Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn

Shoes and Socks: On Holocaust and Memory

On May 4th at 1:30 p.m. hear Marc Kaminsky read at the Stephen Dweck Center of the Brooklyn Library at Grand Army Plaza:  

Shoes and Socks: On Holocaust and Memory. Holocaust survivors speak often of shoes: an ill-fitting pair could be a death sentence and a good-enough pair offered a chance at survival. Marc Kaminsky presents stories by survivors.

Park Slope's Marc Kaminsky is a poet, essayist and editor, who has published many books over the past thirty-five years, including most recently Shadow Traffic (from Red Hen Press), The Road From Hiroshima, What's Inside You, It Shines Out of You, A Table with People and The Uses of Reminiscence.

Kaminsky organized and conducted the first writing and reminiscing groups for older adults, developing a model for what has become a standard practice in gerontological settings. For his work on the culture of aging and Yiddishkeit, he has received fellowships and grants from The Lucius N. Littauer Foundation amd the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, among others.

The Road from Hiroshima, his long narrative poem, was produced as a play for voices by Dennis Bernstein for the National Public Radio in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the bombing; the production won the Art of Peace Award.

Speak Out Against Iraq at St. Ann's Warehouse

Speak Out! For Peace in Iraq and Justice at Home at the PowerHouse Arena 27 Main Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Tuesday March 18th, which is the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War.

Tickets sold out almost instantly for Speak Up! A Benefit Concert for Peace in Iraq and Justice at Home, which St. Ann’s Warehouse and Josh Wood Productions are presenting, at the suggestion of Laurie Anderson, Antony and Lou Reed, Tuesday, March 18, 8 PM at St. Ann’s Warehouse. To further encourage empathy and compassion, and to provide New Yorkers with concrete options for action, the concert producers, along with powerHouse Books, are presenting a free pre-concert event, Speak Out! For Peace in Iraq and Justice at Home.

Participating organizations: American Friends Service Committee, Arab American Family Support Center, Brooklyn For Peace, CODEPINK, The Human Rights Project at the Urban Justice Center, Iraq Veterans Against the War, New York Civil Liberties Union, NYC United for Peace and Justice, NYC Military Families Speak Out, The Nation Magazine, War Resisters League and Veterans for Peace

Speakers: Naomi Klein, Laura Flanders, Donna Lieberman (NY Civil Liberties Union), Jose Vasquez (Iraq Veterans Against the War)

Exhibits: Eyes Wide Open and Costs of War

Film Footage: Iraq War Winter Soldier Testimonials and MORE.

Film Series Curated by Isabel Hill Presents "Every Mother's Son"

Isabel Hill, the filmmaker who made Brooklyn Matters, the documentary about the Atlantic Yards Project, is curating a film series.

The series is called New York Matters and there's a film this Friday March 14 called: Every Mother’s Son. It was on PBS and has received numerous awards.

It is an incredible documentary and the filmmaker will be present to answer questions after the screening…

Location: Spoke the Hub
295 Douglass Street
between 3rd and 4th Aves.
info; spokethehub.org
$5 suggested donation. 

The Buddhist Path Through Divorce by Brooklyn Writer

Thanks to Not Only Brooklyn, the weekly e-newsletter about events in and out of Brooklyn for this blurb about an interesting event this evening. If you want to receive this treasure trove of cultural events email Neil at arbrunr(at)aol(dot)com.

At 7 p.m. tonight: BookCourt hosts Brooklyn writer Gabriel Cohen presenting the third and most personal of the new books he is publishing this year: Storms Can't Hurt the Sky: The Buddhist Path through Divorce. Not only those who have been through a divorce can appreciate the life lessons and wisdom he shares, as Buddhism helped him deal with such a painful experience, with recovering his life. FREE! 163 Court St near Dean St, Cobble Hill, 87

SWORD DANCING THIS WEEKEND

This weekend, many families will come out to watch English sword dancing
during the annual festival sponsored by a local women's sword dance team,
Half Moon Sword. What is English sword dancing?

Well, it's fun, flashy, interesting to watch, and -- you'll just have to come and see. All
performances at the festival are free. There will be 11 teams dancing this
year, most of them coming here from other states. Each team has its own
costume, or "kit."

On Saturday, February 16, we will dance mostly in Manhattan, although
there will be one performance, at the Brooklyn Heights Library at 3 PM
(280 Cadman Plaza West). See our website, www.halfmoonsword.org, for
Manhattan locations.

On Sunday, February 17, there will be three locations for performances at
12:30 PM: In Park Slope at Old First Reformed Church (7th Ave. and Carroll
St.); and in Brooklyn Heights at First Unitarian Church (Monroe Place and
Pierrepont St.) and the Brooklyn Historial Society (Pierrepont St. and
Clinton St.). Each stand will feature three or four teams.

Then at 2:30, all 11 teams will dance one after another at the Brooklyn Museum (200
Eastern Parkway). While this performance is free, the Museum asks for a
entrance donation.

PUB QUIZ TONIGHT AT ROCKY SULLIVAN'S

I just love these emails from Rocky Sullivan's about their pun quiz this evening.

Greetings, Pub Quiz Super Thursdayistas, Well, we're all coming down off our Super Tuesday high, and we now know: * The Dems are gonna be at this a good while longer; * GOP pundits hate the candidate GOP voters like; * You could vote for Dennis Kucinich in New York but still vote for another candidate's delegates; * Green Party prez candidate Cynthia McKinney packed Rocky's this weekend; * You were a dispicable miscreantic excuse for a human if, at the beginning of your victory speech, you didn't mention the tornado devastation in Tennessee and Arkansas. * Obama, Clinton, McCain, Romney and Huckabee all made victory speeches; * I wish I had $5 million to plow into my campaign. What campaign? No campaign...just wish I had $5 million. * That this interminable, greenhouse-gasses increasing, filthilly expensive race for the White House still has nine months to go... Feel a little grimy? Come on down to Rocky Sullivan's Pub Quiz tonight -- it's a soul-scrubbing, heart-bolstering exercise that will leave you feeling smart, energized, passionate and, perhaps, tipsy. It's a General Knowledge night, with Aya Alt's reach-for-the-clouds guest round and the usual retinue of prizes. Also, here's Punk Rock to etch into your calendar. ETCH, NOW!!!: Rocky Sullivan's Punk Rock Matinee Sunday, February 24th 5pm @ Rocky Sullivan's 34 Van Dyke @ Dwight in Red Hook http://rockysullivans.com

AMY BURTON SINGS CORIGLIANO: NOT TO BE MISSED

Don't miss acclaimed singer Amy Burton singing John Corigliano's Mr. Tambourine Man, as part of the Brooklyn Philarmonic's 2008 Corigliano Festival at the Brooklyn Public Library (Grand Army Plaza branch).

What a show! This performance will be at the brand new S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture (at the Brooklyn Public Library) on Saturday February 9th at 4 p.m.

Hear the wonderful Amy Burton in performance.

This event is FREE to the public.

Brooklyn's John Corigliano is internationally celebrated as one of the leading composers of his generation. In orchestral, chamber, opera and film work, he has won global acclaim for his highly expressive and compelling compositions and his kaleidoscopic, ever-expanding technique. He has received virtually all of the most important prizes — several Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize for his Second Symphony, a Grawemeyer, and even an Academy Award for his score to Francois Giraud's 1997 film "The Red Violin" — as well as honorary doctorates, awards, fetes, lauds, and accolades too numerous to list. He is one of the few living composers to have a string quartet named after him, and his work has been performed by some of the most visible orchestras, soloists and chamber musicians in the world, and recorded on the Sony, RCA, BMG, Telarc, Erato, Ondine, New World, and CRI labels.

Corigliano holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Music at Lehman College, City University of New York, and serves on the faculty at the Juilliard School of Music. In 1991, he was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters; in 1992, Musical America named him "Composer of the Year," their first ever. He has received grants from Meet the Composer, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation.

For a bio of Amy Burton go here.

YOUTH ORCHESTRA AT OLD FIRST ON SUNDAY

Here's a plug for an event that touches on a few of my favorite themes--kids, music, Old First Church & free events in the neighborhood:

This Sunday, February 10 at 4:00, the Brooklyn Queens Conservatory of Music's Youth Orchestra will perform its second concert at Old First Church. (If you search really hard on the BQCM website, you'll see this listed as a choral performance. That's an error.)

As a parent lucky to have been there from day one, I've had the pleasure of watching the orchestra ("open to all instrumentalists age 9-18 who can read music") blossom over the past year and a half under conductor Yvonne Hicks. Yvonne is one of those incredibly demanding, occasionally intimidating, yet absolutely adored teachers some of us may be fortunate enough to remember from our own school days.

 

Yvonne's is not one of those off-tempo school orchestras only a parent could love. Even though some of of the kids are relatively new at the game, I bet any WQXR type would find this a pleasant alternative to a Sunday afternoon listening to recorded music. Great opportunity, too, for parents looking to scope what's happening at BQCM--or to introduce a budding musician to the idea of playing with other kids. And it's free to boot.

BROOKLYN ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL AT KANE STREET SYNAGOGUE

I just got word about the 4th Annual Brooklyn Israel Film Festival at Kane Street Synagogue. This event will feature three nights of thought-provoking and award-winning films, plus discussion with the filmmakers. You can see a preview of each movie by going to the festival's website.

Thursday, January 31 (8:00 pm): "Souvenirs," a humorous, compassionate documentary about a soldier in the Jewish Brigade during World War II who returns to Amsterdam with his son to see if he left behind any "souvenirs". Winner: Best Documentary, 2006 Israeli Academy Awards (Ofir).

Saturday, February 2 (8:00 pm): "Someone to Run With, a heartfelt drama based on the best-selling novel by David Grossman. Noah Stollman, the film's screenwriter will speak after the screening. Winner: Best Supporting Actor, 2006 Israeli Academy Awards (Ofir) plus nominated in 11 other categories.

Sunday, February 3 (7:00 pm): "Watermarks," about the champion women swimmers of Hakoah Vienna, the legendary Austrian Jewish sports club. Director Yaron Zilberman will speak about his film. Winner of several film festivals including the Grand Prix in the International Paris Cinema Film Festival and Best Cinematography, 2004 Jerusalem Film Festival.

The event will take place at Kane Street Synagogue, located at 236 Kane Street , between Court and Clinton Streets in Cobble Hill. Cost: $10 per film or $25 for the entire series. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door. Subway: F to Bergen Street ; 2, 3, 4, 5, M, N, R or W to Borough Hall/Court Street .

MAVIS STAPLES AT BAM

On January 22, the Brooklyn Academy of Music presents Mavis Staples as part of their “Come Share the Dream” program. Jan 22 at 8pm at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

Endowed with one of contemporary music's most electrifying voices and idolized by musicians from Pink Floyd to Bob Dylan, gospel and soul legend Mavis Staples never stops. She first made her mark more than five decades ago as the lead voice of The Staple Singers. The group, led by her father Roebuck "Pops" Staples, and with her gifted siblings on harmony, topped the gospel charts and was christened "God's greatest hitmakers." By the mid-1960s, the group had become musical allies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with Pops declaring, "If he can preach it, we can sing it."  
 
  On the morning of January 21, Staples will share her family's memories of their friend as keynote at BAM's 22nd Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And on the evening of January 22, accompanied by her band, she will perform songs from her most evocative album to date, We'll Never Turn Back. Produced by the incomparable Ry Cooder and recently named one of Rolling Stone's "Top Albums of 2007," the album includes versions of some of the freedom songs that became the soundtrack to the Civil Rights Movement and it provides resounding evidence that, 50 years on, Staples still makes people sit up and listen.

LIVE HD OPERA AND BRUNCH AT BAM

BAM Rose Cinema will present the Metropolitan Opera's "groundbreaking series of live, high-definition performance transmissions to movie theaters around the world."

This year, Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD will reach more than a million people worldwide, and BAM participates in this second season with eight transmissions at BAM Rose Cinemas.

January 12 1:30 Macbeth

January 26th 1:30 Hansel and Gretel

February 16 at 1 p.m. Manon and Lescaut

March 15 at 1:30 Peter Grimes

March 22 at 12:30 Triston and Isolde

April 5 at 1:30 La Boheme

April 26 at 1:30 La Fille du Regiment

Tickets
$22 for Screening ($20 for BAM members)
$42 for Brunch and Screening ($40 for BAM members)
All screenings take place at BAM Rose Cinemas. Brunch takes place in BAMcafé.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR NEW YEARS EVE?

!I'm not sure. But I'm thinking of doing this. For more information go to Slope Sports

2007-2008 NEW YEAR'S EVE FUN RUN
presented by
Brooklyn Road Runners Club and Slope Sports

3.3 MILE FUN RUN
Prospect Park, Brooklyn

DATE/TIME
    Monday, December 31, 2007 -- 11:15pm start

START/FINISH
Start/Finish Line is at the Grand Army Plaza entrance of Prospect Park

ENTRY FEE
    $15 before December 30, 2007 for Brooklyn Road Runners Club members, $20 Non-members
Race Day: BRRC Members $20, $25 Non-members
No refunds and/or exchanges. Race will occur rain, snow or shine.

ROCKY SULLIVAN'S PUB QUIZ

 

 

Just about every week I get an email about  Rocky Sullivan's Thursday Night Quiz. This email was really long and fun (and with a great photo) so I decided to include it here. In February they're doing an event called Quiz Don't Destroy, an entire evening dedicated to the battle over Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project.  Pit your knowledge against teams from local newspapers, bloggers and community groups. Watch out if Norm Oder of Atlantic Yards Report is there -- he knows everything.

Greetings, Pub-Quiz Ball-Drop Buffs...Tonight's the last Rocky Sullivan's Pub Quiz of 2007. Thanks to all of you who've made it down to Rocky's for our Thursday night Quiz, to you who've almost made it, and to you who, by gumby, will one of these days.  We've been at it every Thursday since mid-September.  Well, not Thanksgiving night, but all the others.  We've churned out eight rounds every week -- questions, photos and music.  You've taken home lots of prizes, except the ones you fluidically imbibed and left behind at Rocky's.

A prize is a prize, no matter how long it's in your pocession. We're just beginning.  2008 is the Year of the Quiz, according to the Journal of American Cultural Sciences*.  It's also the year of the U.S. presidential election, the Beijing Summer Olympics, and a year planning on leaping for pure joy.

On that last note, 2008's leap day -- February 29th -- is the day after a Rocky Sullivan's Pub Quiz.  Hence, more February to crow about your team's success the previous night.

Oh...2008's also the year that Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project collapses under the weight of community opposition, an unkind economy, legal beagles shining lights into dark corners, and the project's own disconnected hubris.

Further into the future, be sure to mark your calendars for the Quiz Event of the New Year: January 17, when along with Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, we present QUIZ DON'T DESTROY -- an entire evening dedicated to the battle over Bruce Ratner's disastrous Atlantic Yards project.  Pit your knowledge against teams from local newspapers, bloggers and community groups.  Arrive early for good seats.

YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

I loved it! It is depressing but not as depressing as it sounds -- a film about a French man (who was the editor of Elle Magazine) who suffers a stroke and is left with locked-in syndrome. He can't speak and can only blink one eye to communicate yes or no. Amazingly, he writes a book this way. Directed by Julian Schnabel, it's an amazing work of art, a great story, too. We saw it at BAM

BAM CINEMA: FIRST-RUN FILMS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

All I know is I want to see Juno very much!!!! I also want to see The Diving bell and the Butterfly directed by Julian Schnabel.  Hepcat liked No Country for Old Men.

Juno  (PG-13) 91min
1:15, 3:20, 5:25, 7:35, 9:45pm

No Country for Old Men  (R) 122min
3, 6:15, 9pm

Brooklyn Exclusive!
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly  (PG-13) 112min
1:30, 4, 6:45, 9:30pm

The Kite Runner  (PG-13) 128min
1, 3:40, 6:25, 9:15pm

Classic Children's Double Feature
The Red Balloon and White Mane  (G) 74min
Dec 22—Jan 1 at 1pm daily

BROOKLYN WRITERS SPACE READING TONIGHT

The Brooklyn Writers Space presents: Sharon Guskin, Honor Molloy and Wendy Ponte
 
7 pm on December 17th at Union Hall (Downstairs)
702 Union Street @ 5th Ave. in Park Slope
R Train to Union.

The Brooklyn Writers Space provides shared writing space to established and emerging writers. Their monthly reading series at Union Hall presents Writers Space writers.

Sharon Guskin  has been a resident of Yaddo, the Ragdale Foundation, the
Blue Mountain Center, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She'll
be reading from her new novel, which is set in New York and Shanghai.

Honor Molloy is a Dublin-born storyteller. She has received fellowships from
the NEA, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, a Pew
Fellowship in the Arts and has been a member of BWS for three years. Honor
will read from her fictional memoir Smarty Girl, an imaginative portrait of
Dublin in the 1960s.

Wendy Ponte writes for Mothering Magazine and other publications about
parenting and childbirth issues, and is the co-author of Having a Baby,
Naturally. She writes the P.S. I Love You column for The Brooklyn Papers,
and is currently at work on a novel inspired by her family history.

BAX PLATFORM: PARENTING 2008 ON JANUARY 13

Sunday, January 13 at 6 PM  |  Suggested Donation: $5
Reservations: (718) 832-0018 or www.bax.org
Childcare provided. (Childcare reservations in advance please.)

THE BAX Platform is a hybrid conversation series combining the best of your front stoop and kitchen table with the unique perspective of the newsmakers – making sure all things are considered. This installment, PARENTING 2008, explores parenthood and decision-making. What is "effective" parenting? Can two people differ in style and be effective as a couple? What does it mean to be an involved parent? How to deal with parenting in two households? What challenges are unique to gay parents? This and more make up an interactive, intimate conversation. Discussion moderated by BAX Executive Director Marya Warshaw. Parenting 2008 is co-sponsored by Park Slope Parents.

Featured panelists include Sharon C. Peters, director of Parents Helping Parents, Rachel Malinowitzer, M.Ed., a licensed psychotherapist working in the field for 20 years, Nancy Mc Dermott a writer and a parent living in Park Slope, Brooklyn; Carolyn Farhie, a lesbian mom, psychotherapist, and leader of the Center Kids' Planning Biological Parenthood for Women; and Dan Janzen, a freelance copywriter raising a son and daughter with his wife in Park Slope.

BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange is a multi-faceted performing arts center offering an annual presenting season, artist services, and educational programs for youth and adults. For more info, call (718) 832-0018 or visit www.bax.org. BAX is located at 421 5th Ave. at 8th St. in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Take the F train to Fourth Avenue or the R train to 9th Street.

MAKING A LIVING WHILE MAKING A DIFFERENCE

This might be a good gift choice for an idealistic high school or college senior on your gift list. Or anyone you know who wants to make a difference—and still support themselves.

Making a Living While Making a Difference: The Expanded Guide to Creating Careers with a Conscience by Melissa Everett

Melissa Everett is a friend of my friends in Kingston New York. They went to a book signing party the other night at INSPIRATION BOOKS, a bookstore in Kingston, NY owned by a former Park Sloper.

KINDRED SPIRITS: INSPIRED BOOKS IN KINGSTON

My friends in Brooklyn just told me about Inspired Books in Kingston, New York. The shop is owned by former Park Slopers, who opened the shop for a variety of reasons. Here's their mission:

To be a prosperous, sustainable community gathering place where people get tools and encouragement for their own healing and growth… and in turn take that healing out into the world.

Here's what they offer besides books:

Services

• Coaching
• Workshops
• Spiritual counseling
• Johrei channeling
• Neurofeedback
• Astrological readings

*  Community

There are a couple ways to enjoy the Inspired! community. Our favorite is for you to stop by our store, located in the Uptown area of Kingston, NY. If you can’t do that, join us on this site.  If you want to become an even more central part of Inspired!, join the Inspired! club. Members get frequent-buyer discounts, the inside scoop, and even an occasional party!

*  Entertainment / The Arts

How could we have a place named Inspired! without attention to the arts? Without inspiration there would be no art. Nor would it be easy to find inspiration without art.

Currently there are two primary ways we connect with the arts. To support the visual arts, we feature a different artist every other month. (Go back to our home page for information on our current artist.) We also feature different musical artists in our coffee area every Saturday night. See our Events schedule to see who is playing in the future.

Who We Are

AnnE O’Neil is the owner and founder of Inspired! She opened the store for many reasons:  to support people in their growth and healing, to practice conscious business, and to spend her days around people who care about each other, the world, and themselves.

LOUIS AND CAPATHIA AT THE MANHATTAN ROOM THIS SUNDAY

Just got this email from Louis Rosen (one of the 2007 Park Slope 100):

Just wanted to remind everyone that Capathia Jenkins (also 2007 Park Slope 100) and I opened our brief, two-night stint at the popular new Manhattan nightclub, The Metropolitan Room, last night. We're glad to report that it's a terrific room, with excellent sound, and a delight to play. Our second show is:

WHAT: CAPATHIA JENKINS & LOUIS ROSEN
WHEN:  This SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 at 9:30 pm.
WHERE: The Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, between 5th & 6th Avenue, NYC, NY. 10010 (212) 206-0440, www.metropolitanroom.com, $20 cover charge and a two-drink minimum.

Capathia and Louis are showcasing a mix of new and older songs, including a few preview selections from our new record with words by the renowned poet, Nikki Giovanni—due for release in May 2008 on the PS Classics label—our first CD, SOUTH SIDE STORIES, and more. And as always, we're thrilled to again be joined by our favorite pianist and bassist, Kimberly Grigsby and Dave Phillips.

TROUBLING TRAJECTORIES: HUMAN DIEBACK

My friend Carlton Schade will be speaking THIS THURSDAY about Human Dieback. If you don't know what that is you should definitely come hear the first of three talks he is giving about the enormity of the human predicament, and why the 21st century will likely be known as the Dieback Century.

Troubling Trajectories: On Course for a Human Dieback this Thursday,

Dec. 6 at 8:00 p.m
at the Old Stone House (Third Street and Fifth Avenue)

KICKING OFF THE HOLIDAY WITH A GROWER CHAMPAGNE TASTING

Join Green Grape in Brooklyn this Thursday, November 29, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm for a rare opportunity to taste four different grower champagnes back to back!

The bubblies are all from Terry Thiese, the primary importer of grower champagne, and a member of his team will be on hand to answer questions about what Terry calls “farmer-fizz."

Grower champagnes are made by small producers who have the advantage of growing their own grapes and fashioning their own style.  The event is FREE and no reservations are required. 

The Greene Grape is located at 765 Fulton between South Oxford and South   Portland (718) 797-9463.

Photo by Craig Lee for the SF Chronicle.

RUN OFF THE POUNDS BEFORE YOU EVEN EAT

I will be running in the Turkey Trot tomorrow. Looks like I should register today. I've always wanted to do it: it seems like a great way to start Thanksgiving: run off the pounds before you even eat.

Our T-giving isn't until 6 p.m. so I will have plenty of time to rest up after the race. And I'm not even cooking.

The trot begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday near the Oriental Pavillion in Prospect Park. You can pre-register on Thursday morning between 7:30 and 8:30 am. at the Kate Wollman Rink.

Thanks to GL, I hear that there is pre-registration from 4-6 p.m. at Jack Rabbit Sports on Wednesday night. Jack Rabbit is on 7th Avenue between Garfield and Carroll. If you don't wanna run, you can walk (or trot).

The event supports Bishop Ford High School and it costs $16 or $18 dollars depending on whether you pre-register or not.

SINGLE AND MISFIT'S THANKSGIVING AT ROCKY SULLIVAN'S

On Thursday November 22nd from 1-7 p.m. Rocky Sullivan's presents its:
SINGLE AND MISFITS THANKSGIVING

Buffet offering traditional and vegan fare
Open jukebox, board games, and of course football all day long. ONLY $12!!

BROOKLYN ON FILM: YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS

On Thurdsay November 29th at 7 p.m. there's a screening of Brooklyn-focused Documentaries at the Brooklyn Historical Society in Brooklyn Heights. The program is called, Brooklyn on Film, 1899-2007.

This screening will present documentaries showing the lives of Brooklyn residents from different communities in Brooklyn, including Haitian Voudo rituals in the Flatlands area of Brooklyn, Hassidic community life in Crown Heights, gang members breaking into rap music in the Albany Housing Projects in Crown Heights, and development controversies in Prospect Heights and Greenpoint.

The program will also show turn-of-the-century filmed footage of Brooklyn of Coney Island celebrants and the Brooklyn Bridge in 1899 - 1903,  as well as Sarah Bernhardt addressing a crowd in Prospect Park in 1917.

This event is part of the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival which hopes to help bring awareness about the different communities in Brooklyn by illuminating their social and cultural histories and current-day realities.

WOULD YOU LIKE AN INVITATION TO MY DESTINATION?

Brooklyn Artist's Gym presents a show of paintings by Cordula Volkening, opening on  December 9th from 4-8 pm. The location of BAG is: 168 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets.

The show is titled, You: Would You Like An Invitiation To My Destination?

In September, Cordula was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma (advanced brain cancer). After her diagnosis, Cordula stopped working at her design and construction business and resumed her career as a visual artist.

In the 1980s, her artwork was shown in solo and group exhibitions in NY, Chicago, Washington, Germany and France, and earned a variety of honors, including fellowships, awards and media mentions.

Now Cordula works in her studio in the days between radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Cordelia writes, "Hey, I got advanced brain cancer - my system kicks me in the butt and screams: Be your authentic self or you are going to die sooner not later. Any questions?"

Cordula, 50, grew up in a small village in the middle of Germany and has lived in Brooklyn since 1985.

She holds a degree in fine art from the School of Art and Design in Kiel, Germany, and also attended the Arts Students League in New York. She is the owner of a NYC company called Living Art Space.

Her paintings can be seen on her myspace page,  http://www.myspace.com/cordulavolkening  She cites Mark Rothko, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Miro and Kandinsky as important influences. "My work as an artist is to supply language that is unpretentious and allow stories to be told without using tried-out recipes." she writes on her myspace page.

Don't miss her show, which will be on view and for sale from December 9-13, 2007 at Brookyn Artists Gym. 

GRAM PARSONS TRIBUTE AT LUNA LOUNGE

More than a dozen of New York's finest roots-rock, alt-country, and

Americana artists will celebrate the music of country-rock pioneer

Gram Parsons with a gala show at Luna Lounge in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007.

Artists include Eric "Roscoe" Ambel, Mary Lee Kortes, Chip Robinson,

the Demolition String Band, Nick Marks, Charlene McPherson, Future

Farmers of America, Brooke Lunde, Bethany Saint Smith, Joe Cassady,

Red Rooster, Timothy Bracy, Rench and the New Heathens.

This year's event will also feature a reading by David Meyer, author

of the new Gram Parsons biography, "Twenty Thousand Roads, the Ballad

of Gram Parsons and his Cosmic American Music" published by Villard.

Mr. Meyer will also be on hand to sign copies of his book.

WHAT: A tribute to Gram Parsons' songs and story

WHO: More than a dozen of New York's finest roots-rock, alt. country

and Americana musicians plus Gram Parsons biographer David Meyer.

WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007 starting at 7 p.m. sharp.

WHERE: Luna Lounge, 361 Metropolitan Ave. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

COST: $8

9/11 CONSPIRACY FILM NOIR MADE IN DITMAS PARK

A month ago, I sat next Charlie Libin, a cinematographer friend at a dinner party, and he told me about an interesting new film he worked on called, Able Danger, that was filmed in the Ditmas Park neighborhood.

One of the filmmakers got in touch with OTBKB yesterday:

Hey Louise,

I saw your mention of our film "Able Danger" and was wondering if you
wouldnt mind putting a link to our site up.

www.abledangerthemovie.com

- that would be great....

Charlie Libin told me that the story is about a character loosely based on Sander Hicks, who owns Vox Pop. The film does not have a distributor. I am happy to see that they've really improved their website.

Here's the blurb from IMDB: Tom Flynn, the idealist owner of a left-leaning radical café/bookstore and the quixotic publisher of a hard hitting 911 conspiracy expose, finds himself entangled with a mysterious Eastern European beauty, Kasia, who is on the run from strong hand of a global 911 cover up.

In this contemporary take on film noir. When Tom is implicated in the murder of his friend and employee, he is forced to unravel Kasia's complex web of lies. As it turns out, Kasia possesses the smoking gun that proves the identities and methods of the real architects of 911, and Tom Flynn is willing to die to expose the truth.

BERGMAN FILM FEST AT BAM: NOV. 20-21

Persona (introduced by Bibi Anderson)

Shame (introduced by Jonathan Lethem)

Fanny and Alexander (introduced by Pernilla August)

See BAM schedule for show times.
 

JALOPY: IS IT A THEATER, A MUSIC STORE, A GALLERY, A SCHOOL?

All of the above and they repair instruments, too. And it's in Red Hook. There was an article about Jalopy in the New York Post recently that put it this way:

What exactly is Jalopy, anyway?

A visitor might well ask. Depending on what time and day it is, it's a music venue, a café, an art gallery, an instrument shop, a rehearsal space and a music school. In the front, a bar with a cappuccino maker sits across from a wall of guitars and banjos; in the back is a performance space with a row of church pews for seats, where blues, jazz and country bands play by night, and kids' music classes meet by morning.

A "community arts space" is what the Wileys call it, and if it's hard to pin down, that's according to plan. They hatched the idea for Jalopy several years ago, while living in Chicago, where Lynette ran a nonprofit funding youth programs and Geoff worked at a prop studio. They'd bought a building in the Wicker Park neighborhood, and while pondering what to do with its storefront, Geoff, a musician, sculptor and former actor (as well as stagehand, carpenter and vintage-car mechanic), began to formulate a vision.

And they're putting on a Sam Shepard play called, The Holy Ghostly on November 1st at 8 p.m.

JALOPY
315 Columbia Street

SLOPE HALLOWEEN FUN: RAIN OR SHINE

The Prospect Park Halloween Haunted Walk happens rain or shine.

Prospect Park celebrates Halloween with good old-fashioned fright! Check out the Haunted Walk and Carnival on Saturday, October 27. On Saturday and Sunday, the Park offers great events for kids at the Carousel, Lefferts Historic House, and the Audubon Center. Click here for more information about Halloween.

So do the fun Halloween-related activities at the Green Market at Grand Army Plaza.

BROOKLYN'S BEST FAMILY FEST AT BAX

BROOKLYN'S BEST FAMILY FEST
Saturday, October 27, 11:30am-6pm

On Saturday October 27th, BAX presents Brooklyn's Best Family Fest from 11:30 am-6pm.

Hear singer/songwriter Randy Kaplan,
Mario the Magician, BAXtivities and storytelling!
Advance ticket purchase encouraged. For tickets, call 718-832-0018.

11:30am-12:15pm

Singer/songwriter RANDY KAPLAN plays the Wee Ones Music Concert. Kaplan blends American roots, folk, alternative, and pop in his songs for kids and their families. "One of the most exciting newcomers to kids' music...Kaplan's debut is full of rollicking folk tunes," says Parenting Magazine.

12:30PM-4:30PM

Baxtivities: for tots to ten-year-olds will feature:
Kid's Playspace: fun with tunnels, huts, trapeze and more.
Halloween Masks:  if you can imagine in, you can make it.
Make a Scene:  get into character and capture it with a photo to take away.
Wearable Art: make tribal jewelry, clothing or creepy crawly creatures.
Metal Drawing: carve in aluminum to create 2D milagros.
Tattoo You:  body art station for a tattoo that expresses YOU.
Face Painting: for kids & adults.

5PM-6PM (doors open at 4:30PM)

BAXstage Family Productions features illusionist MARIO THE MAGICIAN performing The Magician's Wand. ?Mario was superb ? good at magic, but just as important, good with kids," says Newsweek International.

Family Fest also features celebrated storyteller ROBIN BADY throughout the day. Bady has been exploring the power of stories for the last 35 years.

PRICES:
The concert and magic show are $12 for Adults; $8 for kids 16 and under; kids under one year free!

SIMONE DINNERSTEIN AT LINCOLN CENTER BARNES AND NOBLE

On November 11th at 3 p.m. Park Slope's Simone Dinnerstein will be playing excerpts from the Bach's Goldberg Variations in a 25-minute concert at the Lincoln Center Barnes and Noble.

Dinnerstein is bringing a Klavierhaus piano into the store. After the recital, she will be interviewed by Robin Quivers and will be signing her CD, which is one of Billboard's top ten classical bestsellers.

Hey, what about our local Barnes and Noble? Simone lives in Park Slope. I think the local B&N should have concert, too. Don't you?

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUSIC AT OLD FIRST ON NOVEMBER 3-4

Helen Richman, Director of Chocoloae Chip Concerts, sent news of their upcoming event at Old First Church in Park Slope on November 3rd and 4th.

We hope to see you in a few short weeks at an upcoming Chocolate Chip Concert the weekend of November 3rd/4th. Chocolate Chip Chamber Music is a professional concert series geared towards toddlers to age six, based in Park Slope. We present engaging, interactive mini-concerts (about 30 minutes in length), from classical to jazz and world music. Our emcee and mascot, Baker Bobbie, is on hand to introduce the pieces and the players in a memorable way. This fall, due to popular demand, Chocolate Chip has added a third performance of the same program, on Sunday afternoon, in order to retain the unique experience of live chamber music.

Join us as we begin our second season with. . .

The Erklingen Brass Quartet in A Pirate’s Booty of Brass
Jim Lake and Colin Brigstocke, trumpets; Amber Lane, french horn; Michael Canipe, bass trombone

Set sail on an exciting adventure with Baker Bobbie and her musician mates aboard a pirate ship! Selections from Gabrieli to Joplin are woven with favorite pirate lingo and antics. Young listeners will have ample opportunity to don their imaginary pirate hats and practice their own swagger to dance-able numbers. Plus, more mellow strains bring opportunities for pretend night - time on deck. As always, concert-goers will enjoy two treats at the end of the performance: the chance to sample the instruments, and a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie.

CONCERTS ARE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2007, AT 10:00 AND 11:30 A.M.
AND SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4 AT 4:00 P.M.

Old First Reformed Church Lower Hall at the corner of Carroll Street in Park Slope

Tickets are $6 per child, $7 per child cash only

HALLOWEEN AT NY METRO PARENTS

My friend over at NYC Metro Parents directed my attention to their really cool "Micro-site" about Halloween.

It includes just about everything there is to do in the NYC area for Halloween. Also a photo contest, articles, and tips.

FIDELIO IS HERE

The Brooklyn Repertory Opera (www.bropera.org) and Hellgate Harmonie (www.hellgateharmonie.com) will be performing Beethoven's Fidelio at the Brooklyn Lyceum (www.brooklynlyceum.com) six times over the next few weeks.  Stephen Francis Vasta conducts.

This is the complete opera with full orchestra, chorus, and innovative staging (taking advantage of the Brooklyn Lyceum's dungeon-like, former public bath house infrastructure).  Performances will be sung in the English language.

Here's the schedule:

Wednesday, October 10 -- 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 14 ----- 4:00 PM
Sunday, October 21 ----- 4:00 PM
Wednesday, October 24 -- 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 28 ----- 4:00 PM
Saturday, November 3 --- 4:00 PM

Tickets $20 - Students/Seniors $10

For more information, or to reserve tickets please go to www.bropera.org, or call 718-857-4816.

NEW YORKER FESTIVAL AT THE LYCEUM: OCT. 5

Fiona Apple and noise rockers Yo La Tengo will be at the Brooklyn Lyceum to talk about pop music as part of this year’s New Yorker Festival.

Details: Friday October 5: 7:30 (Apple) and 10 pm (Yo La Tengo) at the Brooklyn Lyceum (227 Fourth Ave., at Union Street in Park Slope). $35 for each. For information, visit festival.newyorker.com.

SUNFLOWERS ON A STOOP

Watch my friend singer-songwriter Bob Klein's NEW music video about love lost and found. From the sunflower fields of Costa Brava to a stoop in New York. Bob Klein and the Ancestors will be performing on October 20th at The Cutting Room. 19 West 24th Street at 7 p.m.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2923918587193994071&hl=en

FUTURE PERFECT AT THE DUMBO ART UNDER THE BRIDGE FEST

This from No Land Grab:

There's an interview with the creators of Future Perfect, the interactive installation of Prospect Heights before and after Ratner, that can be experienced at the DUMBO arts festival starting tomorrow.

Check out the demo video.  It has some cool renderings of the neighborhood based on children's drawings.

Future Perfect will be showing beginning tomorrow at the d.u.m.b.o. art under the bridge festival, 20 Jay Street, Unit M24, Mezzanine Floor.

DISTINCTLY DUMBO: ART UNDER THE BRIDGE FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND

Here's the blurb I got this morning from the people over at Art Under the Bridge Festival (the caps are theirs).

DISTINCTIVELY DUMBO: THE ONE AND ONLY, ONCE A YEAR, ONE WEEKEND OCCUPATION OF A NEIGHBORHOOD BY ARTISTS: FREE, ACCESSIBLE, MOOD-ENHANCING, SOMETIMES PUZZLING, OFTEN CHALLENGING, CAPTIVATING, PERPLEXING, MISCHIEVOUS, ENERGIZING, CAN BE FUNNY, NEVER BORING, TOTAL IMMERSION VISUAL ARTS EXPERIENCE, WHERE ART & ARTISTS INVADE STREETS, LOADING DOCKS, LOBBIES, SIDEWALKS, FACADES, RIVER, WATERFRONT, BATHTUBS, ELEVATORS, ALLEYS, CORNERS, STOREFRONTS, AND STORES PLUS THE VIDEO_DUMBO FESTIVAL OF NEW VIDEO ART, SCORES OF OPEN STUDIOS AND MULTIPLE EXHIBITIONS, ALL ON A CURIOUS CAMPUS SPANNING 27 BLOCKS BETWEEN THE MANHATTAN AND BROOKLYN BRIDGES, FROM THE FULTON FERRY LANDING TO VINEGAR HILL, KNOWN AS DUMBO, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Dumbo Arts Center is the Exclusive Producer of the Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival.™
Learn more at www.dumboartscenter.org

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Contact DAC at T. 718.694.0831 or gallery@dumboartscenter.org

Contact:
Breda Kennedy, Executive Producer
Chris Herbeck, Associate Producer

 

 

BAM AT A GLANCE: THIS WEEK

For more information go to bam.org

    BAM 25th Next Wave Festival / Wild Cursive / Kronos Quartet: More Than Four / Next Wave Ticket Giveaway    

    Special Fall Event / King Lear / The Seagull    

    BAM Rose Cinemas / Eastern Promises / In the Valley of Elah / Once / 2 Days in Paris    

    BAMcinématek / Du Maurier on Film / Brooklyn Close-Up / Trapped Ashes / The Emotional Camera: Mikhail Kalatozov    

    BAMcafé Live / Moisturizer    

    BAMart / Next Wave Art    

    BAM Membership / Make Your 25th Next Wave Festival Experience Even Better    

    BAM about Brooklyn / Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival    

    Other Events / Atlantic Antic

IDENTICAL STRANGERS IN BOOKSTORES ON OCTOBER 2nd

I got this note from Paula and Elyse, the twin-authors of Identical Strangers. Just so you know, my sister and I are interviewed in the book. It's one of the later chapters. I am very pleased to be included in this very poignant and interesting book about twins.

Hi everyone,

The moment has finally arrived...well nearly. "Identical Strangers: A
Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited" will be available in
bookstores on Tuesday, October 2nd.

Please spread the word to friends, family, co-workers, strangers and enemies. We're hoping to get as many people as possible to buy the book on Tuesday.

Also, if you want a sneak peek of the book, tune in to "CBS Sunday
Morning" this Sunday, Sept. 30th at 9 a.m. ET.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/27/sunday/main3304885.shtml

In addition to doing several local readings in NYC, we will be
heading out on a book tour soon.

We're constantly updating our web site, so check it early and often!
www.identicalstrangersbook.com

Thanks for all of your support!
Paula and Elyse

CHILE PEPPER FESTIVAL: SEPTEMBER 30

Got the word from Kate Blum at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Thanks for the info, Kate.

FYI, this Sunday, September 30, is our 15th annual Chile Pepper Fiesta from noon to 6 p.m. Have you ever been? It's a great event designed to celebrate the chile plant as it is used in cultures all over the world, from the Caribbean to Asia to South & Central America and Mexico. 

It's positively chock full of scorching music, dance, and culinary adventures inspired by these cultures-- this year's lineup includes duo Ringold & Ellis performing fiery feats of flame (including the famous "fire umbrella"), Peruvian dance from Ballet Folklorico Peru, hot Caribbean rhythms from Sesame Flyers Steel Pan Orchestra, the borough's own Brooklyn Petro hot sauce makers whipping up a batch of their spicy manna, Latin/Jewish fusion cooking from Post Punk Kitchen and much more.

OPEN CALL FOR ACTORS IN SPIKE LEE FILM

Petra over at Bed Stuy blog has the word. There's an open call for actors to play soldiers in 1940s film Casting (NON-UNION OPEN CALL)

Winsome Sinclair & Associates will be casting FEATURED extra roles for SPIKE LEE’s new feature length film, Miracle at St. Anna.

There will be an open call for talent held on Friday SEPTEMBER 7 2007 at 75 South Elliot Place, ground floor,  Fort Greene, 11am to 6pm.

Go here for details.

YUGOSLAVIAN CINEMA FROM THE 1960's AT BAM

I've never seen WR Mysteries of the Organism but it sounds like one of those films every cineaste needs to see.  

Amos Vogel writes: One of the subversive masterpieces of the 1970s: a hilarious, highly erotic political comedy which quite seriously proposes sex as the ideological imperative for revolution.”—Amos Vogel.

There are going to be quite a few other movies, too. Here's the blurb about the Yugoslavian festival at the BAM Cinematek.

Yugoslavian Black Wave was one of the most anarchic and politically subversive of all 1960s cinema movements, frequently running afoul of official Yugoslavian government policy. Combining artistic, sexual, and ideological freedom often with a sense of humor, the Black Wave reinvented existing notions and standards of cinematic realism—mud, blood, tears, bleakness, destruction of illusions—that for a brief moment produced some of the most liberating cinema the world has ever seen. When re-introduced to audiences, Karpo Godina and Zelimir Zilnik, among others, will certainly join the beloved Dušan Makajevev with the status of great masters.

BLUEGRASS JAM EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT AT SUNNY'S

A woman I wave at on 3rd Street had a small stoop sale yesterday. She was putting out LPs like Fiddler on the Roof, Frank Sinatra and some others.

She told me that she'd been to a bluegrass jam the night before at Sunny's bar in Red Hook. I asked her if she was a musician and she said no but that she does sing along. Sounds like fun and it's every Saturday night, I guess.

Here's the blurb from Sunny's website:

Saturday Night Jam, the sign in the window says Bluegrass, well maybe Bluegrass isn't quite right, accoustic is more like it. The Jam cover a whole lot more. Put a bunch of guitars, fiddles, a bass, throw in an accordion or two and some more strings (they now have a piano). You are bound to get some interesting and good music

REMINDER: FEIST AT McCARREN PARK TONIGHT AT 6PM

Wouldn't miss it for the world EXCEPT Cool and Unusual, Tetsuwan Fireball, and Dulaney Banks are playing at the Old Stone House. AND I CAN'T MISS THAT FOR THE WORLD.

But the Feist show should be way cool; I just love her new album, The Reminder. Enjoy the show at McCarren Park.

AFTER THE JUMP: SATURDAY IN GREENPOINT

I got this note from one of the organizers of the After the Jump Festival that's happening today in Greenpoint. Alas, we won't be able to make it as we're in California. But it sounds like a great show.

Hi Louise,

I know you're a big music fan, (I thought that Feist album was great
too), if you could post about this Brooklyn event that I am helping
organize, I'd really appreciate it.

The After The Jump Festival is an all day concert being thrown by 22 New York music bloggers at Studio B (in Greenpoint) on August 25th (tomorrow).

Your son might enjoy the lineup of daytime bands (there are lots of local Brooklyn bands on the bill).

Please check out our website for all the information,
www.afterthejumpfest.com.

FARM AID AT THE YARD

The Meanred Ladies wanted to give you a heads up on the Farm Aid Benefit party that is taking place at the Yard on Carroll Street between Bond and Nevins on Sunday, August 26, 2007.

Goldmine Shithouse will be rocking the silk screens. On the decks is DJ Steve Aoki.

And there are live performances by:
The Press
Trouble
She Keeps Bees
Alana Amram and the Rough Gems

A little about the org:
Farm Aid works tirelessly to support local, family run farms, and to keep the rest of us well-fed with organic, healthy eats. Let's give them a little love, because in an age where the U.S. agriculture industry is more jacked up than Barry Bonds, their task is no easy feat.

We hope you can come play with us...
Cheers,

Jenny

www.theyard.ws
www.meanredproductions.com

TWO STORES: NEW LOCATIONS ON SEVENTH

Otto: an eclectic shop that sells high-end European lingere, retro bathing suits, jewelry, bags, clothing, and toys has moved to a new store on Seventh Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets. Anne Englander, with her unerringingly good taste, has created a lovely new shop that is much bigger and brighter than the old one and chock full of gorgeous merchandise (from what I could see from the window).

Sterling Place: right next store to the new Otto sells furniture and home goods -- artful objects for gracious living is their motto. A mix of antique and contemporary -- looks gorgeous. Their other shop is located at 363 Atlantic Avenue.