PUTTING IT IN CONTEXT Novelist Walter Mosley reads from and signs his new book, “Life Out of Context” (Nation Books), a long essay about the state of American political life that is in part a lament about the ineffectuality of the American left. Tonight, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Upper West Side, 2289 Broadway at 82nd Street, 212-362-8835, free.

MEMORIES OF NEW ORLEANS NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu celebrates the release of his new book, “New Orleans, Mon Amour” (Algonquin), a collection of writings on the city that was his home for more than 20 years. The book includes six new post-Katrina pieces. Tonight, 7 p.m., Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery at Bleecker Street, 212-614-0505, free. Also: Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Romanian Cultural Institute, 200 E. 38th St. at Third avenue, second floor auditorium, 212-687-0180, free.

NUMBER THE STARS Vija Celmins and Eliot Weinberger discuss and sign their book “The Stars: A Collaboration” (Library Council of the Museum of Modern Art). Ms. Celmins, a New York-based artist, contributed three prints based on the night sky. Mr. Weinberger, an essayist and translator, assembled a catalog of descriptions of the stars from all around the world. They appear in the book in English, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, and Maori. Thursday, 7 p.m., 192 Books, 192 Tenth Ave. at 21st Street, 212-255-4022, free, reservations suggested.

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