BELFAST — 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 Tuesday, July 16, at 6:30 p.m. The free 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.

The two longtime colleagues have titled their conversation “The Craft of Cooking and the Art of Criticism,” and promise to dish about favorite foods, books, and movies, as well as discuss the changing role of critics in the age of AI, streaming platforms, and social media.

Sam Sifton is the food editor of The New York Times, a columnist for The New York Times Magazine, 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 (“One of the best cookbooks of the year”—Vanity Fair and Publishers Weekly), See You on Sunday: A Cookbook for Family and Friends, and Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well.

A.O. Scott joined The Times in 2000 as a film critic. Last year, after more than 2,220 movie reviews and nearly 1,300 other essays, articles, and appraisals, Scott moved to The New York Times Book Review. Although he occasionally reviews new fiction and nonfiction, he mostly writes essays that explore the intersection of culture, history, technology, and myth. He writes that 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 — as well as enjoy what promises to be a fun, enlightening, and ‘dishy’ conversation between two good friends,” said Left Bank Books, in a news release.

Reservations, which are strongly recommended, can be made by calling the bookshop (207.338.9009) or emailing: info@leftbankbookshop.com.