GrottoNEWS

New show in the Grotto: woodcuts by Jill Storthz

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:03:50 -0800

You're invited to a reception at the Grotto for our latest exhibiting artist, Jill Storthz! This Thursday, February 25 from 6-8 pm.

Jill uses a reduction method in which a single block of wood is used to print multiple layers of color and texture, as opposed to traditional Japanese woodblock printing, in which more than 75 blocks may be used to create a piece. With this approach, there is no way to reverse the process and fix mistakes made in carving the wood, which is why it is also known as the "suicide" method. This process lends itself well in Jill’s playful approach to carving wood and printing.

Grotto Notes for February

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:57:44 -0800

ETHAN BANTERS WITH JON STEWART ON THE DAILY SHOW

Grotto Co-founder Ethan Watters graciously held his own recently on The DAILY SHOW with Jon Stewart, in discussing Crazy Like Us, his new book. See Ethan and Jon Stewart at 02:51 of the recap athttp://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/fri-january-29-2010/recap---week-of-1-25-10

JD DISCUSSES HER LATEST BODY OF WORK, MATERIAL LANGUAGE AT MERIDIAN GALLERY THIS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH

Also this Thursday, Grotto dweller JD Beltran will be discussing latest body of work, Material Language at an artist panel discussion, from 7:30 8:30. Her new series uses a novel combination of painting, photography, film, and video, whereby JD juxtaposes all of these materials in a single composition to explore how each material evokes its own singular language of meaning. JDs work is featured on the entire first floor of the gallery. The exhibition Unexpected Reflections, curated by Terri Cohn, also highlights the work of artists Jim Campbell, Gigi Janchang, and Marion Grey on the other floors. Preview the show at http://vimeo.com/8989596 , and you can get more information athttp://meridiangallery.org/en/exhibitions/unexpected_reflections.htm See more of JDs work at http://www.jdbeltran.com

Ethan and Todd in conversation, February 4th!

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:56:40 -0800

Ethan Watter's has been getting a lot of national attention (including a recent appearance on The Daily Show) for his new book Crazy Like Us. But this Thursday, February 4th, will be a unique event that promises to be particularly fascinating: Ethan will be interviewed by his fellow Grottoite Todd Oppenheimer for Berkeley Arts & Lectures

Tickets are $12 in advance; $15 at the door. The conversation begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club (2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley. For more information, see the Berkeley Arts & Letters site, brownpapertickets or call (800) 838-3006.

In case you haven't tapped into the buzz yet, nere's an overview of Crazy Like Us:

American culture is homogenizing the way the world goes mad. Our exportation of everything from movies to junk food is a well-documented phenomenon. But neither our golden arches nor our bomb craters represent our most troubling impact on the world: the bulldozing of the human mind itself. In CRAZY LIKE US, leading trend-spotter and science writer Ethan Watters shows that we are not only changing the way the world treats and understands mental illness, we are actually changing the symptoms and prevalence of the diseases themselves.

In CRAZY LIKE US, Watters reveals how:

American versions of depression, post traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders are spreading around the world like contagions -- and we are the ones spreading them.
Western trauma counselors rush to far off countries to save the day without taking into account that the psychological reactions to trauma vary dramatically from culture to culture. (What would we have thought if New Guinea shamans arrived in New Orleans to counsel Katrina survivors)?
Anorexia rose in Hong Kong over the last two decades not only because of western fashion and diet crazes but because we exported the idea of the illness itself!
Our Western biomedical conception of mental illness has been show to increase the social stigma placed on the mentally ill around the world.
America believes it has a rightful place as the therapist to the world. Given the state of mental health in our culture, Watters argues it is time to rethink our generosity.
Watters travels the world to illustrate the ways in which Western influences have changed mental illness. In Hong Kong, he meets teenagers who have learned from American culture that anorexia is the modern way to express distress, and who began refusing food after a wave of Western celebrities and researchers began raising awareness. In Zanzibar, he witnesses a much milder and more bearable form of schizophrenia than what we have in the States. In Sri Lanka, he sees western crisis counselors bungle the treatment of tsunami victims and actually cause the community more distress. And in Japan, he tells the story of the drug companies selling depression itself to create a market for a new drug.

Ethan Watters is the author of Urban Tribes, an examination of the mores of affluent “never marrieds” and the coauthor of Making Monsters, a groundbreaking indictment of the recovered memory movement. A frequent contributor to The New York Times Magazine, Discover, Men’s Journal, Details, Wired, and NPR, he has appeared on such national media as Good Morning America, Talk of the Nation, and CNN.

Todd Oppenheimer works as a journalist at The Writers Grotto. During his 25 years as a journalist, Oppenheimer has won a variety of national awards for his writing and investigative reporting and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including ABC's "Nightline." His articles have appeared in The New Yorker, Newsweek, The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post, Columbia Journalism Review, Mother Jones, and an assortment of daily and weekly newspapers. He is the author of The Flickering Mind: Saving Education from the False Promise of Technology, a finalist for the Investigative Reporters and Editors Book Award.

The Grotto Goes Crazy @ LitQuake/LitCrawl

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:59:30 -0800

It's that time again -- the Grotto's annual LitQuake/LitCrawl show!

PSYCHO BABBLE: STORIES ABOUT CRAZY PEOPLE AND CRAZY IDEAS
Saturady, Oct. 17
Casanova Lounge (527 Valencia, bet 16th and 17th)
Time: 6pm (sharp!) to 7pm

Come out this Saturday evening and enjoy some true--and truer-than-true--stories about crazy people, including sneak peeks at highly anticipated new books from Grotto writers! Grottoites are also reading at other LitQuake/LitCrawl venues, so check the schedule:

http://www.litquake.org

September Grotto Notes

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:25:19 -0800

PO’S ALREADY SUCCESSFUL “NURTURESHOCK” HITS THE AIRWAVES AND SOON, THE BOOKSTORES

If you didn't catch Grotto co-founder Po Bronson talking about his new book, NurtureShock, last Thursday on All Things Considered, he also was on Good Morning America Monday morning (this morning), and will be on CNN with Campbell Brown Monday night (tonight) at 8 pm. NurtureShock has already hit #15 on Amazon and surely will go higher as next week one of his and Ashley's chapters, "Why White Parents Don't Talk About Race," will be on the cover of Newsweek. Next Thursday night he'll be on Nightline and early the following week on Fresh Air. Po's events in the Bay Area don't start until the end up September, when he'll be with Ayelet Waldman ("Bad Mother") at the Commonwealth Club September 30th. Then he's at Book Passage October 4th and then doing a KPFA event with Berkeley Arts & Letters on October 6th. You can follow it all on http://www.nurtureshock.com.

Meet the Teacher Night - Wednesday, Sept. 9th

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:21:31 -0800

Join us at the Grotto for a glass of wine and the finest snacks Trader Joe's can offer.

This is a terrific opportunity to check out the Grotto, as well as chat with some of our teachers (and their students) about all our upcoming classes. 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm. No need to register, just come on by.

Full Grown Men DVD Release Aug 25

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:18:05 -0800

Grottofilms' whimsical road comedy "Full Grown Men" will have its home video release August 25th through Liberation Entertainment. Winner of the 2007 Undiscovered Gems Sundance Channel Audience Award, the film was written by Grotto filmmakers David Munro and Xandra Castleton, directed by David and produced by Xandra. "Full Grown Men" tells the story of a hopelessly nostalgic man who learns the hard way that the best years of his life may still lie ahead. Stars Matt McGrath, Judah Friedlander (30 Rock), Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy), Alan Cumming (X-Men 2, Cabaret), and Deborah Harry (Blondie). You can pre-order on Amazon or save on your Netflix queue by clicking links below. If it's not at your neighborhood video store, contact us via our website and we'll make sure it is. You can read about the "making of" in our series of Filmmaker Diaries for the SF Chronicle (see the link below), and there's a new blog about the current state of indie film distribution at Filmmaker Magazine blog. More information at http://www.fullgrownmenthemovie.com.

Amazon, Netflix, Filmmaker Diaries, Filmmaker Magazine

August Grotto Notes: Accolades! Melanie, Steve, Kathryn, and Allison!

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:05:12 -0800

MELANIE’S “THE SLIPPERY YEAR” GARNERS STELLAR NEW YORK TIMES AND NEW YORKER BOOK BENCH REVIEWS – DON’T MISS THE BOOK LAUNCH ON AUGUST 12-13

We're in for a new spate of Grotto books this late summer and fall, and the accolades are already coming in. Hot off the press is Melanie’s profile in the July 30th New York Times (see link below). And Andrea Walker reviewed Melanie's book in the online New Yorker Book Bench, stating, “By the end of the book I felt like I had just spent several hours knocking back drinks with an especially funny friend. Which is some of my highest praise.” (As Grottoite Caroline Paul remarked, “I like the way the reviewer starts her review all crotchety and at the end wants to have a drink with Melanie. Wait in line, girl. We all want a drink with Melanie.”)

July Grotto Notes

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:28:40 -0800

DON’T MISS JILL SOBULE, COMEDY, MUSIC, AND SEX AT THIS TUESDAY’S RUMPUS SHOW

This Tuesday, July 7, 7pm The Rumpus and Kink.com present:

Sex-Music-Comedy Night featuring JILL SOBULE

Hosted by Grottoite Stephen Elliott and Co-sponsored by The Center for Sex and Culture

WHERE: The Makeout Room, 3225 22nd Street, San Francisco

Featuring readings and performances from sex worker authors: Zak Smith, Kirk Read, Michelle Tea, and Madison Young

Comedy by Los Angeles based comedian Kyle Kinane

Songstress burlesque by Mariel a la Mode

Music by Sig Hafstrom

And Special Guest Musician JILL SOBULE

Purchase Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/70578

Catered reception, 5pm at The Latin American featuring the artists and special guests from Kink.com

$20 event, $55 event and reception. More information at http://therumpus.net/sections/rumpus-events/

JULY IS THE MONTH TO TAKE A SUMMER WRITING CLASS AT THE GROTTO!

This summer, we're offering a terrific bunch of one-day and shorter multi-week classes. And the Grotto was just awarded a mention in the 2009 BEST OF THE BAY: BEST WRITING CLASSES [see the link at http://www.sanfranmag.com/story/write-novel ], so check it out for yourself!

Grotto Writing Classes -- SF Mag's Best of the Bay!

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:37:05 -0800

San Francisco Magazine hails the Grotto writing classes in its Best of the Bay Area issue! http://www.sanfranmag.com/story/write-novel

Summer classes start in July...get more info at http://www.sfgrotto.org/classes

Mina Dresden Gallery showcases ZYZZYVA artists

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:21:35 -0800

Mina Dresden Gallery honors ZYZZYVA editor Howard Junker with an exhibition featuring small works on paper done in black and white by artists who have appeared in the journal during its first 24 years.

June 20 – July 18, 2009

Opening reception: Saturday, 20 June, 6-8 pm

Mina Dresden Gallery, 312 Valencia at 14th st., San Francisco 94103

Gallery open by appointment. 415-863-8312. www.minadresden.com

June Grotto Notes -- New Classes and More

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:28:07 -0800

SF WRITERS GROTTO ANNOUNCES SUMMER WRITING CLASSES

Summer is the best time to hone your writing skills. And the SF Writers Grotto is offering a summer smorgasbord of one-day and multi-week classes.

Writers' Sampler Menu - A tapas menu of different non-fiction genres: Travel Writing (July 8), Food Writing (July 15), Personal Essay and Memoir (July 22), Better Blogging and Breaking into Magazines (July 29). Sign up for one or more of these 2 hour sessions - $45 per class, or $150 for the series. Taught by Laura Fraser, author of 'An Italian Affair,' contributor to 'Travel & Leisure,' 'Gourmet,' 'The New York Times,' and winner of an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Essay Writing.

Fiction Bootcamp - Everything you wanted to know (and didn't know you wanted to know) about the craft of writing fiction. This one-day, hands-on workshop will teach you how to plot, organize, and write a terrific story (or novel). Saturday, July 11, 10 am - 4 pm. $155. Taught by Janis Cooke Newman, author of the novel, 'Mary,' chosen as a BookSense Year-End Pick, the Best Historical Novel of 2006 by USA Today, and a Finalist for an LA Times Book Prize.

Master Class: Workshop your Non-Fiction - This class will give experienced writers an opportunity to workshop their pieces and get professional feedback. Thursday evenings, July 9 - 30. $150. Taught by Laura Fraser, author of 'An Italian Affair,' contributor to 'Travel & Leisure,' 'Gourmet,' 'The New York Times,' and winner of an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Essay Writing.

Memoir Writing: Fact is Not Truth - Memoir and the Art of Honesty - What does truth in memoir really mean? This class will help writers examine the personal story they're trying to tell, and how they can best tell it. Using a combination of in-class writing and reading, students will find the truth that drives their story. Three Monday evenings, August 3 - 17, with an optional fourth session for personal critique. $195 (optional critique session $75). Taught by Rachel Howard, author of 'The Lost Night: A Daughter's Search for the Truth of Her Father's Murder, one of the SF Chronicles Best Books of 2005.

For more information - and to register - visit the SF Writers Grotto website: http://www.sfgrotto.org/classes.html

Helena & Steve Read at Ctr for Sex and Culture, 7pm tonight

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:52:20 -0800

Helena and Steve will be reading their contributions to Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex tonight at the Center for Sex and Culture.

Details at http://sexandculture.org/component/events/?task=view_detail&agid=132

May Grotto Notes

Sat, 02 May 2009 09:33:29 -0800

Don't Miss THE RAMEN KING this month, Plus May Classes!

ANDY LAUNCHES "THE RAMEN KING AND I" AT BOOKSMITH, MAY 12

Grottoite Andy Raskin will launch his new book, "THE RAMEN KING AND I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life" on Tuesday, May 12, 7:30 pm @ The Booksmith (1644 Haight, SF). Andy will read and sign copies, and True Sake (the sake boutique in Hayes Valley) will pour free sake tastings. For more about the book -- including a video of Grottoites guessing how the inventor of instant ramen fixed Andy's love life -- visit Andy's web site: http://www.andyraskin.com

MAY WRITING CLASSES AT THE GROTTO!

For May, we're offering two terrific classes:

Short Story Writing, 3 Saturdays, May 2, 9 & 16, 3 pm to 5 pm, $375

This class is being taught by National Book Award Winner, Victor Martinez, and by Peter Orner, author of a New York Times Notable Book, and a Finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Award.

How to Break into Travel Writing, Saturday, May 9, 10 am to 4 pm, $155 (Note: This class is limited to 6 students.)

Taught by Janis Cooke Newman, who has written travel for the LA Times, SF Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, Backpacker magazine, and for four Travelers Tales anthologies.

For more information - and to sign up - visit http://www.sfgrotto.org/classes.html

How To Break Into Travel Writing - Sat. May 9

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:21:33 -0800

If you've ever thought about selling your travel stories, this one-day, hands-on workshop is the place to start. We promise you'll end the day with the beginnings of a terrific (and marketable) story - along with strategies about how (and where) to sell it.

10 am to 4 pm, $155

(Note: This class is limited to 6 students.)

Instructor Janis Cooke Newman's travel writing has appeared in the LA Times, SF Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, Backpacker magazine, and in four Travelers Tales anthologies.

For more information, or to register, click here