas, tantric deities, protectors and more at the Rubin Museum’s Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room.
U.S. Events
"Myth.Slide1.16" by c.a.francese is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
From June 17-19, LibertyCon takes place in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
On June 23-26, PortConMaine will take place, featuring the author T.M. Blanchet.
World Events
On July 1, 2, and 3 the mythic fiction author Natalie Haynes, the indie duo Smoke Fairies, circus people, and many others will perform at Timber, an artist’s festival that takes place somewhere in the woods in the U.K.
Recurring Virtual Events
Every year in the secret realm of Bunnyville, magical creatures from around the world gather for their annual summit. This is supposed to be a time to reconnect with old and new friends, but this year someone (or some creature!) has stolen the Easter Bunny’s magical golden egg! Kids and adults can both enjoy this enchanted game featuring creatures like fairies, dragons, mermaids, and of course the Easter Bunny!
If you would rather be in France right now, view a selection of thematically-themed works from the Louvre online, including the ones in the Sully Wing, which includes major works of Greek and Egyptian art such as the Venus de Milo.
Take an online course with Stanford research scholar Adrienne Mayor in which you will “uncover the natural origins of stories about dragons. . .; ponder whether the Amazon horsewomen-archers of myth existed; consider the dilemmas of using poison weapons in myth and ancient historical times; and marvel at robots and other science fiction tales from the time of Homer.” $120.
Take an online mini-course about Rome, seeing how it exists not only in brick and mortar, but also in the realm of ideas, and through the eyes of locals and visitors. Topics will include Rome’s urban and architectural development, as well as its representation in maps and artworks from across the city’s exceptionally long lifetime. $99.
The NY Mythology Group, which is associated with the Joseph Campbell Foundation, holds presentations and discussions about mythology related topics ranging from the Greek goddess Hecate to Carl Jung. Their events usually take place on Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EDT, and have been online since the pandemic started.
BSFW, or Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers, meetings take place mostly online currently, but pre-pandemic were in the homes of writers mostly in Brooklyn but also on occasion Manhattan or Queens. Check out their calendar on meetup to attend their numerous writing workshops, social gatherings, meetings with editors/agents/authors, book clubs, and more. The group includes many published writers and has its own audio fiction magazine, Kaleidocast. If you post about your fetish for Olympian gods on their Facebook group feed, they (probably) won’t judge.
EREWHON BOOKS, a publisher focusing on novel-length works of speculative fiction: science fiction, fantasy, and related genres, holds readings usually on the second Thursday each month virtually for now and in a pre-apocalypse world at its high ceilinged office of many windows in Manhattan.
Fantastic Fiction at KGB is a monthly speculative-fiction reading series held on the third Wednesday of every month virtually for now, and in a pre-apocalypse world at KGB Bar in Manhattan. Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel host the event. As one might expect from a communism-themed bar, admission is free.
The NYC Greek Myth & Classical Lit Meetup meets every third Thursday of the month at the Cloister Cafe in the East Village to discuss the work of mostly long dead authors (e.g. Aristophanes, Dante.) The group has existed for more than a decade, so the long-term participants have already earned their unofficial classics PhD’s, and we already know that anybody who would do this for fun is as hip as a person can get.
Marcantonio Raimondi’s “A Bacchanal”. CC01.0 Public domain.
