Jeff Hiller, Murray Hill, Youngmi Mayer to Keynote OPEN SECRETS LIVE in NYC

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 people are 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. A live raffle to benefit Community Aid Network MN will be held during the summit.