Left Bank Books, in downtown Belfast, invites the public to an evening of conversation with Sam Sifton and A.O. (Tony) Scott, two writers for the New York Times, on Monday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m. The ticketed event will take place at The First Church in Belfast, which is located across the street from the bookshop. Doors will open at 6 p.m.; the event will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.com.

Both writers appeared “in conversation” last summer for Left Bank Books.

"At the end of their insightful, witty, and downright funny back-and-forth, they received a standing ovation and overwhelming pleas for a return engagement," said Left Bank, in a news release.

Last year, Sifton and Scott dished about favorite (and not favorite) foods, books, movies, and the changing role of critics in the age of AI, streaming platforms, and social media.

"The two longtime friends and colleagues are certain to engage in an equally captivating conversation on July 14," said Left Bank.

Sifton is the food editor for the paper and the founding editor of the Times’s Cooking section, an award-winning digital cookbook and cooking school. Formerly the newspaper’s national news editor, chief restaurant critic, and culture editor, he is the author of three cookbooks: The New York Times Cooking No-Recipe Recipes Cookbook, See You on Sunday: A Cookbook for Family and Friends, and Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well.

A.O. (Tony) Scott joined The Times in 2000 as a film critic. In 2023, he moved to The New York Times Book Review where he is now critic-at-large. Although he occasionally reviews new fiction and nonfiction, he mostly writes essays that explore the intersection of culture, history, technology, and myth. He’s interested “in the ways that writers, thinkers and artists hold a mirror up to the world, and how their work illuminates the issues that bedevil our social and political life.” In his 2016 book, Better Living Through Criticism: How to Think about Art, Pleasure, Beauty, and Truth, Scott writes “It’s the job of art to free our minds and it’s the task of criticism to figure out what to do with that freedom.”

This event is a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at life at The New York Times and sit in on a “dishy” conversation between two good friends.

Admission is by a “pay what you can” ticket through Eventbrite.

Ample free parking is available on the streets around The First Church and in a city parking lot across from the front entrance on Church Street. Limited handicapped parking is available at the rear of the Church (on Court Street.

For questions about the event, contact the bookshop at 207.338.9009 or info@leftbankbookshop.com.