Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Essays and Fictions V.V Launch

Hey Ithica, heads-up! There's a party coming your way.

















Essays and Fictions is hosting a launch for their Volume V at Buffalo St. Books, 3 pm this Saturday. Readers on the docket are Margot Berwin, Anthony Di Renzo, "and a special guest, who may or may not be wearing a mask." I've decided to get my hopes up.

I only know one person in Ithica, and he happens to be this pretty brilliant anthropology professor, so maybe this sort of brain-feeding thing would be up his alley. Hear that, Chris? Bring your friends.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Publishers Weekly's Top 10 Best Books (Written By Men) of 2009

So it turns out when Publishers Weekly say, "We ignored gender and genre..." in creating their Top Ten Books of '09 list, they meant that they ignored one gender, entirely. The list came out a week ago and consists of ten male authors, two of whom are people of color, while the top 100 list is over two-thirds male. Yay Publishers Weekly for maintaining the status quo!

In response, the Women in Letters and Literary Arts has begun compiling a list of all the books published by women in 2009, just in case Publishers Weekly gave you the idea that it had been a quiet year for the ladies.

What scares me about this sort of exclusionary list is that instead of questioning how preferential bias towards white, male voices is still so commonplace in these lit institutions, and asking editors to turn that question towards their own reading histories, some might actually question whether women deserve a place on the list, because, you know, it's just this year! And, perhaps the 10 best really did happen to be all by men! And then the under-the-breath question that follows: Isn't it kind of 'overly-PC' to include female authors just so that it's not all men? Yup, and it's overly sexist to think that that should ever be a reason for including female authors.

It's this kind of thinking that saturates and resaturates the publishing world, keeping the bias intact, and man, doesn't it just make you mad enough to write a critically-acclaimed, numerously-translated and widely-loved novel just to really rub their noses in it? Oh wait.

The NYTimes has something to say about it all here, and as for you, PW, call me when you have a list that can be accused of being a girls' club.















photo courtesy of corbis



Crisis & Suburbia tomorrow night! 11/11. Tickets running out!

Come tomorrow night and see Kaiser Cartel live! Readers are Paul Rudnick, Lauren Grodstein and Victor Lodato. Theme: CRISIS & SUBURBIA. Place: JOE'S PUB!

Watch the video below and I can almost guarantee you'll want to get your tickets now before they sell out!

Thursday, November 05, 2009

I am clear, as in transparent and see-through, not lucid.

All right peeps, it's been slow going over here at the headquarters of Amanda Stern Central, but I believe I'm back up and running. Do you know the worst feeling in the world (outside of catatonic depression and endless sorrow)? Feeling so far behind your own work that it's paralyzing. That's sort of how I feel. Computer crashes are sad and destabilizing and that in itself is sad and destabilizing. I swear to you that I felt invisible without my computer or my blackberry. I honestly felt like I was not part of the world in any concrete way. But I was and I am and here is some evidence...FROM HALLOWEEN....

Well, actually -- I guess I still don't exist because the three times I've tried to load a photo I get an error message.

So be it.

Evidence to come later.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Almost home

One more day and I should be up and running...

Very excited to have a functioning computer attached to my fingertips...

Till then...

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

2:20 check up

at the Apple store and then hopefully I'm good to go. First, I need to clean this computer so they don't judge me based on all the grime. Then home to work on book then back out to Electric Literature party then back home for re-installing all my applications.

The worst part of all this technological bullshit has been...

None of my iphoto photos were transferred. They are gone. Lost. Gone and lost. That is very, very un-good. Now all that came before no longer exists.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Technological and gastronomical breakdown

I've spent the better part of the past three days on the phone with Apple and Microsoft. So far, I like the Apple people better, but I fucking hate their computer. I had to do a big transfer and then a horrifying ERASE and DELETE of the entire system. In the middle of all this my blackberry broke and I spent two hours at the phone store this morning and had to buy a new blackberry with money I don't have. Add to this - last night's dinner with Arthur Phillips! We went to Grand Sichaun on Canal Street where you order raw shit like pig tendons and squid balls and throw it in boiling shit and Maneschewitz my stomach hurts today.

When I return to full blogging form I will post about my weekend which was filled with cultural things like:

1) Sufjan Stevens, Osso, David Stith, Shara Worden concert/film screening
2) Private Doveman house concert
3) Art salon on Adelphi Street

Until then, my stomach really, really hurts.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Electric Literature Event Wednesday Night!

It's gotten to the point where we over here at HERSblogworld have so many last minute plans for you that you might as well just permanently clear your schedule and await instruction, you know? DEFINITELY free yourself up Wednesday night, because Electric Literature is hosting their second issue release party at DROM, and it sounds like it's going to be stellar.

From the lovely folks of EL, the Wednesday night logistics:

9:30pm- NEW OPTIMISM featuring Miho Hatori, former vocalist of Cibo Matto, aka “Noodle” of Gorrilaz, Collaborator of Handsome Boy Modelling School, John Zorn, Blackalicious and The 6ths.

8:30pm- Authors: MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for The Hours, and author of A Home At the End of the World, and Specimen Days
and JIM SHEPARD, author of six novels, including Project X, and three story collections, including Love and Hydrogen and Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was nominated for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize.

7:30pm- The films of MARTHA COLBURN with live musical accompaniment by MUDANG ROUGE

-Our good friend Noah C. spinning all night.

And:

** Bulldog Gin Drink Specials from 7-9pm!** Dirty martinis, anyone? [ED. NOTE: yes, thank you]

At DROM, in the heart of the East Village
85 Avenue A
(between 5th St & 6th St)
New York, NY 10009
(212) 777-1157

Wednesday, October 28th, 7pm

Admission: $12 @ the door (You’ll make that back in drink specials in no time.)

Come early for the booze (7-9pm) and the films (7-8pm) which are not to be missed!


















cover image courtesy of electricliterature.com

See you there!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

KAISER CARTEL JUST ADDED for NOVEMBER 11th!!

Laurie Sandell introduced me to Kaiser Cartel and I especially love this song and have played it incessantly for a week now. They're playing on November 11th for CRISIS & SUBURBIA night with Lauren Grodstein, Victor Lodato and Paul Rudnick. They're seriously talented.

Witness:



Get tickets for November 11th show before they sell out!




And don't get mad at me if you miss out!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Greenlight Bookstore Opening

The only reason there's no exclamation point in that title is because I realized all my titles have exclamation points. My bad. This IS exciting, though, so you know what?

Greenlight Bookstore is opening in Ft. Greene! Yeah!!!







As of now, they're open 10-10 Monday-Saturday and 12/8 on Sundays. Stop by at 686 Fulton St. at South Portland, and if you like combining books and a little booze, head to their launch party this Saturday, October 24th at 7pm for some free champagne and giveaways.

Oh, and Amanda has more to say about this, so keep your eyeballs on the blog!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Town Hall MET-ing!

Hey, this is neat:

A group of art-thinkers known as Town Hall Meeting (perhaps you've seen them speak at the New Museum) are presenting a personalized guide to the Metropolitan Museum of Art next Sunday, in which members and bright friends of members station themselves at art works "that they feel a particular affinity towards" and give a little talk. Maps to these presenters will be handed out in front of the museum. Here's their blurb on the event:

Mission:
To establish a sense of ownership over New York's largest public collection of objects d'art, and to highlight the accessibility of this venue. We are hoping that all those who come across out tour are enticed to establish their own connection with the collection in a new and unique manner. We want this to be - like many other projects - informative, fun and open to all.

Stop by between 11 am and 1pm next Sunday, October 25th, look for the Town Hall Meeting brick stack (below)--and engage!





Thursday, October 15, 2009

Last Minute Change In Your Evening Plans!

"The Brooklyn Play" by Zebra Crossing, 7 pm tonight at The City Reliquary:

"In February 2009, we met as a group to explore the question, 'what is Brooklyn, and how can we put that on stage?' We spent the next five months conducting our investigation, uncovering found history, personal stories, family recollection, and YouTube videos; conducting on-the-street interviews, neighborhood field trips, e-mail questionnaires, and vigorous debates.

Now, we invite you to join the conversation as we present a look at the initial results of our ongoing process. Part theatre piece, part travel guide and part oral history; stuffed to the brim with video, puppetry, field recordings and faux historical re-enactments, "Brooklyn Play" is our attempt to express (some of) the many identities and experiences of Brooklyn."


I always knew it would take puppets to get to the heart of what Brooklyn is all about.

If you don't feel like fending off the Nor'easter tonight, stop by the Reliquary next Thursday to see Holopaw play there as part of CMJ, or just visit the museum sometime between 12 and 6pm on the weekend because it's totally delightful.

370 Metropolitan Avenue at Havemeyer
Williamsburgh, BK

Mama's got a brand new blog


Okay, it's not a blog, it's a website, but "Mama's got a brand new website," doesn't have the same ring. My mom, Eve Stuart, is now officially a resident of the World Wide Google. Go visit her website, here and then, if you're free tomorrow or over the weekend, check out her NYC photography debut at the High Line Open Studios.


Tonight through Sunday, more than 100 New York artists are opening their doors for an exclusive peek inside their private work spaces as part of the High Line Open Studios 2009, and my mom is one of them!

OPEN HOURS:

FRIDAY (16th) 6-9pm
SATURDAY(17th) - SUNDAY(18th) 12-6pm



My mom's work will be here: 508 West 26th Street Studio 5A. Come check it out.


This is what a visit to the High Line looks like:







Free coffee will be served at the Greeting Center (526 West 26th Street) and the Standard Hotel Plaza. Download a map of participating studios here.

More Phone Phiction!

Having talked up the iphone-accessible fiction from Featherpress and Electric Literature, we now have yet another way for you to steadfastly avoid eye contact and pass time on the subway without resorting to those little jewel-stacking games:

Moulinarn Mobile Books' "Fivers: Flash Fiction for your phone"!



















The first five come from Lemony Snicket, Anna North, Kaui Hart Hemmings, Joshua Furst, and Andrew Foster Altschul. Access them here, so that you can read Hemmings “Author Questionnaire,” in which "an author answers questions about a book she has written called HOW TO PARTY WITH AN INFANT." Excellent.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The Story Prize


A journalist, a novelist, and a librarian will judge the $20,000 Story Prize this year--awarded to a short story collection written in English and published in the U.S. during the calendar year.

Author A.M. Homes, LA Times journalist Carolyn Kellogg, and Ohio's Cuyahoga County Public Library librarian Bill Kelly will judge the 2009 prize. The winner will join a distinguished list that includes Edwidge Danticat, Mary Gordon, Jim Shepard, and Tobias Wolff. The winner takes home $20,000, and finalists each receive $5,000.

Here's more from the release: "The final deadline for submitting books is November 16, 2009. The three finalists will be announced in late January, 2010. The 2009 Story Prize winner will be announced on March 3, 2010 at an event open to the public and featuring conversations and readings with the three finalists at The New School in New York City."

A Day Late and just unbelievably short (both on inches and dollars)


The National Book Foundation announced the finalists for the 2009 National Book Awards. I have a penchant for taking credit and claiming responsibility for things that get recognized (is this one of the terrible traits that befalls the youngest child?) even when I've nothing to do with any of it. So, alongside the announcement of the NBA finalists, please find in bold my editorials on the responsibility I will take for specific nominations, even (and especially) where one thing has nothing to do with the other...

Fiction finalists:
Bonnie Jo Campbell for "American Salvage" from Wayne State University Press (none)
Colum McCann for "Let the Great World Spin from Random House (met him at a party once.)
Daniyal Mueenuddin for "In Other Rooms, Other Wonders" from W.W. Norton & Co. (saw this in the Norton catalogue a long time ago and thought it looked really good).
Jayne Anne Phillips for "Lark and Termite" from Alfred A. Knopf (She read at Happy Ending!)
Marcel Theroux for "Far North" from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (none)

The nonfiction finalists are: (I don't read a lot of non-fiction, so sadly I can't take any credit for these)
David M. Carroll for "Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook" from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Sean B. Carroll for "Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species" from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Greg Grandin for "Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City" from Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt
Adrienne Mayor for "The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy" from Princeton University Press
T. J. Stiles for "The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt" from Alfred A. Knopf

Poetry Finalists
Rae Armantrout, Versed (Wesleyan University Press) (I really like her name)
Ann Lauterbach, Or to Begin Again, (Viking Penguin)
Carl Phillips, Speak Low (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) (met him years ago, heard him read and thought his poems were very special. Word must have gotten back to the NBA)
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Open Interval (University of Pittsburgh Press) (I like her name)
Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy (University of California Press)

Young People's Literature Finalist
Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith (Henry Holt and Co.)
Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
David Small, Stitches (W.W. Norton & Co.) (Obsessed and he wrote a comment on my blog and this probably had a lot to do with how he got discovered, even though he wrote the comment two weeks ago)
Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic)
Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped (HarperTeen/HarperCollins)


Friday, October 09, 2009

Power Trailer!

Watch the trailer for Ari Gold's debut feature, "Adventures of Power." Ethan Gold wrote 15 songs and a full score for this film.

PAL EVENTS....




WRITER (there is more than one, but since this is the Pal Events page, I'll just stick with the theme and list the pal): ELISA ZURITSKY



Starring (among other people): NADIA DAJANI (met her once at a friend's party, so she's only a party pal, but I liked her immensely so she gets a plug).


AND...in another part of town...

ETHAN GOLD'S (<---pal) brother Ari Gold- not my pal for no other reason than we've never met) feature film "Adventures of Power," which Ethan wrote 15 songs and a full music score for, is coming to theatres at last, starting tonight! It's the tale of a small town misfit who dreams of making it in the big world as an air drummer. Ridiculous and funny and also inspiring and geniune.

Come see the movie at the Loews Village 7 in Manhattan this weekend....
Fri-Mon: 12:00, 2:30, 6:00, 8:30, 10:45. Tues-Thurs: 2:45, 5:15, 8:00, 10:30.
Opening in other cities in the next week. Stars in attendance. (Including Adrian Grenier)

Details here

The full original soundtrack album will be available soon on itunes, and a few advance copies at screenings this weekend. Never have Ennio Morricone, death metal, Arabic funk, classic rock, pop country and mall punk blended so well.

FAKE ARI GOLD -
REAL ADRIAN GRENIER -

Thursday, October 08, 2009

HELP KEEP US AFLOAT!

The Happy Ending Music and Reading Series is a sponsored project of NYFA's. This doesn't mean they give us money. They don't. What it does mean is that we can officially operate as a non-profit and your financial gifts are tax-exempt. Until November 1st a kindly anonymous donor is matching all donations to all NYFA's sponsored projects. Please consider giving to this series which survives on a budget of Zero. After expenses, no one makes a penny and in fact, Ms. Amanda Stern loses money (of which she has very little as I believe we've partly established). Please help us cover these expenses, which include: the evening's programs, internet hosting, database software, ink, paper, video cassettes (we currently borrow a video camera), a Flickr account and so much more...

Please Consider a Gift to NYFA from NYFA on Vimeo.

This is Cool, Right?



Okay, I promised Amanda that I would try to A) Post more often and B) Keep my food-truck posts to a minimum. Let me explain.

I really love food trucks. Yesterday, when I was walking to get Amanda her pre-show ritual Luna bar, it took everything I had in me to not go buy ALL the cupcakes from the Cupcake Truck.

I am a food truck connoisseur (hey, now, that's French!), and Summer '09 was the Summer of Food Trucks.

I think that the 53rd and 6th Halal Guy and the Treats Truck may have spent a lonely winter together because, this summer, 89 million baby food trucks popped up all over NYC. I am partial to sweets, so I spent a lot of time at the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and Street Sweets. Amanda wanted to know about the savories--specifically the Dumpling Truck and the Bistro Truck.

The point is: food trucks are awesome. It's fast food, but you can totally pretend it's good for you because a real person actually made it. So, hooray, calories don't count (if they ever did!)!

And tomorrow is the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck's last day of the season (he's usually around Union Square). I will surely shed a sugary tear.

Found in Translation: I AM OFFICIALLY FRENCH.


Last night, I welcomed the French author, Tanguy Viel (phonetic pronunciation: Tohn-gee Viellllll) and spoke French on stage in front of real live French people. Not only that, they were from the French Embassy. Did they laugh? Yes. Did they clap? Eh. But, I am French now and I recognize a look of approval when I see one. Afterwards, I was told by an official and professional French translator, Isabelle Dupuis, that I have a good ear and a good accent. The people at the Embassy nodded in agreement. And that means, as we all well know, that I am now officially French. Without further ado, below please find my official French announcement brought to you courtesy of Babelfish. Below that, please find the French to English conversion, also brought to you courtesy of Babelfish and under that, the original English that I originally typed into Babelfish. Bon! Ca va! Allez!

MY OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT IN FRENCH:

Je suis ainsi excité pour annoncer cela en date de la nuit dernière, approximativement au 8:15 P.M., je suis devenu officiellement Français. Vingt membres de l'ambassade de France étaient témoin de la conversion et il y avait des cris de " ; FÈVE ! " ; tout autour. Une des meilleures pièces d'être officiellement Français était la découverte, lors d'entrer dans mon cabinet quand je suis arrivé à la maison, que mes vêtements et accessoires des fournisseurs urbains et 21 avaient été remplacée pour toujours par des vêtements et des accessoires de Chanel, de Celine, de Guerlain, de Printemps et d'articles éclectiques du marché aux puces d'Ouen de saint. Mon réfrigérateur a été stocké avec des épiceries de Franprix et champion et mes meubles de hand-me-down avec des antiquités de Chez Gersaint et de Meubles Authentiques. J'irai maintenant mensonge sur mon divan de évanouissement et attendrai mon Monsieur pour appeler.

BABELFISH'S TRANSLATION OF THE FRENCH ANNOUNCEMENT ABOVE INTO ENGLISH:

I am thus excited to announce that in date of last night, roughly with the 8:15 TOKEN ENTRY, I became officially French. Twenty members of l' embassy of France were pilot conversion and there were cries of " ; BROAD BEAN! " ; around. One of the best parts d' to be officially French was the discovery, at the time d' to enter my cabinet when I arrived at the house, that my clothing and accessories of the urban suppliers and 21 had been replaced for always by clothing and accessories of Chanel, Celine, of Guerlain, Spring and d' eclectic articles of the flea market d' Ouen of saint. My refrigerator was stored with grocers of Franprix and champion and my pieces of furniture of hand-me-down with antiquities from Gersaint and Authentic Pieces of furniture. J' will go now lie on my couch of fainding and will await my Mister to call.

WHAT I ORIGINALLY TYPED INTO BABELFISH IN ENGLISH TO BE TRANSLATED INTO FRENCH:


I am very excited to announce that at approximately 8:15pm last night, I became officially French. Twenty members of the French Embassy witnessed the conversion and there were shouts of "BON!" all around. One of the best parts of being officially French was the discovery, upon entering my closet, that my clothes and accessories from Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 had been replaced with clothing and accessories from Chanel, Celine, Guerlain and Printemps. My hand me down furniture had been replaced by furniture from Chez Gersaint and Meubles Authentiques and eclectic pieces from the Saint Ouen Flea Market. My refrigerator had been stocked with groceries from Franprix and Champion. I will now go lie on my fainting couch and wait for the Monsieur to call.

Special thanks to the French Culture wing of the French Embassy for approving the conversion!

Intern blog--Un recap.




Bonjour
!

Last night at Happy Ending, I was entrusted with camera duty so I was, again, able to hear and see what was happening onstage.

And it. was. bon.

Larkin Grimm has a voice like no other, and she sells records with CDs INSIDE. How cool is that? I don't own a record player, and I haven't bought a cd in a year or two. I am, however, thinking about buying her record/cd for the insanely cool boys down the hall who actually listen to records in their free time. Like, without doing anything else. It completely blows my mind. Anyway, Larkin sings like an ethereal forest goddess, and makes me want to run right out, buy a record player, and chill. For the finale, she sang a cover of The Beatles' "Because" that gave me (and everyone else) chills.

Then Amanda came out and spoke French like it was her job (That would be a fun job, non?), and that was the best thing ever. Then Tanguy Viel and his brilliant translator read from Beyond Suspicion and completely mezmerized all of us with the power of the French language and beautiful, suspenseful prose. Watch out for Tanguy, though, he rates his friends using some kind of New Math, that even an iPhone app couldn't help me solve. C'est magnifique!

Finalement, Stephen Elliot read from The Adderall Diaries, and then fully made out with a random audience member onstage. I'm not gonna lie--it was hot.

Bon.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

I'm a Nurse!

That's what Google Alert tells me and I'm sticking to it!


PHOTO
Three-year-old Clayton Mathiason, of Omaha, Neb., receives a dose of H1N1 vaccine via nasal spray from nurse Amanda Stern at Physician's Clinic, affiliated with Omaha's Methodist Health System, in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Speed on over to Joe's Pub tonight at 7pm!

Take your adderall, commit a crime and come on over to Happy Ending @ Joe's Pub tonight to confess it!

ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT FOR TONIGHT'S SHOW -- "Crime, Confession & Adderall." Starring: Stephen Elliott, Tanguy Viel (with a french translator). With music from Larkin Grimm! Get them while they last!

Friday, October 02, 2009

Mark Hagidepressants

Go check out my friend, Mark Hage's show! He gave me a small painting a year ago that I keep on my front hall table and it makes me happy every time I walk through my door. So, if you're depressed, go see some Mark Hage art and prepare to perk the hell up.


"Alteration"
Sculpture by Mark Hage
FxFowle Gallery
11th floor
22 West 19th street

Through October 30th

M - F 9:00 - 5:30

Thursday, October 01, 2009

David Small's comment and I are engaged to be married!

Okay, now things are really heating up over here.

Yesterday, I was engaged to marry "Stitches," a phenomenal graphic memoir drawn and written by David Small. Then, David left the loveliest comment under my blog post about my engagement that I have cancelled my wedding to "Stitches," and have become fianced to his comment. David Small's comment and I will be getting married as soon as he leaves me enough comments to print out so I can wear a paper wedding dress made of his comments to show my commitment to his words.

MY EX-FIANCE (but we remain really good friends)



MY NEW FIANCE!



(On a side note, I really need to read Time Out NY more because as I was casually flipping through it yesterday, I noticed that I missed the pairing of the century! David Small and Jules Feiffer (who took me to lunch about a year ago and who I lost touch with because I was so intimidated by him) at MacNally Jackson!)

The London Office!

Some of my favorite friends I've made outside of New York's literary community, I've made at Yaddo & MacDowell (except you - Katie & Paul). Two of these people are Jon and Ali aka Thomson and Craighead. They run the London branch of Happy Ending, which doesn't exist, except for when we pretend it does. They never come to New York. Or, they come to New York all the time, but don't tell me. Not sure which, really. Anyway, I adore Jon and Ali. My first stay at MacDowell, I was besties with them and Leah Garnett who runs the New Brunswick branch of Happy Ending, which also doesn't exist. Anyway, Jon and Ali make digital art and they have a new show up called, "Several Interruptions." This new video work has been commissioned by Arts Council England especially for their rebranding of the arts council website, which went live today!

Several_Interruptions, which collages together online videos in which people are seen holding their breath underwater, is both interruption (as its name suggests) as well as documentary, in which the seemingly mundane and numerous has been made back into something unique and original.

Thomson & Craighead have personally chosen, from some 61,000 possible files on YouTube, videos which they have edited together into brief vignettes which interrupt each other sequentially (in time) and laterally (on-screen). Through the artists’ mediation, these amateur videos have been transformed into professional pocket- sized triptychs which make reference to the large-scale, three-screen projection installations of internationally-known video artists.


After you've checked out "Several Interruptions," come back and study these pictures and tell me you wouldn't try and bust your way into the London offices of Happy Ending just trying to be friends with these guys. (I took these photos during Leah's presentation in Firth at MacDowell. Firth is the name of a studio there.)





Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Stitches and I are engaged to marry!






Yes, that is correct! I am marrying a book. That's how much I loved it.

YOU MUST BUY STITCHES by David Small, but you may not marry it, because Stitches is MY fiance!

I will tell you a little story that will make me look a lot nicer than I actually am. Yesterday, I was on the subway totally absorbed in the book when a class of school kids got on. Normally, this would have irritated me. I love children. I just don't love them in decuplicates. A little girl slammed herself into the available space next to me and started to look at the book.

"That a cartoon?" she asked.
"Yep. For grownups," I told her.
"They got cartoons for grownups?"
"Yep. Do you know what a memoir is?" I asked her.
She shook her head, no.
"Do you know what an autobiography is?" She nodded, yes.
"A memoir is just a small part of an autobiography."
"hnnuhnuh?"
"How old are you?" I asked her.
"Eight."
"Where are you from?"
"The Bronx."
"What's the best thing that happened to you?"
"Mint chocolate chip Ice cream."
"What's the worst thing that ever happened to you?"
"My aunt died."
"Sorry to hear about that."
"I know you are," she said (I thought this was particularly cute.)
"Your memoir would be your story about your aunt dying. It's a small portion of your life that had a lot of meaning for you. An autobiography would be the story of your whole life."
Her eyes went totally wide, "You're reading a story about my aunt dying???"
I almost laughed, but didn't. "No, I'm reading someone else's memoir about something bad that happened to him. He made his with drawings and we call that a graphic memoir. Graphic is the drawing part."

Then she leaned her head against my arm and we started to read the story together until I had to get off.

I always have sort of amazing moments with children on subways. This was one of the best. Thank you, David Small.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

American Pie


“I think I make it up as I go along and so does America,” he said. “So that’s why it makes sense. You started it, but I wanted to be part of it.” -- Craig Ferguson

And that, ladies and men, is why I love him. Now go buy his book so you can love him, too.

Monday, September 28, 2009

New from Niff!

Great review for Audrey Niffenegger's new novel, "Her Fearful Symmetry." For the trivia experts: years ago, Audrey read from this then work-in-progress, at Happy Ending. She did a tarot reading for her risk. Lovers of Niffenegger’s past work should rejoice. This outing may not be as blindly romantic as “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” but it is mature, complex and convincing — a dreamy yet visceral tale of loves both familial and erotic, a search for Self in the midst of obsession with an Other. “Her Fearful Symmetry” is as atmospheric and beguiling as a walk through Highgate itself. --Susann Cokal


Where "show, don't tell," should be legalized...

Don't talk the talk; write it. Arthur Krystal wrote a good article in the Sunday NYT's book review that should be sent to all radio interviewers.

Its premise: Writers don't necessarily make for good story tellers, or even conversationalists. It upsets me unconditionally when I read or hear an interview where the author is being asked to explain what their book means. I always think of that (now cliche) quote of Martha Graam's (I think it was she) who said, "If I knew what it meant, I wouldn't dance it."

Before my first novel came out at the turn of the First Century, I gave it to a friend of mine with the following instructions: "Read it. When you're done, I'll buy you dinner and wine. All you need to do is tell me what my book is about." And he did. This sounds insane, I know. But it makes perfect sense to me. What's my book mean? I don't know. What's your life mean? In some ways, I think it'd be more effective to interview an author about him or herself when their book first comes out (that's a topic rich with exploration) and then, four years down the line give 'em a call and say, "Hey, any chance you've had time to think about your book? Might you have some thoughts on what it might be about? No? Okay. I'll call you back."

EXCERPTS FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE...

There may be no empirical basis for this, but if, as some scientists claim, different parts of the brain are switched on by our using a pen instead of a computer — and the cognitive differences are greater than what might be expected by the application of different motor skills — then why shouldn’t there be significant differences in brain activity when writing and speaking?

So the next time you hear a writer on the radio or catch him on the tube or watch him on the monitor or find yourself sitting next to him at dinner, remember he isn’t the author of the books you admire; he’s just someone visiting the world outside his study or office or wherever the hell he writes. Don’t expect him to know the customs of the country, and try to forgive his trespasses when they occur.


Here's a little story-telling grid I found online. Not only can't I tell a story, I can't even understand the fucking grid.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Attention Young "Moguls"

The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at NYU's Tisch School is taking in a handful of go-getting high school juniors for a 12-week (Saturdays only) workshop on all aspects of producing in the music industry. Looks like they have classes on everything from "Writing Hit Songs" to "Financial Literacy" to "Refraining from Using the Phrase 'The Next Jay-Z.'" I kid, I kid. Looks neat, though, and it's FREE, so go apply here by October 16.

Poetry is now open for business

Read here about the new Poets House.

On Friday (I guess that means today), Poets House opens its spacious new home in Battery Park City hard by the Hudson River at the corner of Murray Street.




Wear your best duds because these people will be there, too.

FRANK O HARA


WALT WHITMAN

ROBERT FROST

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

If only...


Rakesh Satyal's Ballsy Billie Jean Dance live at the Brooklyn Book Festival!



(Hint: you'll have to fast forward to around the 5 minute mark to see the dance, but he's so damn funny, just start playing and you will want to watch the whole thing. I promise).

My Life Just Got Deleted

I accidentally deleted all my emails and now they are gone forever. Whenever I try and open Entourage (the mail program, not the tv show) it quits on me. Signs? Omens? Or just straight up bad fucking luck?

Monday, September 21, 2009

24 recognized geniuses in 2009.

Here's the complete list of 2009 MacArthur "genius" award winners:

Lynsey Addario, 35, photojournalist, Istanbul, Turkey. Creating a visual record of major conflicts and humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.

Maneesh Agrawala, 37, computer vision technologist, Berkeley, Calif. Designing visual interfaces that enhance ability to synthesize and comprehend complex, digital information.

Timothy Barrett, 59, Iowa City, Iowa. A papermaker and paper historian preserving and enhancing the art of hand-papermaking.

Mark Bradford, 47, Los Angeles. Mixed media artist who incorporates every day items from urban environments into abstract art.

Edwidge Danticat, 40, Miami. Novelist whose depictions of lives of Haitian immigrants chronicle the power of human resistance and endurance.

Rackstraw Downes, 69, New York. Painter whose minutely landscapes explore the intersection between the built and the natural world.

Esther Duflo, 36, Cambridge, Mass. Economist who analyzes poverty in South Asia and Africa and improving policies aid efforts designed to improve lives.

Deborah Eisenberg, 63, New York. Short story writer whose work depicts people coming to terms with personal relationships and struggling with the changing social context in which the relationships occur.

Lin He, 35, Berkeley, Calif. Molecular biologist advancing understanding of the role of microRNAs in the development of cancer.

Peter Huybers, 35, Cambridge, Mass. Climate scientist developing theories that explain climate change.

James Longley, 37, Seattle. Filmmaker who explores the historical and cultural dimensions of conflicts in the Middle East through the stories of ordinary families.

L. Mahadevan, 44, Cambridge, Mass. Applied mathematician investigating principles underlying the behavior of complex systems to address such questions as how flags flutter.

Heather McHugh, 61, Seattle. Poet who uses such wordplay as puns and rhymes in intricately patterned compositions.

Jerry Mitchell, 50, Jackson, Miss. Investigative newspaper reporter whose work has led to prosecutions in decades-old Civil Rights-era slayings.

Rebecca Onie, 32, Boston. Health services innovator who helped build a program links college volunteers with medical professionals to improve health care for low-income patients.

Richard Plum, 48, New Haven, Conn. Ornithologist who uses paleontology, developmental biology and optical physics to address questions about avian development, evolution and behavior.

John A. Rogers, 42, Urbana, Ill. An applied physicist who is a leader in developing flexible electronic devices.

Elyn Saks, 43, Los Angeles. A law school professor whose writings and her own struggles with schizophrenia challenges popular notions about severe mental illness.

Jill Seaman, 57, Old Fangak, Sudan. Physician devoted to delivering and improving treatment for infectious diseases in the remote, impoverished area of southern Sudan.

Beth Shapiro, 33, University Park, Pa. Evolutionary biologist whose research focuses on tracing the population history of recently extinct or threatened species.

Daniel Sigman, 40, Princeton, N.J. Biogeochemist examining the forces that have shaped the ocean's fertility and earth's climate over the past 2 million years.

Mary Tinetti, 58, New Haven, Conn. Geriatric physician focusing on accidents involving the elderly and identifying risk factors that contribute to morbidity due to falls.

Camille Utterback, 39, San Francisco. Artist who uses digital technologies to create works that redefine how viewers experience and interact with art.

Theodore Zoli, 43, New York. Bridge engineer who has made major technological advances to protect transportation infrastructure when there is a disaster.

I've been outed!

Not that one single person in the entire world will care, but what was once a fairly open secret is no longer any secret! I've officially been outed (though he only listed one of the two books my pseudonym wrote.

This person:


And this person (I straightened my hair for the big reveal)



Are one and the same person.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

ONE WORD CELEBRITY INTERVIEW!

With Jonathan Ames.



1) Tonight is the premiere of your show, "Bored to Death," on HBO. Out of anyone in the entire world, whom do you hope watches it?

Answer: Obama

Tonight is the premiere of Bored to Death!

Jonathan Ames, friend and veteran Happy Ending performer, has more than earned his own show (it's just too bad he's not on it!). It premieres tonight at 9:30pm on HBO. Here's a trailer.