April 1

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HANS

The New York Public Library celebrates the 200th birthday of Hans Christian Andersen with a month-long festival of storytelling, music, and art. Highlights: Storyteller Diane Wolkstein reads from Andersen’s work accompanied by original music by violinist Michael Braudy (Thursday, April 28, 6:30 p.m., Donnell Library Center Children’s Room, 20 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues); Marilyn Berg Iarusso reads the early stories “The Tinderbox” and “The Real Princess” (Wednesday, April 27, 4 p.m., St. George Branch, 5 Central Ave. at Hyatt Street, Staten Island); and an exhibit features original Andersen book illustrations (Thursday, March 31, through Thursday, May 5, Donnell Library Center Children’s Room). All events are free.

April 4 – 8

INCREDIBLY VERBOSE

Jonathan Safran Foer’s book tour kicks off in April. He discusses his second novel, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” (Houghton Mifflin), with novelist William Vollman (Monday, April 4, 8 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $16) and PBS correspondent Jeffrey Brown (Friday, April 8, 7:30 p.m., Columbia University, Miller Theatre, 2960 Broadway at 116th Street, 212-854-7799, free, reservations strongly suggested). Mr. Foer also reads from his book at Barnes & Noble Union Square (Tuesday, April 5, 7 p.m., 33 E. 17th St. at Broadway, 212-253-0810, free).

April 5

ON ISRAEL

Writer Donna Rosenthal discusses her book “The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land” (Free Press). She is joined by two of her subjects, the grandson of the Syrian-Egyptian co-founder of the Israeli Air Force and the daughter of illiterate Yemenite immigrants. Tuesday, April 5, 7 p.m., JCC in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th Street, 646-505-5708, $5 general, free for members.

‘ROUND THE WORLD

A journal of translated poetry, Circumference, celebrates its third issue with a reading of poems from Argentina, Brazil, China, and Russia. Tuesday, April 5, 7 p.m., Swiss Institute, 495 Broadway, between Broome and Spring streets, 212-925-2035, $5.

April 7

POETRY PICKS

Feminist provocateur Camille Paglia reads from “Break, Blow, Burn” (Pantheon), in which she examines 43 of “the world’s best poems.” Her selections include works by Shakespeare, Donne, Shelley, Dickinson, Lowell – and Joni Mitchell. Thursday, April 7, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 33 E. 17th St. at Broadway, 212-253-0810, free.

April 8

LITTLE BOY, BIG DESIGNS

Japanese Pop artist Takashi Murakami discusses “Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture,” a design exhibit, on the day it opens. The show takes its title from the name for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima but also refers to the “cute” aesthetic that dominates Japanese popular culture. A reception follows. Friday, April 8, 6:30 p.m., Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., between First and Second avenues, 212-752-3015, $20 general, $15 seniors and members, $12 students.

April 11

BABBLING BROOK

The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theater was restored in 1987 for a production of Peter Brook’s adaptation of “The Mahabharata.” The director discusses his career with his biographer, Michael Kustow, from the same stage 18 years later. Monday, April 11, 7:30 p.m., BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St., between Ashland Place and Rockwell Place, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100, $10 general, $5 seniors.

April 12

READING THE UNREAL To celebrate the birthday of self-taught artist Henry Darger, fans read from his 15,000-page novel “In the Realms of the Unreal.” Tuesday, April 12, 7 p.m., American Folk Art Museum, 45 W. 53 St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-265-1040, $10 general, $5 seniors, members, and students.

April 12 – June 12

FLOWER POWER

The New York Botanical Garden’s indoor spring flower show fills the garden’s glasshouse with daffodils, tulips, iris, lilies, and bleeding hearts – it’s a sneak peek at summer’s lushest offerings before they’re ready to bloom outdoors. Tuesday, April 12 through Sunday, June 12, Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., New York Botanical Garden, Bronx River Parkway and Fordham Road, Bronx, 718-817-8700, $13 general, $11 seniors and students, $5 children ages 2 to 12, free for children under 2.

April 14

NEW YORK STYLE

Fashionistas – and a fashionist-o or two – gather to discuss New York glamour and how it differs from the style scenes in Paris and Hollywood. Panelists include a former editor of Vogue, Grace Mirabella; a correspondent for Vanity Fair, Amy Fine Collins; the chair of the Department of Fashion Design at Parsons, Timothy Gunn; the curator of costumes and textiles at the Museum of the City of New York, Phyllis Magidson, and the designer Ralph Rucci. Fashion historian June Weir moderates. Thursday, April 14, 6:30 p.m., Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave., between 103rd and 104th streets, 212-534-1672 ext. 3393, $15 general, $10 seniors, members, and students.

April 16

WILY QUIXOTE

Salman Rushdie, Paul Auster, Margaret Atwood, Claudio Magris, Antonio Munoz Molina, and others gather to celebrate the 400th anniversary of “Don Quixote.” The discussion is part of “PEN World Voices” festival of international literature. Saturday, April 16, 7 p.m., New York Public Library, Celeste Bartos Forum, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, 212-868-4444, $10 general, $7 members.

April 16 – 30

WHITMAN SAMPLER

Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” was first published in 1855 in Brooklyn Heights. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the collection, several Brooklyn cultural institutions play host to Whitman events in April. Highlights: The Brooklyn Philharmonic performs “Brooklyn’s Ode to Joy,” a juxtaposition of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” with Jennifer Higdon’s song cycle based on Whitman’s poem “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” (Saturday, April 16, 8 p.m., Brooklyn Academy of Music, Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette St., between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street, 718-636-4100, $20-$60); a reading from the first edition of “Leaves of Grass” and articles Whitman wrote for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and other local publications (Sunday, April 17, 2 p.m., Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, 718-230-2100, free); and a walking tour of Whitman’s Brooklyn Heights (Saturday, April 30, 2 p.m., meet at Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St. at Clinton Street, Brooklyn, 718-222-4111, $15 general, $5 children).

April 19

AMERICAN AMBITION

Over breakfast, social scientist Alan Wolfe gives a talk based on his book “Return to Greatness” (Princeton University), in which he argues that America has “lost its sense of purpose.” Mr. Wolfe calls for an activist federal government and a citizenry that supports ambitious, long-range projects at home and abroad. Tuesday, April 19, 8-9:15 a.m., Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, Merrill House, 170 E. 64th St., between Third and Lexington avenues, 212-838-4120, $25, reservations required.

FIGHTING TERROR

A former deputy assistant attorney general, John Yoo, joins Fordham Law School’s Martin Flaherty to talk about the legal aspects of combating threats by terrorists. Thane Rosenbaum moderates. Tuesday, April 19, 8 p.m., Fordham Law School, McNally Amphitheatre, 140 W. 62nd St., between Ninth and Tenth avenues, 212-636-7175, free.

April 21

ON THE CASE

Lawyers and legal commentators talk about press coverage of high-profile court cases from O.J. Simpson to Michael Jackson. How does a trial come to dominate the news cycle? Should lawyers perform for the press? How are juror dynamics affected? Panelists include journalists Adam Liptak, Dan Abrams, and Rikki Klieman. The discussion is the first event produced by the Program in Law and Journalism at New York Law School. Thursday, April 21, noon-1:30 p.m., New York Law School, Stiefel Reading Room, 47 Worth St., between Church Street and West Broadway, 212-431-2109, free.

April 23

CELEBRATE THE EARTH

Families can celebrate Earth Day by picnicking in Central Park and enjoying live music, arts and crafts, and tours led by the Central Park Conservancy. Saturday, April 23, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Central Park Great Hill, 106th Street and Central Park West, free. Rain date: Sunday, April 24.

April 26 & May 3

SIENESE SPLENDOUR

A pair of lectures pulls back the curtain on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s acquisition process, focusing on the recent purchase of Duccio’s “Madonna and Child.” The museum’s director, Philippe de Montebello, gives an illustrated lecture about why museums matter, using the Duccio painting as an example of what they can offer culturally and historically (Tuesday, April 26, 8 p.m.). The Jayne Wrightsman curator of European paintings, Keith Christiansen, gives the second lecture on “Duccio, Giotto, and the Origins of Western Painting” (Tuesday, May 3, 8 p.m.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd Street, 212-570-3949, $50 for both.

April 30

RUN FOR A CAUSE

The Revlon Run/Walk for Women, which raises money for cancer research, proceeds to Central Park from Times Square. The five-kilometer race typically draws more than 40,000 participants. Saturday, April 30, 7 a.m. registration, 9:15 a.m. race begins, meet at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, 212-379-3199, $25 registration before April 23, $30 after, $200+ pledges encouraged.

April 30 – May 1

VERY CHERRY

Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s cherry blossom festival, “Sakura Matsuri,” includes music, Japanese dance, and crafts for children. The highlight of the annual celebration is a stroll through the garden’s “Cherry Esplanade” as trees burst into bloom. Saturday, April 30 & Sunday, May 1, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 900 Washington Ave., near Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-623-7200, $5 general, $3 seniors and students.

May 3

CROSSING OVER Nancy Rubin Stuart discusses her book “The Reluctant Spiritualist: The Life of Maggie Fox” (Harcourt), a biography of a 19th-century girl who claimed she could contact the dead. Tuesday, May 3, 5:30 p.m., New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 122 E. 58th St., between Lexington and Park avenues, 212-755-8532, ext. 36, free.

May 5

FIRST IN MANHATTAN

A leader of the Delaware tribe, Linda Poolaw, lectures on New York City’s original inhabitants, the Lenape. She follows their conflicts with settlers, their migration across America, and how their descendants live today. Thursday, May 5, 6 p.m., National Museum of the American Indian, 1 Bowling Green at State Street, 212-757-0981 ext. 205, free, reservations suggested.

PLACES AND FACES

A writer for the New Yorker, Susan Orlean, discusses “My Kind of Place” (Random House), her collection of essays on her travels, from Paris’s underground music scene to the World Taxidermy Championships in Spingfield, Ill. Thursday, May 5, 7 p.m., Amer ican Museum of Natural History, Kaufman Theater, 79th Street and Central Park West, 212-769-5200, $15 general, $13.50 seniors, members, and students.

May 9

WORLD ACCORDING TO IRVING

Novelist John Irving reads from his latest work. Monday, May 9, 8 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-41-5500, $16.

May 10

PANEL ON PANELS

The cartoon editor of the New Yorker, Robert Mankoff, joins other cartoonists for the magazine to talk about the massive compendium “The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker” (Black Dog & Leventhal). Tuesday, May 10, 6:30 p.m., New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-817-8215, $10 general, $5 seniors, members, students, and teachers.

May 11

DIGITAL DIRECTIONS

Critic and author Amei Wallach moderates a discussion titled “Photography After Film: The Shock of the New Technology,” which focuses on how the development of digital film has affected fine-art photography. The invited panelists include photographers Gregory Crewdson, David Maisel, and Gilles Peress. Wednesday, May 11, 7 p.m., Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-229-5488, free.

May 15

THE SIMPLE LIFE

Families can get a taste of rural life at a “farm fest” including sheep-shearing demonstrations, Dutch crafts, hayrides, and a petting zoo. Sunday, May 15, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, Queens, 718-347-3276, $3.

May 18

ON PHOTOGRAPHY

Artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, known for his photographs of architecture and sculpture, talks about his work with the Whitney’s Adam Weinberg. Wednesday, May 18, 7 p.m., Whitney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Ave. at 75th Street, 800-944-8639, free.

MOODY AND LURIE

Rick Moody reads from his work at an installment of the Happy Ending Reading Series, at which each reader must take one public risk. He is joined by John Lurie, the leader of the band Lounge Lizards. Mr. Lurie also hosts the series “Fishing with John,” in which he travels to exotic locations to go fishing with Tom Waits, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, and others. Wednesday, May 18, 7:30 p.m. doors open, 8 p.m. reading, Happy Ending Bar, 302 Broome St., between Forsyth and Eldridge streets, 212-334-9676, free.

May 25 – 29

OLD-FASHIONED SPRING BREAK

A family program at South Street Seaport about how children passed the time during vacations from school a hundred years ago. Children can try their hand at making puzzles (May 26), find out how baseball was played in the 1850s (May 27), and play 19th-century street games such as marbles, trundles, and tops (May 28). Wednesday, May 25-Sunday, May 29, 1-4 p.m., South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton St. at Front Street, 212-748-8758, free with admission, $8 general, $6 seniors and students, $4 children ages 5 to 12, free for members and children under 5.

ALLENDE’S FOREST

Novelist Isabel Allende discusses “Forest of the Pygmies” (Rayo) the final installment of her supernatural trilogy for young readers. Wednesday, May 25, 7 p.m., New York Public Library, Celeste Bartos Forum, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, 212-868-4444, $10 general, $7 members.

May 31

ON JELINEK

Playwright and poet Fiona Templeton reads from writer Elfriede Jelinek’s “Krankheit oder Moderne Frauen” (Sickness or Modern Women), which Ms. Templeton translated. (Ms. Jelinek rarely appears in public; she did not attend the Nobel Prize ceremony when she won the award for literature in 2004.) Tuesday, May 31, 6:30 p.m., CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave., between 34th and 35th streets, 212-817-8215, $10.*