Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Memoirs, Memories

Thank gawd there are still parts of New York that are like New York, as evidenced in the Bowery on 2nd ave near 4th st. The clubs are gritty, the guys sport purple mohawks, the gals dress all sexy/funky, and piercings & tattoos are had by all. After a visit to a thrift shop & a psychic, I was in a perfectly blissed out mood, ripe for a voyeuristic night of listening to memoirs. The KGB Bar's non-fiction Pour Your Heart Out event was remarkably entertaining, as the authors' talents weren't just confined to a page. Each offered humorous and poignant material with just the right amount of punch-sometimes straight to your gut:

  • Trav S.D.: funny, quirky tale of running away from home and a seemingly menacing Ma
  • Clay McLeod Chapman: a mother's loss stirs up passionate pottery
  • Michele Carlo: hysterical and touching peek into Dad's closet contents, and the loss of culture when a great-grandma goes bye bye
  • Anthony Schneider: reflections on a constrained and reserved manner of life in South Africa

Bonus: Conversing with Ellen Perecman next to me, and learning of her work to discover and revive Yiddish theatrical gems through the New Worlds Theatre Project. Somebody fund this puppy!

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