8 PM, Thurs. Dec 29
ALETHEA BLACK & DAVID GATES
Reading/Signing
ALETHEA BLACK was born in Boston and graduated from Harvard College in 1991. Her father was a mathematician, and for a long time she believed her name, the Greek word for truth, was his way of tipping his cap to the idea of absolutes. Then one day her mother overheard her and said, “No, we got your name from a TV show.”Black's debut collection of short stories, I Knew You'd Be Lovely , was chosen as a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick and was an Oprah.com Book of the Week. Brimming with humor, irony, and insights about the unpredictable nature of life, the unbearable beauty of fate, and the power that one moment, or one decision, can have to transform us, I Knew You'd Be Lovely delivers that rare thing—stories with both an edge and a heart.
DAVID GATES is the author of two novels, Jernigan, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and Preston Falls, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and a collection of stories, The Wonders of the Invisible World, also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. A staff writer for Newsweek, his stories have appeared in Esquire, GQ, Grand Street, Ploughshares, TriQuarterly, The Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry Prize Stories anthology, and elsewhere. His reviews have frequently appeared on the front page of the New York Times Book Review.FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
Raconteur Radio Presents
8:00 PM, Fri. Jan 6; 7:30 & 9:00 PM, Sat. Jan 7
FLYWHEEL, SHYSTER, & FLYWHEEL: A Staged Radio Play
Featuring acclaimed Groucho impersonator Ron MacCloskey (in full costume & makeup) and Welcome Back Kotter's Bobby Hegyes (Epstein) as Chico Marx!
Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel was the Marx Brothers radio debut. It first aired in 1932 and was written by the same writers who wrote some of their funniest film bits. Our production features short comedic skits broken up by several period songs sung live, including the notorious Groucho hit, "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady." Also with Michael Jarmus and Francesca Tedeschi. $10 (payable at the door). Theatrical lighting! Costumes! Sound effects! Raconteur Radio productions are staged performances of famous radio plays for live audiences. To find out how you can book Raconteur Radio at your library, school, or cultural venue, click HERE.
8 PM, Fri. Jan 13
BY THE HAND OF HORACE
Reading/Live Music/Mixed Media
A lonely ten year old boy confronts a violent grandfather as the extravagant hand shadows he casts onto the bare, blonde planks of his bedroom wall come to grotesque and explosive life. W/a live soundtrack by folk guitarist Bruce Donnola and a slide show of haunting b/w woodcut illustrations by artist Janice Fried.
8 PM, Sat. Jan 14
R.I.P. RAC BASH
Featuring The Roadside Graves, Francesca Tedeschi, and Lev Grossman
Join us in remembering, celebrating, and memorializing our almost bygone bookstore as Raconteur house band The Roadside Graves sings alt country folk songs from their Hinton inspired new album (think The Outsiders by way of the Bad Seeds); international fashion model Francesca Tedeschi strums and hums gorgeous originals (think Carla Bruni) and sings heart wrenching covers of Leonard Cohen; and Time Magazine senior writer, Lev Grossman, author of the New York Time bestseller The Magicians (think Harry Potter for adults), reads from its acclaimed sequel, The Magician King (recently featured on The Simpsons).
8 PM, Sat. Jan 21
R.I.P. RAC BASH #2
Featuring Shayfer James, Honor Amongst Thieves, FenFell, and Laurence Mintz
Join us again in remembering, celebrating, and memorializing our almost bygone bookstore as Shay Jay tickles his tusks while logging saws sing; the H.A.T. sideshow eats fire, swallows swords, and escapes from a glass box filled with water; FenFell conducts its junkyard orchestra, and my man Mintz exhibits fifteen factory scapes, a dozen rail yards, and ten nekkid ladies, all done in the deep shadowy shades of Mr. Eddie Hopper.
AND FINALLY:
The Raconteur, The Forum Theatre, and The Metuchen Arts Council Presents
8 PM, January 28
AMERICAN TEACHER
W/Special Guest: OSCAR WINNER VANESSA ROTH
$15; The Forum Theatre, 314 Main Street, Metuchen, NJ
Oscar winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth screens and discusses her powerful new documentary, American Teacher, a heartbreaking study of what it's like to teach in America today. Co-produced by Dave Eggers and NÃnive Calegari and narrated by Matt Damon, American Teacher is, according to the Washington Post, "a film about education that gets it exactly right," raising what Secretary of Education Arne Duncan calls, "important questions about American teachers," and sparking "a much needed conversation."
"Every policymaker should be required to see the new film American Teacher. Powerful, compelling!" Washington Post; "As we watch the individuals in American Teacher struggle with the burdens the system places on them, it's hard not to feel like crying, both for them specifically and for our national culture." Los Angeles Times; "This heartbreaking and essential look into the lives of those who put so much into educating other people's children ought to be seen by anyone concerned about the fate of the public school system, and the nation as a whole." New York Daily News; "Terrific, uplifting and heartbreaking study of what it’s like to teach in America today should inspire intense admiration and even more intense anger over what is revealed." Film Journal; "Sobering, Powerful!" The Village Voice. Click HERE for trailer.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
DEC 2011: A Christmas Carol Radio Play; Busy Monsters; Clay Chapman; John Sayles; Brian Ralph; David Gates/Alethea Black; Who is Krampus? X-Mas Bash
8 PM, Fri. & Sat.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A Staged Radio Play
Featuring Caryle Owens, Mike Jarmus, Laurence Mintz, Gwen Owens, and Alex Dawson
Adapted from the classic Charles Dickens' novella, the story tells of a misanthropic pinchpenny named Ebenezer Scrooge and his ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. To this day, A Christmas Carol remains extraordinarily popular. It has never been out of print and has been adapted to film, opera, and radio (natch). Reservations required! $10 (suggested donation). Sound Effects! Costumes! Theatrical Lighting!
8 PM, Sat. Dec 10
WILLIAM GIRALDI
Reading/Signing
BUSY MONSTERS
Memoirist of mediocre fame, Charles Homar has a problem: his bride-to-be, Gillian Lee, has nixed their nuptials and fled to the high seas in search of a legendary giant squid, unleashing an unholy heart wreck upon him. In a hell-bent effort to prove his mettle as an American male and win back Gillian's affections, Charlie crisscrosses the nation seeking counsel, confronting creatures both mythic and real—Bigfoot, space aliens, bodybuilders. Echoing a narrative tradition that includes Don Quixote and Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, Giraldi's debut novel is a love story of linguistic bravado that explores American excess, the diaphanous line between fiction and fact, and what desperate men and women will do to one another. William Giraldi's work has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Georgia Review, The Believer, Kenyon Review, and Poets & Writers. A senior editor at AGNI, he teaches in the Writing Program at Boston University. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
6 PM, Sun. Dec 11
CLAY MCLEOD CHAPMAN & ALEX DAWSON
Reading/Signing
Now, as we approach the final curtain, I thought it fitting to invite back our very first guest, my good friend, the mesmerizing performer/playwright/author Clay Mcleod Chapman, who's been called "hauntingly poetic" by Time Out New York, compared to Lovecraft and Faulkner by the Times and the Voice respectively, and described as a "demon angel on a skateboard" by acclaimed author Tom Robbins.. Plus: I'll be reading a cheery, holiday piece about a pie-eyed deer hunter who, the day before Christmas, inadvertently kills what he thinks is a unicorn. Not to be missed, folks! FREE! Books on sale at the event. Complimentary wine & Jack Daniel minis.
The Raconteur, The Forum Theatre, and The Metuchen Arts Council Present
8 PM, Sat. December 17
AMIGO
W/Writer/Director/Producer JOHN SAYLES
Screening/Reading/On Stage Discussion/Audience Q&A
Oscar nominee, MacCarthur fellow, and the indisputable "Godfather of Independent Cinema," John Sayles, screens and discusses his 17th feature film, the acclaimed, historic war drama, Amigo, starring Chris Cooper and the legendary Filipino actor Joel Torre, and reads from his new novel, A Moment in the Sun, a spectacular work of fiction compared to both Doctorow and Deadwood.
$15 TIX NOW ON SALE! Click HERE to buy yours before it sells out!
PLUS: A special pre-event reception with John Sayles at The Raconteur from 6 - 7 PM. $10 (pay at the door). Have a complimentary cup (or two) of wine and some face time with the man himself!
Before Kevin Smith maxed out his credit cards, before there was an IFC or a Sundance film festival, and long before "independent film" became a marketing niche, there was John Sayles, making it happen with a combination of talent, shrewdness, and determination. An acclaimed novelist before he ever touched a camera, Sayles burst onto the film scene in 1980, when he wrote and directed the much praised social comedy, Return of the Secaucus 7. Three years later, Sayles received a MacArthur Fellowship, using the money to partially fund his second film, The Brother from Another Planet, a fantasy flick about a black, three-toed slave who arrives from outer space and finds himself at home among the people of Harlem. Since then, Sayles has directed 17 features (Lone Star, Passion Fish, Eight Men Out, The Secret of Roan Inish, and Matewan), funding most of his award winning, oft Oscar nominated productions by penning low budget shockers like Piranha, Alligator, and The Howling. Recently compared to a "left leaning, baby boom John Ford" by the New York Times, John Sayles produces populous pageants, spinning fables of the American character out of the threads of myth, memory and ideology.
Click HERE for the New York Times review. $15.00 NOTE: At The Forum Theatre (314 Main Street) NOT The Raconteur.
7:30 PM, Weds. Dec 21
BRIAN RALPH & JOSH BAYER
Discussing & Signing
DAYBREAK: A GRAPHIC NOVEL & RAW POWER
Ralph's stunning debut was the wordless graphic novel Cave-In, created while he was one of the founding members of the influential Fort Thunder art collective. Drawing inspiration from zombies, horror movies, television, and first-person shooter video games, his brand new graphic novel, Daybreak departs from zombie genre in both content and format, achieving a living-dead masterwork of literary proportions."Brian Ralph's adventure stories combine the hand-crafted charm of indie comics with the well-thought-out thrills of good pulp." -The Onion, The A.V. Club
Josh Bayer (Raw Power) was listed among 100 outstanding cartoonists by The Best American Comics Anthology for 2007, 2008, and 2009. His graffiti-influenced drawings were featured in the 2006-2007 HBO series ROME and MTV videos for David Bowie, Metallica and Good Charlotte among many others.
8 PM, Fri. Dec 23
WHO IS KRAMPUS? X-MAS BASH!!
The Raconteur's Seventh Annual (and FINAL) Christmas Party!
As an alternative to your basic run-of-the-mill mall Santa (and what is The Rac if not an alternative to everything mall), The Raconteur bring you a holiday hybrid of St. Nicholas and the mythical Alpine figure known as Krampus, played by Michael Jarmus and designed by Tom Savini protege Dan Diana, who did the incredible makeup for our recent Haunted Bookshop and the Raconteur stage production, Nosferatu. According to legend, the ram-horned Krampus accompanies St. Nicholas during the Christmas season. Traditionally young men dress up as Krampus in Austria and southern Bavaria during the first two weeks of December, roaming the streets with chains and bells. $10, includes a supremely weird reading and performance by Krampus, a picture of YOU with Krampus, and a groaning board laden with homemade treats and three different kinds of punch (with and without alcohol). PLUS: from 6 - 8 there will be a special photo session with Krampus for just $5 a pop. Forget the mall this year, put your kid on different knee! All ages!!
8 PM, Thurs. Dec 29
DAVID GATES & ALETHEA BLACK
Reading/Signing
PRESTON FALLS & I KNEW YOU'D BE LOVELY
More info soon...
A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A Staged Radio Play
Featuring Caryle Owens, Mike Jarmus, Laurence Mintz, Gwen Owens, and Alex Dawson
Adapted from the classic Charles Dickens' novella, the story tells of a misanthropic pinchpenny named Ebenezer Scrooge and his ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. To this day, A Christmas Carol remains extraordinarily popular. It has never been out of print and has been adapted to film, opera, and radio (natch). Reservations required! $10 (suggested donation). Sound Effects! Costumes! Theatrical Lighting!
8 PM, Sat. Dec 10
WILLIAM GIRALDI
Reading/Signing
BUSY MONSTERS
Memoirist of mediocre fame, Charles Homar has a problem: his bride-to-be, Gillian Lee, has nixed their nuptials and fled to the high seas in search of a legendary giant squid, unleashing an unholy heart wreck upon him. In a hell-bent effort to prove his mettle as an American male and win back Gillian's affections, Charlie crisscrosses the nation seeking counsel, confronting creatures both mythic and real—Bigfoot, space aliens, bodybuilders. Echoing a narrative tradition that includes Don Quixote and Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, Giraldi's debut novel is a love story of linguistic bravado that explores American excess, the diaphanous line between fiction and fact, and what desperate men and women will do to one another. William Giraldi's work has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Georgia Review, The Believer, Kenyon Review, and Poets & Writers. A senior editor at AGNI, he teaches in the Writing Program at Boston University. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
6 PM, Sun. Dec 11
CLAY MCLEOD CHAPMAN & ALEX DAWSON
Reading/Signing
Now, as we approach the final curtain, I thought it fitting to invite back our very first guest, my good friend, the mesmerizing performer/playwright/author Clay Mcleod Chapman, who's been called "hauntingly poetic" by Time Out New York, compared to Lovecraft and Faulkner by the Times and the Voice respectively, and described as a "demon angel on a skateboard" by acclaimed author Tom Robbins.. Plus: I'll be reading a cheery, holiday piece about a pie-eyed deer hunter who, the day before Christmas, inadvertently kills what he thinks is a unicorn. Not to be missed, folks! FREE! Books on sale at the event. Complimentary wine & Jack Daniel minis.
The Raconteur, The Forum Theatre, and The Metuchen Arts Council Present
8 PM, Sat. December 17
AMIGO
W/Writer/Director/Producer JOHN SAYLES
Screening/Reading/On Stage Discussion/Audience Q&A
Oscar nominee, MacCarthur fellow, and the indisputable "Godfather of Independent Cinema," John Sayles, screens and discusses his 17th feature film, the acclaimed, historic war drama, Amigo, starring Chris Cooper and the legendary Filipino actor Joel Torre, and reads from his new novel, A Moment in the Sun, a spectacular work of fiction compared to both Doctorow and Deadwood.
$15 TIX NOW ON SALE! Click HERE to buy yours before it sells out!
PLUS: A special pre-event reception with John Sayles at The Raconteur from 6 - 7 PM. $10 (pay at the door). Have a complimentary cup (or two) of wine and some face time with the man himself!
Before Kevin Smith maxed out his credit cards, before there was an IFC or a Sundance film festival, and long before "independent film" became a marketing niche, there was John Sayles, making it happen with a combination of talent, shrewdness, and determination. An acclaimed novelist before he ever touched a camera, Sayles burst onto the film scene in 1980, when he wrote and directed the much praised social comedy, Return of the Secaucus 7. Three years later, Sayles received a MacArthur Fellowship, using the money to partially fund his second film, The Brother from Another Planet, a fantasy flick about a black, three-toed slave who arrives from outer space and finds himself at home among the people of Harlem. Since then, Sayles has directed 17 features (Lone Star, Passion Fish, Eight Men Out, The Secret of Roan Inish, and Matewan), funding most of his award winning, oft Oscar nominated productions by penning low budget shockers like Piranha, Alligator, and The Howling. Recently compared to a "left leaning, baby boom John Ford" by the New York Times, John Sayles produces populous pageants, spinning fables of the American character out of the threads of myth, memory and ideology.
Click HERE for the New York Times review. $15.00 NOTE: At The Forum Theatre (314 Main Street) NOT The Raconteur.
7:30 PM, Weds. Dec 21
BRIAN RALPH & JOSH BAYER
Discussing & Signing
DAYBREAK: A GRAPHIC NOVEL & RAW POWER
Ralph's stunning debut was the wordless graphic novel Cave-In, created while he was one of the founding members of the influential Fort Thunder art collective. Drawing inspiration from zombies, horror movies, television, and first-person shooter video games, his brand new graphic novel, Daybreak departs from zombie genre in both content and format, achieving a living-dead masterwork of literary proportions."Brian Ralph's adventure stories combine the hand-crafted charm of indie comics with the well-thought-out thrills of good pulp." -The Onion, The A.V. Club
Josh Bayer (Raw Power) was listed among 100 outstanding cartoonists by The Best American Comics Anthology for 2007, 2008, and 2009. His graffiti-influenced drawings were featured in the 2006-2007 HBO series ROME and MTV videos for David Bowie, Metallica and Good Charlotte among many others.
8 PM, Fri. Dec 23
WHO IS KRAMPUS? X-MAS BASH!!
The Raconteur's Seventh Annual (and FINAL) Christmas Party!
As an alternative to your basic run-of-the-mill mall Santa (and what is The Rac if not an alternative to everything mall), The Raconteur bring you a holiday hybrid of St. Nicholas and the mythical Alpine figure known as Krampus, played by Michael Jarmus and designed by Tom Savini protege Dan Diana, who did the incredible makeup for our recent Haunted Bookshop and the Raconteur stage production, Nosferatu. According to legend, the ram-horned Krampus accompanies St. Nicholas during the Christmas season. Traditionally young men dress up as Krampus in Austria and southern Bavaria during the first two weeks of December, roaming the streets with chains and bells. $10, includes a supremely weird reading and performance by Krampus, a picture of YOU with Krampus, and a groaning board laden with homemade treats and three different kinds of punch (with and without alcohol). PLUS: from 6 - 8 there will be a special photo session with Krampus for just $5 a pop. Forget the mall this year, put your kid on different knee! All ages!!
8 PM, Thurs. Dec 29
DAVID GATES & ALETHEA BLACK
Reading/Signing
PRESTON FALLS & I KNEW YOU'D BE LOVELY
More info soon...
Friday, November 4, 2011
NOV/DEC 2011: Gertrude Stein; John Evison; Taylor Mali; Marty Jessen; By the Hand of Horace; John Sayles; Krampus
8:00 PM, Fri; 7:30 & 9:00 PM Sat; Nov 11 & 12
GERTRUDE STEIN GERTRUDE STEIN
A Staged Radio Drama
Featuring Jane Hardy
The Raconteur cordially invites you to spend an evening with Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Isadora Duncan, Henri Matisse, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Salvador Dali at 27 Rue de Fleurus. Hosted by Gertrude Stein. A work of theatrical magic that captures the essence of an extraordinary woman, "Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein" is an imaginary monologue set on the eve of Stein's eviction from her famed Paris studio.
In the wake of Woody Allen's marvelously romantic Midnight in Paris and Kathy Bates' spot on depiction of Stein, Jane Hardy returns with her one woman portrayal of the dynamic matriarch and the (lost) generation of writers and artists she mentored. Raconteur patrons may remember Hardy from her riveting performance as a panicky invalid in the staged radio play "Sorry, Wrong Number," or the sadistically scientific Dr. Brodsky in the Raconteur/MCC stage production of "A Clockwork Orange." (Not for nothing, but those who have seen both Steins, Hardy and Bates, have preferred Hardy.) To reserve a seat for a particular performance, e-mail us your name, the number in your party, and the evening/time you wish to attend. Sound Effects! Theatrical Lighting! Reservations required! $10 (suggested donation)
6 PM, Sun. Nov 13
TEEN MIC Hosted/Curated by JOHN MELENDEZ
w/Special Guest JONATHAN EVISON
An ongoing series of teen mics hosted by an outstanding high school student who selects four participants and a favorite author who headlines via SKYPE. This time the host and coordinator is John Melendez, jazz prodigy, rapacious reader, noir writer, and MHS book critic. He's picked Jonathan Evison, who will beam in from Seattle, Washington. Evison's work, often distinguished by its emotional resonance and offbeat humor, has been compared to a variety of authors, most notably J.D. Salinger, Charles Dickens, and John Irving. His debut novel, All About Lulu won critical acclaim, including the Washington State Book Award, and landed on many year-end “Best of” lists. Editor Chuck Adams (Water for Elephants, A Reliable Wife, An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England) has called his second novel, the electrifying epic West of Here, the best novel he's worked on in over four decades of publishing. In his teens, Evison was the founding member and frontman of the Seattle punk band March of Crimes, which included future members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.
8 PM, Fri. Nov 18
TAYLOR MALI & MARIE-ELIZABETH MALI
Reading/Performance
Taylor Mali is the author of The Last Time as We Are (Write Bloody, 2009) and What Learning Leaves (Hanover, 2002) and has published five CDs and one DVD. He is one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement and he travels the world teaching creative writing and performance skills. Marie-Elizabeth Mali is the author of Steady, My Gaze (Tebot Bach, 2011) and co-editor with Annie Finch of the forthcoming anthology, Villanelles (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets, 2012). She serves as co-curator for "louderARTS: the Reading Series" in New York City. Together they curate the "Page Meets Stage" reading series at the Bowery Poetry Club. They divide their time between NY and Western MA, and spend their days writing poetry, organizing slams, and taking care of their cats.
2 PM, Sun. Nov 20
MARTY JESSEN
Discussion/Signing
More soon...
8 PM, Sat. Nov 26
BY THE HAND OF HORACE
By Alex Dawson
Reading/Mixed Media
A lonely ten year old boy confronts a violent grandfather/retired logjack, and the extravagant hand shadows he casts onto the bare, blonde planks of his bedroom wall come to grotesque and explosive life. W/sound effects! And a slide show of haunting b/w illustrations by artist Janice Fried.
The Raconteur & The Forum Present
8 PM, Sat. December 17
AMIGO
W/Writer/Director/Producer JOHN SAYLES
Screening/Reading/On Stage Discussion/Audience Q&A
Oscar nominee, MacCarthur fellow, and the indisputable "Godfather of Independent Cinema," John Sayles, screens and discusses his 17th feature film, the acclaimed, historic war drama, Amigo, starring Chris Cooper and the legendary Filipino actor Joel Torre, and reads from his new novel, A Moment in the Sun, a spectacular work of fiction compared to both Doctorow and Deadwood.
Before Kevin Smith maxed out his credit cards, before there was an IFC or a Sundance film festival, and long before "independent film" became a marketing niche, there was John Sayles, making it happen with a combination of talent, shrewdness, and determination. An acclaimed novelist before he ever touched a camera, Sayles burst onto the film scene in 1980, when he wrote and directed the much praised social comedy, Return of the Secaucus 7. Three years later, Sayles received a MacArthur Fellowship, using the money to partially fund his second film, The Brother from Another Planet, a fantasy flick about a black, three-toed slave who arrives from outer space and finds himself at home among the people of Harlem. Since then, Sayles has directed 17 features (Lone Star, Passion Fish, Eight Men Out, The Secret of Roan Inish, and Matewan), funding most of his award winning, oft Oscar nominated productions by penning low budget shockers like Piranha, Alligator, and The Howling. Recently compared to a "left leaning, baby boom John Ford" by the New York Times, John Sayles produces populous pageants, spinning fables of the American character out of the threads of myth, memory and ideology.
Click HERE for the New York Times review. $15.00 NOTE: At The Forum Theatre (314 Main Street) NOT The Raconteur.
AND JUST WHO IS KRAMPUS? FIND OUT!
GERTRUDE STEIN GERTRUDE STEIN
A Staged Radio Drama
Featuring Jane Hardy
The Raconteur cordially invites you to spend an evening with Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Isadora Duncan, Henri Matisse, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Salvador Dali at 27 Rue de Fleurus. Hosted by Gertrude Stein. A work of theatrical magic that captures the essence of an extraordinary woman, "Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein" is an imaginary monologue set on the eve of Stein's eviction from her famed Paris studio.
In the wake of Woody Allen's marvelously romantic Midnight in Paris and Kathy Bates' spot on depiction of Stein, Jane Hardy returns with her one woman portrayal of the dynamic matriarch and the (lost) generation of writers and artists she mentored. Raconteur patrons may remember Hardy from her riveting performance as a panicky invalid in the staged radio play "Sorry, Wrong Number," or the sadistically scientific Dr. Brodsky in the Raconteur/MCC stage production of "A Clockwork Orange." (Not for nothing, but those who have seen both Steins, Hardy and Bates, have preferred Hardy.) To reserve a seat for a particular performance, e-mail us your name, the number in your party, and the evening/time you wish to attend. Sound Effects! Theatrical Lighting! Reservations required! $10 (suggested donation)
6 PM, Sun. Nov 13
TEEN MIC Hosted/Curated by JOHN MELENDEZ
w/Special Guest JONATHAN EVISON
An ongoing series of teen mics hosted by an outstanding high school student who selects four participants and a favorite author who headlines via SKYPE. This time the host and coordinator is John Melendez, jazz prodigy, rapacious reader, noir writer, and MHS book critic. He's picked Jonathan Evison, who will beam in from Seattle, Washington. Evison's work, often distinguished by its emotional resonance and offbeat humor, has been compared to a variety of authors, most notably J.D. Salinger, Charles Dickens, and John Irving. His debut novel, All About Lulu won critical acclaim, including the Washington State Book Award, and landed on many year-end “Best of” lists. Editor Chuck Adams (Water for Elephants, A Reliable Wife, An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England) has called his second novel, the electrifying epic West of Here, the best novel he's worked on in over four decades of publishing. In his teens, Evison was the founding member and frontman of the Seattle punk band March of Crimes, which included future members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.
8 PM, Fri. Nov 18
TAYLOR MALI & MARIE-ELIZABETH MALI
Reading/Performance
Taylor Mali is the author of The Last Time as We Are (Write Bloody, 2009) and What Learning Leaves (Hanover, 2002) and has published five CDs and one DVD. He is one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement and he travels the world teaching creative writing and performance skills. Marie-Elizabeth Mali is the author of Steady, My Gaze (Tebot Bach, 2011) and co-editor with Annie Finch of the forthcoming anthology, Villanelles (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets, 2012). She serves as co-curator for "louderARTS: the Reading Series" in New York City. Together they curate the "Page Meets Stage" reading series at the Bowery Poetry Club. They divide their time between NY and Western MA, and spend their days writing poetry, organizing slams, and taking care of their cats.
2 PM, Sun. Nov 20
MARTY JESSEN
Discussion/Signing
More soon...
8 PM, Sat. Nov 26
BY THE HAND OF HORACE
By Alex Dawson
Reading/Mixed Media
A lonely ten year old boy confronts a violent grandfather/retired logjack, and the extravagant hand shadows he casts onto the bare, blonde planks of his bedroom wall come to grotesque and explosive life. W/sound effects! And a slide show of haunting b/w illustrations by artist Janice Fried.
The Raconteur & The Forum Present
8 PM, Sat. December 17
AMIGO
W/Writer/Director/Producer JOHN SAYLES
Screening/Reading/On Stage Discussion/Audience Q&A
Oscar nominee, MacCarthur fellow, and the indisputable "Godfather of Independent Cinema," John Sayles, screens and discusses his 17th feature film, the acclaimed, historic war drama, Amigo, starring Chris Cooper and the legendary Filipino actor Joel Torre, and reads from his new novel, A Moment in the Sun, a spectacular work of fiction compared to both Doctorow and Deadwood.
Before Kevin Smith maxed out his credit cards, before there was an IFC or a Sundance film festival, and long before "independent film" became a marketing niche, there was John Sayles, making it happen with a combination of talent, shrewdness, and determination. An acclaimed novelist before he ever touched a camera, Sayles burst onto the film scene in 1980, when he wrote and directed the much praised social comedy, Return of the Secaucus 7. Three years later, Sayles received a MacArthur Fellowship, using the money to partially fund his second film, The Brother from Another Planet, a fantasy flick about a black, three-toed slave who arrives from outer space and finds himself at home among the people of Harlem. Since then, Sayles has directed 17 features (Lone Star, Passion Fish, Eight Men Out, The Secret of Roan Inish, and Matewan), funding most of his award winning, oft Oscar nominated productions by penning low budget shockers like Piranha, Alligator, and The Howling. Recently compared to a "left leaning, baby boom John Ford" by the New York Times, John Sayles produces populous pageants, spinning fables of the American character out of the threads of myth, memory and ideology.
Click HERE for the New York Times review. $15.00 NOTE: At The Forum Theatre (314 Main Street) NOT The Raconteur.
AND JUST WHO IS KRAMPUS? FIND OUT!
Monday, October 3, 2011
OCT 2011: Green Drinks; Tom Davis; War of the Worlds; Hope for agoldensummer; Dirty, Dirty; Stake Land; Halloween; The Haunted Bookshop
7:00 - 9:00 PM, Tues. Oct 4
GREEN DRINKS
It all started in 1989 at a pub called the Slug and Lettuce in Northern London when a handful of eco-conscious mates pulled some tables together and drank some beer. The concept evolved into Green Drinks and now it's global. Each city has an organizer who arranges meetings in bars and restaurants (providing the greenest beer possible, and by green we mean enviro-minded, not colored; in our case, Climax, locally brewed in Roselle Park). Green Drinks meets in fifty countries from Argentina to Zambia. And now, METUCHEN! Come have a beer and get green. FREE!
8 PM, Sat. Oct 8
TOM DAVIS
Reading/Signing
A LEGACY OF MADNESS
The story of a loving family coming to grips with its own fragility, A Legacy of Madness relays Tom Davis' journey to uncover, and ultimately understand, the history of mental illness that led generations of his suburban American family to their demise. "By sharing the story of his family history and his own personal journey, Tom Davis provides hope and inspiration to others." Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. FREE. Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Fri. Oct 14
Live Music
More info soon. FREE.
Raconteur Radio Presents
7:30 & 9 Sat. Oct 15
7 PM, Sun. Oct 16
WAR OF THE WORLDS: A Staged Radio Play
Featuring Carlyle Owens, Michael Jarmus, Gwen Owens, Laurence Mintz, and Alex Dawson
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED!
War of the Worlds was first performed October 30, 1938 as the Halloween episode of "Mercury Theatre On Air." Narrated by Orson Welles, the episode, set in Grover Mills, NJ, is a loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells' novel, and begins as a dance band broadcast intermittently interrupted by news flashes about strange explosions on Mars and the landing of a cylindrical spacecraft on Earth. Incineration ensues. The simulated "news bulletins" of the original broadcast suggested to many contemporaneous listeners that an actual alien invasion was currently in progress and, as a result, there were instances of panicked evacuation throughout the US. Especially in New Jersey! 35 min. Theatrical Lighting! Sound Effects! Martian Props! This is our version of a "rent party" and, accordingly, there's a suggested donation of $10. That said, if you happened to be broke as a joke and still want to see it, you won't be turned away (as long as seats are available).
8 PM, Tues. Oct 18
HOPE FOR AGOLDENSUMMER & Special Guests
Live Music
TimeOut NY describes them as "part junkyard orchestra, part campfire song circle," and the Washington Post calls them “Haunting folksters.” Hope fronts, the sisters Campbell, hail from Georgia and write songs that play out like Flannery O’Connor stories sound tracked with singing saws, penny whistles, and cookie tin banjos. Barren yet evocative, ethereal and eloquent, this is strange, soulful, and deeply affecting stuff. Think a rural Cocorosie, an ornate Cat Power, or a female Arcade Fire. They've played in Peru, scored a Nick Nolte film, and toured with Man or Astroman. With special guests: fellow folkies Anthony Walker and Ryan Bing (of Glad Hearts). FREE! CDs on sale at event.
8 PM, Sat. Oct 22
MIKE EDISON
Reading/Signing
Dirty! Dirty! Dirty!: Of Playboys, Pigs, and Penthouse Paupers, An American Tale of Sex and Wonder
A wild and uncompromising history of four infamous magazines and the outlaws behind them, Dirty! Dirty! Dirty! is the first book to rip the sheet off of the sleazy myth-making machine of Hugh Hefner and Playboy, and reveal the doomed history of Hefner’s arch rival, Penthouse founder Bob Guccione, whose messiah complex and heedless spending (a legendary film flop paid for with bags of cash, a porn magazine for women, and a pie-in-the sky scheme for a portable nuclear reactor) fueled the greatest riches to rags story ever told. Along the way we meet many unexpected heroes—John Lennon, Lenny Bruce, Helen Gurley Brown, and the staff of Mad Magazine—and villains—from Richard Nixon and the Moral Majority to Hugh Hefner himself, whose legacy, we learn, is built on a self-perpetuated lie. "Mike Edison can go toe to toe with some of the best writers of the (old) New Journalism. This is foul-mouthed popular history at its most entertaining. Plenty smart, too—and also, strange to say, poignant and loving."—Rick Perlstein, author of Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America. FREE. Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Tues. Oct 25
STAKE LAND
W/Director/Writer Jim Mickle & Star/Writer Nick Damici
Screening/Discussion/Q&A
Compared to both Joss Whedon and Terrence Malick by The Village Voice, and cheered by NPR, The New Yorker, and Salon.com, Director/Writer Jim Mickle (and Star/Co-writer Nick Damici) screen and discuss their New York Times Critic's Pick, Stake Land, a smart, pitch perfect horror thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world somewhere between Romero and The Road. Half grind house, half art house, Stake Land is part of a new school of socially conscious horror, what The Voice calls "brains before blood," but rest assured its plenty gruesome, and with its dive bars and muscle cars, biker boots and buck knives, it all sort of plays out like a particularly acute Lynyrd Skynyrd song hopped up on supernatural steroids. Plus a special on stage conversation between Mickle, Damici, and Fangoria scribe/Fear Mongers host Clay Mcleod Chapman. $15. Presented in conjunction with Crystal Plumage Films and The Forum Theatre. NOTE: At The Forum NOT The Raconteur. Click for The New York Times review. Click for the trailer.
11:30 PM, Fri. Oct 28
HALLOWEEN
Hosted by New York Times film critic JASON ZINOMAN
Screening/Discussion/Q&A/Signing
Called "the most successful independent motion picture of all time," Halloween is also one of most frightening films ever made. New York Times critic Jason Zinoman, author of Shock Value, an account of the gifted and eccentric directors who gave us the golden age of modern horror, will helm a discussion of the film. Copies of his book will be on sale at the event. Click to read the New York Times review of Shock Value. Presented in conjunction with Crystal Plumage Films. NOTE: At The Forum (not the Raconteur). $10. Special reception before the film (10 - 11) at The Raconteur (all you can eat candy and a complimentary can of beer).
7 – 11:30 PM, Sat & Sun. Oct 29 & 30
THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP
After a two year hiatus, the Raconteur's popular Haunted Bookshop returns. The only "haunted attraction" of its kind in the world! This year features characters from Moby Dick, Titus Adronicus, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Woman in White, Dante’s Inferno, Metamorphosis, Don’t Look Now, Frankenstein, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. With make-up, prosthetics, and props designed by Tom Savini protege Dan Diana and soundscape by Bruce Donnola(who respectively did the makeup and music for The Raconteur's acclaimed production of Nosferatu). What goes on after a bookstore closes for the night? See Gregor Samsa turn into a clacking, black bug, see Captain Ahab, harpoon hoisted high, mad with the hunt, see the pulpy, tentacled snout and beating, bat wings of Lovecraft's most horrifying creation, feel the long gnarled fingers and barked bones of Dante's tree suicides, scrabbling your ankles as they struggle to climb up and out of the Seventh Circle, watch Dr. Jekyll's hideous transformation as The Dust Witch cackles in her balloon and a bound behemoth is jolted to lightning induced life! Plus a consumptive Annabelle Lee, a carriage crushed Woman in White, and is it an Italian dwarf killer or the return of a drowned daughter? Find out all this and more, for only$5. Guaranteed to scare you "lit-less!"
GREEN DRINKS
It all started in 1989 at a pub called the Slug and Lettuce in Northern London when a handful of eco-conscious mates pulled some tables together and drank some beer. The concept evolved into Green Drinks and now it's global. Each city has an organizer who arranges meetings in bars and restaurants (providing the greenest beer possible, and by green we mean enviro-minded, not colored; in our case, Climax, locally brewed in Roselle Park). Green Drinks meets in fifty countries from Argentina to Zambia. And now, METUCHEN! Come have a beer and get green. FREE!
8 PM, Sat. Oct 8
TOM DAVIS
Reading/Signing
A LEGACY OF MADNESS
The story of a loving family coming to grips with its own fragility, A Legacy of Madness relays Tom Davis' journey to uncover, and ultimately understand, the history of mental illness that led generations of his suburban American family to their demise. "By sharing the story of his family history and his own personal journey, Tom Davis provides hope and inspiration to others." Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. FREE. Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Fri. Oct 14
Live Music
More info soon. FREE.
Raconteur Radio Presents
7:30 & 9 Sat. Oct 15
7 PM, Sun. Oct 16
WAR OF THE WORLDS: A Staged Radio Play
Featuring Carlyle Owens, Michael Jarmus, Gwen Owens, Laurence Mintz, and Alex Dawson
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED!
War of the Worlds was first performed October 30, 1938 as the Halloween episode of "Mercury Theatre On Air." Narrated by Orson Welles, the episode, set in Grover Mills, NJ, is a loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells' novel, and begins as a dance band broadcast intermittently interrupted by news flashes about strange explosions on Mars and the landing of a cylindrical spacecraft on Earth. Incineration ensues. The simulated "news bulletins" of the original broadcast suggested to many contemporaneous listeners that an actual alien invasion was currently in progress and, as a result, there were instances of panicked evacuation throughout the US. Especially in New Jersey! 35 min. Theatrical Lighting! Sound Effects! Martian Props! This is our version of a "rent party" and, accordingly, there's a suggested donation of $10. That said, if you happened to be broke as a joke and still want to see it, you won't be turned away (as long as seats are available).
8 PM, Tues. Oct 18
HOPE FOR AGOLDENSUMMER & Special Guests
Live Music
TimeOut NY describes them as "part junkyard orchestra, part campfire song circle," and the Washington Post calls them “Haunting folksters.” Hope fronts, the sisters Campbell, hail from Georgia and write songs that play out like Flannery O’Connor stories sound tracked with singing saws, penny whistles, and cookie tin banjos. Barren yet evocative, ethereal and eloquent, this is strange, soulful, and deeply affecting stuff. Think a rural Cocorosie, an ornate Cat Power, or a female Arcade Fire. They've played in Peru, scored a Nick Nolte film, and toured with Man or Astroman. With special guests: fellow folkies Anthony Walker and Ryan Bing (of Glad Hearts). FREE! CDs on sale at event.
8 PM, Sat. Oct 22
MIKE EDISON
Reading/Signing
Dirty! Dirty! Dirty!: Of Playboys, Pigs, and Penthouse Paupers, An American Tale of Sex and Wonder
A wild and uncompromising history of four infamous magazines and the outlaws behind them, Dirty! Dirty! Dirty! is the first book to rip the sheet off of the sleazy myth-making machine of Hugh Hefner and Playboy, and reveal the doomed history of Hefner’s arch rival, Penthouse founder Bob Guccione, whose messiah complex and heedless spending (a legendary film flop paid for with bags of cash, a porn magazine for women, and a pie-in-the sky scheme for a portable nuclear reactor) fueled the greatest riches to rags story ever told. Along the way we meet many unexpected heroes—John Lennon, Lenny Bruce, Helen Gurley Brown, and the staff of Mad Magazine—and villains—from Richard Nixon and the Moral Majority to Hugh Hefner himself, whose legacy, we learn, is built on a self-perpetuated lie. "Mike Edison can go toe to toe with some of the best writers of the (old) New Journalism. This is foul-mouthed popular history at its most entertaining. Plenty smart, too—and also, strange to say, poignant and loving."—Rick Perlstein, author of Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America. FREE. Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Tues. Oct 25
STAKE LAND
W/Director/Writer Jim Mickle & Star/Writer Nick Damici
Screening/Discussion/Q&A
Compared to both Joss Whedon and Terrence Malick by The Village Voice, and cheered by NPR, The New Yorker, and Salon.com, Director/Writer Jim Mickle (and Star/Co-writer Nick Damici) screen and discuss their New York Times Critic's Pick, Stake Land, a smart, pitch perfect horror thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world somewhere between Romero and The Road. Half grind house, half art house, Stake Land is part of a new school of socially conscious horror, what The Voice calls "brains before blood," but rest assured its plenty gruesome, and with its dive bars and muscle cars, biker boots and buck knives, it all sort of plays out like a particularly acute Lynyrd Skynyrd song hopped up on supernatural steroids. Plus a special on stage conversation between Mickle, Damici, and Fangoria scribe/Fear Mongers host Clay Mcleod Chapman. $15. Presented in conjunction with Crystal Plumage Films and The Forum Theatre. NOTE: At The Forum NOT The Raconteur. Click for The New York Times review. Click for the trailer.
11:30 PM, Fri. Oct 28
HALLOWEEN
Hosted by New York Times film critic JASON ZINOMAN
Screening/Discussion/Q&A/Signing
Called "the most successful independent motion picture of all time," Halloween is also one of most frightening films ever made. New York Times critic Jason Zinoman, author of Shock Value, an account of the gifted and eccentric directors who gave us the golden age of modern horror, will helm a discussion of the film. Copies of his book will be on sale at the event. Click to read the New York Times review of Shock Value. Presented in conjunction with Crystal Plumage Films. NOTE: At The Forum (not the Raconteur). $10. Special reception before the film (10 - 11) at The Raconteur (all you can eat candy and a complimentary can of beer).
7 – 11:30 PM, Sat & Sun. Oct 29 & 30
THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP
After a two year hiatus, the Raconteur's popular Haunted Bookshop returns. The only "haunted attraction" of its kind in the world! This year features characters from Moby Dick, Titus Adronicus, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Woman in White, Dante’s Inferno, Metamorphosis, Don’t Look Now, Frankenstein, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. With make-up, prosthetics, and props designed by Tom Savini protege Dan Diana and soundscape by Bruce Donnola(who respectively did the makeup and music for The Raconteur's acclaimed production of Nosferatu). What goes on after a bookstore closes for the night? See Gregor Samsa turn into a clacking, black bug, see Captain Ahab, harpoon hoisted high, mad with the hunt, see the pulpy, tentacled snout and beating, bat wings of Lovecraft's most horrifying creation, feel the long gnarled fingers and barked bones of Dante's tree suicides, scrabbling your ankles as they struggle to climb up and out of the Seventh Circle, watch Dr. Jekyll's hideous transformation as The Dust Witch cackles in her balloon and a bound behemoth is jolted to lightning induced life! Plus a consumptive Annabelle Lee, a carriage crushed Woman in White, and is it an Italian dwarf killer or the return of a drowned daughter? Find out all this and more, for only$5. Guaranteed to scare you "lit-less!"
Thursday, September 1, 2011
SEPT 2011: Green Drinks; ComeDina; Third Man Radio Play; Jeremy Benson; Accoustic Night; Bill Plympton @ The State; Banned Books in NYC; Raconteur 54
7:00 - 9:00 PM, Tues. Sept 6
GREEN DRINKS
It all started in 1989 at a pub called the Slug and Lettuce in Northern London when a handful of eco-conscious mates pulled some tables together and drank some beer. The concept evolved into Green Drinks and now it's global. Each city has an organizer who arranges meetings in bars and restaurants (providing the greenest beer possible, and by green we mean enviro-minded, not colored; in our case, Climax, locally brewed in Roselle Park). Green Drinks meets in fifty countries from Argentina to Zambia. And now, METUCHEN! Come have a beer and get green. FREE!
7:30 PM, Thurs. Sept 8
THE COMEDINA SHOW! W/Special Guest Andy Pitz
The Rac's monthly stand up comedy show hosted by Rac volunteer Dina Hashem.Get it? ComeDINA? A roster of local jokesters (Gordon Baker-Bone, Max Lorenzi, Justin Flanagan) headlined by Andy Pitz. Pitz has performed on Late Night with Letterman and The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and is a reg at Comic Strip Live, Stand Up NY, and the Gotham Comedy Club. Only $5!
8:00 PM, Thurs./Fri. Sept 15 & 16
THE 3RD MAN
A Staged Radio Play
Theatrical Lighting! Sound Effects!
Featuring Carlyle Owens, Laurence Mintz, Michael Jarmus, Alex Dawson, and introducing the new excitement of international fashion model Francesa Teschina as Anna Schmidt.
For those of you who couldn't afford the 75.00 prix fixe dinner (delicious, but steep) that accompanied our last presentation of The 3rd Man, good news! We're doing it again for the much more affordable price of a $10 suggested donation. And while we won't be doling out glasses of Austrian Gruner Veltliner, you can expect the usual comp cup of wine.
The atmospheric rubble and melancholy damp of war-smashed Europe is powerfully evoked in this thrilling radio play, based on Sir Carol Reed's 1949 film. Holly Martins is a "scribbler" of hack Westerns who arrives in postwar Vienna to land a job and join his old pal Harry Lime. Instead he finds himself drawn into a murder mystery and a network of deadly black-market racketeers.
This is our version of a "rent party" and, accordingly, there's a suggested donation of $10. That said, if you happened to be broke as a joke and still want to see it, you won't be turned away (as long as seats are available).
8:00 PM, Sat. Sept 17
JEREMY BENSON
Live Music
From his doleful dirges to his sweet, romantic blues, singer/songwriter Jeremy Benson serves up torchers, scorchers and languid back porchers bursting with woodland wisdom and street corner philosophy. In addition to being a solo performer, Benson is a member of the Jersey based Roadside Graves and the former front man for The Home Alaskan, The Takers, and DarkSongs. FREE!
7:00 - 9:00 PM, Thurs. Sept 22
ACOUSTIC NIGHT w/Sharon Goldman
Live Music
A monthly series spotlighting singer-songwriters, hosted by Metuchen-based singer-songwriter Sharon Goldman. This month, she invites NYC's Honor Finnegan and Paul Sachs to join her round-robin style, with each artist sharing original songs and discussing his/her approach to songwriting. Two sets with a short intermission. FREE!
The Raconteur & The State Theatre Present
8:00 PM, Tues. Sept 27
IDIOTS & ANGELS
W/Special Guest: Director BILL PLYMPTON
Screening/On Stage Conversation/Signing
Described by The New York Times as "ceaselessly imaginative, relentless and brilliant," and hailed simply as "God" by Simpsons creator Matt Groening, two time Academy Award–nominee Bill Plympton screens and answers questions about his latest feature film, Idiots and Angels, and reads and signs his new autobiography, Independently Animated. Plus a special onstage conversation hosted by cartoonist & Plympton fan Patrick McDonnell, the creator of MUTTS.“If The Nightmare Before Christmas, Barfly, and Wings of Desire had a menage-a-trois, their surrealist progeny would be this extraordinary film." - Interview Magazine. For more info, click HERE.
7 PM, Weds. Sept 28
MIKE EDISON'S FOURTH ANNUAL BANNED BOOK PARTY!!! FREE SPEECH, FREE SHOW!!!
Reading/Live Music
Housing Works Bookstore, NYC (Soho)
Former High Times editor and author of Dirty, Dirty, Mike Edison, hosts his Fourth Annual Banned Book Party celebrating the American Library Association's "Banned Book Week" and illuminating America's sordid past of banning and challenging great books. Guests this year include Soft Skull's Richard Nash, The Onion's Todd Hanson, memoirist Rachel Shukert, Alex Dawson of The Raconteur, and Melissa Petro, the elementary school art teacher who admitted in a Huffington Post article to having worked as a prostitute, all reading from their favorite banned books. With a live soundtrack provided by the INTERSTELLAR RENDEVOUS ALL-STAR BAND. All this plus another round of the legendary "Name That Banned Book" contest - come on down for some state-sponsored fear and fabulous prizes! After Party at Nolita's Botanica Bar. FREE!
8 PM, Sat. Oct 1
RACONTEUR 54
Our monthly DJ dance party. This month's theme: The Eighties. Outdoors. With DJ Circuit Bored and a montage screening of John Hughes classics. In conjunction with People Under the Stereo and Suite Beverly.
ON DECK: FEAR MONGERS @ THE STATE; "War of the Worlds" Radio Play; Outdoor Screening "The Cabinet of Caligari"; And THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP is back!
GREEN DRINKS
It all started in 1989 at a pub called the Slug and Lettuce in Northern London when a handful of eco-conscious mates pulled some tables together and drank some beer. The concept evolved into Green Drinks and now it's global. Each city has an organizer who arranges meetings in bars and restaurants (providing the greenest beer possible, and by green we mean enviro-minded, not colored; in our case, Climax, locally brewed in Roselle Park). Green Drinks meets in fifty countries from Argentina to Zambia. And now, METUCHEN! Come have a beer and get green. FREE!
7:30 PM, Thurs. Sept 8
THE COMEDINA SHOW! W/Special Guest Andy Pitz
The Rac's monthly stand up comedy show hosted by Rac volunteer Dina Hashem.Get it? ComeDINA? A roster of local jokesters (Gordon Baker-Bone, Max Lorenzi, Justin Flanagan) headlined by Andy Pitz. Pitz has performed on Late Night with Letterman and The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and is a reg at Comic Strip Live, Stand Up NY, and the Gotham Comedy Club. Only $5!
8:00 PM, Thurs./Fri. Sept 15 & 16
THE 3RD MAN
A Staged Radio Play
Theatrical Lighting! Sound Effects!
Featuring Carlyle Owens, Laurence Mintz, Michael Jarmus, Alex Dawson, and introducing the new excitement of international fashion model Francesa Teschina as Anna Schmidt.
For those of you who couldn't afford the 75.00 prix fixe dinner (delicious, but steep) that accompanied our last presentation of The 3rd Man, good news! We're doing it again for the much more affordable price of a $10 suggested donation. And while we won't be doling out glasses of Austrian Gruner Veltliner, you can expect the usual comp cup of wine.
The atmospheric rubble and melancholy damp of war-smashed Europe is powerfully evoked in this thrilling radio play, based on Sir Carol Reed's 1949 film. Holly Martins is a "scribbler" of hack Westerns who arrives in postwar Vienna to land a job and join his old pal Harry Lime. Instead he finds himself drawn into a murder mystery and a network of deadly black-market racketeers.
This is our version of a "rent party" and, accordingly, there's a suggested donation of $10. That said, if you happened to be broke as a joke and still want to see it, you won't be turned away (as long as seats are available).
8:00 PM, Sat. Sept 17
JEREMY BENSON
Live Music
From his doleful dirges to his sweet, romantic blues, singer/songwriter Jeremy Benson serves up torchers, scorchers and languid back porchers bursting with woodland wisdom and street corner philosophy. In addition to being a solo performer, Benson is a member of the Jersey based Roadside Graves and the former front man for The Home Alaskan, The Takers, and DarkSongs. FREE!
7:00 - 9:00 PM, Thurs. Sept 22
ACOUSTIC NIGHT w/Sharon Goldman
Live Music
A monthly series spotlighting singer-songwriters, hosted by Metuchen-based singer-songwriter Sharon Goldman. This month, she invites NYC's Honor Finnegan and Paul Sachs to join her round-robin style, with each artist sharing original songs and discussing his/her approach to songwriting. Two sets with a short intermission. FREE!
The Raconteur & The State Theatre Present
8:00 PM, Tues. Sept 27
IDIOTS & ANGELS
W/Special Guest: Director BILL PLYMPTON
Screening/On Stage Conversation/Signing
Described by The New York Times as "ceaselessly imaginative, relentless and brilliant," and hailed simply as "God" by Simpsons creator Matt Groening, two time Academy Award–nominee Bill Plympton screens and answers questions about his latest feature film, Idiots and Angels, and reads and signs his new autobiography, Independently Animated. Plus a special onstage conversation hosted by cartoonist & Plympton fan Patrick McDonnell, the creator of MUTTS.“If The Nightmare Before Christmas, Barfly, and Wings of Desire had a menage-a-trois, their surrealist progeny would be this extraordinary film." - Interview Magazine. For more info, click HERE.
7 PM, Weds. Sept 28
MIKE EDISON'S FOURTH ANNUAL BANNED BOOK PARTY!!! FREE SPEECH, FREE SHOW!!!
Reading/Live Music
Housing Works Bookstore, NYC (Soho)
Former High Times editor and author of Dirty, Dirty, Mike Edison, hosts his Fourth Annual Banned Book Party celebrating the American Library Association's "Banned Book Week" and illuminating America's sordid past of banning and challenging great books. Guests this year include Soft Skull's Richard Nash, The Onion's Todd Hanson, memoirist Rachel Shukert, Alex Dawson of The Raconteur, and Melissa Petro, the elementary school art teacher who admitted in a Huffington Post article to having worked as a prostitute, all reading from their favorite banned books. With a live soundtrack provided by the INTERSTELLAR RENDEVOUS ALL-STAR BAND. All this plus another round of the legendary "Name That Banned Book" contest - come on down for some state-sponsored fear and fabulous prizes! After Party at Nolita's Botanica Bar. FREE!
8 PM, Sat. Oct 1
RACONTEUR 54
Our monthly DJ dance party. This month's theme: The Eighties. Outdoors. With DJ Circuit Bored and a montage screening of John Hughes classics. In conjunction with People Under the Stereo and Suite Beverly.
ON DECK: FEAR MONGERS @ THE STATE; "War of the Worlds" Radio Play; Outdoor Screening "The Cabinet of Caligari"; And THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP is back!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
AUG 2011: Ted Alexandro; Geek Wisdom; Outdoor Film; Stairwell Art; The Third Man; War of the Worlds; Raiders: The Adaptation
8 PM, Tues. Aug 2
TED ALEXANDRO
Stand Up Comedy
Alexandro has performed on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, The View, and two half-hour specials on Comedy Central. He has also appeared on the television shows Oz, Dr. Katz and Louie, and has performed internationally in countries including Egypt, Kuwait, South Korea, England, Holland, and Israel. With: Gordon Baker-Bone, Matt Jenkins, Jimmie Allinder, Justin Flanagan, Max Lorenzi, Adam Mamawala, and event host, Dina Hashem. Don't like laughter? We've got used books and records! Dead inside? We've got free wine! Wow! There's something for everyone! FREE!
8 PM, Fri. Aug 5
Stephen Segal (NOT the martial artist/deputy sheriff)
Reading/Signing
GEEK WISDOM: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture
Computer nerds are our titans of industry; comic-book superheroes are our Hollywood idols; the Internet is our night on the town. Clearly, geeks know something about life in the 21st century that other folks don’t—something we all can learn from. Geek Wisdom takes as gospel some 200 of the most powerful and oft-cited quotes from movies, television, literature, games, science, the Internet, and more. Now these beloved pearls of modern-day culture have been painstakingly interpreted by a diverse team of hardcore nerds with their imaginations turned up to 11. Yes, this collection of mini-essays is by, for, and about geeks—but it’s just so surprisingly profound, the rest of us would have to be dorks not to read it. Stephen H. Segal is the Hugo Award winning senior contributing editor to Weird Tales, the world’s oldest fantasy/sci-fi/horror magazine (Ray Bradbury and H.P. Lovecraft were regular contributors), and an editor at Quirk Books. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
8:30 PM, Sat. Aug 6
METROPOLIS
W/Live Mixed DJ Soundtrack by CIRCUIT BORED
Outdoor Screening/Live Music
Our terrace screening of Fantastic Planet was such a success we decide to continue our outdoor programming with Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Metropolis belongs to legend as much as to cinema. It's a milestone of sci-fi and German expressionism. In the stratified society of the future, the son of a capitalist discovers the atrocious conditions of the factory slaves, falling in love with the charismatic Maria in the bargain, who preaches nonviolence to the workers. But even the benevolent leadership of Maria is a challenge to the privileged class, so they have the mad-scientist Rotwang concoct a robot double to take her place and incite the workers to riot. The story is melodrama, but it's the powerful imagery that is so memorable, with one of the most arresting images being legions of cowed workers filing listlessly into the great maw of the all-consuming machine-god Moloch. Again, the titled silent film will be screened outdoors on the back terrace of The Raconteur and will be accompanied by a live-mixed soundtrack courtesy of Circuit Bored, a DJ known for his minimal sci-fi inspired electronica. Folding chairs are available, but if you prefer something more comfortable (e.g. lawn lounger), bring it with you. Refreshments. FREE!
8 PM, Fri. Aug 12
STAIRWELL ART
Art Exhibition/Live Music
As many of you know, one of our shop volunteers, Ben Luckman, recently opened a record store, People Under the Stereo, in our basement. The stairwell down is a cavernous shaft with walls that run 15'x20', so, in keeping with our cultural utilization of nontraditional spaces (e.g. People Under the Stereo), we've decided to turn it into an art gallery. Grand opening this Fri! Featuring the work of Jason Stewart. Plus a range of special musical guests. FREE!
4 PM, Sun. Aug 14
Raconteur Radio & Stage Left Present
6:30 PM, Thurs. Aug 18
THE THIRD MAN
Staged Radio Play/Themed Dinner
Featuring Carlyle Owens, Laurence Mintz, Michael Jarmus, Jackie Nuzzo, and Alex Dawson
The atmospheric rubble and melancholy damp of war-smashed Vienna is powerfully evoked in this thrilling radio play, based on Sir Carol Reed's 1949 film starring Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles. Holly Martins is a "scribbler" of hack Westerns who arrives in postwar Vienna to land a job and join his old pal Harry Lime. Instead he finds himself drawn into a murder mystery and a network of deadly black-market racketeers. The story blurs the lines between what's comic and what's corrupt, melding melodrama and smirking frivolity with razor-blade noir tones and grave ruminations on the seductive nature of money and evil. Theatrical Lighting! Sound FX! Meet at the Stage Left bar at 6:30 PM to drink Austrian Gruner Veltliner before repairing to one of their private oak-paneled salons for the performance. Afterward dine on a luxurious dinner with choices appropriate to the time and setting. For more info/reservations, CLICK HERE.
Raconteur Radio & The Metuchen Public Library Present
7:30 PM, Aug 24
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Staged Radio Play
Featuring Michael Jarmus, Laurence Mintz, Carlyle Owens, and Alex Dawson
The War of the Worlds was first performed October 30, 1938 as the Halloween episode of "Mercury Theatre On Air." Directed and narrated by Orson Welles, the episode, set in Grovers Mills, NJ, is a loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells' novel, and begins as a dance band broadcast intermittently interrupted by news flashes about strange explosions on Mars. A cylindrical meteorite lands in a field. A crowd gathers at the site. The meteorite unscrews, revealing itself as a spacecraft, and onlookers catch a glimpse of a tentacled, pulsating creature, its arms throbbing, but immobile, which then springs to life and incinerates the crowd. The simulated "news bulletins" suggested to many listeners that an actual alien invasion by Martians was currently in progress. As a result, there were instances of panic throughout the US, especially in New York and New Jersey. There has been continued speculation that the panic generated by the broadcast inspired government officials to forever cover up subsequent unidentified flying object evidence. THEATRICAL LIGHTING! SOUND FX! FREE! NOTE: This at the Metuchen Library NOT The Raconteur.
The Raconteur & The State Theatre Present
8 PM, Fri. Aug 26
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: THE ADAPTATION
W/Special Guests: Director Eric Zala & Actor Chris Strompolos
Film Screening/Onstage Conversation/Q&A
It's the 30 year anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark and the summer of Super 8, which means it's the perfect time to see the homemade cult sensation Spielberg himself calls "hugely imaginative!" After seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, three 12 year old friends, Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb, began filming their own shot-by-shot adaptation in the backyards of their Mississippi homes. Vigilant, resourceful, and a little bit insane, these Mississippi tweens gained access to sacks of gunpowder, gallons of gasoline, a retired WWII battleship and a functioning Navy submarine. They broke bones, got grounded, burned down a garage, and got grounded again. Eric had to be hospitalized twice, once for having his hair set aflame, and once because shards of plaster from an exploding head "effect" had to be surgically removed from his scalp. Seven years later their film was in the can. Click HERE to read the Vanity Fair article on the boys' amazing movie-making adventure. THE ONLY WAY TO SEE THIS FILM IS TO CATCH ONE OF THE RARE INTERNATIONAL SCREENINGS HOSTED BY THE FILMMAKERS THEMSELVES. This August, Eric and Chris are flying into New Brunswick to screen and discuss their now legendary remake at the State Theatre! MORE INFO/BUY TIX!
ON DECK: Outdoor video game tournament w/DJ Circuit Bored; staged reading of Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein; two time Oscar nominated animator Bill Plympton screening/discussing Idiots and Angels at the State Theatre, 8 PM, Tues. Sept 26.
TED ALEXANDRO
Stand Up Comedy
Alexandro has performed on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, The View, and two half-hour specials on Comedy Central. He has also appeared on the television shows Oz, Dr. Katz and Louie, and has performed internationally in countries including Egypt, Kuwait, South Korea, England, Holland, and Israel. With: Gordon Baker-Bone, Matt Jenkins, Jimmie Allinder, Justin Flanagan, Max Lorenzi, Adam Mamawala, and event host, Dina Hashem. Don't like laughter? We've got used books and records! Dead inside? We've got free wine! Wow! There's something for everyone! FREE!
8 PM, Fri. Aug 5
Stephen Segal (NOT the martial artist/deputy sheriff)
Reading/Signing
GEEK WISDOM: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture
Computer nerds are our titans of industry; comic-book superheroes are our Hollywood idols; the Internet is our night on the town. Clearly, geeks know something about life in the 21st century that other folks don’t—something we all can learn from. Geek Wisdom takes as gospel some 200 of the most powerful and oft-cited quotes from movies, television, literature, games, science, the Internet, and more. Now these beloved pearls of modern-day culture have been painstakingly interpreted by a diverse team of hardcore nerds with their imaginations turned up to 11. Yes, this collection of mini-essays is by, for, and about geeks—but it’s just so surprisingly profound, the rest of us would have to be dorks not to read it. Stephen H. Segal is the Hugo Award winning senior contributing editor to Weird Tales, the world’s oldest fantasy/sci-fi/horror magazine (Ray Bradbury and H.P. Lovecraft were regular contributors), and an editor at Quirk Books. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
8:30 PM, Sat. Aug 6
METROPOLIS
W/Live Mixed DJ Soundtrack by CIRCUIT BORED
Outdoor Screening/Live Music
Our terrace screening of Fantastic Planet was such a success we decide to continue our outdoor programming with Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Metropolis belongs to legend as much as to cinema. It's a milestone of sci-fi and German expressionism. In the stratified society of the future, the son of a capitalist discovers the atrocious conditions of the factory slaves, falling in love with the charismatic Maria in the bargain, who preaches nonviolence to the workers. But even the benevolent leadership of Maria is a challenge to the privileged class, so they have the mad-scientist Rotwang concoct a robot double to take her place and incite the workers to riot. The story is melodrama, but it's the powerful imagery that is so memorable, with one of the most arresting images being legions of cowed workers filing listlessly into the great maw of the all-consuming machine-god Moloch. Again, the titled silent film will be screened outdoors on the back terrace of The Raconteur and will be accompanied by a live-mixed soundtrack courtesy of Circuit Bored, a DJ known for his minimal sci-fi inspired electronica. Folding chairs are available, but if you prefer something more comfortable (e.g. lawn lounger), bring it with you. Refreshments. FREE!
8 PM, Fri. Aug 12
STAIRWELL ART
Art Exhibition/Live Music
As many of you know, one of our shop volunteers, Ben Luckman, recently opened a record store, People Under the Stereo, in our basement. The stairwell down is a cavernous shaft with walls that run 15'x20', so, in keeping with our cultural utilization of nontraditional spaces (e.g. People Under the Stereo), we've decided to turn it into an art gallery. Grand opening this Fri! Featuring the work of Jason Stewart. Plus a range of special musical guests. FREE!
4 PM, Sun. Aug 14
BLAME
A Staged Reading of a New Screenplay by
QUINN SHEPHARD
Featuring Quinn Shephard, Lily Houghton, Jonathan Wierzbicki, Sherilyn Alyssa Morse, Natasha Thaler, Nicolette Pizzigoni, Laurie Shephard, Daniel Paul, Shelby Day, and Carlyle Owen
A Staged Reading of a New Screenplay by
QUINN SHEPHARD
Featuring Quinn Shephard, Lily Houghton, Jonathan Wierzbicki, Sherilyn Alyssa Morse, Natasha Thaler, Nicolette Pizzigoni, Laurie Shephard, Daniel Paul, Shelby Day, and Carlyle Owen
Set in an age of technology and disconnect, BLAME brings us into the lives of five teenage girls whose paths become tangled when envy and suspicion spiral out of control. After word gets out that one of the school's students may or may not be involved in a scandalous affair with her teacher, the line between truth and accusation blurs as the craze for information sweeps the school into a whirlwind of digital hysteria. Quinn Shephard is a 16-year-old film actress whose credits include Unaccompanied Minors (w/Lewis Black & Wilmer Valderamma), Harrison's Flowers (w/Andie McDowwell & David Straithairn)', From Other Worlds, and Assassination of a High School President (w/Bruce Willis & Mischa Barton). As a student filmmaker, her work has been showcased in multiple festivals, including the Garden State Film Festival. This is her first feature-length screenplay. FREE!
Raconteur Radio & Stage Left Present
6:30 PM, Thurs. Aug 18
THE THIRD MAN
Staged Radio Play/Themed Dinner
Featuring Carlyle Owens, Laurence Mintz, Michael Jarmus, Jackie Nuzzo, and Alex Dawson
The atmospheric rubble and melancholy damp of war-smashed Vienna is powerfully evoked in this thrilling radio play, based on Sir Carol Reed's 1949 film starring Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles. Holly Martins is a "scribbler" of hack Westerns who arrives in postwar Vienna to land a job and join his old pal Harry Lime. Instead he finds himself drawn into a murder mystery and a network of deadly black-market racketeers. The story blurs the lines between what's comic and what's corrupt, melding melodrama and smirking frivolity with razor-blade noir tones and grave ruminations on the seductive nature of money and evil. Theatrical Lighting! Sound FX! Meet at the Stage Left bar at 6:30 PM to drink Austrian Gruner Veltliner before repairing to one of their private oak-paneled salons for the performance. Afterward dine on a luxurious dinner with choices appropriate to the time and setting. For more info/reservations, CLICK HERE.
Raconteur Radio & The Metuchen Public Library Present
7:30 PM, Aug 24
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Staged Radio Play
Featuring Michael Jarmus, Laurence Mintz, Carlyle Owens, and Alex Dawson
The War of the Worlds was first performed October 30, 1938 as the Halloween episode of "Mercury Theatre On Air." Directed and narrated by Orson Welles, the episode, set in Grovers Mills, NJ, is a loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells' novel, and begins as a dance band broadcast intermittently interrupted by news flashes about strange explosions on Mars. A cylindrical meteorite lands in a field. A crowd gathers at the site. The meteorite unscrews, revealing itself as a spacecraft, and onlookers catch a glimpse of a tentacled, pulsating creature, its arms throbbing, but immobile, which then springs to life and incinerates the crowd. The simulated "news bulletins" suggested to many listeners that an actual alien invasion by Martians was currently in progress. As a result, there were instances of panic throughout the US, especially in New York and New Jersey. There has been continued speculation that the panic generated by the broadcast inspired government officials to forever cover up subsequent unidentified flying object evidence. THEATRICAL LIGHTING! SOUND FX! FREE! NOTE: This at the Metuchen Library NOT The Raconteur.
The Raconteur & The State Theatre Present
8 PM, Fri. Aug 26
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: THE ADAPTATION
W/Special Guests: Director Eric Zala & Actor Chris Strompolos
Film Screening/Onstage Conversation/Q&A
It's the 30 year anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark and the summer of Super 8, which means it's the perfect time to see the homemade cult sensation Spielberg himself calls "hugely imaginative!" After seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, three 12 year old friends, Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb, began filming their own shot-by-shot adaptation in the backyards of their Mississippi homes. Vigilant, resourceful, and a little bit insane, these Mississippi tweens gained access to sacks of gunpowder, gallons of gasoline, a retired WWII battleship and a functioning Navy submarine. They broke bones, got grounded, burned down a garage, and got grounded again. Eric had to be hospitalized twice, once for having his hair set aflame, and once because shards of plaster from an exploding head "effect" had to be surgically removed from his scalp. Seven years later their film was in the can. Click HERE to read the Vanity Fair article on the boys' amazing movie-making adventure. THE ONLY WAY TO SEE THIS FILM IS TO CATCH ONE OF THE RARE INTERNATIONAL SCREENINGS HOSTED BY THE FILMMAKERS THEMSELVES. This August, Eric and Chris are flying into New Brunswick to screen and discuss their now legendary remake at the State Theatre! MORE INFO/BUY TIX!
ON DECK: Outdoor video game tournament w/DJ Circuit Bored; staged reading of Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein; two time Oscar nominated animator Bill Plympton screening/discussing Idiots and Angels at the State Theatre, 8 PM, Tues. Sept 26.
Monday, July 11, 2011
JULY/AUG 11: Write Your Own Adventure!; Fantastic Planet; Black Angel Revue; Outdoor Vid Games;Backpockets; Kosha Dillz; Ted Alexandro; Geek Wisdom
The Raconteur & The Metuchen Public Library Present
7 – 8:30, July 14, 20, 27
WRITE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!
Writing Workshop(Ages 10 and up)
Taking inspiration from both modern and classic YA books and from the lives of the men and women who wrote them, Raconteur proprietor/award winning author Alex Dawson (The Rapscallion Club) provides suggestions that will spark the imaginations of both children and teens, prompting them to pen their own rollicking yarns. Find out how Robert Louis Stevenson found inspiration for Treasure Island in his bowl of porridge, or how J. R. R. Tolkien's amazing fantasy world began with a childhood game of making up words, or how Dawson himself got the idea for his high spirited swashbuckler while visiting his archeologist brother at The South American Explorer's Club in Peru. Whether you have an idea you'd like to draft, have a draft you'd like to revise, or think, as many wrongly do, that your life is too ordinary and you have nothing exciting to say, this workshop is for you. Unfortunately, the workshop is fully booked, but if you'd like to be put on the waiting list or if you're interested in future workshops, contact raconteurbooks@gmail.com.
8 PM, Thurs. July 14
NEON TROTSKY
W/Special Guest Vincent Saulys
Live Music
More soon…
9 pm, Fri, July 15
FANTASTIC PLANET
W/Live DJ Soundtrack by CIRCUIT BORED
Outdoor Film Screening/Live Music
René Laloux's mesmerizing psychedelic sci-fi animated feature, Fantastic Planet, won the Special Jury Prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival and is a landmark of European animation. Based on Stefan Wul's novel Oms en Série (Oms by the Dozen), Laloux's breathtaking vision was released in France as La Planète Sauvage, and immediately drew comparisons to Gulliver's Travels and Planet of the Apes. Today, the film can be seen to prefigure much of the work of Hayao Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) due to its palpable political and social concerns, cultivated imagination, and memorable animation techniques. The subtitled film will be screened outdoors on the back terrace of The Raconteur and will be accompanied by a live-mixed soundtrack courtesy of Circuit Bored, a DJ known for his minimal sci-fi inspired electronica. Folding chairs are available, but if you prefer something more comfortable (e.g. lawn lounger), bring it with you. FREE!
9 PM, Thurs. July 21
THE BLACK ANGEL REVUE
Novelist Steven Hart & Poet John Marron
Reading/Signing
WE ALL FALL DOWN & BLIPS
Hart, a Highland Park resident already noted as a historian for his nonfiction book The Last Three Miles: Politics, Murder, and the Construction of America's First Superhighway (2007), will read from his new crime novel We All Fall Down, which has been praised by novelists J.D. Rhoades and Kristy Kiernan as a compelling, twisty tale of murder and conspiracy in a small New Jersey town. Marron, a Highland Park resident, will read haiku, free verse, and unclassifiable poetic japes from his collection Blips. The book has already been hailed by Anne Waldman and a small army of poetic luminaries for its freshness and wit. Both Blips and We All Fall Down are published by the newly minted, small-press imprint Black Angel Press. FREE! Books on sale at event.
8:30 PM, Fri. July 22
OUTDOOR VIDEO GAME TOURNAMENT
W/Live Mixed Music by Circuit Bored.
Nintendo 64 projected on a ten foot wall under the stars. Our terrace screening of FANTASTIC PLANET was such a success, we've decided to continue our outdoor programming with a video game tournament similarly accompanied by Circuit Bored, a DJ known for his minimal sci-fi inspired electronica. Bring your lucky controller (we only have two). Bring a chair and any game you wish to play. Event presented in conjunction with People Under the Stereo, vintage clothes & vinyl under The Raconteur. FREE! Refreshments.
8 PM, Mon. July 25
THE BACKPOCKETS
Live Music
The Back Pockets is three girls, two boys, and one old geezer who looks like a cross between Dusty Hill and the guy with ripped flannel elbows drinking brekkie shots of Ten High who just stole your smokes. They play banjos and bongos, fiddles and flutes. Sometimes they lay electric guitars across their laps and saw on them with a violin bows. The girls dress like flappers, acrobats, or, on occasion, the Daryl Hannah android from Bladerunner. The boys wear Mexican wrestling masks and fencing helmets. They like sidewalks at night, homemade things, and carnies. They frequently rig and engage tightropes and trapezes during their shows, and have played whole songs hanging from their knees. The sound is folk, but the experience is Stomp. They're painters as well as musicians. They hail from Atlanta, GA. They sometimes describe themselves as Jefferson Airplane meets Blue Man Group. FREE! Complimentary wine. CDs on sale at the event (you remember their CDs, they come in little canvas pockets embroidered with doodles with flaps fastened by Velcro).
8 PM, Weds. July 27,
KOSHA DILLZ
Live Music
In 2009, Kosha Dillz won an MC battle at Giants Stadium and released his first solo album, Beverly Dillz. Dillz has since toured all over the world, most regularly with Flex Mathews and Matisyahu, and is the featured rapper on RZA’s new release Operation. RZA, widely considered one of the most influential and landmark hip-hop producers of all time, calls Kosha “one of the rawest Jewish kids I know.” FREE! CDs on sale at event.
7 – 8:30, July 14, 20, 27
WRITE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!
Writing Workshop(Ages 10 and up)
Taking inspiration from both modern and classic YA books and from the lives of the men and women who wrote them, Raconteur proprietor/award winning author Alex Dawson (The Rapscallion Club) provides suggestions that will spark the imaginations of both children and teens, prompting them to pen their own rollicking yarns. Find out how Robert Louis Stevenson found inspiration for Treasure Island in his bowl of porridge, or how J. R. R. Tolkien's amazing fantasy world began with a childhood game of making up words, or how Dawson himself got the idea for his high spirited swashbuckler while visiting his archeologist brother at The South American Explorer's Club in Peru. Whether you have an idea you'd like to draft, have a draft you'd like to revise, or think, as many wrongly do, that your life is too ordinary and you have nothing exciting to say, this workshop is for you. Unfortunately, the workshop is fully booked, but if you'd like to be put on the waiting list or if you're interested in future workshops, contact raconteurbooks@gmail.com.
8 PM, Thurs. July 14
NEON TROTSKY
W/Special Guest Vincent Saulys
Live Music
More soon…
9 pm, Fri, July 15
FANTASTIC PLANET
W/Live DJ Soundtrack by CIRCUIT BORED
Outdoor Film Screening/Live Music
René Laloux's mesmerizing psychedelic sci-fi animated feature, Fantastic Planet, won the Special Jury Prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival and is a landmark of European animation. Based on Stefan Wul's novel Oms en Série (Oms by the Dozen), Laloux's breathtaking vision was released in France as La Planète Sauvage, and immediately drew comparisons to Gulliver's Travels and Planet of the Apes. Today, the film can be seen to prefigure much of the work of Hayao Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) due to its palpable political and social concerns, cultivated imagination, and memorable animation techniques. The subtitled film will be screened outdoors on the back terrace of The Raconteur and will be accompanied by a live-mixed soundtrack courtesy of Circuit Bored, a DJ known for his minimal sci-fi inspired electronica. Folding chairs are available, but if you prefer something more comfortable (e.g. lawn lounger), bring it with you. FREE!
9 PM, Thurs. July 21
THE BLACK ANGEL REVUE
Novelist Steven Hart & Poet John Marron
Reading/Signing
WE ALL FALL DOWN & BLIPS
Hart, a Highland Park resident already noted as a historian for his nonfiction book The Last Three Miles: Politics, Murder, and the Construction of America's First Superhighway (2007), will read from his new crime novel We All Fall Down, which has been praised by novelists J.D. Rhoades and Kristy Kiernan as a compelling, twisty tale of murder and conspiracy in a small New Jersey town. Marron, a Highland Park resident, will read haiku, free verse, and unclassifiable poetic japes from his collection Blips. The book has already been hailed by Anne Waldman and a small army of poetic luminaries for its freshness and wit. Both Blips and We All Fall Down are published by the newly minted, small-press imprint Black Angel Press. FREE! Books on sale at event.
8:30 PM, Fri. July 22
OUTDOOR VIDEO GAME TOURNAMENT
W/Live Mixed Music by Circuit Bored.
Nintendo 64 projected on a ten foot wall under the stars. Our terrace screening of FANTASTIC PLANET was such a success, we've decided to continue our outdoor programming with a video game tournament similarly accompanied by Circuit Bored, a DJ known for his minimal sci-fi inspired electronica. Bring your lucky controller (we only have two). Bring a chair and any game you wish to play. Event presented in conjunction with People Under the Stereo, vintage clothes & vinyl under The Raconteur. FREE! Refreshments.
8 PM, Mon. July 25
THE BACKPOCKETS
Live Music
The Back Pockets is three girls, two boys, and one old geezer who looks like a cross between Dusty Hill and the guy with ripped flannel elbows drinking brekkie shots of Ten High who just stole your smokes. They play banjos and bongos, fiddles and flutes. Sometimes they lay electric guitars across their laps and saw on them with a violin bows. The girls dress like flappers, acrobats, or, on occasion, the Daryl Hannah android from Bladerunner. The boys wear Mexican wrestling masks and fencing helmets. They like sidewalks at night, homemade things, and carnies. They frequently rig and engage tightropes and trapezes during their shows, and have played whole songs hanging from their knees. The sound is folk, but the experience is Stomp. They're painters as well as musicians. They hail from Atlanta, GA. They sometimes describe themselves as Jefferson Airplane meets Blue Man Group. FREE! Complimentary wine. CDs on sale at the event (you remember their CDs, they come in little canvas pockets embroidered with doodles with flaps fastened by Velcro).
8 PM, Weds. July 27,
KOSHA DILLZ
Live Music
In 2009, Kosha Dillz won an MC battle at Giants Stadium and released his first solo album, Beverly Dillz. Dillz has since toured all over the world, most regularly with Flex Mathews and Matisyahu, and is the featured rapper on RZA’s new release Operation. RZA, widely considered one of the most influential and landmark hip-hop producers of all time, calls Kosha “one of the rawest Jewish kids I know.” FREE! CDs on sale at event.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
JUNE/JULY 2011: JAILBOX; TRAVIS NICHOLS; PITCHAPALOOZA
8 PM, Tues. June 28
JAILBOX (w/special guests)
Live Music
Jailbox may rep for Perryville, Missouri, but the quartet stakes a sonic claim to the melodic and sensitive British rock made popular by Coldplay, Doves and Starsailor. While Coldplay took cues from U2 and set its sights on stadium-rock, Jailbox prefers to keep things intimate. The strong, varied album, "One for Each of Us," works well thanks to equal parts restraint and inventiveness. Much of the first half of the disc centers on quiet songs that are pensive but never moody, evocative but not overwrought. The sweet, if oddly named, "Eyes Like a Farmer Tan" floats like an early Kings of Convenience track. "Taking it Slow Is So Dull" comes off as a breezy beach-bum jam, an unexpected bit of whistling, hand-clapping lightness from a record that prefers its hues the color of early summer storms. FREE! CDs on sale at event.
8 PM, Weds. June 29
TRAVIS NICHOLS
Discussing/Signing
THE MONSTER DOODLE BOOK
W/Live Music by THE LADY IN THE RADIATOR
Half-finished doodles of monsters and other creatures, featuring misshapen bodies, oodles of appendages, and all kinds of gross crud. Finish the monster-shaped alphabet, create a flip-book, comic strip, and more. Drawings can be scary, disgusting, cute, or weird. It's up to you. Nichols is a writer, artist, cartoonist, and Texan living in Brooklyn, NY. His comics appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine and Herbivore Magazine. He is the author and illustrator of Punk Rock Etiquette, which was awarded a Blue Ribbon by the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and was nominated by YALSA as one of the 2009 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. He's played in more than a dozen bands, and he loves meteorites and eating watermelon over the sink. FREE! Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Fri. July 8
PITCHAPALOOZA
Authors Wanted!
The Book Doctors, aka, Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, want YOU to pitch your book at their acclaimed event, Pitchapalooza, which was recently featured in The New York Times, and in a mini-documentary for Newsday. Pitchapalooza is like American Idol for books--only without the Simon. Writers get one minute to pitch their book ideas to an all-star panel of publishing experts. The winner receives an introduction to an appropriate agent or publisher for his/her book. Plus, anyone who buys a book gets a free consultation worth $100.
Arielle Eckstut has been a literary agent for 18 years. She is also the author of seven books and the co-founder of the iconic brand, LittleMissMatched. David Henry Sterry is the best-selling author of 12 books, on a wide variety of subject including memoir, sports, YA fiction and reference. His last book appeared on the cover of the Sunday New York Times Book Review.
Together, they’ve helped dozens and dozens of talented amateur writers become published authors. They’ve appeared everywhere from NPR’s Morning Edition to USA Today, and have taught publishing workshops everywhere from the Miami Book Fair to Stanford University. FREE! Books on sale at event. Comp wine.
JAILBOX (w/special guests)
Live Music
Jailbox may rep for Perryville, Missouri, but the quartet stakes a sonic claim to the melodic and sensitive British rock made popular by Coldplay, Doves and Starsailor. While Coldplay took cues from U2 and set its sights on stadium-rock, Jailbox prefers to keep things intimate. The strong, varied album, "One for Each of Us," works well thanks to equal parts restraint and inventiveness. Much of the first half of the disc centers on quiet songs that are pensive but never moody, evocative but not overwrought. The sweet, if oddly named, "Eyes Like a Farmer Tan" floats like an early Kings of Convenience track. "Taking it Slow Is So Dull" comes off as a breezy beach-bum jam, an unexpected bit of whistling, hand-clapping lightness from a record that prefers its hues the color of early summer storms. FREE! CDs on sale at event.
8 PM, Weds. June 29
TRAVIS NICHOLS
Discussing/Signing
THE MONSTER DOODLE BOOK
W/Live Music by THE LADY IN THE RADIATOR
Half-finished doodles of monsters and other creatures, featuring misshapen bodies, oodles of appendages, and all kinds of gross crud. Finish the monster-shaped alphabet, create a flip-book, comic strip, and more. Drawings can be scary, disgusting, cute, or weird. It's up to you. Nichols is a writer, artist, cartoonist, and Texan living in Brooklyn, NY. His comics appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine and Herbivore Magazine. He is the author and illustrator of Punk Rock Etiquette, which was awarded a Blue Ribbon by the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and was nominated by YALSA as one of the 2009 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. He's played in more than a dozen bands, and he loves meteorites and eating watermelon over the sink. FREE! Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Fri. July 8
PITCHAPALOOZA
Authors Wanted!
The Book Doctors, aka, Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, want YOU to pitch your book at their acclaimed event, Pitchapalooza, which was recently featured in The New York Times, and in a mini-documentary for Newsday. Pitchapalooza is like American Idol for books--only without the Simon. Writers get one minute to pitch their book ideas to an all-star panel of publishing experts. The winner receives an introduction to an appropriate agent or publisher for his/her book. Plus, anyone who buys a book gets a free consultation worth $100.
Arielle Eckstut has been a literary agent for 18 years. She is also the author of seven books and the co-founder of the iconic brand, LittleMissMatched. David Henry Sterry is the best-selling author of 12 books, on a wide variety of subject including memoir, sports, YA fiction and reference. His last book appeared on the cover of the Sunday New York Times Book Review.
Together, they’ve helped dozens and dozens of talented amateur writers become published authors. They’ve appeared everywhere from NPR’s Morning Edition to USA Today, and have taught publishing workshops everywhere from the Miami Book Fair to Stanford University. FREE! Books on sale at event. Comp wine.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
JUNE 2011: Teen Fest; Side Show/Roy Chambers/Roadside Graves; Something to Say; Treasure Hunt; Jailbox; Monster Doodle Book w/Lady and the Radiator
7:30 PM, Weds. June 1
1st ANNUAL AWESOMESAUCE TEEN EXTRAVAGANZA
Special guest Fantasy YA author SHERWOOD SMITH
Featuring ten minute readings by John Melendez (15), Kathryn Sweatman (16), Emma Jacques (12), Whitney Xu (13),and Kayla Bashe (16), who organized the event. PLUS: L.A.'s Sherwood Smith, the author of a number of science fiction and fantasy novels, including the "Wren "series for Young Adults, the Exordium novels, the recent "Atlantis Endgame," a novel of the Time Traders series, and the Solar Queen novels, reads excerpts of her writing and answer attendees’ questions via SKYPE. FREE!
6:30 - 10 PM, Fri. June 10
BUG OUT!! @ The Rac
Featuring HONOR AMONGST THIEVES, ROY CHAMBERS, BEN LUCKMAN, JEREMY BENSON, & THE ROADSIDE GRAVES
Sideshow Performance/Sculpture Unveiling/Live Music
6:30 - 7:30 PM (outside, in front) Sideshow escapists Honor Amongst Thieves swallow mongol sabers, eat Edison light-bulbs, and spit fifteen foot flumes of flame into the blue black sky above Main Street, w/special guest Billy Bullwhip, a whip artist who, from ten feet away, can knock free a raisin from the ginger clench of his partner's teeth. 7:30 PM (outside, in front) Metal sculptor Roy Chambers unveils his 9' Don Quixote made from found objects and re-purposed metals (on permanent display in front of The Raconteur). Chambers effectively erased any memory of Allen Jones' fetishistic fiber-glass nudes with his steam-punk, milk bar cow-skull in The Raconteur's production of A Clockwork Orange (on display in the rear of the shop since the 2009 production). 8:00 - 9:00 PM (inside) Singer/songwriters Jeremy Benson & Ben Lukman. 8:30 - 10:00 PM (outdoor stage, in back) Rac house band The Roadside Graves (w/special guests) playing songs from their new S.E. Hinton inspired album "OUTSIDE" (stay gold, ponyboy!). All for FREE! Can u believe it? Note: Bug Out!! is our contribution to the town-wide, summer arts festival, Junebug, which occurs every Friday in June.
2 PM, Sun. June 12
Richard Klin/Lily Prince
SOMETHING TO SAY
Thoughts on Arts and Politics in America
Reading/Discussion/Slide Show,
In Something to Say, Klin interviews artists and thinkers as disparate as Pete Seeger, Howard Zinn, punk rock activist Franklin Stein, and Palestinian American stand up comedian Maysoon Zayid. Each interview is accompanied by a striking B/W portrait from Klin's wife, photographer Lily Prince. The fusion of art and politics is axiomatic in much of the world. In America, their relationship is erratic. What is art in the service of social justice? Is an artist obligated to address the political? This book profiles, in words and photos, disparate creative forces who offer thoughts on their point of engagement with the political sphere. FREE! Books on sale at event.
9:30 AM, Sat. June 18
3rd ANNUAL METUCHEN TREASURE HUNT
Ages 6 & up!
The Raconteur, in conjunction with the Metuchen Mt. Zion Masonic Lodge (and What's the Scoop), is again sponsoring a Metuchen based treasure hunt! In keeping with the rollicking spirit of The Man who Would be King, Freemason Rudyard Kipling's fantastic tale of two masonic scoundrels who set off from 19th century British India in search of gold and adventure and end up as kings of Kafiristan, and The National Treasure, in which hoard hunter Benjamin Gates follows a series of cryptic clues to find an ancient cache intertwined with the arcane history of Freemasonry, young adventurers (boys and girls 1st through 5th grade) work in teams, following clues and unraveling a variety of knotty riddles as they move from one mysterious location to another (various stores and outdoor landmarks) within the town limits of Metuchen proper. Each cracked conundrum will lead players ever closer to the final treasure! Expect anagrams, number puzzles, and a brass plated, cylindrical device known as a Cryptex. Raconteur gift certificates awarded to all participants. To sign up, click HERE. Space is limited. The hunt is completely FREE. Any questions, or if you would like to help, please click HERE.
8 PM, Tues. June 28
JAILBOX
w/special guests
Live Music
Think Radiohead meets The Police. More soon. FREE!
8 PM, Weds. June 29
TRAVIS NICHOLS
Discussing/Signing
THE MONSTER DOODLE BOOK
W/Live Music by THE LADY IN THE RADIATOR
Half-finished doodles of monsters and other creatures, featuring misshapen bodies, oodles of appendages, and all kinds of gross crud. Finish the monster-shaped alphabet, create a flip-book, comic strip, and more. Drawings can be scary, disgusting, cute, or weird. It's up to you. Nichols is a writer, artist, cartoonist, and Texan living in Brooklyn, NY. His comics appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine and Herbivore Magazine. He is the author and illustrator of Punk Rock Etiquette, which was awarded a Blue Ribbon by the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and was nominated by YALSA as one of the 2009 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. He's played in more than a dozen bands, and he loves meteorites and eating watermelon over the sink. FREE! Books on sale at event.
1st ANNUAL AWESOMESAUCE TEEN EXTRAVAGANZA
Special guest Fantasy YA author SHERWOOD SMITH
Featuring ten minute readings by John Melendez (15), Kathryn Sweatman (16), Emma Jacques (12), Whitney Xu (13),and Kayla Bashe (16), who organized the event. PLUS: L.A.'s Sherwood Smith, the author of a number of science fiction and fantasy novels, including the "Wren "series for Young Adults, the Exordium novels, the recent "Atlantis Endgame," a novel of the Time Traders series, and the Solar Queen novels, reads excerpts of her writing and answer attendees’ questions via SKYPE. FREE!
6:30 - 10 PM, Fri. June 10
BUG OUT!! @ The Rac
Featuring HONOR AMONGST THIEVES, ROY CHAMBERS, BEN LUCKMAN, JEREMY BENSON, & THE ROADSIDE GRAVES
Sideshow Performance/Sculpture Unveiling/Live Music
6:30 - 7:30 PM (outside, in front) Sideshow escapists Honor Amongst Thieves swallow mongol sabers, eat Edison light-bulbs, and spit fifteen foot flumes of flame into the blue black sky above Main Street, w/special guest Billy Bullwhip, a whip artist who, from ten feet away, can knock free a raisin from the ginger clench of his partner's teeth. 7:30 PM (outside, in front) Metal sculptor Roy Chambers unveils his 9' Don Quixote made from found objects and re-purposed metals (on permanent display in front of The Raconteur). Chambers effectively erased any memory of Allen Jones' fetishistic fiber-glass nudes with his steam-punk, milk bar cow-skull in The Raconteur's production of A Clockwork Orange (on display in the rear of the shop since the 2009 production). 8:00 - 9:00 PM (inside) Singer/songwriters Jeremy Benson & Ben Lukman. 8:30 - 10:00 PM (outdoor stage, in back) Rac house band The Roadside Graves (w/special guests) playing songs from their new S.E. Hinton inspired album "OUTSIDE" (stay gold, ponyboy!). All for FREE! Can u believe it? Note: Bug Out!! is our contribution to the town-wide, summer arts festival, Junebug, which occurs every Friday in June.
2 PM, Sun. June 12
Richard Klin/Lily Prince
SOMETHING TO SAY
Thoughts on Arts and Politics in America
Reading/Discussion/Slide Show,
In Something to Say, Klin interviews artists and thinkers as disparate as Pete Seeger, Howard Zinn, punk rock activist Franklin Stein, and Palestinian American stand up comedian Maysoon Zayid. Each interview is accompanied by a striking B/W portrait from Klin's wife, photographer Lily Prince. The fusion of art and politics is axiomatic in much of the world. In America, their relationship is erratic. What is art in the service of social justice? Is an artist obligated to address the political? This book profiles, in words and photos, disparate creative forces who offer thoughts on their point of engagement with the political sphere. FREE! Books on sale at event.
9:30 AM, Sat. June 18
3rd ANNUAL METUCHEN TREASURE HUNT
Ages 6 & up!
The Raconteur, in conjunction with the Metuchen Mt. Zion Masonic Lodge (and What's the Scoop), is again sponsoring a Metuchen based treasure hunt! In keeping with the rollicking spirit of The Man who Would be King, Freemason Rudyard Kipling's fantastic tale of two masonic scoundrels who set off from 19th century British India in search of gold and adventure and end up as kings of Kafiristan, and The National Treasure, in which hoard hunter Benjamin Gates follows a series of cryptic clues to find an ancient cache intertwined with the arcane history of Freemasonry, young adventurers (boys and girls 1st through 5th grade) work in teams, following clues and unraveling a variety of knotty riddles as they move from one mysterious location to another (various stores and outdoor landmarks) within the town limits of Metuchen proper. Each cracked conundrum will lead players ever closer to the final treasure! Expect anagrams, number puzzles, and a brass plated, cylindrical device known as a Cryptex. Raconteur gift certificates awarded to all participants. To sign up, click HERE. Space is limited. The hunt is completely FREE. Any questions, or if you would like to help, please click HERE.
8 PM, Tues. June 28
JAILBOX
w/special guests
Live Music
Think Radiohead meets The Police. More soon. FREE!
8 PM, Weds. June 29
TRAVIS NICHOLS
Discussing/Signing
THE MONSTER DOODLE BOOK
W/Live Music by THE LADY IN THE RADIATOR
Half-finished doodles of monsters and other creatures, featuring misshapen bodies, oodles of appendages, and all kinds of gross crud. Finish the monster-shaped alphabet, create a flip-book, comic strip, and more. Drawings can be scary, disgusting, cute, or weird. It's up to you. Nichols is a writer, artist, cartoonist, and Texan living in Brooklyn, NY. His comics appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine and Herbivore Magazine. He is the author and illustrator of Punk Rock Etiquette, which was awarded a Blue Ribbon by the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and was nominated by YALSA as one of the 2009 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. He's played in more than a dozen bands, and he loves meteorites and eating watermelon over the sink. FREE! Books on sale at event.
Monday, May 2, 2011
MAY 2011: Jazz Guitar; William Lustig; Don't Burn It; Mark Jacobson; Comedy Show; Sloane Crosley; Pitchapalooza
8 PM, Thurs. May 5
JOHN HARRITY
Jazz Guitar
Live Music
Harrity is the master guitar instructor at the Somerville School of Music. He has studied with Ronald Parker, Harry Leahy and Ted Dunbar for Jazz guitar, with Francis Perry, Thaddeus Robinson and Laura Oltman for classical guitar, and with Wanda Maximilien for classical piano. FREE!
8 PM, Fri. May 6
ROBUS 1 w/LADY IN THE RADIATOR
CD release Party
Live Music
More info soon...
6 – 7:30 PM, Sat. May 7
WILLIAM LUSTIG
Pre-MANIAC Reception
Some serious New York grit is about to get all up in Metuchen when legendary cult director and Blue Underground head honcho, William Lustig invades the The Forum with a brand new 35 mm print of Maniac. In 1980, Lustig found himself at the center of a storm of controversy when he made the grim and gorey slasher sleaze landmark Maniac, which boasts plenty of hideously gruesome make-up effects by horror genre icon Tom Savini. As the head of Blue Underground, he has overseen the release of some eminent cult horror films including City of the Living Dead, The Crazies and Bird With the Crystal Plumage. Lustig has also worked as an actor in his own films as well as in films by Sam Raimi, most notably Army of Darkness and Darkman. Join the Raconteur for a Dixie cup of comp wine and some up-close conversation with horror legend Lustig, then trot on down to theater for the 8 PM screening and Q&A. But be warned, this is strictly for fans of the genre. $5 (reception), $15 (screening).
8 PM, Sat. May 14
DON'T BURN IT
Directed by Dang Nhat Minh
W/Special guest DON'T BURN IT actor and Vietnam veteran MICHAEL JARMUS
Film Screening
Having won many of the top awards in its home country and honors in Japan’s Fukuoka Film Festival, Don't Burn It was Vietnam’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film in the 2010 Academy Awards. The film is the first Vietnamese feature to shoot scenes in the United States. It tells of the intersection of the life of Viet Cong medic Dang Thuy Tram with that of US Army Sergeant Frederic Whitehurst (Michael Jarmus). The sergeant recovered Dr. Dang’s diaries shortly after her death in 1970, was greatly moved by them, and managed to return the writings to her family thirty-five years later. A sensation when published in Vietnam, the diaries inspired director Dang Nhat Minh to write the screenplay. The film’s title is taken from what Whitehurst’s Vietnamese translator said after reading part of the diary, as captured documents were being destroyed: “Don’t burn this one...It has fire in it already.” At this rare US screening, Jarmus will introduce the film and helm a discussion afterward. FREE!
8 PM, Weds. May 18
PLEASE NOTE: Sloane Crosely's visit is postponed until Thurs, May 26 to accommodate her second appearance on The Late, Late Show w/Craig Ferguson. Sorry!
8 PM, Sat May 21
MARK JACOBSON
Reading/Signing
THE LAMPSHADE: A HOLOCAUST DETECTIVE STORY
“A disquieting yet utterly fascinating account, artfully told, studded with characters that would have been impossible to invent.” Jon Krakauer. Few growing up in the aftermath of World War II will ever forget the horrifying reports that Nazi concentration camp doctors had removed the skin of prisoners to make lampshades. In The Lampshade, bestselling journalist Mark Jacobson tells the story of how he came into possession of one of these awful objects, and of his search to establish the origin, and larger meaning, of what can only be described as an icon of terror. From Hurricane Katrina–ravaged New Orleans to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem to the Buchenwald concentration camp to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, almost everything Jacobson uncovers about the lampshade is contradictory, mysterious, shot through with legend and specious information. Through interviews with forensic experts, famous Holocaust scholars (and deniers), Buchenwald survivors and liberators, and New Orleans thieves and cops, Jacobson gradually comes to see the lampshade as a ghostly illuminator of his own existential status as a Jew, and to understand exactly what that means in the context of human responsibility. One question looms as his search progresses: what to do with the lampshade—this unsettling thing that used to be someone? Jacobson is a Contributing Editor at New York Magazine and in 2000 he published a profile of Frank Lucas, "once the city's biggest, baddest heroin kingpin"; this formed the basis for the Ridley Scott film, "American Gangster", starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. FREE! Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Tues. May 24
COMEDY SHOW
Featuring a range of NJ and NY comics.
8 PM, Thurs. May 26
SLOANE CROSLEY
Reading/Signing
HOW DID YOU GET THIS NUMBER
David Sedaris calls her “relentlessly funny” Jonathan Ames calls her "Charming, elegant, wise, and outrageous, a 21st century Dorothy Parker,” and Jonthan Lethem calls her “another mordant and mercurial wit from the realm of Sedaris and Vowell.” She is also a weekly columnist for The Independent, a frequent contributor to NPR's "All Things Considered," and editor of The Best American Travel Writing 2011. Her essays, interviews, fiction and criticism have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Black Book Magazine, The New York Observer, The Village Voice, Vice Magazine, Elle , Glamour, Vogue, W, Salon.com, GQ, Spin, Esquire, Playboy Magazine, Self, Maxim Magazine, and Mirabella. FREE! Books on sale at event.
POSTPONED UNTIL JULY 8! Sorry!
PITCHAPALOOZA
The Book Doctors, aka, Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, want YOU to pitch your book at their acclaimed event, Pitchapalooza, which was recently featured in The New York Times, and in a mini-documentary for Newsday. Pitchapalooza is like American Idol for books--only without the Simon. Writers get one minute to pitch their book ideas to an all-star panel of publishing experts. The winner receives an introduction to an appropriate agent or publisher for his/her book. Plus, anyone who buys a book gets a free consultation worth $100.
Arielle Eckstut has been a literary agent for 18 years. She is also the author of seven books and the co-founder of the iconic brand, LittleMissMatched. David Henry Sterry is the best-selling author of 12 books, on a wide variety of subject including memoir, sports, YA fiction and reference. His last book appeared on the cover of the Sunday New York Times Book Review. Together, they’ve helped dozens and dozens of talented amateur writers become published authors. They’ve appeared everywhere from NPR’s Morning Edition to USA Today, and have taught publishing workshops everywhere from the Miami Book Fair to Stanford University.
JOHN HARRITY
Jazz Guitar
Live Music
Harrity is the master guitar instructor at the Somerville School of Music. He has studied with Ronald Parker, Harry Leahy and Ted Dunbar for Jazz guitar, with Francis Perry, Thaddeus Robinson and Laura Oltman for classical guitar, and with Wanda Maximilien for classical piano. FREE!
8 PM, Fri. May 6
ROBUS 1 w/LADY IN THE RADIATOR
CD release Party
Live Music
More info soon...
6 – 7:30 PM, Sat. May 7
WILLIAM LUSTIG
Pre-MANIAC Reception
Some serious New York grit is about to get all up in Metuchen when legendary cult director and Blue Underground head honcho, William Lustig invades the The Forum with a brand new 35 mm print of Maniac. In 1980, Lustig found himself at the center of a storm of controversy when he made the grim and gorey slasher sleaze landmark Maniac, which boasts plenty of hideously gruesome make-up effects by horror genre icon Tom Savini. As the head of Blue Underground, he has overseen the release of some eminent cult horror films including City of the Living Dead, The Crazies and Bird With the Crystal Plumage. Lustig has also worked as an actor in his own films as well as in films by Sam Raimi, most notably Army of Darkness and Darkman. Join the Raconteur for a Dixie cup of comp wine and some up-close conversation with horror legend Lustig, then trot on down to theater for the 8 PM screening and Q&A. But be warned, this is strictly for fans of the genre. $5 (reception), $15 (screening).
8 PM, Sat. May 14
DON'T BURN IT
Directed by Dang Nhat Minh
W/Special guest DON'T BURN IT actor and Vietnam veteran MICHAEL JARMUS
Film Screening
Having won many of the top awards in its home country and honors in Japan’s Fukuoka Film Festival, Don't Burn It was Vietnam’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film in the 2010 Academy Awards. The film is the first Vietnamese feature to shoot scenes in the United States. It tells of the intersection of the life of Viet Cong medic Dang Thuy Tram with that of US Army Sergeant Frederic Whitehurst (Michael Jarmus). The sergeant recovered Dr. Dang’s diaries shortly after her death in 1970, was greatly moved by them, and managed to return the writings to her family thirty-five years later. A sensation when published in Vietnam, the diaries inspired director Dang Nhat Minh to write the screenplay. The film’s title is taken from what Whitehurst’s Vietnamese translator said after reading part of the diary, as captured documents were being destroyed: “Don’t burn this one...It has fire in it already.” At this rare US screening, Jarmus will introduce the film and helm a discussion afterward. FREE!
8 PM, Weds. May 18
PLEASE NOTE: Sloane Crosely's visit is postponed until Thurs, May 26 to accommodate her second appearance on The Late, Late Show w/Craig Ferguson. Sorry!
8 PM, Sat May 21
MARK JACOBSON
Reading/Signing
THE LAMPSHADE: A HOLOCAUST DETECTIVE STORY
“A disquieting yet utterly fascinating account, artfully told, studded with characters that would have been impossible to invent.” Jon Krakauer. Few growing up in the aftermath of World War II will ever forget the horrifying reports that Nazi concentration camp doctors had removed the skin of prisoners to make lampshades. In The Lampshade, bestselling journalist Mark Jacobson tells the story of how he came into possession of one of these awful objects, and of his search to establish the origin, and larger meaning, of what can only be described as an icon of terror. From Hurricane Katrina–ravaged New Orleans to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem to the Buchenwald concentration camp to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, almost everything Jacobson uncovers about the lampshade is contradictory, mysterious, shot through with legend and specious information. Through interviews with forensic experts, famous Holocaust scholars (and deniers), Buchenwald survivors and liberators, and New Orleans thieves and cops, Jacobson gradually comes to see the lampshade as a ghostly illuminator of his own existential status as a Jew, and to understand exactly what that means in the context of human responsibility. One question looms as his search progresses: what to do with the lampshade—this unsettling thing that used to be someone? Jacobson is a Contributing Editor at New York Magazine and in 2000 he published a profile of Frank Lucas, "once the city's biggest, baddest heroin kingpin"; this formed the basis for the Ridley Scott film, "American Gangster", starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. FREE! Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Tues. May 24
COMEDY SHOW
Featuring a range of NJ and NY comics.
8 PM, Thurs. May 26
SLOANE CROSLEY
Reading/Signing
HOW DID YOU GET THIS NUMBER
David Sedaris calls her “relentlessly funny” Jonathan Ames calls her "Charming, elegant, wise, and outrageous, a 21st century Dorothy Parker,” and Jonthan Lethem calls her “another mordant and mercurial wit from the realm of Sedaris and Vowell.” She is also a weekly columnist for The Independent, a frequent contributor to NPR's "All Things Considered," and editor of The Best American Travel Writing 2011. Her essays, interviews, fiction and criticism have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Black Book Magazine, The New York Observer, The Village Voice, Vice Magazine, Elle , Glamour, Vogue, W, Salon.com, GQ, Spin, Esquire, Playboy Magazine, Self, Maxim Magazine, and Mirabella. FREE! Books on sale at event.
POSTPONED UNTIL JULY 8! Sorry!
PITCHAPALOOZA
The Book Doctors, aka, Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, want YOU to pitch your book at their acclaimed event, Pitchapalooza, which was recently featured in The New York Times, and in a mini-documentary for Newsday. Pitchapalooza is like American Idol for books--only without the Simon. Writers get one minute to pitch their book ideas to an all-star panel of publishing experts. The winner receives an introduction to an appropriate agent or publisher for his/her book. Plus, anyone who buys a book gets a free consultation worth $100.
Arielle Eckstut has been a literary agent for 18 years. She is also the author of seven books and the co-founder of the iconic brand, LittleMissMatched. David Henry Sterry is the best-selling author of 12 books, on a wide variety of subject including memoir, sports, YA fiction and reference. His last book appeared on the cover of the Sunday New York Times Book Review. Together, they’ve helped dozens and dozens of talented amateur writers become published authors. They’ve appeared everywhere from NPR’s Morning Edition to USA Today, and have taught publishing workshops everywhere from the Miami Book Fair to Stanford University.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
APRIL 2011: Green Hornet Radio; Johnny Porno; D'Meitz/Ilusha; Dan Naturman; Japan Benefit; East Cack/Shay James; Miranda Kennedy; MUTTS, Misha Angrist
Tired of the everyday routine? Ever dream of a life of action and adventure? Want to get away from it all? Raconteur Radio’s staged presentations are designed to free you from the four walls of today, for a half hour of thrilling suspense with…THE GREEN HORNET!
8 PM, Fri. & Sat. April 1 & 2
THE GREEN HORNET
A Staged Radio Play
With Gwen Owens, Laurence Mintz, Mike Harvus, Peter Yao as Kato, and Carlyle Owens as the "Hornet."
ALL AGES!
The Green Hornet is an American radio and comic book masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. Distinguished by its use of classical music, not least "Flight of the Bumblebee" for its title theme, it was one of radio's best-known and most distinctive adventure shows. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the character has appeared in film serials (in the 1940s), a network television program (in the 1960s), multiple comic book series (from the 1940s on), and, just this past January, a feature film starring Seth Rogen. The Hornet is the alter ego of newspaper publisher Britt Reid. He is accompanied by his similarly masked partner, confidant, and chauffeur, Kato, who drives their technologically advanced Studebaker, the "Black Beauty." SOUND FX! COSTUMES! THEATRICAL LIGHTING.
8 PM, Thurs. April 7
CHARLIE STELLA
Reading/Signing
JOHNNY PORNO
With seven crime novels under his belt, Stella has received six starred industry reviews, has made two best-of-year-mystery lists (Publisher’s Weekly & Booklist, 2003 for Charlie Opera), and has been compared favorably to Elmore Leonard on sixteen occasions. His novels are hard-boiled, dialogue driven, and linked by recurring members of the Vignieri crime family. He's written countless short stories for such collections as Hard Boiled Brooklyn, Dublin Noir, and Bloodlines: A Horse Racing Anthology. His most recent book, the bluntly titled Johnny Porno, is set in New York circa '73, the same week a criminal court banned the adult film, Deep Throat. His books have been published here, the UK, Italy and Russia. Stella is also a screen writer, sometime jazz drummer, playwright, semi-pro powerlifter, opera buff, and every bit the raconteur. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at the event.
8 PM, Sat. April 9
D'MEITZ & ILUSHA
Live Music
Detroit's D'Meitz has won freestyle rap battles in Cleveland, Detroit, New York City, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. He is a regular competitor in GrindTimeNow, the world's largest Rap Battle league. D'Meitz is currently enlisted active duty in the United States Marine Corps and served in Iraq in 2008. While traveling with the Corps he released his first LP record in Japan, "Chivalry,Solemnity, and other bad ideas." He then teamed up with world famous DJ Mick Boogie to release "To Those with Wings," a free mixtape made available for download in November 2009. His just released full length LP, "Mortal" (April 1, 2011), is a collaboration with the multi-talented Modlovan pianist, Ilusha, who joins D'Meitz on his country-wide tour and performs with him (on our in-shop pub piano) tonight. W/Special guest.FREE! Comp wine. CDs on sale at event.
8 PM, Tues. April 12
DAN NATURMAN
Stand Up Comedy
Naturman was the favorite of celebrity judges Drew Carey and Brett Butler on Last Comic Standing Season 2 and has performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, The Late Show with David Letterman, and both The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Late Nite with Conan O’Brien. He is a regular at both The Comedy Cellar and Comic Strip Live! in New York. $5.00. Comp wine.
8 pm, Sat. April 16
BENEFIT FOR JAPAN
DAVID HEINLEIN & KYO MORISHIMA
Shodo/Photography Exhibit/Reading
Raising Funds for Earthquake Relief through Documentary Photographs and Shodo Calligraphy
David Heinlein will exhibit fifty of his Shodo works on ancient wood and mulberry paper, and read poetry in Japanese (with subsequent translation) from his book, "Wild Seeds." In 1969, at 22, Heinlein first went to Kyoto on The Amherst-Doshisha Fellowship. He became an Instructor of English at the university and traveled extensively in Japan and throughout Southeast Asia as well as in the Okinawa Islands. His first book, "Wild Seeds," bi-lingual essays and poems in English and Japanese, was written and published in 1984 while Heinlein, after a brief return to the US, was again working in Japan. In 1992 he began teaching Japanese at Middlesex and Union County Colleges. Heinlein is a Black Belt Third Degree in Martial Arts of Japanese Origin and has been doing Japanese calligraphy for more than twenty-five years.
“I take hundreds of pictures of quiet, personal, simple moments whenever I return home to Japan," says photographer Kyo Morishima. "At a time now when the word 'Japan' evokes a monumental tragedy and disaster, I thought the images of children playing, monks sweeping, people going about their everyday business would be a humanizing counterpoint to the headlines.” Morishima was a college student in the United States when the Kobe earthquake struck in 1995, destroying his parents' house and large swaths of his hometown.
Morishima will sell framed prints and Heinlein will sell books of Japanese poetry. Both will donate 100% of the proceeds for Japanese earthquake victims. Heinlein will also sell his Shodo work and donate a percentage to benefit Japan. Comp wine.
8 PM, Thurs. April 28
EAST CACKALACKY FREE! Comp wine. CDs on sale at event.
8 PM, FRI. APRIL 29
MIRANDA KENNEDY
Reading/Signing
SIDEWAYS ON A SCOOTER: LIFE & LOVE IN INDIA
In the early aughts, Miranda Kennedy, a young reporter living in New York City, relocated to India, where a British great-aunt had served as a missionary and where her own parents had lived during the early years of their marriage. She stayed for half a decade, becoming a foreign correspondent for American Public Media’s Marketplace and National Public Radio. During her time there, Kennedy is drawn into the lives of several Indian women, including her charismatic friend Geeta—a self-described “modern girl” who attempts to squeeze herself into the traditional role of wife and mother; Radha, a proud Brahmin widow who denies herself simple pleasures in order to live by high-caste Hindu principles; and Parvati, who defiantly chain-smokes and drinks whiskey, yet feels compelled to keep her boyfriend a secret from her family. In her effort to understand the hopes and dreams that motivate her new friends, Kennedy peels back India’s globalized image as a land of call centers and fast-food chains and finds an ancient place where, in many ways, lives have scarcely changed for centuries. "If you liked Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love, you have to read this book.” Susan Cheever, author of Home Before Dark, a memoir about her father, John Cheever
Miranda Kennedy's articles have appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The Nation, and on Slate. Before moving to India, Kennedy worked as a magazine editor and a public radio reporter in New York, where she covered, among other things, the September 11 attacks. She recently moved to Washington, D.C., to work as an editor at National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, and returns frequently to India. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
2 PM, Sat. April 30
MUTTS Creator PATRICK MCDONNELL
Chalk Talk/Reading/Signing
In 1994, McDonnell created the award-winning comic strip Mutts, which now appears in more than 700 newspapers in 20 countries and has been anthologized in books all over the world. It was described by Peanuts creator Charles Schulz as "one of the best comic strips of all time." A coffee table book of his life and work, Mutts: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell, was published in 2003. In 2005, McDonnell wrote his first children's book, The Gift of Nothing, which was a New York Times best seller. The Guardians of Being, a collaboration with Oprah endorsed spiritual teacher Eckart Tolle, was published in Oct 2009. Join Patrick as he reads from his eighth children's book, ME...JANE, the story of the young Jane Goodall and her toy chimpanzee Jubilee, and sketches Earl, Mooch, and dozens of other characters on a giant architect's pad, chronicling their creation and answering questions as he draws. Books on sale at the event. FREE! Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Sun, May 1
MISHA ANGRIST
Reading/Discussing/Signing
HERE IS A HUMAN BEING: At the Dawn of Personal Genomics
8 PM, Fri. & Sat. April 1 & 2
THE GREEN HORNET
A Staged Radio Play
With Gwen Owens, Laurence Mintz, Mike Harvus, Peter Yao as Kato, and Carlyle Owens as the "Hornet."
ALL AGES!
The Green Hornet is an American radio and comic book masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. Distinguished by its use of classical music, not least "Flight of the Bumblebee" for its title theme, it was one of radio's best-known and most distinctive adventure shows. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the character has appeared in film serials (in the 1940s), a network television program (in the 1960s), multiple comic book series (from the 1940s on), and, just this past January, a feature film starring Seth Rogen. The Hornet is the alter ego of newspaper publisher Britt Reid. He is accompanied by his similarly masked partner, confidant, and chauffeur, Kato, who drives their technologically advanced Studebaker, the "Black Beauty." SOUND FX! COSTUMES! THEATRICAL LIGHTING.
8 PM, Thurs. April 7
CHARLIE STELLA
Reading/Signing
JOHNNY PORNO
With seven crime novels under his belt, Stella has received six starred industry reviews, has made two best-of-year-mystery lists (Publisher’s Weekly & Booklist, 2003 for Charlie Opera), and has been compared favorably to Elmore Leonard on sixteen occasions. His novels are hard-boiled, dialogue driven, and linked by recurring members of the Vignieri crime family. He's written countless short stories for such collections as Hard Boiled Brooklyn, Dublin Noir, and Bloodlines: A Horse Racing Anthology. His most recent book, the bluntly titled Johnny Porno, is set in New York circa '73, the same week a criminal court banned the adult film, Deep Throat. His books have been published here, the UK, Italy and Russia. Stella is also a screen writer, sometime jazz drummer, playwright, semi-pro powerlifter, opera buff, and every bit the raconteur. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at the event.
8 PM, Sat. April 9
D'MEITZ & ILUSHA
Live Music
Detroit's D'Meitz has won freestyle rap battles in Cleveland, Detroit, New York City, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. He is a regular competitor in GrindTimeNow, the world's largest Rap Battle league. D'Meitz is currently enlisted active duty in the United States Marine Corps and served in Iraq in 2008. While traveling with the Corps he released his first LP record in Japan, "Chivalry,Solemnity, and other bad ideas." He then teamed up with world famous DJ Mick Boogie to release "To Those with Wings," a free mixtape made available for download in November 2009. His just released full length LP, "Mortal" (April 1, 2011), is a collaboration with the multi-talented Modlovan pianist, Ilusha, who joins D'Meitz on his country-wide tour and performs with him (on our in-shop pub piano) tonight. W/Special guest.FREE! Comp wine. CDs on sale at event.
8 PM, Tues. April 12
DAN NATURMAN
Stand Up Comedy
Naturman was the favorite of celebrity judges Drew Carey and Brett Butler on Last Comic Standing Season 2 and has performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, The Late Show with David Letterman, and both The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Late Nite with Conan O’Brien. He is a regular at both The Comedy Cellar and Comic Strip Live! in New York. $5.00. Comp wine.
8 pm, Sat. April 16
BENEFIT FOR JAPAN
DAVID HEINLEIN & KYO MORISHIMA
Shodo/Photography Exhibit/Reading
Raising Funds for Earthquake Relief through Documentary Photographs and Shodo Calligraphy
David Heinlein will exhibit fifty of his Shodo works on ancient wood and mulberry paper, and read poetry in Japanese (with subsequent translation) from his book, "Wild Seeds." In 1969, at 22, Heinlein first went to Kyoto on The Amherst-Doshisha Fellowship. He became an Instructor of English at the university and traveled extensively in Japan and throughout Southeast Asia as well as in the Okinawa Islands. His first book, "Wild Seeds," bi-lingual essays and poems in English and Japanese, was written and published in 1984 while Heinlein, after a brief return to the US, was again working in Japan. In 1992 he began teaching Japanese at Middlesex and Union County Colleges. Heinlein is a Black Belt Third Degree in Martial Arts of Japanese Origin and has been doing Japanese calligraphy for more than twenty-five years.
“I take hundreds of pictures of quiet, personal, simple moments whenever I return home to Japan," says photographer Kyo Morishima. "At a time now when the word 'Japan' evokes a monumental tragedy and disaster, I thought the images of children playing, monks sweeping, people going about their everyday business would be a humanizing counterpoint to the headlines.” Morishima was a college student in the United States when the Kobe earthquake struck in 1995, destroying his parents' house and large swaths of his hometown.
Morishima will sell framed prints and Heinlein will sell books of Japanese poetry. Both will donate 100% of the proceeds for Japanese earthquake victims. Heinlein will also sell his Shodo work and donate a percentage to benefit Japan. Comp wine.
8 PM, Thurs. April 28
EAST CACKALACKY FREE! Comp wine. CDs on sale at event.
8 PM, FRI. APRIL 29
MIRANDA KENNEDY
Reading/Signing
SIDEWAYS ON A SCOOTER: LIFE & LOVE IN INDIA
In the early aughts, Miranda Kennedy, a young reporter living in New York City, relocated to India, where a British great-aunt had served as a missionary and where her own parents had lived during the early years of their marriage. She stayed for half a decade, becoming a foreign correspondent for American Public Media’s Marketplace and National Public Radio. During her time there, Kennedy is drawn into the lives of several Indian women, including her charismatic friend Geeta—a self-described “modern girl” who attempts to squeeze herself into the traditional role of wife and mother; Radha, a proud Brahmin widow who denies herself simple pleasures in order to live by high-caste Hindu principles; and Parvati, who defiantly chain-smokes and drinks whiskey, yet feels compelled to keep her boyfriend a secret from her family. In her effort to understand the hopes and dreams that motivate her new friends, Kennedy peels back India’s globalized image as a land of call centers and fast-food chains and finds an ancient place where, in many ways, lives have scarcely changed for centuries. "If you liked Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love, you have to read this book.” Susan Cheever, author of Home Before Dark, a memoir about her father, John Cheever
Miranda Kennedy's articles have appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The Nation, and on Slate. Before moving to India, Kennedy worked as a magazine editor and a public radio reporter in New York, where she covered, among other things, the September 11 attacks. She recently moved to Washington, D.C., to work as an editor at National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, and returns frequently to India. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
2 PM, Sat. April 30
MUTTS Creator PATRICK MCDONNELL
Chalk Talk/Reading/Signing
In 1994, McDonnell created the award-winning comic strip Mutts, which now appears in more than 700 newspapers in 20 countries and has been anthologized in books all over the world. It was described by Peanuts creator Charles Schulz as "one of the best comic strips of all time." A coffee table book of his life and work, Mutts: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell, was published in 2003. In 2005, McDonnell wrote his first children's book, The Gift of Nothing, which was a New York Times best seller. The Guardians of Being, a collaboration with Oprah endorsed spiritual teacher Eckart Tolle, was published in Oct 2009. Join Patrick as he reads from his eighth children's book, ME...JANE, the story of the young Jane Goodall and her toy chimpanzee Jubilee, and sketches Earl, Mooch, and dozens of other characters on a giant architect's pad, chronicling their creation and answering questions as he draws. Books on sale at the event. FREE! Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Sun, May 1
MISHA ANGRIST
Reading/Discussing/Signing
HERE IS A HUMAN BEING: At the Dawn of Personal Genomics
Once considered a fanciful topic confined to speculative fiction, DNA-based science has blossomed in the last decade to encompass a wide range of real world technologies. DNA technology has already changed our health care, the food we eat, and our criminal justice system. Unlocking the secrets of our genomes opens the door not only to helping us understand why we are the way we are and potentially fixing what ails us but also to many other concerns. What exactly will happen to this information? Will it become just another marketing tool? Can it help us understand our ancestry, or will it merely reinforce old ideas of race? Can personal genomics help fix the U.S. health care system? Angrist, a Duke University genetics professor with the added pedigree of an MFA in writing, is ideally suited for probing and explaining this often-befuddling field in crisp, accessible prose. His chief focus here is on the slice of DNA tinkering known as personal genomics and Angrist’s own participation in a Harvard-funded project to map the entire genomes of its human subjects. Along with providing a fascinating close-up view of cutting edge science, Angrist explores the many thorny questions provoked by genome sequencing, such as whether humans really want to know about their future infirmities, and whether everyone’s DNA blueprint should be freely posted on the Internet. A vitally important and timely study of a society-changing technology. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at the event.
Monday, February 28, 2011
MARCH 2011: Coming Out, Coming Home; Melendez Jazz Duo; Edwin Frank & NYRB; Welsey Stace & Jonathan Coe; Schiff, Liss, Bondhus; Mike Bruno & Mattress
8 PM, Thurs. March 3
DR. MICHAEL LASALA
Reading/Signing
COMING OUT, COMING HOME
LaSala draws on years of working with families and their gay and lesbian children to write a warm and wonderfully compassionate book. With insight and wisdom, his study examines very real and honest stories of how gay and lesbian people cope with accepting their families and how parents and siblings work to love and protect their offspring. LaSala is the director of the MSW program and associate professor at the School of Social Work at Rutgers University. He recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship during which he taught family therapy courses at Tallinn University in Estonia and investigated the impacts of stigma on Estonian lesbians and gay men. LaSala has been a keynote speaker at national and international conferences in Sweden, Estonia, and Italy. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Sat. March 5
THE JOHN MELENDEZ DUO
Live Music
Fourteen year old jazz prodigy John Melendez is a ninth-grade student from Metuchen. He has been studying piano for six years and jazz for three at the Mason Gross Extension School at Rutgers and the Rutgers Summer Jazz Institute. Currently, John holds a Young Artists Program scholarship at Rutgers. He has studied with Oscar Macchioni, Andy Michalec and Brian Axford. John's influences include Stanley Cowell, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock. John will be accompanied by his father, Rob Pallitto, on trumpet. FREE! Comp wine.
8 PM, Thurs. March 10
EDWIN FRANK
Editorial Director of NYRB Classics
Discussion/Q&A
The NYRB Classics series is designedly and determinedly exploratory and eclectic, a mix of fiction and non-fiction from different eras and times and of various sorts (literature high, low, unsuspected, and unheard of). The series includes new translations of canonical figures such as Euripides, Dante, Balzac, and Chekhov; fiction by modern and contemporary masters such as Mavis Gallant, Daphne du Maurier, Stefan Zweig, and Upamanyu Chatterjee; tales of crime and punishment by George Simenon and Kenneth Fearing; masterpieces of narrative history and literary criticism, poetry, travel writing, biography, cookbooks; and unclassifiable classics on the order of J. R. Ackerley’s My Dog Tulip and Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy. Last fall they published their first graphic novel, Poem Strip by Dino Buzzati, translated into English for the first time. Two of their 2010 publishing highlights are William Lindsay Gresham’s noir masterpiece, Nightmare Alley; and The Road, the first English language translation of selected writings by Vasily Grossman. Taken as a whole, NYRB Classics is a series of books of unrivaled variety and quality for discerning and adventurous readers.
8 PM, Sat. March 12
WESLEY STACE & JONATHAN COE
Reading/Signing/Live Music
CHARLES JESSOLD, CONSIDERED AS A MURDERER & THE TERRIBLE PRIVACY OF MAXWELL SIM
Rolling Stone Magazine hailed John Wesley Harding, the first opening act for Bruce Springsteen in 20 years, as "a literate and ironic neo-folkie with enough bile to win over a younger, hipper audience not attuned to folk music." CREEM said "His eloquence can be gut-wrenching," and The Los Angeles Times dubbed him "one of the great rock artists of the 90s." His best known work includes "I'm Wrong About Everything", which was featured on the High Fidelity soundtrack. Under his real name, Wesley Stace, he wrote the international best seller Misfortune and 2007's by George, a multigenerational story about a performing British family and their ventriloquist's dummy. His latest book is Charles Jessold, a twisty tale of music and murder unfolding with Nabokovian precision during Britain’s early twentieth-century folk revival. And, yes, Stace/Harding will have his guitar.
A humane satire and modern-day picaresque, The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim by fellow Brit Jonathan Coe is a gently comic novel about the paradoxical difficulties of making genuine attachments in a world of advanced communications technology and rampant social networking. A product of the social media boom, the eponymous Sim is, according to Coe, "the sort of person with hundreds of Facebook friends but no one to talk to when his marriage breaks up." Coe has written biographies of both Bogart and Jimmy Stewart and his novels include The Rotters' Club, Dwarves of Death and What a Carve Up! The Rotters' Club was adapted for television and broadcast on BBC Two; Dwarves of Death was filmed as Five Seconds to Spare. Jeremy Dyson, founder/creator of British cult comic quartet The League of Gentlemen, is adapting What a Carve Up! for Channel 4. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Fri. March 25
SCHIFF, LISS, BONDHUS, NOWLIN
Poetry Reading
A former McGill classmate of Leonard Cohen, Morty Schiff, now the director of creative arts at CUNY Staten Island, enjoys the illustrious distinction of having Cohen once say of his work, "If I could write a poem like that, I'd never need to write again." David Liss, the current vice president of the New York Presbyterian Hospital, (not to be confused with David Liss, the Black Panther comic book writer and the author of Whiskey Rebels), when studying in Ireland, was grandly introduced to Samuel Beckett by a friend in a pub as the "American poet, David Liss." Ryan Nowlin, who has an MA in creative writing and a new chapbook, Banquet Settings, and Charlie Bondhus, who has an MFA in creative writing and a PhD in literature and whose rumination on violence and complicity, Monsters and Victims, was shortlisted for the prestigious Bram Stoker Award, have not, to my knowledge, had any memorable interactions with famously reclusive Canadian folkies or post modern avant-garde dramatists, but they're reading, too. FREE. Comp wine.
8 PM, Thurs. March 31
MIKE BRUNO & HIS BLACK MAGIC FAMILY BAND
w/Special Guest MATTRESS
Live Music
I might have met Mike Bruno in a dream. Maybe playing a waterphone atop a black cliff as a wine dark sea crashed white against the rocks and a light-blind moth thudded percussively in the narrowing shade of a left-on bedside lamp. Recently dubbed "opium den float rock," by the New York Post, Bruno's lo-fi late night tale-weaving is influenced by children's stories, weird spiders, glittering coyote eyes, and the krakken, and his rich, wistful croon, brother to a growl, cousin to a yowl, is backed by his Black Magic Family--April Heliotis, Paris Bierk, Sean Yenchick, Paul Christian, and Sally Burtnick (Glen "Styx" Burtnick's daughter), each contributing to a wonderfully strange symphony of sounds that include tin and wood flutes, wine glasses, Tibetan medicine bowls, and the mysterious vibrations of the theramin and, yes, waterphone. W/Special guests MATTRESS. FREE. Comp wine. CDs on sale at event. Not to be missed!
DR. MICHAEL LASALA
Reading/Signing
COMING OUT, COMING HOME
LaSala draws on years of working with families and their gay and lesbian children to write a warm and wonderfully compassionate book. With insight and wisdom, his study examines very real and honest stories of how gay and lesbian people cope with accepting their families and how parents and siblings work to love and protect their offspring. LaSala is the director of the MSW program and associate professor at the School of Social Work at Rutgers University. He recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship during which he taught family therapy courses at Tallinn University in Estonia and investigated the impacts of stigma on Estonian lesbians and gay men. LaSala has been a keynote speaker at national and international conferences in Sweden, Estonia, and Italy. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Sat. March 5
THE JOHN MELENDEZ DUO
Live Music
Fourteen year old jazz prodigy John Melendez is a ninth-grade student from Metuchen. He has been studying piano for six years and jazz for three at the Mason Gross Extension School at Rutgers and the Rutgers Summer Jazz Institute. Currently, John holds a Young Artists Program scholarship at Rutgers. He has studied with Oscar Macchioni, Andy Michalec and Brian Axford. John's influences include Stanley Cowell, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock. John will be accompanied by his father, Rob Pallitto, on trumpet. FREE! Comp wine.
8 PM, Thurs. March 10
EDWIN FRANK
Editorial Director of NYRB Classics
Discussion/Q&A
The NYRB Classics series is designedly and determinedly exploratory and eclectic, a mix of fiction and non-fiction from different eras and times and of various sorts (literature high, low, unsuspected, and unheard of). The series includes new translations of canonical figures such as Euripides, Dante, Balzac, and Chekhov; fiction by modern and contemporary masters such as Mavis Gallant, Daphne du Maurier, Stefan Zweig, and Upamanyu Chatterjee; tales of crime and punishment by George Simenon and Kenneth Fearing; masterpieces of narrative history and literary criticism, poetry, travel writing, biography, cookbooks; and unclassifiable classics on the order of J. R. Ackerley’s My Dog Tulip and Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy. Last fall they published their first graphic novel, Poem Strip by Dino Buzzati, translated into English for the first time. Two of their 2010 publishing highlights are William Lindsay Gresham’s noir masterpiece, Nightmare Alley; and The Road, the first English language translation of selected writings by Vasily Grossman. Taken as a whole, NYRB Classics is a series of books of unrivaled variety and quality for discerning and adventurous readers.
8 PM, Sat. March 12
WESLEY STACE & JONATHAN COE
Reading/Signing/Live Music
CHARLES JESSOLD, CONSIDERED AS A MURDERER & THE TERRIBLE PRIVACY OF MAXWELL SIM
Rolling Stone Magazine hailed John Wesley Harding, the first opening act for Bruce Springsteen in 20 years, as "a literate and ironic neo-folkie with enough bile to win over a younger, hipper audience not attuned to folk music." CREEM said "His eloquence can be gut-wrenching," and The Los Angeles Times dubbed him "one of the great rock artists of the 90s." His best known work includes "I'm Wrong About Everything", which was featured on the High Fidelity soundtrack. Under his real name, Wesley Stace, he wrote the international best seller Misfortune and 2007's by George, a multigenerational story about a performing British family and their ventriloquist's dummy. His latest book is Charles Jessold, a twisty tale of music and murder unfolding with Nabokovian precision during Britain’s early twentieth-century folk revival. And, yes, Stace/Harding will have his guitar.
A humane satire and modern-day picaresque, The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim by fellow Brit Jonathan Coe is a gently comic novel about the paradoxical difficulties of making genuine attachments in a world of advanced communications technology and rampant social networking. A product of the social media boom, the eponymous Sim is, according to Coe, "the sort of person with hundreds of Facebook friends but no one to talk to when his marriage breaks up." Coe has written biographies of both Bogart and Jimmy Stewart and his novels include The Rotters' Club, Dwarves of Death and What a Carve Up! The Rotters' Club was adapted for television and broadcast on BBC Two; Dwarves of Death was filmed as Five Seconds to Spare. Jeremy Dyson, founder/creator of British cult comic quartet The League of Gentlemen, is adapting What a Carve Up! for Channel 4. FREE! Comp wine. Books on sale at event.
8 PM, Fri. March 25
SCHIFF, LISS, BONDHUS, NOWLIN
Poetry Reading
A former McGill classmate of Leonard Cohen, Morty Schiff, now the director of creative arts at CUNY Staten Island, enjoys the illustrious distinction of having Cohen once say of his work, "If I could write a poem like that, I'd never need to write again." David Liss, the current vice president of the New York Presbyterian Hospital, (not to be confused with David Liss, the Black Panther comic book writer and the author of Whiskey Rebels), when studying in Ireland, was grandly introduced to Samuel Beckett by a friend in a pub as the "American poet, David Liss." Ryan Nowlin, who has an MA in creative writing and a new chapbook, Banquet Settings, and Charlie Bondhus, who has an MFA in creative writing and a PhD in literature and whose rumination on violence and complicity, Monsters and Victims, was shortlisted for the prestigious Bram Stoker Award, have not, to my knowledge, had any memorable interactions with famously reclusive Canadian folkies or post modern avant-garde dramatists, but they're reading, too. FREE. Comp wine.
8 PM, Thurs. March 31
MIKE BRUNO & HIS BLACK MAGIC FAMILY BAND
w/Special Guest MATTRESS
Live Music
I might have met Mike Bruno in a dream. Maybe playing a waterphone atop a black cliff as a wine dark sea crashed white against the rocks and a light-blind moth thudded percussively in the narrowing shade of a left-on bedside lamp. Recently dubbed "opium den float rock," by the New York Post, Bruno's lo-fi late night tale-weaving is influenced by children's stories, weird spiders, glittering coyote eyes, and the krakken, and his rich, wistful croon, brother to a growl, cousin to a yowl, is backed by his Black Magic Family--April Heliotis, Paris Bierk, Sean Yenchick, Paul Christian, and Sally Burtnick (Glen "Styx" Burtnick's daughter), each contributing to a wonderfully strange symphony of sounds that include tin and wood flutes, wine glasses, Tibetan medicine bowls, and the mysterious vibrations of the theramin and, yes, waterphone. W/Special guests MATTRESS. FREE. Comp wine. CDs on sale at event. Not to be missed!
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