Everyone has a memoir in miniature in at least one piece of clothing.

In Worn Stories, Emily Spivack collected over sixty clothing inspired narratives from cultural figures and storytellers; including local celebutants Miss Lisa, host of the longest running drag show in Philadelphia at Bob + Barbara’s, and Brian Dwyer,coowner of Pizza Brain, holders of the Guinness world record for the largest collection of pizza-related ephemera. Worn Stories offers a revealing look at the clothes that protect us, serve as a uniform, assert our identity, or bring back the past—clothes that are encoded with the stories of our lives.

Join us for the book’s release with drinks, noshes, and readings from a few of Worn Stories’ celebrated contributors. The book will also be available for signing and purchase.

Emily Spivack is a Brooklyn-based artist, writer, and editor who created the Smithsonian’s blog Threaded and collects stories for an Internet found-art project, Sentimental Value. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.