Saint Joseph's Arts Society and Mechanics' Institute Present: Lit Lounge

Lit Lounge is a new series celebrating the joy of analog connection—reading together, discovering new voices, and sharing a drink with fellow book lovers.

Bring Your Own Book (BYOB) and settle in with a literary-inspired cocktail for a rare chance to disconnect from the digital and sink into the page. Whether you come solo, with your book club, or just want to finally crack open that novel on your nightstand, this is a night designed for readers.

As the evening unfolds, we’ll feature San Francisco author Alissa Lee and the launch of her suspenseful debut, With Friends Like These. In conversation with Mechanics’ Institute's Librarian Keane Ng, Lee will pull back the curtain on her twisty tale of five college friends bound by a decades-long “killing” game—with increasingly deadly consequences.

Expect quiet reading, lively conversation, a splash of suspense, and more surprises at this page-turning gathering.

Evening Flow: 6-9pm

Location: 1401 Howard Street

• Settle In & Read (45 min) – Grab a cocktail, open your book, and enjoy the rare pleasure of reading with others.
• Author Spotlight (45 min) – Alissa Lee in conversation with Keane Ng.
• Social & Play (1.5 hrs) – More reading, mingling, and a round of bookish trivia to close out the night.

This is the proof-of-life event for Lit Lounge—a taste of what’s to come with a partnership between Saint Joseph’s Arts Society and the Mechanics’ Institute. Bring your book, bring your friends, and bring your curiosity.

About the Book: With Friends Like These

Harvard promised them everything—ambitious futures, lifelong connections, and doors opened by the world’s most elite education. Roommates Sara, Bee, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine quickly became family. But their senior year ended in tragedy, and nothing was ever the same.

Two decades later, five of the friends keep alive a secret tradition: the Circus, an elimination-style “killing” game played in hidden corners of New York City. What started as a harmless nod to youth and a tribute to the roommate they lost has taken on new stakes. This year, Sara wants out—until she learns a fortune awaits the game’s winner.

As the Circus escalates, suspicion grows, alliances fracture, and danger turns real. Old friends may be hiding secrets that could kill.

About the Author

Alissa Lee is a writer and lawyer. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, she grew up in New Jersey and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. With Friends Like These is her debut novel.