The Fireside Follies reading series continues its run in Bushwick next Saturday. As first reported back in September, area writers Michael Lala and Eric Nelson created the monthly readings to add to Bushwick’s continuing development as an exciting new art scene, and help local writers find a vehicle for sharing their work with an interested audience. The literary festivities, some traditional and some a little more experimental, allow for amateur writers, professionals, and everyone in between to meet, interact, and have a good time. Always free, and on the third Saturday of every month at Brooklyn Fireproof, the third installment of the program is on Dec. 18. According to the curators:
“Fireside Follies” showcases works from various aspects of literature, including fiction, memoir, poetry, and creative nonfiction; established authors, ‘zine writers, poets, and visual artists will contribute alongside up-and-coming talent. The third reading in the series will feature Matt Gross (NY Times Frugal Traveler ) and Andy Smith (Welcome to the Land of Cannibalistic Horses), as well as writers Jonny Diamond (Editor-in-Chief, The L Magazine), Katelan Foisy (Blood and Pudding), and Brandon Lake. Special guest this month is Brooklyn-based musician Elizabeth Devlin, releasing her 7-inch record “Ladybug.”
It’s exciting to think that we live in a place where you simply can’t stop cool shit from happening. With no warning – and seemingly with no planning – something once-in-a-lifetime just pops up. Which is how we end up with a modern musical legend like Jeff Mangum playing a show at a loft in Bushwick to a crowd of about 75 people. He played a set of 10 classic Neutral Milk Hotel songs.
There’s still no word on if there are more upcoming Mangum shows. But maybe a one-time-only appearance is the most exciting thing of all. I’ll consider this show a Festivus miracle!
A lot of people like the Angry Owl or the Pippin. Still others are into the Tofu Ruben, the Hana Jiang or even the Nicole, but I know I’m not the only one that gets down on the Shrek. A tofu cutlet, avocado, spinach, and hummus on a roll make this my favorite sandwich at Hana Food, the organic grocery and deli at 534 Metropolitan Avenue. Open 24 hours, with fresh produce, great sandwiches, and (mostly) organic groceries, Hana is a regular stop when getting off the train at Lorimer after work or looking for a late night snack, but it seems there will soon be another option. Hana is opening a second location, this one in Bushwick. According to BushwickBK.com it has been a slow and difficult process opening the new store. James Lee, the man who owns Hana Food, first applied for a certificate to open the store in June. The progress slowed with each new zoning permit and building code inspection, but the store is scheduled to open in the next two weeks, hopefully by Thanksgiving if all goes according to plan. The new spot will be on Wyckoff Avenue near Starr Street, and will feature a separate wine shop. What wine would you pair with vegan bacon?
It’s that time of the week for your recent bar/restaurant openings round-up. Featured this week: Hummus in Bushwick, a new bar in the space of a former casket factory, a quaint coffee shop on Union Avenue, and a bagel shop with more spreads than you can imagine.
Yummus Hummus: Tasty homemade hummus, pita, salads, and falafel in a cozy Bushwick eatery.
Pine Box Rock Shop: Awesome Bushwick bar in a former casket factory that offers a variety of beers, trivia, and live music.
West Cafe: Coffee shop on Union Avenue serving pastries from Balthazar and coffee from The Brooklyn Roasting Company. Planning to serve wine, beer, and small dishes once their liquor license is approved.
Bagelteria: New bagel shop with 3849830840 spreads. Just kidding-not that many, but a lot to choose from.
No, it’s not that old Chevy your uncle has in his garage. It’s mobile theater right here in Brooklyn, and they’re taking the show on the road. Touring the East coast, eventually planning to perform at the New Orleans Fringe Festival, Jean Ann Douglass and Eric Meyer are kicking off their trip Nov. 4-9 with shows each night in a different Brooklyn neighborhood. The idea behind the project is a theater that moves from place to place. An unassuming moving van is actually a stage for installation and performance. They use the back of a Budget Rental Truck and set up the “theater” to suit each piece, changing the interior, rearranging seating, and shaping the entire experience around the play, and well, the truck. From their website:
For each work, the truck interior is transformed into a dynamic playing space, based on the needs of each piece. As much an installation as it is performance, one show creates a vaudeville theater…another is performed in a barren, dark space where all audience members are led to their seats with flashlights. Each configuration of the truck can seat 20-35 people, and several short works are performed in repertory each evening.”
The Truck Project is looking for donations to fund the tour, but buying a ticket for the Brooklyn shows will help too. With limited seating, you should get yours here soon. The Brooklyn showings feature a play about the inner workings of Amy Winehouse’s mind called “Not Winehouse” and the aforementioned vaudevillian production “The Backroad Homeshow.” The weekend of the performances, try to save any free parking spots you see around town until a moving van drives up.
At Northeast Kingdom restaurant in Bushwick, come take part in “Fireside Follies,” a new monthly reading series beginning Oct. 24. Writers Michael Lala and Eric Nelson created the event as an occasion for local writers to get out and read, gain an audience, and meet and share with more published local authors. The format is pretty wide open, and experimentation and creativity are obviously encouraged. From Brooklyn Eagle:
“Fireside Follies” will showcase works from various aspects of literature, including fiction, memoir, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The inaugural season will feature authors Emily Gould (And the Heart Says Whatever), Arthur Nersesian (Mesopotamia) and Justin Taylor (Everything Here is the Best Thing Ever), poets Molly Gaudry (We Take Me Apart) and Melissa Broder (When You Say One Thing But Mean Your Mother), former New York Times columnist Matt Gross, and artist Cristy Road (Bad Habits).
We all know Bushwick is on the up and up. This free literary event gives us yet another reason to head to the neighborhood. Check it out.
BREAKING NEWS! Venue Change:Brooklyn Fireproof, 120 Ingraham St.Brooklyn. (L to Morgan St.)
Head over to Brooklyn Fire Proof in Bushwick this weekend (September 24 – 26) for the 4th annual Bushwick Film Festival. There will be music, art shows, and films of both the feature-length and short variety.
From the press release:
From September 24th-26th the festival will screen 5 feature films by notable directors Steven Garbas, Giorgio Arcelli, Dan Keezer, Andrew Shirley, and Shaun Jefford. Also, the program for shorts will showcase documentaries and comedies by 20 filmmakers, including works by Brooklyn based collective The Film Shop and Untucked Films. With a Woody Allen inspired art show (I Forgot My Mantra) curated by Joel Morrison and music producer and mixer Jason Finkel on board as the festival’s musical curator, this year promises to be an all encompassing arts festival. We are integrating music and art to compliment films. My goal was to bring in exciting bands that resonate with the Brooklyn/Bushwick music scene”, says Jason Finkel. Bands include Fancy Colors, Hot Seconds, Weekends, Acrylics, Revival Times, Bear Ceuse and Chappo, whose song is featured by Apple in the new iPod Touch commercial. Musical performances will be followed by DJ sets by Chris Thomas and Alex Mejias (Left as Rain), PJ (PG-13), and Benny Snacks (jumping!boys fame). Another addition to the 2010 festival is interactive photography installation, The Self Portrait Project by Andy Lin.
Know how to eat crayfish? Paul Outlaw who co-owns Jen-N-Outlaw’s Fish-Fry truck explained clearly to The New York Times “You rip it open,” he said, demonstrating how to pinch the bottom of the tail to extract a bit of meat. “And then you want to crush the head and suck the brain”. If you live in Bushwick, you’ve surely come across the Fish-Fry Truck which has become the weekend hot spot for Southern Cooking.
The truck opened for business earlier this month, when Bushwick Artist couple Paul Outlaw & Jennifer Catron converted an old box truck into a hydraulic-driven food truck that unfolds into an eating area, complete with a table, benches, and a tow-top. Their menu consists of a crawfish boil, world famous spicy boil with potatoes and corn, catfish po-boy, crispy catfish served with fresh coleslaw, spicy sauce, all on a french loaf, and hand made fried pickles with amazing buttermilk dill dipping sauce.
On Saturdays the truck will be parked around Bogart Street in Bushwick. To find their exact location, follow them on Twitter @jenandoutlaws. In the Fall the truck will move to Manhattan, specifically around the Chelsea galleries. We’re all for Southern goodness in the hood, give them a try before they’re gone!
I’ve been fiddling around these past few weeks with All City, an iPhone app created by Bushwick designers Marcus White and Kayce Thompson-Russ that serves as an interactive hand-held guide to street art all around the city.
It enables you to search by city, artist, or gallery, view nearby art, galleries, or supppliers on a map, and contribute, by photographing and tagging new street art that goes up around you.
I really think it’s one of the best applications out there that enables users to interact with and archive an ever-changing gallery of street art in the city around them. And quite honestly, the more people that use it, the more solid its database will become.
