Reggae musician Matisyahu made his first visit to the 92nd Street Y last Tuesday in a discussion moderated by Thane Rosenbaum to talk about his development as an artist, his latest record, Light, and the fusion of his various musical styles. The highlight of evening for the Panel Nerds, who were here covering the event for Mediaite, was Matisyahu’s collaboration with the PS 22 Children’s Chorus:
“...a group of a couple dozen 5th graders from Staten Island. The PS 22 Children’s Chorus joined the singer on stage for “One Day” and “On Nature”. Quickly, the feel of the evening shifted to that of a 5th grade choir performance, with Matisyahu in a guest role; the kids instantly upstaged their influence and ambassador.
When talk turned to his time with the children, Matisyahu lovingly noted: “If you ask them what they want to be, they want to be ninjas. I tell them they can do it: You can be the first Hasidic ninja.”
The line-up of writers for the PEN World Voices Festival, a week-long celebration of books and writing from around the globe, featuring 50+ events, 150 writers, and 40 countries, has been announced.
Celebrate opening night of the sixth-annual PEN World Voices Festival at the 92nd Street Y on Apr, 28 with an evening of readings featuring an extraordinary lineup of internationally acclaimed writers: Mohsin Hamid, László Krasznahorkai, Andrea Levy, Yiyun Li, Daniele Mastrogiacomo, Sofi Oksanen, Atiq Rahimi, Salman Rushdie, Alberto Ruy-Sanchez, Patti Smith, Andrzej Stasiuk and Miguel Syjuco. Tickets for opening night can be purchased here or by calling or (212) 868-4444.
Downtown Fixture Yoshiko Chuma Comes Uptown For Harkness Dance Festival
Jon Kinzel in Rehearsal with School of Hard Knocks / Photo Credit: Ayumi Sakamoto
Choreographer Yoshiko Chuma, defined as “a fixture on New York’s downtown scene for over a quarter- century,” by Bloomberg, is director of the Bessie Award winning performance art group The School of Hard Knocks. As part of the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Festival, they are performing this weekend, in what the New York Press described as an “ongoing cross-cultural adventure.”
Her feisty, unpredictable troupe, the School of Hard Knocks, is usually found is less established settings. But this program, presented as part of the Y’s Harkness Dance Festival, fits in nicely with the festival’s focus on choreographic mentors welcoming and nurturing the works of their protégés.
[...]
Chuma was inspired by Sayonara Gangsters, a 1982 novel by Genichiro Takahashi. In a recent phone interview from Japan, where she was developing Hold the Clock through performances in various cities, she explained that she met the author recently, and first read the book last September. Takahashi was arrested as a student radical and spent half a year in prison, a harrowing experience that rendered him incapable of reading or writing for several years. “The author is of same generation as I am. It’s a very sensational novel, based on what was going on 1960s and ‘70s—the younger generation, very involved with a lot of political movements around that time. This book is very crazy, chaotic—it’s difficult to follow the story. He gave it to me and said I can use it any way. I can transform, change.”
"I feel that every performance is new-wherever my work is performed,” Chuma told Dance Magazine online, “it is never the same.”
The “ongoing cross-cultural adventure” that is Yoshiko Chuma’s A Page Out of Order arrives at 92Y this Fri, Mar 19, with performances on Sat and Sun. Tickets are available here.
View a full set of photos from a rehearsal with Yoshiko Chuma and The School of Hard Knocks on Ayumi Sakamoto’s Flickr.
As part of the Greenmarket‘s Educated Eater Series last weekend at 92YTribeca, Alex and Stephanie Villani from Blue Moon Fish in Mattituck, NY; Christopher M. Moore, Chief of the Partnerships and Communications Division in the office of Sustainable Fisheries at NOAA Fisheries Service; and Niaz Dorry, Director of the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA) participated in the panel: Off the Hook: Why Local Seafood is Sustainable. The discussion was moderated by Colin Alevras, former Chef of the Tasting Room and currently Beverage Director for David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants.
Upcoming Daytime Talks at 92YTribeca:
The Brazilian Kitchen with Leticia Moreinos Schwartz: Mar 19
A New Job or Career After 50: What You Need to Know: Mar 23
Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices: Mar 24
Author Alexandra Zissu on How To Have A Conscious Kitchen: Apr 1
Raquel Welch Still Causing A Commotion Wherever She Goes
Golden Globe winning actress Raquel Welch was in Chicago earlier this month taping a segment for the Oprah Winfrey show. Upon departing at O’Hare International Airport, she caused a little commotion. The Huffington Post wrote:
On her way back to Los Angeles, the actress, whose saucy poster for the film “One Million Years B.C.” launched her to fame in 1966, was held up at security. The cause: her bustier, which she said “is lined with little strips of metal,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The officers were “absolutely lovely,” Welch’s publicist said, and added that Welch “was laughing.”
What’s more, Raquel’s the author of a new book: Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage. There is a joke waiting to be made here, but we are not going to be the ones to make it!
On Apr 1, hear more about Raquel Welch when she appears at the 92nd Street Y to discuss her Hollywood career, her internal struggle to age gracefully in the spotlight, and her role as “sex symbol.” Afterwards, she will sign copies of her book, Beyond the Cleavage. Tickets are available here.
Also coming up at 92Y: Laura Linney in Conversation with Jordan Roth on Mar 28, part of the Broadway Talks at 92Y series.
Rose & Nangabire Work-in-Progress Screening: Co-presented by Chicken & Egg Pictures and Working Films. Directors Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel will be in discussion with moderator Robert West.
Music: Maggie Moore with Geoffrey Kiorpes for a rare performance of original pop/jazz and eclectic covers songs. Joined on stage by Gail Ann Dorsey (bassist for David Bowie) debuting on drums and Alyson Palmer of the band BETTY on bass.
“Men are like another species, they’re really hard to get through to.” Oh girl, you’re telling me! If only we could rap. Sigh.
In an infamous and wicked rad video clip from the 80’s cult classic movie Teen Witch, posted at Gawker.TV yesterday, we get to see this scenario play out in real life (in a real life movie). The cringe-worthy clip features the film’s stars rapping to some of the hottest beats produced by a synthesizer and toy drum machine kit. “The lip-synced rap is so awful and catchy,” Gawker.TV opined, not mincing words, “it must be witchcraft. Blame it on the boogie-magic.”
Well, hindsight is 20/20. If you want to relieve these glory years, stop by 92YTribeca next Fri, Mar 26 when brother-sister comedy duo Eliot and Ilana Glazer host a Teen Witch sing-along, part of our Sing-along series.
What You Missed: Chocolate Fest: A Walk-Around Tasting
L-R: Emily from Baking Foir Good, Bar Chocolate from Guittard, Cacao Pod, “Divalicious” Chocolate Fountain
We had an abundance of delicious gourmet chocolate concoctions at the 92nd Street Y on Sunday for Chocolate Fest 2010, including Gelato from Grom, Gourmet cupcakes from Sweet Revenge, animal confections from LA Burdick, and more.
We have other delectable chocolate events and tastings coming up if you missed this one. Apr 28 brings the SoHo Chocolate Tour where you can visit SoHo’s most innovative chocolate shops, taste samples, learn about chocolate and how to cook with it. And the Extreme Chocolate Walking Tour with Alexandra Leaf takes place on Jun 11.
“Discovery"/Boston Review Poetry Contest Winners Announced
Now in its fifth decade, the “Discovery"/Boston Review Poetry Contest is designed to attract large audiences to poets who have not yet published a book. Over the decades this contest has discovered such poets as Marilyn Hacker, Michael Collier, Mary Jo Salter, and Greg Orr.
And now, drum roll please...time to announce the “Discovery"/Boston Review Poetry Contest winners in 2010: Chelsea Jennings, of Seattle, WA; Brandon Kreitler, of Brooklyn, NY; Tanya Olson, of Durham, NC; and Camille Rankine, of New York, NY. Congrats to all!
The contest was judged by Nick Flynn, Susan Howe, and Claudia Rankine. Timothy Donnelly, poetry editor at Boston Review, and Tracy K. Smith served as co-screeners. The winners have been awarded a reading at the Poetry Center, publication in Boston Review, and $500 each. The Joan Leiman Jacobson Poetry Prizes awarded are, for the third year, presented by Boston Review.
The two runners-up are Alyson Sinclair, of Brooklyn, NY; and Jennifer Tamayo, of Baton Rouge, LA.
The winners will read at the 92nd Street Y on May 10.
Last Sunday, Robert Siegel, senior host of NPR’s award-winning evening newsmagazine All Things Considered, interviewed Ted Koppel, current senior news analyst for the BBC and for NPR. During the Q&A session, Ted answered a question from our online audience, where we often solicit questions in advance via Facebook, Twitter, and our blog.
Ted answered a question received at our Facebook fan page from Grace Wing-Yuan Toy, who asked: “Where do you see media going as the Internet has taken over for most Americans’ outlet for news?” The video above leads with Ted’s answer where he speaks about the irrefutable influence of the Internet on news, and sees this as a good thing, but cautions about unverifiable sources and the spread of misinformation.
By way of example, he wryly notes the online description for his 92nd Street Y event stated that he was a six-time Emmy Award winner when in fact, he has won 42 Emmys over his career. We would like to congratulate Ted on his 42 Emmys and appreciate his good-natured outlook on the error. Also thanks to our Facebook fan Grace Wing-Yuan Toy for submitting her question and being a part of the conversation. Because it was selected for use, we will be providing Grace with two tickets to an upcoming event!
The second half of the video contains a great story from Ted’s radio days about giving a ride to Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff with priceless impersonations of both.
We are now taking questions for Lou Dobbs, who will appear next Thu, Mar 25 in conversation with Jeff Greenfield. This is your chance to be a part of the conversation and have your voice heard. Leave your questions here in the comments, and if used on stage, we will provide you with two complimentary tickets to an upcoming event.
Amit Goswami: After a screening of The Quantum Activist, Goswami leads a discussion of consciousness and how re-thinking our beliefs can transform our lives and society.
Indulge your desire for chocolate, it’s good for you. “Very good for you,” reports WebMD.com, though eating more doesn’t necessarily mean that’s better. If you’re going to eat more, you’ll need to cut back on something else. Which is fine by us. We’ll cut back on something else, especially this Sunday. That’s the day of Chocolate Fest 2010: A Walk-Around Tasting.
Kalamansi lime and dark chocolate confections, chocolate-inspired cocktails, single origin chocolate gelato, Equi-trade chocolate bars from Madagascar, and fine Dominican chocolate will all be made available. Representative from a variety of chocolate companies will be on hand to chat with guests and answer their questions; Guittard, Divalicious Chocolate. Madecasse, Pralus, MP Frederick, Confectioner, Chocolat Moderne, Sweet Revenge, GROM, LA Burdick, Taza, Gotham Wines, Rosa Regale Brachetto, Tumbador, Baking for Good, Michel Cluizel will all be represented. The event is hosted by culinary historian Alexandra Leaf. Tickets are available here.
Inside cover of David Foster Wallace’s annotated copy of Don DeLillo’s Players / Harry Ransom Center.
The New York Times ArtsBeat blog reports that the University of Texas has acquired an archive of private papers from the writer David Foster Wallace:
The archive contains drafts of books, stories, essays, poems, letters and research, including the handwritten notes for “Infinite Jest,” the novel that first gained him attention
The Harry Ransom Center at UT has already uploaded some fascinating scans of the material, including heavily and other items such as “poems, stories and letters.” Liberal Arts 2.0 blogger Jason Kottke found it tantalizing.
When Wallace died in 2008, novelist and literary critic James Wood wrote: “Whatever one felt about his work, it was hard to imagine any serious reader of fiction not being intensely interested in what he was going to do next.”
Woods will re-think the work of David Foster Wallace at the 92nd Street Y on Mar 22 where he took on a special assignment —to read a book he’s never read before, then return to the 92Y Poetry Center and discuss it. He chose Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, a collection of short stories by David Foster Wallace.
Tickets can be purchased here, and are just $10 for those 35 and under. There is a complete list of discounted Readings, Concerts, and Talks online here.
Upcoming Readings at 92Y:
Reggae musician Matisyahu made his first visit to the 92nd Street Y last Tuesday in a discussion moderated by Thane Rosenbaum to talk about his development as an artist, his latest record, Light, and the fusion of his various musical styles. The highlight of evening for the 
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Celebrate opening night of the sixth-annual PEN World Voices Festival at the 92nd Street Y 
Her feisty, unpredictable troupe, the School of Hard Knocks, is usually found is less established settings. But this program, presented as part of the Y’s Harkness Dance Festival, fits in nicely with the festival’s focus on choreographic mentors welcoming and nurturing the works of their protégés.
Chuma was inspired by Sayonara Gangsters, a 1982 novel by Genichiro Takahashi. In a recent phone interview from Japan, where she was developing Hold the Clock through performances in various cities, she explained that she met the author recently, and first read the book last September. Takahashi was arrested as a student radical and spent half a year in prison, a harrowing experience that rendered him incapable of reading or writing for several years. “The author is of same generation as I am. It’s a very sensational novel, based on what was going on 1960s and ‘70s—the younger generation, very involved with a lot of political movements around that time. This book is very crazy, chaotic—it’s difficult to follow the story. He gave it to me and said I can use it any way. I can transform, change.”
Subscription tickets to 
Golden Globe winning actress Raquel Welch was in Chicago earlier this month taping a segment for the Oprah Winfrey show. Upon departing at O’Hare International Airport, she caused a little commotion. 
Indulge your desire for chocolate, 
When Wallace died in 2008, novelist and literary critic James Wood wrote: “Whatever one felt about his work, it was hard to imagine any serious reader of fiction not being intensely interested in what he was going to do next.”
