On Thursday, November 4, 2010, Litquake, Bancroft Library, UC Press, and California Historical Society present the first-ever Mark Twain Ball to celebrate publication of his brand-new autobiography. If you think Twain was witty at his 70th birthday dinner (shown below, courtesy of The Mark Twain Project), just imagine what he saved for the autobiography that marks his 100th birthday.
This event will be the first Bay Area launch of this long-awaited book, held in the city that helped birth the career of America’s best-loved humorist. This new edition is already on bestseller lists, in advance of its November 15 publication date. Be sure to read all the reviews.
Come to the Mark Twain Ball and see what CBS, CNN, New York Times, Guardian, and the Independent are all raving about. Event features Twain video and slideshow, period music and special cocktails, Twain-themed snacks, and select readings from the Autobiography by actors from A.C.T.! Costumes and mustaches encouraged. Twain books and t-shirts will be for sale.
Thursday, November 4 Green Room, 401 Van Ness Ave. 7 pm Remaining tickets $20 available at the door.
Forbidden to be published until 100 years after his death, this new deluxe edition of Twain’s Autobiography (Volume 1 of 3) is at last presented according to the author’s specific instructions. Some highlights: President Theodore Roosevelt is described as “one of the most impulsive men in existence.”…the American soldiers Roosevelt sent to the Philippines are referred to as “uniformed assassins”…even Twain’s Italian landlady is called “excitable, malicious, malignant, vengeful, unforgiving, selfish, stingy, avaricious, coarse, vulgar, profane, and obscene.”
jueves, 4 de noviembre de 2010
miércoles, 27 de octubre de 2010
Twain Autobiography in the News
Litquake's the first-ever Mark Twain Ball, presented with the Bancroft Library, UC Press, and California Historical Society will be the first Bay Area launch celebrating publication of Mark Twain's Autobiography, Vol. 1. We know you'll want to join us at the Ball.We're far from the only ones excited about the Autobiography—it's all over the web. While you're waiting for the Ball, you can read all about it at the listings below, as well as a plethora of others.
Dead for a Century, Twain Says What He Meant, Larry Rohter, The New York Times "Wry and cranky, droll and cantankerous — that’s the Mark Twain we think we know, thanks to reading “Huck Finn” and “Tom Sawyer” in high school. But in his unexpurgated autobiography, whose first volume is about to be published a century after his death, a very different Twain emerges, more pointedly political and willing to play the role of the angry prophet." Dead 100 Years, Mark Twain Lets Loose, Jeff Glor, CBS Sunday Morning News "'The Adventures of Mark Twain' isn't the actual title of the memoir by the author of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' But the story of how this book is finally coming to be published is a bit of an adventure tale all its own." After keeping us waiting for a century, Mark Twain will finally reveal all, Guy Adams, The Independent (London) "The creator of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and some of the most frequently misquoted catchphrases in the English language left behind 5,000 unedited pages of memoirs when he died in 1910, together with handwritten notes saying that he did not want them to hit bookshops for at least a century." Mark Twain's Discourse: A Timeless Writing Course, Patricia Benesh, Huffington Post "With the current excitement about the first volume of Mark Twain's autobiography to be published in November, I re-visited some pages of his quotes about writing I'd collected through the years. I was astounded by the number and scope of Twain's advice -- and admonishments. I've culled 3000+ words to a mere 700. I hope you'll comment and add your favorites..." Mark Twain's Last Stunt, David Downs, East Bay Express "As it turns out, Mark Twain had one more joke up his sleeve. Scholars at UC Berkeley are having the moment of their careers as they prepare to release the Autobiography of Mark Twain. Appearing in three hardcover volumes from UC Press starting November 15, the autobiography reveals the iconic American novelist's true feelings about his family and associates, as well as his frustrations with Christianity, Wall Street, and US foreign policy. The creator of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn is so candid in the half-million dictated pages that he mandated that the unedited text be suppressed until one hundred years after his death. On November 15, that date arrives..."
Dead for a Century, Twain Says What He Meant, Larry Rohter, The New York Times "Wry and cranky, droll and cantankerous — that’s the Mark Twain we think we know, thanks to reading “Huck Finn” and “Tom Sawyer” in high school. But in his unexpurgated autobiography, whose first volume is about to be published a century after his death, a very different Twain emerges, more pointedly political and willing to play the role of the angry prophet." Dead 100 Years, Mark Twain Lets Loose, Jeff Glor, CBS Sunday Morning News "'The Adventures of Mark Twain' isn't the actual title of the memoir by the author of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' But the story of how this book is finally coming to be published is a bit of an adventure tale all its own." After keeping us waiting for a century, Mark Twain will finally reveal all, Guy Adams, The Independent (London) "The creator of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and some of the most frequently misquoted catchphrases in the English language left behind 5,000 unedited pages of memoirs when he died in 1910, together with handwritten notes saying that he did not want them to hit bookshops for at least a century." Mark Twain's Discourse: A Timeless Writing Course, Patricia Benesh, Huffington Post "With the current excitement about the first volume of Mark Twain's autobiography to be published in November, I re-visited some pages of his quotes about writing I'd collected through the years. I was astounded by the number and scope of Twain's advice -- and admonishments. I've culled 3000+ words to a mere 700. I hope you'll comment and add your favorites..." Mark Twain's Last Stunt, David Downs, East Bay Express "As it turns out, Mark Twain had one more joke up his sleeve. Scholars at UC Berkeley are having the moment of their careers as they prepare to release the Autobiography of Mark Twain. Appearing in three hardcover volumes from UC Press starting November 15, the autobiography reveals the iconic American novelist's true feelings about his family and associates, as well as his frustrations with Christianity, Wall Street, and US foreign policy. The creator of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn is so candid in the half-million dictated pages that he mandated that the unedited text be suppressed until one hundred years after his death. On November 15, that date arrives..."
domingo, 24 de octubre de 2010
Litquake XI :: The Bow
Now that we've distanced ourselves a little bit from those 9 days of New Year I've had a chance to get caught up on all the footage we took. What follows is a wrap-up: The Effect of Fiction On Your Mind, Porchlight Storytelling: Takes of Hollywood Hell, Lit on the Lake, Quiet Lightning and Bikram Yoga from Lit Crawl, and links to all formerly covered events, just for the sake of convenience. Also, our friends over at We Who Are About to Die had a nice photo essay from the Crawl. Enjoy! Hopefully we'll see you at the Mark Twain Ball.
:: The Effect of Fiction on Your Mind ::
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
:: Porchlight Storytelling : Tales of Hollywood Hell ::
Intro
Joyce Maynard
Martin Cruz Smith
Kristen Tracy
Jack Boulware
Audience
Exene Cervenka
Michael Tolkin
Jill Soloway
:: Lit on the Lake ::
Elaine Beale
Jacqueline Luckett
Kristen McCloy
Lisa Braver Moss
Lucy Jane Bledsoe
Melanie Abrams
:: The Lit Crawl ::
Quiet Lightning
Bikram Yoga
Photo Essay by Karli McAllister
beNOW.tv live-streamed phase 1 and phase 3
:: Festival Photos ::
Litquake by Cynthia Wood
:: Recap Footage ::
:: Day 1 ::
The Opening Party
:: Day 2 ::
» The Barbary Coast Award
» Off the Richter Scale
:: Day 3 ::
» The Literary Tour Stops Here
» Barely Published Authors
:: Day 4 ::
» Words and Waves: Surf Lit
» Tao Lin at Booksmith
:: Day 5 ::
» Virtual Reality: The Effect of Fiction on Your Mind
» Porchlight Storytelling: Tales of Hollywood Hell
:: Day 6 ::
» Lit on the Lake
» RADAR and Bawdy Storytelling
:: Day 7 ::
» Feminine Wiles
» Stories on Stage
:: Day 8 ::
» Confession: on the 8th day, I rested
:: Day 9 ::
» Poem recap
» Quiet Lightning, Bikram Yoga, and photos form Lit Crawl
In case you hadn't heard, this year's Litquake was the largest ever, with over 14,000 people in attendance, including 8,000+ during Lit Crawl. Wow. See you soon, lit lovers. This festival isn't just annual anymore—it's year-round.
xo,
Evan
:: The Effect of Fiction on Your Mind ::
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
:: Porchlight Storytelling : Tales of Hollywood Hell ::
Intro
Joyce Maynard
Martin Cruz Smith
Kristen Tracy
Jack Boulware
Audience
Exene Cervenka
Michael Tolkin
Jill Soloway
:: Lit on the Lake ::
Elaine Beale
Jacqueline Luckett
Kristen McCloy
Lisa Braver Moss
Lucy Jane Bledsoe
Melanie Abrams
:: The Lit Crawl ::
Quiet Lightning
Bikram Yoga
Photo Essay by Karli McAllister
beNOW.tv live-streamed phase 1 and phase 3
:: Festival Photos ::
Litquake by Cynthia Wood
:: Recap Footage ::
:: Day 1 ::
The Opening Party
:: Day 2 ::
» The Barbary Coast Award
» Off the Richter Scale
:: Day 3 ::
» The Literary Tour Stops Here
» Barely Published Authors
:: Day 4 ::
» Words and Waves: Surf Lit
» Tao Lin at Booksmith
:: Day 5 ::
» Virtual Reality: The Effect of Fiction on Your Mind
» Porchlight Storytelling: Tales of Hollywood Hell
:: Day 6 ::
» Lit on the Lake
» RADAR and Bawdy Storytelling
:: Day 7 ::
» Feminine Wiles
» Stories on Stage
:: Day 8 ::
» Confession: on the 8th day, I rested
:: Day 9 ::
» Poem recap
» Quiet Lightning, Bikram Yoga, and photos form Lit Crawl
In case you hadn't heard, this year's Litquake was the largest ever, with over 14,000 people in attendance, including 8,000+ during Lit Crawl. Wow. See you soon, lit lovers. This festival isn't just annual anymore—it's year-round.
xo,
Evan
lunes, 11 de octubre de 2010
A Few More Lines to Ease You Out of Whatever We have Been Doing
Overstimulation.
No time for polished thoughts
Forget sentences
Inspiration
Flashes
Sparks of recognition
spoken
in the mind
Just listen
and try to keep up
I have wanted to write since I was a child
and I’ve been an adult for a long time
There’s nothing between us
You and me
You and yr dreams
Me and mine
Our dreams are palpable
I’ve seen them walking down Mission St.
holding the same festival guide
designed by Mitche Manitou
I’ve heard them so many times
in so many places
I don’t know the difference
Your words form the rhythms
I think in …
3 o’clock snapping pictures thru the alley
What is this they ask
new to the mission
and maybe San Francisco
It’s a literary festival
as if that explains everything
as tho this thing has been going on since the dawn of time
And we stutter to answer
This thing not conforming to conventional press releases
There are a lot of authors
we say
in explanation
It’s crazy,
Yes, there will be poetry
But what strikes me on this day after
so far in
the end is a blessing
What strikes me is the magnitude of its sanity
how much sense it makes
you make
We all make so many kinds of sense
meeting serendipitous in the middle of the street
We might be lost but there is a pretty bright light
between us and
we are going the same way now
Tearing away from conversation
because I had to see Bucky
I was so excited
Crowding around the crowd around the door
A girl I didn’t know wanted to know
if I wanted to get closer
and everyone moved aside
She smiled
and I made it thru the door
The joy on her face
the joy that must have been on my face
Bucky telling the room
This Is What It Was Like To Be Here
A “yes” from someone in the crowd
because it’s true
Time was coming out of his mouth
and into our current
understandings
I have never lived in Punk House or any punk house
wasn’t ever crying in the 90s
didn’t have fucked up friends
or need help until later
But Bucky is a vessel
We are all vessels of our own choosing
Do you know
we filled bars that are never full
with books in our hands,
every door we passed we passed on greatness,
hurrying
with our heads down
to the next big thing
unsure what it is
but certain to find it?
There are different degrees of serious
and now that you don’t know what to do with yourself
now that the congregation has ceased
and we no longer chase one another
for sport
or whatever we were doing
Allow me to proffer a resolution:
Make a resolution.
Write it down so no one can see it.
Work on it.
Spend your extra time for your self.
If you don’t have extra time
resolve to learn
how to make time.
Time is synthetic:
it must be constructed.
If so,
take what is yours
and spend it wisely
Take chances
but talk to yourself
like you mean it
You mean it
I’ve seen it
in everyone.
There are some things for which the only appropriate response is a poem or a story or a painting or a song. Resolve to surround yourself with more of these things, with more of these people, for more of the time.
You are older
Don’t forget
part of who you are has settled
There are different degrees of self-trust
You are not always right
You want comfort
as much
or maybe more
than you want anything else
You can justify this
if you want to
Think about it
just a little more
You can widen the distance between yr own revolutions
You can pick up and keep going.
None of this matters
if we don’t harken The Call
This isn’t a journal
but you could have written this
It’s not what you think
that makes this special
if you consider this special
It carries both of us inside of it
like a womb
to a place that we might go
You might be surprised
if you sit instead of standing
shut up instead of talking
who might approach for the first time
to show you their truths
You might recognize childhood for what it is again
Alien to the way you see yourself
and the rest of the world
Open
you might remember who makes the resolutions
and who follows them
There are so many sides to you
and this poem
or whatever it is
is too long
There is so much more than heart
to satisfy
Be proud of what we have
and do it justice
--
I wanted to write a personal retrospective in response to my introductory Happy New Year, about how this year's experience was different for me than last year's, and maybe I will yet … but in due time.
Charles and I took so many videos between Oct 1-9 that we are still wading through them. He has done a write-up of Surf Lit here and is doing a piece on Bawdy and RADAR now. I’ve got videos from the Virtual Reality panel and Porchlight that I’m in the process of rendering, followed by Lit on the Lake and Quiet Lightning. So come on back. In the next week or so we will put this puppy to rest … until the Mark Twain Ball!!
I will say really quickly a big Thank You to all the volunteers and to the committee for all of the yearlong work you do (it’s not quite enough to say it on Facebook, you see). This festival expands us in more ways than we can celebrate in nine days.
Hope to see you soon and often,
Evan
No time for polished thoughts
Forget sentences
Inspiration
Flashes
Sparks of recognition
spoken
in the mind
Just listen
and try to keep up
I have wanted to write since I was a child
and I’ve been an adult for a long time
There’s nothing between us
You and me
You and yr dreams
Me and mine
Our dreams are palpable
I’ve seen them walking down Mission St.
holding the same festival guide
designed by Mitche Manitou
I’ve heard them so many times
in so many places
I don’t know the difference
Your words form the rhythms
I think in …
3 o’clock snapping pictures thru the alley
What is this they ask
new to the mission
and maybe San Francisco
It’s a literary festival
as if that explains everything
as tho this thing has been going on since the dawn of time
And we stutter to answer
This thing not conforming to conventional press releases
There are a lot of authors
we say
in explanation
It’s crazy,
Yes, there will be poetry
But what strikes me on this day after
so far in
the end is a blessing
What strikes me is the magnitude of its sanity
how much sense it makes
you make
We all make so many kinds of sense
meeting serendipitous in the middle of the street
We might be lost but there is a pretty bright light
between us and
we are going the same way now
Tearing away from conversation
because I had to see Bucky
I was so excited
Crowding around the crowd around the door
A girl I didn’t know wanted to know
if I wanted to get closer
and everyone moved aside
She smiled
and I made it thru the door
The joy on her face
the joy that must have been on my face
Bucky telling the room
This Is What It Was Like To Be Here
A “yes” from someone in the crowd
because it’s true
Time was coming out of his mouth
and into our current
understandings
I have never lived in Punk House or any punk house
wasn’t ever crying in the 90s
didn’t have fucked up friends
or need help until later
But Bucky is a vessel
We are all vessels of our own choosing
Do you know
we filled bars that are never full
with books in our hands,
every door we passed we passed on greatness,
hurrying
with our heads down
to the next big thing
unsure what it is
but certain to find it?
There are different degrees of serious
and now that you don’t know what to do with yourself
now that the congregation has ceased
and we no longer chase one another
for sport
or whatever we were doing
Allow me to proffer a resolution:
Make a resolution.
Write it down so no one can see it.
Work on it.
Spend your extra time for your self.
If you don’t have extra time
resolve to learn
how to make time.
Time is synthetic:
it must be constructed.
If so,
take what is yours
and spend it wisely
Take chances
but talk to yourself
like you mean it
You mean it
I’ve seen it
in everyone.
There are some things for which the only appropriate response is a poem or a story or a painting or a song. Resolve to surround yourself with more of these things, with more of these people, for more of the time.
You are older
Don’t forget
part of who you are has settled
There are different degrees of self-trust
You are not always right
You want comfort
as much
or maybe more
than you want anything else
You can justify this
if you want to
Think about it
just a little more
You can widen the distance between yr own revolutions
You can pick up and keep going.
None of this matters
if we don’t harken The Call
This isn’t a journal
but you could have written this
It’s not what you think
that makes this special
if you consider this special
It carries both of us inside of it
like a womb
to a place that we might go
You might be surprised
if you sit instead of standing
shut up instead of talking
who might approach for the first time
to show you their truths
You might recognize childhood for what it is again
Alien to the way you see yourself
and the rest of the world
Open
you might remember who makes the resolutions
and who follows them
There are so many sides to you
and this poem
or whatever it is
is too long
There is so much more than heart
to satisfy
Be proud of what we have
and do it justice
--
I wanted to write a personal retrospective in response to my introductory Happy New Year, about how this year's experience was different for me than last year's, and maybe I will yet … but in due time.
Charles and I took so many videos between Oct 1-9 that we are still wading through them. He has done a write-up of Surf Lit here and is doing a piece on Bawdy and RADAR now. I’ve got videos from the Virtual Reality panel and Porchlight that I’m in the process of rendering, followed by Lit on the Lake and Quiet Lightning. So come on back. In the next week or so we will put this puppy to rest … until the Mark Twain Ball!!
I will say really quickly a big Thank You to all the volunteers and to the committee for all of the yearlong work you do (it’s not quite enough to say it on Facebook, you see). This festival expands us in more ways than we can celebrate in nine days.
Hope to see you soon and often,
Evan
viernes, 8 de octubre de 2010
Lit Crawl Video Linkfest with Suggestions (and an invitation)
Disclaimer: you can't lose. Do not fret. Bring emergency supplies. Be smart. Trust strangers only if they're holding Festival Guides. Trade books for books. Share poems. Dance in the corridor between yourself and the rest of the world.
Tomorrow is the largest literary crawl in the world. Ever, as in, across space and time. 400 or so authors, 65 venues, 3 and a half hours. You know that part. But what are you going to do about it? What follows is something of a guide and a few suggestions.
But first, a mobile guide to the entire crawl.
:: Phase 1 ::
Ashcan Magazine in Clarion Alley » There is something about literature in an alley that is just right. Plus I'm a fan of Jim Nelson and Doctor Popular.
BARtab at Martuni's » Meliza Banales and Kirk Read should pretty much ensure that this is outrageous.
Babylon Salon | Mina Dresden Gallery » High-quality authors in a fantastic, open space. Here's an example of one of their shows.
Why There Are Words | Artzone 461 » Two words: Tom Barbash. Here's an example.
ZYZZYVA | Elixir » Howard Junker released a novel this year? How come I didn't know this? I'm fairly outraged. Oh yeah, M.G. Martin's pretty much the most talented person in the universe. I have no idea what to expect from this group, but it should be interesting and perhaps the most wide-ranging of events in Phase 1.
BANG OUT | Double Dutch » This series is always high-octane, even when the pieces aren't in-your-face. Here's an example of one of their shows.
Small Desk Press | Adobe Books » I just have so much faith in SDP. They put out great books. Plus you're probably also in love with Sarah Fran Wisby.
Quiet Lightning | Gestalt » What is there to say? We have Sam Sax. 13 authors back to back to back to back et ceteranium to your cranium. That's all it is. Here's one of our shows.
Instant City | Dalva » Joshua Citrak. Andrew Dugas. Rob McLaughlin. Plus you're sure to enjoy a Gravity Goldberg sighting. Readings form the release of Issue #7.
Narrative Magazine | The Lab » Editor Carol Edgarian emcees a host of big name readers in an appropriately classy venue. Pia Z. Ehrhardt, for one. From Narrative Night 2010.
Counterpoint Press | Muddy Waters » This is going to be a quality all-around session, with "tales of television, religion, murder, and revolution."
Significant Objects | Root Division » Beth Lisick. Chris Colin. I have no idea what's going on here but I promise it will be thrilling.
Ambush Review | 18 Reasons » Primal meets new-age in the form of poetry. Check out Ana Elsner.
Top pick: Quiet Lightning
if there were 2 top picks: Instant City
Where I'll be: I host Quiet Lightning with Rajshree Chauhan.
:: Phase 2 ::
Own Your Story | Clarion Alley » Joe Loya started and will read in this series to engage the community in personal storytelling. Also featuring Cassandra Dallett and Wendy Merrill.
Mystery and Mayhem | Mission Police Station » Michelle Gagnon and Seth Harwood, but also the fact that it's in a police station. Trust me on that one - I've been many times. In the right circumstance, they're pretty neat. Mystery and Mayhem!
SF Writer's Grotto | Elbo Room, upstairs » Gerard Jones and Elizabeth Bernstein will emcee six accomplished Grotto-ites, including Kathryn Ma, James Nestor, and Justine Sharrock. Every time I've seen someone from the Grotto I've been impressed. And usually pleased.
Anger Management and Revenge | Elbo Room, downstairs » Nic Alea. Paul Corman-Roberts. Charlie Getter. Amy Glasenapp. H.K. Rainey. Jezebel Delilah X. Here's another one of their shows. This is one of the best collections of talent in the whole Crawl.
Corium Magazine | Sub/Mission Art Space » These writers are prone to quirky short pieces and have a mastery of the literary quickpivot. Andrea Kneeland. Ben Loory. Stefanie Freele.
The Threepenny Review | Bruno's » Yiyun Li. Charlie Haas. Tobias Wolff. As if you needed to know anything else (and you probably know I am not a sucker for 'big names'), you should know that this will be a mixture of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction (of which I am a sucker).
RADAR | Lexington Club » Ali Liebegott. Kirya Traber. Ali is one of my favorite local poets and is soft-spoken but uber-pungent like a really strong but delicious beverage, and Kirya has been known to spit fire, so I would really love to see them read together. Plus Michelle will be there.
826 Valencia | 826 Valencia » Student readings! Prepare to be blown away. And possibly jealous.
Indie Press Review | The Marsh Mock Cafe » D.W. Lichtenberg. Surprise guest. I have a good feeling about this one.
Emperor Norton Lives | Blue Macaw » This collection of Bay Area iconoclasts is certain to shock you with delight. Why else would Litquake co-founder Jack Boulware be emceeing? Lynn Breedlove. Chicken John Rinaldi.
Top pick: The Threepenny Review
if there were 2 top picks: Anger Management and Revenge
Where I'll be: Bikram Writing @ The Beauty Bar. I'm gonna do some pomes with a group of beautiful ladies getting their nails done and drinking martinis and reading short stories. That doesn't sound too bad either, actually.
:: Phase 3 ::
Bawdy in the Alley | Clarion Alley » This series is outrageous. Porchlight for the sex party scene. With a crowd full of clowns. No, really. Clowns. J. Delicious.
San Quentin | Ritual Coffee » This is one of the reasons I love Litquake. Inmates of the prison have a class called "Finding Your Voice on the Page." Inmate alumni will present readings and talk about their feelings re: this program and its effects on the community.
Indie Fiction Extravaganza | Casa Bonampak » Two Dollar Radio and Manic D Press are pioneers and torch-bearers of the independent publishing world. Then there's Jon Longhi, Joshua Mohr, Alvin Orloff, and Larry-bob Roberts. This will be funny and intense.
Portuguese Artists Colony | Laszlo Bar » These guys do this every month. Their stories range from subtle character development and the dissection of emotions to poignant and hilarious social commentary. Here's an example of their shows. Caitlin Myer. Benjamin Wachs. Leslie Ingham. Daniel Heath. Carey Tennis.
InsideStoryTime | Lone Palm Bar » Emcee James Warner knows how to pick em. Jonathan Keats. Linda Robertson. Here's an example of their shows.
The Rumpus | Latin American Club » This one will be hard to beat. Latin America Club seems like a perfect venue for the monthly variety show. Lit Crawl edition features Stephen Elliott, Isaac Fitzgerald, and Bucky Sinister. Here's an example show. Oh, what? music by Michael Mullen of the Size Queens?!
Canteen Magazine | The Revolution Cafe » Sean Finney, Mia Lipman, and Susan Steinberg are 3 good reasons to do anything. Plus Malena Watrous and Ghita Schwartz.
Tenderloin Reading Series | Doc's Clock » These guys are a year young, but don't let that fool ya. Jonathan Hirsch. Joel Landfield. Joanna Lioce. Chris Moore. Anna Seregina. Here's an example.
Anthemion | Gypsy Honeymoon » This is such an excellent little boutique shop - I saw a reading there once and it was very intimate. Plus this is one of those Litquake's cool shows: writers respond to an antique object. Should be a great demonstration of a potentially lucrative exercise. Gravity Goldberg joins a collection of inneresting folk for this one.
The Believer and McSweeney's | Heart » You love both publications. You also love Matthew Zapruder. What's to lose? Troy Jollimore. Sandra Simonds. Holy poetry!
14 Hills + Eleven Eleven | Muddy's Coffee House » Two impressive, local publications combine forces for a fury of fiction and floetry. Lauren Hamlin. Zara Raab. Loren Rhoads. Here's a 14 Hills party. And here's something from Eleven Eleven.
Top pick: The Rumpus
if there were 2 top picks: The Believer and McSweeney's
Where I'll be: After Quiet Lightning and Bikram Writing, I figure I'll just wing Phase 3. See what happens.
REMEMBER » You can't go wrong. Bring your booklet with you and follow the map. Eat tacos. Stampede!!!
STAY TUNED » I am going to scan the map/guide and load it onto Scribd. I think I might go grocery shopping first, though.
I am going to practice reciting my poems on top of Bernal Hill tonight. Wouldn't it be fun to have a pre-crawl reading party? Answer: Yes, in so many ways. I will be there and would love to see you: 912 658 2333. I don't get texts, however.
Rest up, San Francisco. Or party. Whatever you do, make sure you can crawl tomorrow.
xoxoxox
— Evan
Tomorrow is the largest literary crawl in the world. Ever, as in, across space and time. 400 or so authors, 65 venues, 3 and a half hours. You know that part. But what are you going to do about it? What follows is something of a guide and a few suggestions.
But first, a mobile guide to the entire crawl.
:: Phase 1 ::
Ashcan Magazine in Clarion Alley » There is something about literature in an alley that is just right. Plus I'm a fan of Jim Nelson and Doctor Popular.
BARtab at Martuni's » Meliza Banales and Kirk Read should pretty much ensure that this is outrageous.
Babylon Salon | Mina Dresden Gallery » High-quality authors in a fantastic, open space. Here's an example of one of their shows.
Why There Are Words | Artzone 461 » Two words: Tom Barbash. Here's an example.
ZYZZYVA | Elixir » Howard Junker released a novel this year? How come I didn't know this? I'm fairly outraged. Oh yeah, M.G. Martin's pretty much the most talented person in the universe. I have no idea what to expect from this group, but it should be interesting and perhaps the most wide-ranging of events in Phase 1.
BANG OUT | Double Dutch » This series is always high-octane, even when the pieces aren't in-your-face. Here's an example of one of their shows.
Small Desk Press | Adobe Books » I just have so much faith in SDP. They put out great books. Plus you're probably also in love with Sarah Fran Wisby.
Quiet Lightning | Gestalt » What is there to say? We have Sam Sax. 13 authors back to back to back to back et ceteranium to your cranium. That's all it is. Here's one of our shows.
Instant City | Dalva » Joshua Citrak. Andrew Dugas. Rob McLaughlin. Plus you're sure to enjoy a Gravity Goldberg sighting. Readings form the release of Issue #7.
Narrative Magazine | The Lab » Editor Carol Edgarian emcees a host of big name readers in an appropriately classy venue. Pia Z. Ehrhardt, for one. From Narrative Night 2010.
Counterpoint Press | Muddy Waters » This is going to be a quality all-around session, with "tales of television, religion, murder, and revolution."
Significant Objects | Root Division » Beth Lisick. Chris Colin. I have no idea what's going on here but I promise it will be thrilling.
Ambush Review | 18 Reasons » Primal meets new-age in the form of poetry. Check out Ana Elsner.
Top pick: Quiet Lightning
if there were 2 top picks: Instant City
Where I'll be: I host Quiet Lightning with Rajshree Chauhan.
:: Phase 2 ::
Own Your Story | Clarion Alley » Joe Loya started and will read in this series to engage the community in personal storytelling. Also featuring Cassandra Dallett and Wendy Merrill.
Mystery and Mayhem | Mission Police Station » Michelle Gagnon and Seth Harwood, but also the fact that it's in a police station. Trust me on that one - I've been many times. In the right circumstance, they're pretty neat. Mystery and Mayhem!
SF Writer's Grotto | Elbo Room, upstairs » Gerard Jones and Elizabeth Bernstein will emcee six accomplished Grotto-ites, including Kathryn Ma, James Nestor, and Justine Sharrock. Every time I've seen someone from the Grotto I've been impressed. And usually pleased.
Anger Management and Revenge | Elbo Room, downstairs » Nic Alea. Paul Corman-Roberts. Charlie Getter. Amy Glasenapp. H.K. Rainey. Jezebel Delilah X. Here's another one of their shows. This is one of the best collections of talent in the whole Crawl.
Corium Magazine | Sub/Mission Art Space » These writers are prone to quirky short pieces and have a mastery of the literary quickpivot. Andrea Kneeland. Ben Loory. Stefanie Freele.
The Threepenny Review | Bruno's » Yiyun Li. Charlie Haas. Tobias Wolff. As if you needed to know anything else (and you probably know I am not a sucker for 'big names'), you should know that this will be a mixture of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction (of which I am a sucker).
RADAR | Lexington Club » Ali Liebegott. Kirya Traber. Ali is one of my favorite local poets and is soft-spoken but uber-pungent like a really strong but delicious beverage, and Kirya has been known to spit fire, so I would really love to see them read together. Plus Michelle will be there.
826 Valencia | 826 Valencia » Student readings! Prepare to be blown away. And possibly jealous.
Indie Press Review | The Marsh Mock Cafe » D.W. Lichtenberg. Surprise guest. I have a good feeling about this one.
Emperor Norton Lives | Blue Macaw » This collection of Bay Area iconoclasts is certain to shock you with delight. Why else would Litquake co-founder Jack Boulware be emceeing? Lynn Breedlove. Chicken John Rinaldi.
Top pick: The Threepenny Review
if there were 2 top picks: Anger Management and Revenge
Where I'll be: Bikram Writing @ The Beauty Bar. I'm gonna do some pomes with a group of beautiful ladies getting their nails done and drinking martinis and reading short stories. That doesn't sound too bad either, actually.
:: Phase 3 ::
Bawdy in the Alley | Clarion Alley » This series is outrageous. Porchlight for the sex party scene. With a crowd full of clowns. No, really. Clowns. J. Delicious.
San Quentin | Ritual Coffee » This is one of the reasons I love Litquake. Inmates of the prison have a class called "Finding Your Voice on the Page." Inmate alumni will present readings and talk about their feelings re: this program and its effects on the community.
Indie Fiction Extravaganza | Casa Bonampak » Two Dollar Radio and Manic D Press are pioneers and torch-bearers of the independent publishing world. Then there's Jon Longhi, Joshua Mohr, Alvin Orloff, and Larry-bob Roberts. This will be funny and intense.
Portuguese Artists Colony | Laszlo Bar » These guys do this every month. Their stories range from subtle character development and the dissection of emotions to poignant and hilarious social commentary. Here's an example of their shows. Caitlin Myer. Benjamin Wachs. Leslie Ingham. Daniel Heath. Carey Tennis.
InsideStoryTime | Lone Palm Bar » Emcee James Warner knows how to pick em. Jonathan Keats. Linda Robertson. Here's an example of their shows.
The Rumpus | Latin American Club » This one will be hard to beat. Latin America Club seems like a perfect venue for the monthly variety show. Lit Crawl edition features Stephen Elliott, Isaac Fitzgerald, and Bucky Sinister. Here's an example show. Oh, what? music by Michael Mullen of the Size Queens?!
Canteen Magazine | The Revolution Cafe » Sean Finney, Mia Lipman, and Susan Steinberg are 3 good reasons to do anything. Plus Malena Watrous and Ghita Schwartz.
Tenderloin Reading Series | Doc's Clock » These guys are a year young, but don't let that fool ya. Jonathan Hirsch. Joel Landfield. Joanna Lioce. Chris Moore. Anna Seregina. Here's an example.
Anthemion | Gypsy Honeymoon » This is such an excellent little boutique shop - I saw a reading there once and it was very intimate. Plus this is one of those Litquake's cool shows: writers respond to an antique object. Should be a great demonstration of a potentially lucrative exercise. Gravity Goldberg joins a collection of inneresting folk for this one.
The Believer and McSweeney's | Heart » You love both publications. You also love Matthew Zapruder. What's to lose? Troy Jollimore. Sandra Simonds. Holy poetry!
14 Hills + Eleven Eleven | Muddy's Coffee House » Two impressive, local publications combine forces for a fury of fiction and floetry. Lauren Hamlin. Zara Raab. Loren Rhoads. Here's a 14 Hills party. And here's something from Eleven Eleven.
Top pick: The Rumpus
if there were 2 top picks: The Believer and McSweeney's
Where I'll be: After Quiet Lightning and Bikram Writing, I figure I'll just wing Phase 3. See what happens.
REMEMBER » You can't go wrong. Bring your booklet with you and follow the map. Eat tacos. Stampede!!!
STAY TUNED » I am going to scan the map/guide and load it onto Scribd. I think I might go grocery shopping first, though.
I am going to practice reciting my poems on top of Bernal Hill tonight. Wouldn't it be fun to have a pre-crawl reading party? Answer: Yes, in so many ways. I will be there and would love to see you: 912 658 2333. I don't get texts, however.
Rest up, San Francisco. Or party. Whatever you do, make sure you can crawl tomorrow.
xoxoxox
— Evan
Stories on Stage, Poems on the Street Corner
Last night I met recent MacArthur Genius Award recipient Yiyun Li right after she watched her short story “Souvenir,” from Gold Boy, Emerald Girl acted out on stage at the Berkeley Rep. Ms. Li did not know me but I recognized her and immediately after the show I walked up to her (actually, I was walking up to Alia Volz, who was sitting right in front of her, but Yiyun got up first) and I asked, “What did you think?"
I had deduced before the show, talking to New Yorker top 20 under 40 author Daniel Alarcon, that these artists did not know anything about the proceedings. “Are you excited,” I asked him. “I’m curious. I have no idea what’s going to happen.”
Li responded: “I thought it was exceptional. I had no idea there were going to be multiple actors.”
Like July’s shindig with Christopher Moore at the Brava Theater, for which ACT had some of their actors read from the author’s recent book, a group of 6 actors took the stage to read a story apiece by each of the aforementioned authors and one by Mr. Daniel Handler. Produced by San Jose, who is co-founder of Intersection for the Arts’ award-winning resident theater company Campo Santo, the stories were broken into lines not demarcated by punctuation or even character shift.
As the actors delivered the lines of the authors, I couldn’t help but desire to one day write something good enough to be read by actors on a stage. It felt like The Big Time. The lines were broken up to emphasize different aspects not only of the characters themselves but also of the text, the story. It was very clever and in fact more often than not elucidated the stories in a way that would not be as apparent on the page.
In this interview I conducted with author Matt Stewart in August, he said: “This is a time when publishing hasn’t really evolved like other industries. And I think the book is a terrific art form. But I think we’re looking at a generation that expects more bells and whistles.” Last night it was resounding: bells and whistles can in fact enhance our writing – not just adorn it. Here’s a far lesser but still debatably good example.
I can’t stress to you how much I enjoyed this production. I thought the stories were all excellent, and again (I really can’t stress this enough) San Jose’s decisions were profoundly affecting, even down to the order in which they were read (Alarcon, Li, Handler). I have the videos but am not sure we have clearance from the actors, so stand by. I do not accept bribes (but you should offer. I'd love to watch them with you).
What did I do afterward? Sure, Litquake was over for the evening. But was I through with Litquake? Well, kinda … I went to 16th and Mission, where every Thursday for almost the past 7 years now a devoted group of poets and musicians convene between 10pm and midnite to share a circle in which anyone who wants to express him or her self can so do … so long as they can get into the circle (there is no order and there are essentially no rules). Here’s a video I made from 3 weeks ago. It was a pretty random sampling, and I apologize for being in there myself …
It was packed last night, and people were well-behaved (if not over-zealous to jump in). Charlie Getter, who was one of the founders of this unofficial congregation, has a tendency to say, when people are chomping at the bit to do their bit, “Don’t be vultures.” I looked around and saw over 100 people, mostly youngsters (and by that, people, I mean younger than my 28), and I wondered how many of them even knew about Litquake. I would say probably – and this is only a guess – no more than 25%.
What struck me though was how strongly this scene was flourishing without any knowledge of what they might do with their words. This scene is an important forum, for as my friend (and poet, or probably it’s the other way around) Andrew Paul Nelson said, and I paraphrase: “Without a place to share art it becomes neurosis, and that’s why I support the corner. It has to be public.” And some of the street poets who just last year had only recited their hearts there, at 16th and Mission, have spent the year climbing up the literary ladder and onto their own stages; some conduct reading series; some, oh lord, some are going to steal the show in Saturday’s Lit Crawl. I promise you that.
I stood there in my vest and tie and lavender button down shirt - it’s not important, but it wasn’t out of place either, even though the homeless weren’t out of place (and far from that, I’d say – they were home), and the drug addicts were not out of place …
I stood there and I filmed these young poets who do not have ambitions beyond expression, I filmed them with no intentions myself and I thought about Ms. Li, who again has just won a prize for being a genius, for that ultimate accomplishment wherein one is supported for the creation they have already achieved so that they may produce even more of it for the good of society, I thought of her sitting in the back of the Berkeley Rep watching these actors read one of her stories and smiling, and I remembered being in kindergarten. I remembered cutting up different colors of construction paper with plastic green scissors for my favorite teacher, even then having moments of what am I doing. I remembered graham crackers and apple juice and simply chewing. This is just like a poem I’ve written, only not as good.
What I want to say is that I saw two ends of the spectrum last night, and I know everyone comes from a different place but I also know we are what we make ourselves. I don’t know what these artists eat for breakfast and I don’t know what books they read; I do know, however, that a star shines in all of their eyes, and when it twinkles we see ourselves and lean over into one another’s ears because it’s exactly what we are trying to say.
— Evan
I had deduced before the show, talking to New Yorker top 20 under 40 author Daniel Alarcon, that these artists did not know anything about the proceedings. “Are you excited,” I asked him. “I’m curious. I have no idea what’s going to happen.”
Li responded: “I thought it was exceptional. I had no idea there were going to be multiple actors.”
Like July’s shindig with Christopher Moore at the Brava Theater, for which ACT had some of their actors read from the author’s recent book, a group of 6 actors took the stage to read a story apiece by each of the aforementioned authors and one by Mr. Daniel Handler. Produced by San Jose, who is co-founder of Intersection for the Arts’ award-winning resident theater company Campo Santo, the stories were broken into lines not demarcated by punctuation or even character shift.
As the actors delivered the lines of the authors, I couldn’t help but desire to one day write something good enough to be read by actors on a stage. It felt like The Big Time. The lines were broken up to emphasize different aspects not only of the characters themselves but also of the text, the story. It was very clever and in fact more often than not elucidated the stories in a way that would not be as apparent on the page.
In this interview I conducted with author Matt Stewart in August, he said: “This is a time when publishing hasn’t really evolved like other industries. And I think the book is a terrific art form. But I think we’re looking at a generation that expects more bells and whistles.” Last night it was resounding: bells and whistles can in fact enhance our writing – not just adorn it. Here’s a far lesser but still debatably good example.
I can’t stress to you how much I enjoyed this production. I thought the stories were all excellent, and again (I really can’t stress this enough) San Jose’s decisions were profoundly affecting, even down to the order in which they were read (Alarcon, Li, Handler). I have the videos but am not sure we have clearance from the actors, so stand by. I do not accept bribes (but you should offer. I'd love to watch them with you).
What did I do afterward? Sure, Litquake was over for the evening. But was I through with Litquake? Well, kinda … I went to 16th and Mission, where every Thursday for almost the past 7 years now a devoted group of poets and musicians convene between 10pm and midnite to share a circle in which anyone who wants to express him or her self can so do … so long as they can get into the circle (there is no order and there are essentially no rules). Here’s a video I made from 3 weeks ago. It was a pretty random sampling, and I apologize for being in there myself …
It was packed last night, and people were well-behaved (if not over-zealous to jump in). Charlie Getter, who was one of the founders of this unofficial congregation, has a tendency to say, when people are chomping at the bit to do their bit, “Don’t be vultures.” I looked around and saw over 100 people, mostly youngsters (and by that, people, I mean younger than my 28), and I wondered how many of them even knew about Litquake. I would say probably – and this is only a guess – no more than 25%.
What struck me though was how strongly this scene was flourishing without any knowledge of what they might do with their words. This scene is an important forum, for as my friend (and poet, or probably it’s the other way around) Andrew Paul Nelson said, and I paraphrase: “Without a place to share art it becomes neurosis, and that’s why I support the corner. It has to be public.” And some of the street poets who just last year had only recited their hearts there, at 16th and Mission, have spent the year climbing up the literary ladder and onto their own stages; some conduct reading series; some, oh lord, some are going to steal the show in Saturday’s Lit Crawl. I promise you that.
I stood there in my vest and tie and lavender button down shirt - it’s not important, but it wasn’t out of place either, even though the homeless weren’t out of place (and far from that, I’d say – they were home), and the drug addicts were not out of place …
I stood there and I filmed these young poets who do not have ambitions beyond expression, I filmed them with no intentions myself and I thought about Ms. Li, who again has just won a prize for being a genius, for that ultimate accomplishment wherein one is supported for the creation they have already achieved so that they may produce even more of it for the good of society, I thought of her sitting in the back of the Berkeley Rep watching these actors read one of her stories and smiling, and I remembered being in kindergarten. I remembered cutting up different colors of construction paper with plastic green scissors for my favorite teacher, even then having moments of what am I doing. I remembered graham crackers and apple juice and simply chewing. This is just like a poem I’ve written, only not as good.
What I want to say is that I saw two ends of the spectrum last night, and I know everyone comes from a different place but I also know we are what we make ourselves. I don’t know what these artists eat for breakfast and I don’t know what books they read; I do know, however, that a star shines in all of their eyes, and when it twinkles we see ourselves and lean over into one another’s ears because it’s exactly what we are trying to say.
— Evan
jueves, 7 de octubre de 2010
Tao Lin and Tomorrow
Because I don't have a car and getting to Park Chalet for Surf Lit would have been nearly impossible, I biked straight down to the Haight, to Booksmith, to see Tao Lin read. Now I have neither read nor seen Mr. Lin before, but I am an avid reader of the Daily Rumpus and quite a Stephen Elliott fan, as those of you who know me know, and Stephen is rather fond of Lin and speaks of him often. So I went to check it out.
Actually, I also forewent A Feast of Words: A Storytelling Potluck and also Original Shorts: Bottom Up, which included stories from my friends James Warner and Shanthi Sekaran. In other words, it was a tough decision. As you can see in the videos below, Lin read for only 6 minutes, and his Q&A, while more informative than his reading, was overly affected and not very sincere. I was pretty disappointed for the subsequent hour or so, honestly. But it got me to thinking …
Lin's performance, as Charles Kruger pointed out to me after having seen him at Radar yesterday, is very similar to what you might expect from a smart child trying to express himself; so simplistic yet mysterious in delivery, it is difficult and sometimes seemingly not worth it to figure out what he's trying to say. Because I don't think — and I think he would agree with this — I don't think that he's really trying to say anything.
When asked if his writing was culturally significant because it's accessible, for instance, he replied that his writing is not culturally significant … or accessible. "I didn't really think about that." One audience member asked how his use of Gmail-Chat affected his writing of the novel: "Was it a joke or was there something more to it?"
This question really reverberates for me, as though it stands for the whole presentation. I see this event as something of a performance piece, a marketing tool, something to help sell the book. And while that's clearly what author readings are, you don't normally wander into one this … strange or compelling. Again, I was pretty outraged. But it begs the question: am I inclined to read the man's book(s). Yes. But why?
What I value is honesty and hard work. I don't want you to sell me something. What I want is prose that makes me say hot damn, that makes me stop what I'm doing and leave the room because I'm too inspired to hear or see anything that is not of my own choosing.
What I see here is an interesting equilibrium trying to form between being popular/understanding how to communicate, and actually having something to say. For me, in a certain small circle in San Francisco, there are a lot of people who want to listen to me, who shut up when I'm in front of the microphone. Why is this? I haven't published any stories or poems; I never really claimed to have anything to say; I spend all my time filming other people. Is Presence enough to instruct us? What I'm wondering is if Tao Lin has something to say or if he just knows how and when to comment on blogs and how to speak to a generation of people who spend all their time doing so.
Check out his blog. He's asked people to identify what drug he was on during this reading. There is a long and somewhat ridiculous conversation going on over there. Some good points are raised, particularly the one in which @Andy has recommended Lin present himself with a modicum of self-respect. I don't know how far that gets you these days. Last night in Phone Booth talking with Kruger and Andrew Paul Nelson, Kruger said that writers in this country aren't respected because there are no patrons anymore and we are all poor—look at Bukowski, he said. People respect the poor lowlife artist, the one who is a loud and proud degenerate (that summation is my own). Where/Who is the modern writer with self-respect that has an impact on the current generation? (Oh, there are plenty, I would argue. But can you name some?)
Maybe I'll pick up a book by Tao Lin some time. The man made me think. Thanks, Tao Lin.
Tao Lin reads from Richard Yates
Tao Lin Q&A
The Booksmith did a live-stream of the whole event
I'm currently rendering videos from the panel: Virtual Reality: The Effect of Fiction on Your Mind and from Porchlight: Tales of Hollywood Hell. I've actually already out-rendered my video capacity for the week on Vimeo, even though the week starts on Wednesday and I have a Plus account, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all these videos. Can you wait until next week? I'm also loading Lit on the Lake and Charles is loading vids from Bawdy Storytelling.
Speaking of additional coverage, check out these fine reports (with additional video) by Mr. Kruger:
His thoughts on the Barbary Coast Award ceremony
The Literary Tour Stops Here
Stay tuned for coverage of Surf Lit, Radar and Bawdy
Now, here's what's up on Friday, the last day before the crawl!
(stay tuned for crawl suggestions)
Jonathan Lethem on Chronic City,11 am-12:30 pm. Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street, San Francisco. Admission: $20 general public, $17 JCC members, $10 students, available only through subscription at jccsf.org
TeenCrawl, 1-7 pm. Various locations.
Published Teen Authors Panel, 1-3 pm: San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium, Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco. Admission: Free for school groups—teachers must sign their classes up in advance.
Writing Workshops, 3-5 pm: San Francisco Public Library’s Teen Center, Main Branch, 100 Larkin St., 3rd Floor, San Francisco. Free. Taught by rganizations working with Bay Area youth to encourage their literary pursuits, including WritersCorps, Streetside Stories, and contributors from the recently published 826 Valencia Young Authors’ Book Project, We the Dreamers.
Not Your Mother’s Book Club, 5-7 pm: Books Inc. Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Free.
Kristen Tracy, Cameron Tuttle, Katie Williams
Life, Death, Love, Lies…and Cupcakes: Litquake’s All-Memoir Women’s Night, 6:30 pm (Doors open at 6 pm). Hotel Monaco, Paris Ballroom, 501 Geary St., San Francisco. Admission: $5-10 donations requested. No host bar. 21 and over.
It’s All Over But the Crying: A Night of Authors on Sports, 7 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm). Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk Street, San Francisco. Admission: $10 in advance at brownpapertickets.com.
Litquake in the Bikestore: David V. Herlihy at Public Bikes, 7 pm. Public Bikes, 123 South Park Avenue, San Francisco. Free
Litquake in the Bookstore: Steve Roby and Brad Schreiber at Book Passage, Corte Madera, 7 pm. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera. Free
The Expert’s Mind: Across Bodies, 7:30 pm. LGBT Center, Andrew Spencer Ceremonial Room. 1800 Market St., San Francisco. Admission: $10-20 online.
You could have checked that last part out here. But you probably know that.
(I'm having a hard time deciding between Litquake's All-Memoir Women's Night and It's All Over But the Crying. Because on one hand I love Alan Black and David Henry Sterry, but on the other hand I hate sports (that hasn't always been the case, so lay off). Plus, as I said earlier, Litquake (I mean Jane Ganahl?) always puts together a quality all-women's night. They call it, in Jack Boulware's words, the estro-fest. Or the testro-fest. What are you doing?
—Evan
ps. a quick addendum as I run out the door:
Tao had this to say in response: "'What I’m wondering is if Tao Lin has something to say or if he just knows how and when to comment on blogs and how to speak to a generation of people who spend all their time doing so.' I think i say most accurately what i want to say in my books. i'm able to, and do, edit a book hundreds of times. That is where what i want to say can be found."
And Charles wanted clarification: "I am complimented that you quoted me about his "childlike" qualities but I want to clarify. I do not think he was like a "smart child" (that sounds belittling); I think he has found an authentic childlike voice in writing like Picasso and other modernists found a childlike vision in painting. My intent is to be very complimentary and I fear you didn't capture that.
I think Tao Lin's ability to capture child-like simplicity of vision and diction is astonishing and extremely potent. It gives a mystery and depth to the writing because it seems closely connected to something primal.
I think that what he is saying is less important than the way he is saying it - he is using that childlike mentation to evoke something like it in the reader and I suspect that is the point. It is not information he is conveying so much as the experience of a certain way of being in one's mind.
Hearing him read, for me, was like taking a mind-altering drug.
I thought this was brilliant.
I have now enabled comments on this post. I'm not sure if that's cool with the Litquake committee, so get them in while you can!
Actually, I also forewent A Feast of Words: A Storytelling Potluck and also Original Shorts: Bottom Up, which included stories from my friends James Warner and Shanthi Sekaran. In other words, it was a tough decision. As you can see in the videos below, Lin read for only 6 minutes, and his Q&A, while more informative than his reading, was overly affected and not very sincere. I was pretty disappointed for the subsequent hour or so, honestly. But it got me to thinking …
Lin's performance, as Charles Kruger pointed out to me after having seen him at Radar yesterday, is very similar to what you might expect from a smart child trying to express himself; so simplistic yet mysterious in delivery, it is difficult and sometimes seemingly not worth it to figure out what he's trying to say. Because I don't think — and I think he would agree with this — I don't think that he's really trying to say anything.
When asked if his writing was culturally significant because it's accessible, for instance, he replied that his writing is not culturally significant … or accessible. "I didn't really think about that." One audience member asked how his use of Gmail-Chat affected his writing of the novel: "Was it a joke or was there something more to it?"
This question really reverberates for me, as though it stands for the whole presentation. I see this event as something of a performance piece, a marketing tool, something to help sell the book. And while that's clearly what author readings are, you don't normally wander into one this … strange or compelling. Again, I was pretty outraged. But it begs the question: am I inclined to read the man's book(s). Yes. But why?
What I value is honesty and hard work. I don't want you to sell me something. What I want is prose that makes me say hot damn, that makes me stop what I'm doing and leave the room because I'm too inspired to hear or see anything that is not of my own choosing.
What I see here is an interesting equilibrium trying to form between being popular/understanding how to communicate, and actually having something to say. For me, in a certain small circle in San Francisco, there are a lot of people who want to listen to me, who shut up when I'm in front of the microphone. Why is this? I haven't published any stories or poems; I never really claimed to have anything to say; I spend all my time filming other people. Is Presence enough to instruct us? What I'm wondering is if Tao Lin has something to say or if he just knows how and when to comment on blogs and how to speak to a generation of people who spend all their time doing so.
Check out his blog. He's asked people to identify what drug he was on during this reading. There is a long and somewhat ridiculous conversation going on over there. Some good points are raised, particularly the one in which @Andy has recommended Lin present himself with a modicum of self-respect. I don't know how far that gets you these days. Last night in Phone Booth talking with Kruger and Andrew Paul Nelson, Kruger said that writers in this country aren't respected because there are no patrons anymore and we are all poor—look at Bukowski, he said. People respect the poor lowlife artist, the one who is a loud and proud degenerate (that summation is my own). Where/Who is the modern writer with self-respect that has an impact on the current generation? (Oh, there are plenty, I would argue. But can you name some?)
Maybe I'll pick up a book by Tao Lin some time. The man made me think. Thanks, Tao Lin.
Tao Lin reads from Richard Yates
Tao Lin Q&A
The Booksmith did a live-stream of the whole event
I'm currently rendering videos from the panel: Virtual Reality: The Effect of Fiction on Your Mind and from Porchlight: Tales of Hollywood Hell. I've actually already out-rendered my video capacity for the week on Vimeo, even though the week starts on Wednesday and I have a Plus account, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all these videos. Can you wait until next week? I'm also loading Lit on the Lake and Charles is loading vids from Bawdy Storytelling.
Speaking of additional coverage, check out these fine reports (with additional video) by Mr. Kruger:
His thoughts on the Barbary Coast Award ceremony
The Literary Tour Stops Here
Stay tuned for coverage of Surf Lit, Radar and Bawdy
Now, here's what's up on Friday, the last day before the crawl!
(stay tuned for crawl suggestions)
Jonathan Lethem on Chronic City,11 am-12:30 pm. Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street, San Francisco. Admission: $20 general public, $17 JCC members, $10 students, available only through subscription at jccsf.org
TeenCrawl, 1-7 pm. Various locations.
Published Teen Authors Panel, 1-3 pm: San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium, Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco. Admission: Free for school groups—teachers must sign their classes up in advance.
Writing Workshops, 3-5 pm: San Francisco Public Library’s Teen Center, Main Branch, 100 Larkin St., 3rd Floor, San Francisco. Free. Taught by rganizations working with Bay Area youth to encourage their literary pursuits, including WritersCorps, Streetside Stories, and contributors from the recently published 826 Valencia Young Authors’ Book Project, We the Dreamers.
Not Your Mother’s Book Club, 5-7 pm: Books Inc. Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Free.
Kristen Tracy, Cameron Tuttle, Katie Williams
Life, Death, Love, Lies…and Cupcakes: Litquake’s All-Memoir Women’s Night, 6:30 pm (Doors open at 6 pm). Hotel Monaco, Paris Ballroom, 501 Geary St., San Francisco. Admission: $5-10 donations requested. No host bar. 21 and over.
It’s All Over But the Crying: A Night of Authors on Sports, 7 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm). Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk Street, San Francisco. Admission: $10 in advance at brownpapertickets.com.
Litquake in the Bikestore: David V. Herlihy at Public Bikes, 7 pm. Public Bikes, 123 South Park Avenue, San Francisco. Free
Litquake in the Bookstore: Steve Roby and Brad Schreiber at Book Passage, Corte Madera, 7 pm. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera. Free
The Expert’s Mind: Across Bodies, 7:30 pm. LGBT Center, Andrew Spencer Ceremonial Room. 1800 Market St., San Francisco. Admission: $10-20 online.
You could have checked that last part out here. But you probably know that.
(I'm having a hard time deciding between Litquake's All-Memoir Women's Night and It's All Over But the Crying. Because on one hand I love Alan Black and David Henry Sterry, but on the other hand I hate sports (that hasn't always been the case, so lay off). Plus, as I said earlier, Litquake (I mean Jane Ganahl?) always puts together a quality all-women's night. They call it, in Jack Boulware's words, the estro-fest. Or the testro-fest. What are you doing?
—Evan
ps. a quick addendum as I run out the door:
Tao had this to say in response: "'What I’m wondering is if Tao Lin has something to say or if he just knows how and when to comment on blogs and how to speak to a generation of people who spend all their time doing so.' I think i say most accurately what i want to say in my books. i'm able to, and do, edit a book hundreds of times. That is where what i want to say can be found."
And Charles wanted clarification: "I am complimented that you quoted me about his "childlike" qualities but I want to clarify. I do not think he was like a "smart child" (that sounds belittling); I think he has found an authentic childlike voice in writing like Picasso and other modernists found a childlike vision in painting. My intent is to be very complimentary and I fear you didn't capture that.
I think Tao Lin's ability to capture child-like simplicity of vision and diction is astonishing and extremely potent. It gives a mystery and depth to the writing because it seems closely connected to something primal.
I think that what he is saying is less important than the way he is saying it - he is using that childlike mentation to evoke something like it in the reader and I suspect that is the point. It is not information he is conveying so much as the experience of a certain way of being in one's mind.
Hearing him read, for me, was like taking a mind-altering drug.
I thought this was brilliant.
I have now enabled comments on this post. I'm not sure if that's cool with the Litquake committee, so get them in while you can!
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