NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Emmy Award-winner Jeff Hiller, author of national bestselling memoir Actress of a Certain Age and drag king Murray Hill, author of forthcoming memoir Showbiz, co-stars on HBO drama Somebody Somewhere, and comedian Youngmi Mayer, author of I’m Laughing Because I’m Crying, will keynote personal storytelling summit Open Secrets Live on May 2, 2026 at Symphony Space’s Leonard Nimoy Thalia in New York.
Open Secrets Live is the second annual summit from literary magazine Open Secrets, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, which publishes personal essays on topics we’re taught to keep “secret.” Over 35 memoirists and editors will speak on relationships, family, identity, LGBTQIA life, mental health, physical health and getting published.
“I was blown away by the response to last year’s summit. Audiences are eager to learn about the highs and lows of baring your soul on the page,” said Bussel. “Each panel will cover the craft of sharing your story while protecting personal boundaries.”
Other notable speakers include Stefan Merrill Block, author of Read with Jenna pick Homeschooled; Sari Botton, editor of Oldster and Memoir Land magazines; former America’s Next Top Model contestant Sarah Hartshorne, author of You Wanna Be on Top?, TikTok star Jesse James Rose, author of sorry i keep crying during sex, with editors from Abrams Books (Sarah Robbins), Catapult (Kendall Storey), One Signal/Atria (Alessandra Bastagli), Tiny Reparations Books (Emi Ikkanda), The New York Times‘ Modern Love column (Miya Lee), and Slate (Shannon Palus).
The summit runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a ticketed after-party. Attendees will receive a free swag bag.
Kew & Willow Books is our onsite bookseller. Early bird tickets are $40 via Symphony Space. Full schedule here.
For media requests, contact opensecretsmag@gmail.com
Open Secrets Magazine is a home for revealing personal essays about subjects we’re taught to keep “secret.” Since April 2023, Open Secrets has published over 200 original essays and garnered over 7,000 loyal readers. The magazine hosts the online Open Secrets Book Club.
Rachel Kramer Bussel (rachelkramerbussel.com) is the founder and editor-in-chief of Open Secrets Magazine. Rachel is a widely published writer with essays and articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, HuffPost Personal, and The Village Voice, and edited over 70 anthologies. She’s host of upcoming podcast Finders and Keepers and is editing a nonfiction anthology, both about our attachments to our belongings.
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SOURCE Open Secrets Magazine
