Welcome to The Hottest Literati Every month, we choose one cool artist from anywhere in the world to highlight and to support. The August 2026 Hottest Literati is... Chris Jesu Lee He is a... New York-based writer and lawyer, who is currently revising his first novel. He writes regularly on his Substack, Salieri Redemption, and has been published in The Believer, The Cleveland Review of Books, Current Affairs, and The Metropolitan Review. What's coming this month Next week, w

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On July 25th, I, hailo, went to Lore-- a new sauna in Noho for The Bathhouse Block Party event. Lore is one of many new saunas in New York as the wellness industry continues to expand and clubbing begins to dwindle. I am no better than the headlines. I am a member of Gen Z who gets off on being in bed by midnight these days. And I want to make sure that my eggs are cage free. But hey, what can I say? It feels good to feel good. Culture of Bathing "a place for those already in

On Tuesday, July 21st Hot Literati Member and writer Marissa Vivian lead our New York Chapter through Anaïs Nin Night. Hot Literatis never flake It was a crazy day in New York, as a storm broke and we all got notifications of a tornado warning! But still, we gathered as a group to celebrate life, literature, and Hot Literati. Part One First, everyone trickled in LES Wines on Ludlow street and we checked them in. Attendees were each given a bottle of Les Cahiers Secrets-- a sc

On July 18th, 2026 I, hailo, went to a literary party. As I write this, I am drinking coffee on the couch and intermittently reading The Idiot. I'm on page 407. The New Critic is a literary magazine founded by some recent Ivy League grads looking to create a space where Gen Z can write anything, unfiltered. They rented a really beautiful space south of Seward Park and gathered a room of their subscribers for a night of music and an open bar. I went, saw a couple of friends, a

On Sunday, July 12th I, hailo, went to the Whitney to see the Biennial. The first time I ever heard about the Whitney Biennial was through an artist I used to date. A piece he was working on was being considered. An "almost" is what he was left with, I think. I didn't plan on going to the Whitney that day, but I'd just left everyone's favorite social club in the meatpacking district (I wanted to read in the pool, which I did for a bit until one of my girlfriends saw me and in

Plus Steamed Chicken, La Cabra, & my DMs are closed (unless you are a brand or an invitation) hello party girls I don't check Hot Literati's DMs very much because I've been prioritizing engaging with members on the website-- members who post, come to book club, and more. But I did check them briefly today. Being a niche-internet celebrity is sometimes fun and sometimes very confusing. I will occasionally receive DMs of people who saw me in target and think I'm shorter than th

Welcome to The Hottest Literati Every month, we choose one cool artist from anywhere in the world to highlight and to support. The July 2026 Hottest Literati is... Kim Kalesti Q: What made you want to make things? A: It’s our nature to be creative. Q: A favorite you hold sacred? A: All Life visible and invisible is Sacred Q: Someone who shaped how you see your own work? A: Everyone and everything shapes my work. Q: A line, lyric, or image you still carry? A: To be an artist m

On July 30th, 2026 I, hailo, went to Church. I went to the big Church on Bowery for the launch of Kismet's latest issue. Photo by Chris Jesu Lee I had walked by the church and eyed it for a very long time. It is beautiful, the way big churches are. Kismet is a literary magazine that explores spirituality in a contemporary lens. I brought my friend Chris with me. He Is a dear friend and a fellow writer. You should checkout his substack, Salieri Redemption. We saw some other fr

Welcome to The Hottest Literati Every month, we choose one cool artist from anywhere in the world to highlight and to support. The July 2026 Hottest Literati is... Kim Kalesti She is a... Singer, songwriter, and painter based in New York. What's coming this month This is the first edition of The Hottest Literati. Next week, we'll give you all a taste of Kim's influences, tastes, and favorite places.

On Tuesday, June 9th we gathered 20 Hot Literati at LES Wine on the Lower East Side to discuss Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita, and life. Steven's Russian Space Dog Necklace Each group put together their own take on Lolita as a love story, a horror story, and/or a comedy. Here's what they said: Our collective intellectual work "The themes of Lolita seem overtly romantic, and those overtones paired with H.H’s position as the narrator and Nabokov's witty, immensely detailed writing st

It's May. One of those balmy days, quite warm with raindrops speckled throughout the day. I'm walking down Orchard St, coming up from Grand and I see him, sitting outside. Erwin, with his strong, kind face, looking down at his phone. So I sneak up really quiet and drop into the chair in front of him. "Hello!" I say. He laughs. I laugh... "You know, I always remember you," he says, taking off his phone case to reveal a Hot Literati sticker. We grow up in a lot of places. If we

Tonight I went to the box for the first time. The first time I heard about the box was from a classmate in my eating club back in 2022 after they attended a party there with a former mayor, lots of models, and other A-list sorts. That world felt so glamorous and aloof to me and a year later that same friend would bring me into their world here in New York and I would begin writing about clubbing online and begin accquiring an audience and something like momentum. An open bar

hello beautiful angels, princesses, and other people of the Hot Literati Universe. I’m so happy you’re here. Tomorrow, I'll post the winning essay of our April Competition, but for today, I’m going to tell you about some of my favorite open mics in New York and some things that I did recently! God Save the Scene Reading Yesterday, I joined my friend Chris at a reading series by GOD SAVE THE SCENE at a gallery off of Canal Street. There were a lot of great satirical pieces, a