April Grotto Notes

OUR ON-GOING WEEKLY WRITING CLASSES BEGIN APRIL 13

The Anatomy of Story, Monday evenings, with Janis Cooke Newman
Finding the Story, Monday evening, with Gerald Jones
Non-Fiction Writing for Magazines, Thursday evenings, with Ethan Watters
Advanced Fiction Workshop, Thursday evenings, with Janis Cooke Newman
Short Story Writing, Saturday afternoons, with Peter Orner and Victor Martinez

Other Workshops include:

Investigative Reporting: Saturday April 18
Op-Ed Writing: Saturday April 25

Check the website http://www.sfgrotto.org/classes.html for more information, and to register. These classes always sell out.





JOIN STEVE AND THE RUMPUS AT THE PAINKILLERS BOOK RELEASE PARTY ON APRIL 3


The Rumpus, Litquake, and City Lights Books present a book release party for Jerry Stahl's new novel Painkillers on Friday, April 3, 7pm at Amnesia Bar, 853 Valencia, San Francisco.

Hosted by grottoite and Rumpus editor Stephen Elliott, with readings from Bucky Sinister and Sarah Fran Wisby, a performance from Permanent Midnight by Crisis Hopkins, music by The Yellow Dress, and of course featuring Jerry Stahl.

Price: Free!!!

More information at http://therumpus.net






JASON EMERGES FROM HIBERNATION!

Grottoite Jason Roberts has been hunkered down lately, working on his next book. But now that it's spring he's unchaining himself from the desk, at least for three events this month. All are free and open to the public, so swing by and say hello!

Thursday, April 2: Lone Mountain Reading Series lecture and discussion, University of San Francisco MFA In Writing program. 7:30 pm, Lone Mountain Campus, 2800 Turk Boulevard, San Francisco. Free and open to the public. For additional information, click http://www.usfca.edu/artsci/grad/writing_mfa/events.html
or call (415) 422-6066.

Thursday, April 16: Some remarks on the remarkable Gina Berriault, prefatory to The First Annual Gina Berriault Honorary Reading Series, featuring Yiyun Li. 7:00 pm, Poetry Center, 512 Humanities Building, Main Campus, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco. (415) 338-1111. For more information, click http://14hills.net/events.html



CATCH STEVE ALONG WITH SOME COMEDY AND MUSIC ON APRIL 5 AT THE INDEPENDENT

On April 5, at 7pm, at the Independent, Stephen Elliott is performing with comedian Eugene Mirman and singer/songwriter John Wesley Harding.




ESCAPE TO CASITA LAURITA THIS SPRING AND IT’S EASY ON THE POCKETBOOK

Spring special! Laura's writing retreat, Casita Laurita, is half off from April 20 through May. It's warm and sunny in San Miguel in the spring, perfect time to finish your writing project. Great office space, ergonomic, with 13-foot wood desk. www.casitalaurita.com

And on Wednesday, April 29: Larkspur Library Presents: a reading and informal talk. 7:00 pm, Larkspur Public Library, First Floor, Larkspur City Hall, 400 Magnolia Avenue. Admission free. For additional information, visit http://www.ci.larkspur.ca.us/3082.html or call
(415) 427-5005.






ANDY ASKS ABOUT LOVE AND RAMEN

How do you think the inventor of instant ramen fixed my love life? This is the question Grotto Dweller Andy Raskin asked various passers-by and other Grottoites as part of exploring his upcoming new book. Check out the very funny results:

http://www.andyraskin.com/video.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bITw5DBCWf8





NOAH’S TELEVISION DRAMA PREMIERES ON ABC

Grotto South Noah Hawley's television drama, The Unusuals, premieres on ABC on March 8th at 10 pm! Like a modern-day M*A*S*H, The Unusuals explores both the grounded drama and comic insanity of the world of New York City police detectives - "It's never business as usual for the officers of New York's 2nd Precinct." Noah is the creator and Executive Producer of the show, which is shot in Brooklyn (Noah and his family have been living in Cobble Hill this year).





JD’s BLOG ON ART AND CULTURE NOW FEATURED BY THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE’S ONLINE SITE AT SFGATE.COM

Grottoite JD Beltran’s blog is now being featured on the “City Brights” section of the San Francisco Chronicle’s online presence, sfgate.com. She will be posting items and thoughts on art and culture several times weekly for the website, which has a readership of 11 million monthly. If you have any tips or notes on art and culture, links to great [short] videos, or ideas on arresting images she can use for the blog, please send them her way to jd.sfgate.blog@... .

Check out her blog at http://www.sfgate.com/citybrights/






STEVE AND JD’S MAGIC STORY TABLE NOW SHOWN ONLINE

Grottoites Steve Elliott and JD Beltran and JD’s collaborator and partner Scott Minneman just concluded a hugely successful exhibition of their project, “49 Stories on the Magic Story Table,” at 826 Valencia Street, where they installed the table in the middle of the Pirate Store. For the project, the artists and writing team of Steve and his 826 Valencia tutors asked high school students from John O’Connell High School, “What are the most memorable moments in your lives – and where did they happen?” The tales ranged from bliss on the top of a roller coaster to near-death experiences. Intermedia artists JD, Scott, and Dale McDonald set these stories and visual imagery to the stories’ locales upon the Magic Story Table, and Steve and the 826 Valencia team assisted in the editing process.

Through the magic of technology and the generosity of Onomy Labs, who invented the Story Table, viewers discovered, explored, and immersed themselves in stories throughout the 49-square-mile geography of San Francisco as well as all over the world. Interacting with the table let visitors enjoy a multi-media experience which fused maps, text, images, sound, interactivity, and even the storytellers’ own voices [through a state-of-the-art directional speaker]. One tilted the table to virtually fly all over the world to discover stories on the pirate’s treasure map of the world. Check out the video at:

http://vimeo.com/3675874






2009-2010 PROMISES TO BE THE MOST PRODUCTIVE GROTTO YEAR YET


Last month we listed the dozen or so new books produced by Grotto authors that are or will be out in the 2009-2010 year– but some of those titles needed correcting, so the corrected list is below. Check out the weblinks and watch this space for further details.

2009-2010 BOOKS FROM THE GROTTO

--Rodes Fishburne, (Going to See the Elephant: a novel), January 2009. http://rodesfishburne.com/


--David Ewing Duncan (Experimental Man: What one man's body reveals about his future, your health, and our toxic world ), March 2009 http://www.davidewingduncan.net/


--Andy Raskin (The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life), May 7, 2009 http://www.andyraskin.com/


--Melanie Gideon (The Slippery Year: A Meditation on Happily Ever After) August 4, 2009 http://www.melaniegideon.com/books.htm


--Po Bronson (NurtureShock) fall 2009 http://www.pobronson.com/


--Stephen Elliot (Adderall Diaries: A Memoir of Moods, Masochism, and Murder) fall 2009 http://www.stephenelliott.com/


--Allison Bartlett (The Man Who Loved Books Too Much:
The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession) Riverhead Sept. 2009 http://www.redroom.com/author/allison-hoover-bartlett/bio


--Ethan Watters (Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Mind) Jan 2010 http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Like-Us-Globalization-American/dp/141658708X


--Katie Crouch, (Men and Dogs: a novel) Spring 2010 http://www.katiecrouch.com/


--Gerard Jones, (The Undressing of America) FSG fall 2010 http://www.gerardjones.com


--Laura Fraser (All Over the Map) Harmony Books http://www.laurafraser.com


--Peter Orner (Underground America--spanish edition), 2010 http://www.peterorner.net/index.htm



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RECOMMENDATIONS

Grotto dweller Caroline Paul Recommends: Sophia Raday's launch party for her new book! Love in Condition Yellow: A Memoir of an Unlikely Marriage examines the life of Berkeley activist Raday, who marries an Oakland cop who is also a Colonel in the US Army Reserves. This is a fresh and funny American love story of a “bipartisan” marriage, and Raday's struggle to support both her own and her partner’s ideals, amidst the backdrop of the Iraq war. May 1, Books Inc-Opera Plaza 7pm. Come a little early for wine and refreshments!


Grottite JD Beltran recommends the Michael Rechiutti mocha at Blue Bottle Coffee on Linden Street in San Francisco. Pricey, yes, but smooth [not bitter!] caffeinated chocolate heaven.





JD’S ART PICKS


NICK CAVE AT THE YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS

This month, YBCA debuted the largest scale presentation of work by Chicago-based artist, Nick Cave, featuring forty of his "Soundsuits"—multi-layered mixed-media, wearable sculptures named for the sounds made when the sculptures are worn. As reminiscent of African and religious ceremonial costumes as they are of haute couture, Cave's work explores issues of ceremony, ritual, myth and identity. He does this through a layering of concepts, highly-skilled techniques and varied traditions, using materials such as fabrics, beads, sequins, old bottle caps, rusted iron, sticks, twigs, leaves and hair. Mad, humorous, elaborate, grotesque, glamorous and unexpected, the Soundsuits are created from scavenged ordinary materials—detritus from both nature and culture—that Cave re-contextualizes into visionary masterpieces. through July 5. See more information at http://www.ybca.org/tickets/production/view.aspx?id=8191


WILLIAM KENTRIDGE AT THE SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

William Kentridge is one of my all time favorite artists [see an example of his work at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhBDYBfwGR0&feature=related ]. His roots are in puppetry, of all things, and theater, and the SFMOMA has just debuted a grand exhibition of his work. He made his mark on the art world with his very creative technique of stop-motion animated films using painstakingly drawn, then erased charcoal drawings. There’s no computer wizardry involved, just taking frame-by-frame images of each stage of the drawing as he re-animates it through this technique.

Combining the political with the poetic, William Kentridge's work has made an indelible mark on the contemporary art scene. Dealing with subjects as sobering as apartheid and colonialism, Kentridge often imbues his art with dreamy, lyrical undertones or comedic bits of self-deprecation, making his powerful messages both alluring and ambivalent. Perhaps best known for his stop-motion films of charcoal drawings, the internationally renowned South African artist also works in etching, collage, sculpture, and the performing arts, opera in particular. This exhibition explores five primary themes that have engaged Kentridge over the last three decades through a comprehensive selection of his work from the 1980s to the present. Concentrating on his most recent production and including many pieces that have not been seen in the United States, the exhibition reveals as never before the full arc of his distinguished career.

Through May 31. For more information see http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/380






IRREVERENT: CONTEMPORARY NORDIC CRAFT ART AT THE YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Have you ever seen a boot made entirely of furry white pussy willows? “Irreverent” showcases the surprising work of a new wave of craft artists from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden who challenge the aesthetics and principles of Scandinavian modernism. Rejecting the sleek elegance and mass production that characterized the modernist movement, they emphasize the role of the maker in the act of crafting and the narrative potential of functional objects. The artists move away from the utilitarianism of high modernism and turn instead to camp and intricacy, triggering a fresh relationship between craft and art. Through April 12. More information at http://www.ybca.org/tickets/production/view.aspx?id=8198






CANTOCORE: FREE ON BOARD AT MISSION 17 CLOSING PARTY APRIL 18

Cantocore: Free On Board is the second installment of a collaborative project, exploring the globalized conditions of contemporary culture, through an exchange specifically between artists from the San Francisco Bay Area and Guangzhou, China.

The collaboration takes its inspiration and its name, "Cantocore,"from the rapid economic, social, and cultural changes currently taking place in Canton province. Hip Hop is thriving, heavy metal music is blasting, and the art market is booming. Over the last 20 years, cities such as Guangzhou, the capital of Canton, have changed from having a uniquely Chinese culture into global cities influenced and informed by diverse forms of representation. During the same period, Chinese artists also have exerted a growing influence on culture across the globe - and perhaps nowhere more than here on the Pacific rim of California, where Chinese Americans have played a central role since its inception. Art and culture is no longer defined by merely national boundaries - if it ever was - and yet cultural differences persist, providing productive tensions, rich with critical and creative possibilities.

Cantocore works to explore these globalized conditions of contemporary culture and the possibilities they present, by cultivating the dialogue specifically between the Bay Area and Guangzhou. Artists involved in the project include, among others, Americans with roots in China, Chinese who have come to study and work in San Francisco, and Americans who have emigrated to China. The first installment of the project, titled Cantocore: Import / Export, took place in September 2008 at the Ping Pong Space in Guangzhou. Cantocore: Free On Board provides the follow-up response.

What common concerns inform these artists work? How does their art nevertheless read differently across the globe? How do the histories and environments of each city inform the aesthetics of the work produced and presented there; and how does the work transcend its geographic origins, drawing aesthetic and conceptual influence from elsewhere?

This exhibition is a collaboration with The Garage Biennale, The Fabricatorz, and Ping Pong Gallery, China. Participating Artists:JD Beltran, Deer Fang, Wang Ge, Misako Inaoka, David O. Johnson, Guy Overfelt, Jon Phillips, Lin Fang Suo, Zhou Tao, Katherine Worel, Huang Xiaopeng.. Curated by Deer Fang, Justin Hoover, Jon Phillips.

Through April 18. Closing party Saturday, April 18, 5 - 7 pm. 2111 Mission Street, Suite 401, San Francisco 94110. Telephone: 415.861.3144. For more information, see http://www.cantocore.com and http://mission17.org/exhibits/upcoming.htm




AT THE MUSEUM OF CRAFT AND FOLK ART: 'Inside/Outside: Artist Environments'

For "Inside/Outside: Artist Environments," the Museum of Craft and Folk Art's show on exhibition now, curator Jennifer McCabe didn't just want to show pictures of artists trying to create immersive environments - she wanted to find an artist to make one. Luckily, the artist who inspired the show, Bolinas' Mike Shine, was willing and able to construct an installation in the museum. Shine, McCabe says, channels "surf skateboard culture and Nordic mythology" in his epically lo-fi space.

"The environment he created (in Bolinas) is a hub for all kinds of activity - music, art, theater, a central place for his own community," McCabe says. "In talking to him, he was interested in re-creating his space. It was an exciting proposal - to have a physical space that people could enter and experience. Working from there, I looked around, and asked: How does this fit with what other people have done?" What McCabe found was a rich history of ordinary citizens and untaught artists making elaborate spaces to work and play. San Francisco artist Megan Wilson's colorful apartment is featured, along with Edgar Arceneaux and the Watts House Project from Los Angeles, Jacob Sockness and Merritt Wallace. [From Reyhan Harmanci]. Through May 24. For more information, see http://www.mocfa.org/




When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

Franklin D. Roosevelt