August Grotto Notes

Literary heavyweights from James Joyce and Vladimir Nabokov have been
accused of purveying filth. Therefore it is perhaps no surprise that
Litquake would serve up a giddy Sunday night homage to titillation and
alleged obscenity. Which is exactly what' they've done with Dirty Words:
Litquake's Tribute to Smut, a fundraiser starring a who's who of Bay Area
writers on Sunday, August 3 at CELLspace, located at 2050 Bryant Street.


Smut peddlers for the evening include:

** Daniel Handler switching out of Lemony Snicket mode in order to read from
Watch Your Mouth, a dirty little comic novel about incest that salon.com
said established him "as the best dark humorist since Kurt Vonnegut"

** Ellen Sussman's most recent book-Dirty Words, a Literary Encyclopedia of
Sex-has been featured in such esteemed publications as Playboy, Penthouse
and Elle magazines

** Author of No One You Know and The Year of Fog, Michelle Richmond

** Bay Area poet and writer Kim Addonizio whose writing Andre Dubus III has
compared to the singing of Lucinda Williams

** Grottoite Helena Echlin, secret snake charmer and author of Gone

** Even though he was busy being beaten up by his girlfriend, Grotto dweller
Stephen Elliott also found time to edit a collection of politically inspired
erotica entitled Sex for America

** South of Market based purveyor of fine leather, corsets and toys for
adults, Stormy Leather, will hit the catwalk with a fashion show

** Twilight Vixen Review, San Francisco's Sensational Sextet of Queer
Showgirls will offer up their cabaret and burlesque

Emcee for event is cherubic-on-the-outside writer/performer Kirk Read,
creator of This is The Thing, an evening of stories about sex work,
hallucinations and the apocalypse

When asked about the suitability of smut as a theme for a fundraiser,
Litquake cofounder Jane Ganahl had this to say. "While some organizations
fly by the seat of their pants, we're proud to say that we fly by the front
of ours; so a tribute to smut was always just a matter of time."

In keeping with certain smutty traditions usually maintained by theatrical
venues unconcerned with literary tradition, admission includes a two-drink
minimum (of sorts), as the $25.00 entrance fee includes two free drinks.

What: Litquake's Tribute to Smut
When: Sunday, August 3 - Doors Open at 7; Readings and show begins at 8
Where: CELLspace 2050 Bryant Street, San Francisco CA 94110
Tickets: Admission of $25.00 includes two free drinks and free light
refreshments; in addition, alcohol will be available for purchase during the
evening. 21 and over only.

Tickets are available in advance through Brown Paper Tickets, at
http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnAgaaaaaabaeQAf3/ (21 and over only)

Funds go toward staging Litquake 2008, October 3-11 DON'T MISS IT!







STEPHANIE IN SAN FRANCISCO MAGAZINE LAST MONTH, PLUS SHE'LL READ AT BOOK
PASSAGE ON AUGUST 7

Subletee Stephanie Losee appeared on the Contributors' Page of the June
"Best of the Bay" issue of San Francisco Magazine to talk about her piece on
personal stylists. Stephanie had to hire one before heading out on her
publicity tour for her recent book "Office Mate," or she would have ended up
on FOX Business News wearing Patagonia.

Stephanie is also helping to promote the new anthology "The Maternal is
Political" by participating in a reading with several fellow contributors in
the Ferry Building Book Passage at 6pm on August 7th. For more information,
see http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnz9aaaaaabaeQAf3/







THE NEXT PROGRESSIVE READING IS AUGUST 16, WITH JONATHAN FRANZEN, MICHELLE
TEA, TOM BARBASH, AND MORE!

Don't miss the next Progressive Reading is August 16, 7pm, at The Makeout
Room, featuring Grottoite Tom Barbash along with Jonathan Franzen, Davy
Rothbart, Michelle Tea, Matthew Eck, with music by Rebecca Lichtenfeld.
Hosted by Grottoite Stephen Elliott. More information at
www.progressivereadingseries.org.

Steve Elliott also will be teaching Writing From Experience August 19 at the
Intersection For The Arts. More information is at
http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnAhaaaaaabaeQAf3/







ELIZABETH READS AT THE KETER SALON SALON ON AUGUST 20

Grottoite Elizabeth Bernstein will be reading a new short story at the Keter
Salon Salon (a literary salon held at a hair salon) on Wednesday, August 20
at 7 pm. The quarterly reading series offers wine and cheese and a
convivial environment at Keter Hair Salon, 1815A 4th Street in Berkeley.
Drop by, or email Rebecca at shineforth dot com for info.







FULL GROWN MEN EXTENDED @ LUMIERE IN SF AND OPENING IN SIX CITIES STARTING
FRIDAY AUG. 1

Grottoites David Munro and Xandra Castletons' audience award-winning
dramatic comedy has been extended for another week @ the Landmark Lumiere
Theatre in San Francisco. If you missed it last week you have another chance
to catch the movie that San Francisco Chronicle critic Mick LaSalle called
"A poignant, quirky and effective alternative to the usual soulles,
computer-generated summer fare" and New York Magazine called "A lovely,
bewitching film with a lot on its mind." Starring Matt McGrath, Judah
Friedlander, Alan Cumming, Amy Sedaris and Debbie Harry.
For the trailer and more info please visit the movie website
www.fullgrownmenthemovie.com

There will be a filmmaker Q&A Friday August 1 @ the 7pm screening and
Saturday Aug 2 at the 5 & 7pm screenings.

Friday - Sunday show times August 1- 3 are at 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm, 9pm daily.
Tickets available at http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnAiaaaaaabaeQAf3/

Full Grown Men also opens Friday August 1 in Florida in Miami, Miami Beach,
Key West, St. Pete, in Reno, Nevada and in Athens, Ga. Please visit
www.fullgrownmenthemovie.com for more info and to help spread the word. (and
if you add Full Grown Men to your Netflix queue you'll help them close a dvd
deal)

Here's a link to the complete San Francisco Chronicle review:
http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnAjaaaaaabaeQAf3/







GERRY BEGINS POSTING EXCERPTS OF HIS BOOK THIS MONTH

Grotto Dweller Gerard Jones will begin posting excerpts from his book in
progress for FSG, The Undressing of America, on his blog:
http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnAkaaaaaabaeQAf3/






THE NEW BIG UGLY REVIEW ISSUE "FIGHT OR FLIGHT" OUT THIS MONTH

Lots of news from The Big Ugly Review, edited by Grottoite Elizabeth
Bernstein. The new issue, themed "Fight or Flight," is (finally!) coming
out in August. It features great fiction from Daniel Alarcon and Chris
Colin, nonfiction by April Sinclair, Caroline Paul and Julia Scheeres, plus
poetry, photography, downloadable music, and three new fascinating short
films. Sign up for the mailing list at www dot biguglyreview dot com and
you'll receive an announcement when the issue arrives, plus details on the
fabulous release party, which will be held in early September. ALSO: be
sure to check out the new Norton anthology Best Creative Nonfiction, which
features Anne Trumbore's essay, "Spite," from Big Ugly Issue 6 on page 1.







MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR GROTTONIGHTS ON OCTOBER 4 AND LITQUAKE ON OCTOBER 11

The next Grotto Nights, featured by LITQUAKE, is Saturday, October 4th at
the Jewish Community Center. And Litcrawl with the Grotto is October 11 on
7:15-8:15. Mark your calendars!





YOU CAN'T MISS STEVE 'S PIECE ON HANS REISER IN SALON.COM

Yeah - he 'fessed up! Read Steve's riveting account of interviewing Hans
Reiser in jail pre-confession - with Reiser steadfastly maintaining his
innocence - at:

http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnzYaaaaaabaeQAf3/




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GROTTO RECOMMENDS:






ELIZABETH RECOMMENDS GOING "KABLUEY" **TODAY** AUGUST 1ST

Grotto dweller Elizabeth Bernstein says don't miss tonight's premiere of
Grotto friend Scott Prendergast's movie, KABLUEY, which opens in San
Francisco at the Landmark Lumiere Theater . The film was written, directed
and stars Scott, along with costars Lisa Kudrow, Teri Garr and Chris
Parnell. The film chronicles Salman, a socially awkward young man with the
dual humiliations of being a corporate company mascot in a giant blue suit
by day, and babysitting his brother's maniacal toddlers by night, while his
brother is away fighting the war in Iraq. Scott will be in attendance at
the screenings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. For a glimpse of
Scott's earlier work, check out Grottoite Elizabeth Bernstein's litmag, The
Big Ugly Review, and watch his film "Happy Birthday" online at
http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnAfaaaaaabaeQAf3/




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JD'S ART PICKS FOR AUGUST


RE-LIVE HISTORY AT THE RE-ENACTMENT OF ANGELA DAVIS' SPEECH TOMORROW AT
DEFREMERY PARK

The Oakland Museum of California and Creative Time are sponsoring the
reenactment of a landmark 1969 speech by activist Angela Davis. It's part of
a project to examine American democracy by considering today's political
situation in context to that of the 1960s and 70s. The stage will be set for
the reenactment by a talk with the artist behind the project and a film
screening. All events are free and open to the public.
Mark Tribe's Port Huron Project is a series of reenactments of key New Left
speeches from the 1960s and 70s. Tribe's intent is to examine and inspire
civic dialogue about political and social concerns of our times as we
approach the culmination of the presidential election cycle.

Angela Davis's 1969 speech passionately advocated combining anti-Vietnam War
sentiments with social justice causes, emphasizing her points with
illustrations of government treatment of the Black Panther Party and the
controversial conspiracy trial of Democratic National Convention protesters,
which occurred only weeks before.
The Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak at 10th Street, in Oakland, is
one block from the Lake Merritt BART Station. Call 510/238-2200 or visit
www.museumca.org for more information
The reenactment of the Angela Davis speech will be on Saturday, Aug. 2, at 6
p.m., at DeFremery Park in West Oakland, the site of her original speech.
[DeFremery Park (formerly Bobby Hutton Park, after the martyred Black
Panther) is in West Oakland, at 1651 Adeline St., between 16th and 17th
streets. It is approximately 1 mile from the West Oakland BART Station. ]




BAY AREA NOW AT THE YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS:

YBCA's fifth triennial exhibition of Bay Area art explores questions around
how to re-imagine a regional survey in the midst of globalization. What
continues to draw artists here and makes the Bay Area a unique place to live
and work when more and more of us are traversing the globe and becoming
international citizens? How does the physical geography of the Bay, both
natural and constructed, influence the Bay Area as a site of artistic
production? How does the history of this region, including its legacy of
social activism, shape Bay Area residents' understanding of themselves and
the rest of the world's notion of this place? What are the contrasts between
the myths, ideals and realities of the Bay Area and the aspirations of its
residents? The Bay Area Now 5 (BAN 5) survey exhibition asks these questions
to explore the many ways artists are influenced by their experiences both
inside and outside of the Bay Area.

This year's exhibition will feature a signature group survey of Bay Area
artists organized by YBCA curators Kate Eilertsen and Berin Golonu.
Twenty-two BAN 5 artists were selected after extensive studio visits
throughout the Bay Area. [Artists in the exhibition include Grottoite JD
Beltran's former students Ana Teresa Fernandez and Lauren Woods, and one of
her mentors, John Roloff. JD's work was exhibited in BAN 2.]

BAY AREA NOW 5, July 19 - November 16, 2008. Bay Area Now 5. For more
information, see http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnAlaaaaaabaeQAf3/


AMATEURS AT THE WATTIS CENTER: The exhibition "Amateurs" at the Wattis
surveys a terrain of artistic practice that departs from the
hyperprofessionalization characterizing so much cultural production today.
Whether collaborating with actual amateurs or working as amateurs in
disciplines beyond the art world, the artists featured in this exhibition
refuse to let the experts have the last word. They are committed instead to
a democratization of artistic production-one that often invites us, the
viewers, to reflect upon our own role as citizens in a participatory,
democratic society.
Against the background of an increasingly professionalized art world,
Amateurs will be the first major exhibition to survey recent artworks in
which amateurism is embraced as a critical aesthetic strategy and a mode of
production. Favored by conceptual artists and earlier by modernist
vanguards, an aesthetic of amateurism has long served as a means for
deflating models of academic and market-driven art.
Exhibition runs through August 9. CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary
Arts, Kent and Vicki Logan Galleries. California College of the Arts, 1111
Eighth Street, San Francisco CA 94107. Telephone 415.551.9210 or for more
information see http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnzVaaaaaabaeQAf3/



FRIDA KAHLO AT SF MOMA: Mexican artist Frida Kahlo began painting in 1926,
while recovering from a near-fatal bus accident, and soon became captivated
by the medium's expressive possibilities. Kahlo's folkloric style,
influenced by Mexican popular art, and her fantastical imagery earned her
recognition among the Surrealists, but her intriguing persona and
unmistakable originality propelled her beyond the confines of a specific
movement to become a
leading figure in modern art. This exhibition, commemorating the centennial
of the artist's birth, brings together paintings that span her career, along
with a selection of her own collection of photographs, most of which have
never been on public display. For more information, see
http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnAeaaaaaabaeQAf3/




BIRTH OF THE COOL: CALIFORNIA ART, DESIGN AND CULTURE AT MIDCENTURY.
Through Aug. 17 at the Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland.
This exhibition looks at the painting, architecture, furniture design,
decorative and graphic arts, film, and music that launched mid-century
modernism in the United States, and established Los Angeles as a major
American cultural center. In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of
the project, Birth of the Cool features a jazz lounge; film, animation, and
television clips throughout; an area with Van Keppel Green furniture and
architectural pottery; a period art gallery of hard-edge abstract paintings;
selections of art, architectural, and documentary photography; and an
interactive timeline that highlights examples of California, national, and
international culture and history in the 1950s. The exhibition continues
through August 17, 2008. For more information, see
http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnz2aaaaaabaeQAf3/



A COMPLICATED DOMINION AT THE SAN FRANCISCO ART COMMISSION GALLERY: The
works in A Complicated Dominion depict an unnatural collision of culture and
nature, demonstrating through the device of allegory our attempts to come to
terms with contemporary responsibilities and attitudes toward the
ever-evolving circumstances of our interdependent existence. A formal dinner
is set for a pack of feral pigs. Cuttlefish are corralled into a perfect
circle. A squirrel personifies Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols. Through
graceful and often humorous means, each of the five exhibiting artists share
their varied political viewpoints, while also provoking broader lines of
questioning about ourenvironmental, and geo- and sociopolitical values. For
more information, see http://grotto.c.topica.com/maal7xLabJnzXaaaaaabaeQAf3/



I can't die. It would ruin my image.
Jack La Lanne