The Gods of New York: Power, Culture, and Chaos in the 1980s

Step into the 1980s, a decade when New York City was simultaneously teetering on the edge and reinventing itself. In this special conversation, Jonathan Mahler, celebrated journalist and author of The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists and the Birth of the Modern City, 1986-1990, and acclaimed filmmaker Ric Burns will explore the moments and personalities that reshaped New York’s destiny. 

Drawing from the gripping stories in The Gods of New York, Mahler and Burns will illuminate the turning points that defined the era: a city wrestling with power and possibility; neighborhoods transformed by creative energy and political tension; and the rise of cultural figures whose influence spread across the globe. Together, they will bring into focus the larger-than-life artists, activists, leaders, and disruptors who laid the blueprint for the New York we know now. 

About the Speakers
Jonathan Mahler is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and the author of the bestselling Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning, which was adapted as an ESPN miniseries, and The Challenge, a New York Times Notable Book. His journalism has received numerous awards and been featured in The Best American Sports Writing. He lives in Brooklyn.

This event is part of The Menschel Lecture Series for History, Art, and Culture.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.