Here's the September 2008 update from The Grotto, the cooperative workspace
of writers, filmmakers, and artists in downtown San Francisco. Also, the
GrottoNEWS is online! For current updates on the goings-on at the Grotto,
check out the GrottoNEWS at http://www.sfgrotto.org/news.html
JD'S FILM FEATURED AT THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION (!)
Grotto dweller JD Beltran was selected by curator Steve Dietz and the Walker
Art Center in Minneapolis to create a film specifically to be shown at the
Republican National Convention next week as part of the Center's "The
Unconvention 2008" project. The film, "Politics, Mud, and Ketchup" is now
on Youtube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74kIVj4V5_c
of writers, filmmakers, and artists in downtown San Francisco. Also, the
GrottoNEWS is online! For current updates on the goings-on at the Grotto,
check out the GrottoNEWS at http://www.sfgrotto.org/news.html
JD'S FILM FEATURED AT THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION (!)
Grotto dweller JD Beltran was selected by curator Steve Dietz and the Walker
Art Center in Minneapolis to create a film specifically to be shown at the
Republican National Convention next week as part of the Center's "The
Unconvention 2008" project. The film, "Politics, Mud, and Ketchup" is now
on Youtube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74kIVj4V5_c
Check it out and pass it on!
START GETTING PUBLISHED THIS FALL! THIS MONTH GROTTO CO-FOUNDER
ETHAN WATTERS WILL BE TEACHING: GET PUBLISHED: A NON-FICTION INTENSIVE
Here is your opportunity to learn from Grotto co-founder Ethan Watters how
to get that non-fiction project published!
This class will put beginning and intermediate writers on a path to getting
published. We will focus on developing magazine pieces and book projects. An
emphasis will be placed on getting students to begin pitching ideas to
magazine editors and agents. Students will learn how to:
-Find ideas for non-fiction writing
-Write effective query letters for magazine
-How to craft book proposals and magazine features
-Understand the magazine market place
-Develop relationships with editors and agents
-Critiquing and re-writing first drafts
Students will be expected to develop two magazine projects during the class
or one book proposal. These will be workshopped during class. There will be
a reader and short weekly writing assignments both in and out of class. No
writing sample required. Class size limited to 14 people.
Eight Sessions / Thursday Nights 6:30 to 9:30 /September 25th through
November 6th
Cost: $595.00 Class size limited to 12 Students
For more information, contact Ethan via email at ethanw1@...
or call 415-348-1849.
Instructor Bio: Ethan Watters has been a freelance writer for 20 years. He
has taught non-fiction writing at Berkeley, Stanford and is currently an
adjunct professor in the masters writing program at California College of
the Arts. He's written for The New York Times Magazine, Men's Journal,
Outside, Esquire, Discover, Spin, Mother Jones, GQ, Details, HG, and San
Francisco Magazine, among other national and regional publications. He has
also created pieces for Public Radio International's This American Life. He
has written three books: Making Monsters, Therapy's Delusions and Urban
Tribes. Ira Glass has purchased the rights to Urban Tribes and has written
two scripts based on the book. In 1994 he co-founded the San Francisco
Writers' Grotto. He is currently at work on a book about America's influence
on mental illness round the world.
STEVE HOSTS THE PROGRESSIVE READING SERIES SEPT 20 WITH DANIEL HANDLER,
AIMEE BENDER, GLEN DAVID GOLD, KATIE CROUCH, AND JANE GANAHL
Grottoite Stephen Elliot hosts an all-star line-up for this month's
Progressive Reading Series:
September 20, 7pm
At The Makeout Room
The Progressive Reading Series
Featuring: Daniel Handler, Aimee Bender, Glen David Gold, Katie Crouch, and
Jane Ganahl, with music by The Progressive Reading Series All-Star Minstrels
Hosted by Stephen Elliott
$10 to $20 sliding scale
All funds go to support progressive congressional candidates nationwide
**Also, don't miss Steve's interview with David Carr from last Sunday's
Chronicle. It's a pretty funny little interview:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/22/RV1E129N0H.DTL
PAUL TOUGH READING FROM "WHATEVER IT TAKES" ON SEPTEMBER 23
Former Grotto Writer Paul Tough is coming through town promoting his new
book,
"WHATEVER IT TAKES: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America."
Please join us for a reading and discussion with Paul Tough, author of
WHATEVER IT TAKES, on innovative approaches to ending poverty and educating
kids.
Books, Inc,
Opera Plaza
601 Van Ness
7:30 pm
Sept 23rd, 2008
Co-sponsored by 826 Valencia and the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, with
author Paul Tough. Book signing and wine and cheese reception to follow.
"This book changed my understanding of poverty in America in the most
surprising way: it made me feel hopeful." Ira Glass
CHRIS IS THE GRANDSON OF THE GERBER BABY! READ ABOUT IT THIS MONTH
Chris Colin writes in this month's Women's Health about being the grandson
of the Gerber baby, and the quiet understanding he'd have a baby of his own:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-relationships/the-gerber-baby?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.
Grotto Nights is back with "Intimacy" -- a multi-media extravaganza of tight
genes, body fluids, and misplaced affections. The evening will feature
authors Mary Roach, David Duncan, Elizabeth Bernstein, Stephen Elliott, and
Jennifer Traig, filmmakers Caveh Zahedi and Jay Rosenblatt, plus music by
Marc Capelle, an audio documentary by Jennifer Durban and art by JD Beltran,
Emily Korson, and Jan Blythe.
Come and get under the covers with us for an evening of literary hanky
panky. After the event there will be a reception for audience and
performers.
And LITCRAWL WITH THE GROTTO is October 11 on 7:15-8:15.
For more information, check out the Litquake website at:
http://www.litquake.org/
And mark your calendars!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
JD'S ART PICKS FOR SEPTEMBER
THE ARTIST BALL AT THE YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS:
The super-ultra-gala-stylin' Artist Ball Seven is at the Yerba Buena Center
for the Arts on Friday, October 3rd! Don't miss this gala triennial event.
For more information, see
http://www.ybca.org/tickets/calendar/view.aspx?id=5092
IMMEDIATE FUTURE AT THE SAN FRANCISCO ART COMMISSION GALLERY:
The San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery is proud to present Immediate
Future, featuring works by the recipients of the 2008 Murphy & Cadogan
Fellowships in the Fine Arts. This exhibition provides a first-glance at
what is being produced by promising artists within regional graduate
programs. For many featured artists this exhibition marks their first major
exposure, and for all participants it represents an opportunity to share
what they have been developing in their graduate studios with a broader
audience.
The Murphy & Cadogan Fellowships in the Fine Arts are annual awards
sponsored by The San Francisco Foundation to assist art students in funding
their final year of graduate studies. In partnership with the Foundation,
the Arts Commission Gallery is committed to showcasing works by outstanding
Bay Area art students through the annual fellowship exhibition. The jurors
for this year's awards were Lisa Dent, Charles Mobley, Denise Ruiz and Meg
Shiffler.
The opening is on September 6th. For more information, see
http://www.sfacgallery.org/exhibitions_detail.fsp?id=415888
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://www.ybca.org
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://sfmoma.org/exhibitions/exhib_detail.asp?id=310
"My favourite poem is the one that starts 'Thirty days hath September'
because it actually tells you something."
Groucho Marx
START GETTING PUBLISHED THIS FALL! THIS MONTH GROTTO CO-FOUNDER
ETHAN WATTERS WILL BE TEACHING: GET PUBLISHED: A NON-FICTION INTENSIVE
Here is your opportunity to learn from Grotto co-founder Ethan Watters how
to get that non-fiction project published!
This class will put beginning and intermediate writers on a path to getting
published. We will focus on developing magazine pieces and book projects. An
emphasis will be placed on getting students to begin pitching ideas to
magazine editors and agents. Students will learn how to:
-Find ideas for non-fiction writing
-Write effective query letters for magazine
-How to craft book proposals and magazine features
-Understand the magazine market place
-Develop relationships with editors and agents
-Critiquing and re-writing first drafts
Students will be expected to develop two magazine projects during the class
or one book proposal. These will be workshopped during class. There will be
a reader and short weekly writing assignments both in and out of class. No
writing sample required. Class size limited to 14 people.
Eight Sessions / Thursday Nights 6:30 to 9:30 /September 25th through
November 6th
Cost: $595.00 Class size limited to 12 Students
For more information, contact Ethan via email at ethanw1@...
or call 415-348-1849.
Instructor Bio: Ethan Watters has been a freelance writer for 20 years. He
has taught non-fiction writing at Berkeley, Stanford and is currently an
adjunct professor in the masters writing program at California College of
the Arts. He's written for The New York Times Magazine, Men's Journal,
Outside, Esquire, Discover, Spin, Mother Jones, GQ, Details, HG, and San
Francisco Magazine, among other national and regional publications. He has
also created pieces for Public Radio International's This American Life. He
has written three books: Making Monsters, Therapy's Delusions and Urban
Tribes. Ira Glass has purchased the rights to Urban Tribes and has written
two scripts based on the book. In 1994 he co-founded the San Francisco
Writers' Grotto. He is currently at work on a book about America's influence
on mental illness round the world.
STEVE HOSTS THE PROGRESSIVE READING SERIES SEPT 20 WITH DANIEL HANDLER,
AIMEE BENDER, GLEN DAVID GOLD, KATIE CROUCH, AND JANE GANAHL
Grottoite Stephen Elliot hosts an all-star line-up for this month's
Progressive Reading Series:
September 20, 7pm
At The Makeout Room
The Progressive Reading Series
Featuring: Daniel Handler, Aimee Bender, Glen David Gold, Katie Crouch, and
Jane Ganahl, with music by The Progressive Reading Series All-Star Minstrels
Hosted by Stephen Elliott
$10 to $20 sliding scale
All funds go to support progressive congressional candidates nationwide
**Also, don't miss Steve's interview with David Carr from last Sunday's
Chronicle. It's a pretty funny little interview:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/22/RV1E129N0H.DTL
PAUL TOUGH READING FROM "WHATEVER IT TAKES" ON SEPTEMBER 23
Former Grotto Writer Paul Tough is coming through town promoting his new
book,
"WHATEVER IT TAKES: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America."
Please join us for a reading and discussion with Paul Tough, author of
WHATEVER IT TAKES, on innovative approaches to ending poverty and educating
kids.
Books, Inc,
Opera Plaza
601 Van Ness
7:30 pm
Sept 23rd, 2008
Co-sponsored by 826 Valencia and the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, with
author Paul Tough. Book signing and wine and cheese reception to follow.
"This book changed my understanding of poverty in America in the most
surprising way: it made me feel hopeful." Ira Glass
CHRIS IS THE GRANDSON OF THE GERBER BABY! READ ABOUT IT THIS MONTH
Chris Colin writes in this month's Women's Health about being the grandson
of the Gerber baby, and the quiet understanding he'd have a baby of his own:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-relationships/the-gerber-baby?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.
Grotto Nights is back with "Intimacy" -- a multi-media extravaganza of tight
genes, body fluids, and misplaced affections. The evening will feature
authors Mary Roach, David Duncan, Elizabeth Bernstein, Stephen Elliott, and
Jennifer Traig, filmmakers Caveh Zahedi and Jay Rosenblatt, plus music by
Marc Capelle, an audio documentary by Jennifer Durban and art by JD Beltran,
Emily Korson, and Jan Blythe.
Come and get under the covers with us for an evening of literary hanky
panky. After the event there will be a reception for audience and
performers.
And LITCRAWL WITH THE GROTTO is October 11 on 7:15-8:15.
For more information, check out the Litquake website at:
http://www.litquake.org/
And mark your calendars!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
JD'S ART PICKS FOR SEPTEMBER
THE ARTIST BALL AT THE YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS:
The super-ultra-gala-stylin' Artist Ball Seven is at the Yerba Buena Center
for the Arts on Friday, October 3rd! Don't miss this gala triennial event.
For more information, see
http://www.ybca.org/tickets/calendar/view.aspx?id=5092
IMMEDIATE FUTURE AT THE SAN FRANCISCO ART COMMISSION GALLERY:
The San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery is proud to present Immediate
Future, featuring works by the recipients of the 2008 Murphy & Cadogan
Fellowships in the Fine Arts. This exhibition provides a first-glance at
what is being produced by promising artists within regional graduate
programs. For many featured artists this exhibition marks their first major
exposure, and for all participants it represents an opportunity to share
what they have been developing in their graduate studios with a broader
audience.
The Murphy & Cadogan Fellowships in the Fine Arts are annual awards
sponsored by The San Francisco Foundation to assist art students in funding
their final year of graduate studies. In partnership with the Foundation,
the Arts Commission Gallery is committed to showcasing works by outstanding
Bay Area art students through the annual fellowship exhibition. The jurors
for this year's awards were Lisa Dent, Charles Mobley, Denise Ruiz and Meg
Shiffler.
The opening is on September 6th. For more information, see
http://www.sfacgallery.org/exhibitions_detail.fsp?id=415888
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://www.ybca.org
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://sfmoma.org/exhibitions/exhib_detail.asp?id=310
"My favourite poem is the one that starts 'Thirty days hath September'
because it actually tells you something."
Groucho Marx
