Comedy Night at the Bookstore

Join us for a night of big laughs and downtown energy as Jake Cornell hosts a special comedy showcase at Housing Works Bookstore!

Your $50 ticket includes two drink tickets for beer, wine, or soda. A cash bar will be available after that, with light bites and snacks offered throughout the night.

This event is part of our year‑long 30th anniversary celebration, and April’s theme, 30 Days of Laughter, brings together some of NYC’s sharpest, funniest voices for an evening that’s intimate, joyful, and full of community.

Jake will be joined by an incredible lineup of local comics:

• George Civeris
• Michelle Gold
• Josh Sharp
• James Tom
• Asha Ward
• Sureni Weerasekera

Jake Cornell is a Brooklyn based comedian, actor and writer. He’s been seen performing at Edinburgh Fringe, Joe’s Pub, The Gramercy Theatre, as well as various other comedy venues across the US and England. He hosts the variety show Gorge Night at the iconic Club Cumming. His work has been featured in Vogue, Logo and the Washington Post. Follow him @jakewcornell

George Civeris is a comedian, writer, and co-host of the podcast StraightioLab. His debut standup special, A Sense of Urgency, is out on Amazon Prime, and was recently named one of the best comedy moments of 2025 by The New York Times.

Michelle Gold is a writer/comedian in Brooklyn, recently she made two shorts for Adult Swim and her work has been featured in Vulture, Paste, and the New York Times.

Josh Sharp is a Brooklyn-based actor, writer and comedian. He recently concluded the off-broadway run of his solo show Josh Sharp: ta-da! at the Grenwich House Theater, directed by Sam Pinkleton. He is one of the stars, writers and executive producers of a24's Dicks: The Musical. He directed Michael Cruz Kayne's Sorry For Your Loss at the Minetta Lane Theater. He has also appeared in The Opposition With Jordan Klepper (Comedy Central),Search Party (HBO), At Home With Amy Sedaris (TruTV), Matt Rogers: Have You Heard of Christmas? (Showtime), and The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show (Netflix). He has performed stand-up on 2 Dope Queens (HBO) and This Week At The Comedy Cellar (Comedy Central).

James Tom is a stand-up comic, actor, and writer, gleefully providing the trans, queer, Asian American, millennial twink perspective that everyone never knew they wanted. He was a story editor on HBO Max's OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH and a consulting producer on Revry's KING OF DRAG. As an actor, James can be seen & heard in Bradley Cooper's IS THIS THING ON?, the Hulu Feature CRUSH, HBO Max’s LOVE LIFE, Adult Swim's TUCA & BERTIE, and on Hannah Gadsby’s GENDER AGENDA, on Netflix. His writing has been published by Reductress, Shondaland, and Condé Nast’s Them, and he wrote for the Audible/Broadway Video series HOT WHITE HEIST, produced by Alan Cumming. James has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, Vulture’s Comedians You Should and Will Know, and New Faces at Just For Laughs.

Asha Ward is a NY based comedian and writer for SNL. She has been seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, JFL, and Vulture.

Sureni Weerasekera is a Sri Lankan-born, San Diego-raised, & New York-based stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. She is known for her lighthearted, conversational banter to her ruthless, dark jabs. She has worked with Netflix, Don't Tell Comedy and HBO.

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Host or Publisher Housing Works Bookstore