It's time to share our May calendars with YOU!

Welcome back to BSR in the Wild, our monthly subscribers-only tips on where our team is headed on the Philly scene this month. We also have our own event this month! On Wednesday, May 20 from 6-7pm ET on Zoom, we're having our BSR Book Week author panel. Everyone who registers for the May 20 event will be entered to win a signed copy of Long Bright River by bestselling Philly author Liz Moore! More info below, including the amazing authors who are joining us.

Let's get a little fundraising update out of the way: If we can raise $3,600 by June (combined with your extraordinary support on our Readers Decide campaign in March to fund our work this spring), we will meet our goal to fund our summer coverage! You can make a gift of any size here. Help keep our writers working!

Let's see what's coming up for us!

FIND NEIL

Mission Story Slam 14: No Judgement
WHEN: Tuesday, May 12, 7:30pm
WHERE: Triple Bottom Brewing, 915 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia
WHY: Philly video company PWP has been running this story show for several years, and every one I've attended has been powerful. The goal is simple: have people tell stories about their missions. For some, it's launching a non-profit, and for others it's joining a pre-existing movement.

The True and Tasty History of Philadelphia Sandwiches
WHEN: Thursday, May 14, 12pm-1pm
WHERE: MacColl Room, First Presbyterian Church, 201 S. 21st St., Philadelphia
WHY: Eagle-eyed readers will remember that I wrote a review during BSR Book Week 2025 of local author Mike Madaio's book, A History of Philadelphia Sandwiches: Steaks, Hoagies, Iconic Eateries & More. I've been hoping to turn his book into a real-world adventure of some fashion. Luckily the folks at Penn's Village have put together a live event featuring Madaio and sandwiches.

FIND US

The 2026 BSR Book Week Panel
WHERE: Online
WHEN: Wednesday, May 20, 6:00pm
WHY: Join us for the 2026 BSR Book Week author panel, featuring four exciting Philly novelists, and be entered to win a signed copy of Long Bright River by Philly author Liz Moore.

We’re welcoming Blue Stoop cofounder Emma Copley Eisenberg (Fat Swim), New York Times editor Ken Jaworowski (What About the Bodies), Hidden City cofounder Nathaniel Popkin (Partly Strong, Partly Broken), and debut author Eshani Surya (Ravishing) for a conversation about writing fiction, how to keep readers reading in the digital age, and why the Philly literary scene is special. BSR associate editor Kyle V. Hiller will moderate the conversation. Bring your questions! Captions will be enabled. BSR Book Week 2026 runs May 17-23, and this virtual conversation is happening on Wednesday, May 20 from 6-7pm ET on Zoom.

Tix are pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $10.

FIND ALAINA

GIRL DOLLS
WHERE: FringeArts, 140 N. Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia
WHEN: Running May 9-17
WHY: Pax Ressler blew me away when they stepped last minute into the starring role of the Wilma's Poor Judge last January. Now they're premiering GIRL DOLLS: The American Musical, created and performed in partnership with Jackie Soro and directed by MK Tuomanen. It's an original musical inspired by American Girl Dolls, blending "sharp satire, meticulous cultural research, and 90s nostalgia," and according to Soro, investigating "how our childhoods didn't fit the American stories we were fed through toys, television, and history classes." As a child of the 90s who loved the American Girl books and longed for the dolls, I'm looking forward to this.

Pax Ressler (left) and Jackie Soro, stars and co-creators of 'Girl Dolls'. (Photo by Kenzi Crash.)

Chicago
WHERE: The Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St., Philadelphia
WHEN: Running in Philly May 12-17
WHY: I'm continuing my kick of iconic American musicals this spring, after enjoying the Philly stop of The Sound of Music (which Cameron also loved). I've actually never seen Chicago onstage and now that it's back in town after 17 years, here's my chance. The Forrest is a beautiful theater, if you haven't been recently, and it feels surprisingly intimate.

The Merry Murderesses of the national tour of 'Chicago'. (Photo by Jeremy Daniels.)

The Woman Question
WHERE: People's Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern
WHEN: May 6-24
WHY: This is a new work written by another of my favorite Philly theater artists, Suli Holum. I can't quite get a handle on what this play is, exactly: according to People's Light, it's a "docu-fantasy" that blends "archival research with imaginative storytelling to illuminate a pivotal moment when women...came to Philadelphia to become doctors." I'm interested! It explores the historic Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania (founded 1850), one of the only places in the world women could pursue a medical career at the time. I'm taking my mom!

Beethoven and Marsalis
WHERE: The Philadelphia Orchestra at Marian Anderson Hall, 300 S. Broad St, Philadelphia
WHEN: May 28-31
WHY: I always try to get some symphony music onto my schedule, even though I'm not a music critic. I just enjoy it, and since I edit so many classical music writers, it's good for me to always build my own knowledge. This program is notable for a new work by composer, trumpeter, and Pulitzer and Tony-winning jazz icon Wynton Marsalis. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will join the Philadelphians. And the program also includes my favorite Beethoven symphony, the Seventh! Bonus: there's a free pre-concert panel discussion before the May 28 performance "exploring Beethoven and his hearing loss through the lens of modern neuroscience."

There is so much more in May I'm trying to catch, including the world premiere of Class C at Azuka, The America Play at the Wilma, and new exhibitions at the National Constitution Center, to name a few. If you see me out and about, be sure to say hello!

A new work by jazz icon Wynton Marsalis is coming to the Philadelphia Orchestra in late May. (Photo by Piper Ferguson.)

Neil's nod of the month

In a few weeks, we'll see a review from nat čermák of Azuka's Class C by Chaz T. Martin. It's a world premiere. The show's description ("set in a chilling near-future America where citizens are assigned government classifications") reminds me of dystopian literature I used to love when I was younger, such as Brave New World, but now such works feel quite different.

As we celebrate BSR Book Week 2026, it's worth noting that many books are under attack in this country. A 2025 essay from Anndee Hochman celebrates candid, challenging texts and the people such as parents and librarians who protect them.