Monthly Archives: February 2011

arts and culture

Feb 17: The Memoirathon: Experience & Expression

I love this event and hope you’ll join me…

On February 17th at 8PM, Brooklyn Reading Works at the Old Stone House presents its 4th annual Memoirathon: Experience and Expression curated by Branka Ruzak with poet Howard Altmann, prose writers Mindy Greenstein, Chris Macleod, Sue Ribner, Andrea Rosenhaft, Elena Schwolsky, Beverly Willett and Annalee Wilson AND exhibition of works by photographers Jamie Livingston and Hugh Crawford and painter Kathleen Mackenzie.

The English noun memoir, comes from the French mémoire and the Latin memoria, meaning memory. In its very simplest form, one can look at memoir as a remembrance of something meaningful or significant in one’s life. Artists capture and explore personal memories in unique ways, dependent on how they choose to express themselves, whether it’s through painting, photography, poetry, essay, etc. This evening celebrates the expression of memoir in just a few of its many forms.

Click on read more to read about the  prose writers, poets, photographers and painters, who will participate in this year’s Memoirathon.

Continue reading Feb 17: The Memoirathon: Experience & Expression →

Civics and Urban Life

A Dog Named Stanley

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It wasn’t exactly love at first sight more like love at first half hour. The Oh So Feisty One (OSFO) spotted him on the Sean Casey Animal Rescue website. His name was Roscoe and was described as a terrier of some sort.

In the snapshot on the web we could see that Roscoe was fluffy and  white with dark, penetrating eyes. He was, in a word: adorable. We went to meet Roscoe at the shelter in Kensington. When we got to the small shelter at 153 East 3rd Street, most of the dogs were out.

“There’s an adoption event going on. The dogs are on the truck,” the young man on duty told us.

The adoption event happened to be in front of Animal Kind in Park Slope so we headed back home and made a detour to visit Roscoe on Seventh Avenue and 12th Street.

A word about Sean Casey: they take rescued, confiscated, neglected, injured, ill, unmanageable, or otherwise unwanted animals from private owners, zoos, shelters, and other public  organizations and care for them, and rehabilitate them to the best of their ability and means. Most importantly, they attempt to find them healthy, happy homes.

No doubt about it, they’re doing God’s work over there and there’s no two ways about it.

And then we met him on the big North Shore Animal League truck, along with a host of other dogs. There was a whole lot of yapping and barking and children (and adults) oohing and ahhing at this multitude of small beasts.

“Is Roscoe here?” OSFO asked.

Sure enough, they located him in one of many cages. And there he was: the dog we would come to cherish. The dog we would rename: Stanley…

To be continued…

arts and culture

OTBKB Music: Three Mutually Exclusive Shows Tonight and A Preview at the new Freddy’s Tomorrow

Tonight is the kick off of three excellent four-week long residencies, two on the Lower East Side at 9pm, and one in Williamsburg at 10pm.  Milton (he lived on 5th Street for six months a few years back) is playing The Living Room, Aaron Lee Tasjan and Friends will be at  The Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 and Serena Jean can be found at Pete’s Candy Store.  You’ll find the details here at Now I’ve Heard Everything.

Although Freddy’s Bar officially re-opens on Friday, there is a preview (just like Broadway) on Thursday night.  Long-time Freddy stalwart John Pinamonti will play two sets there starting at 8pm.

–Eliot Wagner

Civics and Urban Life

Labor Rally at Ozzie’s with Music

The Park Slope coffee wars continue:

According to Suite 101, on Saturday members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) gathered in front of Ozzie’s coffee shop on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, to rally in support of former barista Jeff Bauer. Bauer, a member of the I.W.W. Bauer claims that he was illegally terminated as a barista at Ozzie’s on June 29th for union activity.

The coffee shop denies knowledge that Bauer was a member of the IWW and says he was terminated for others reasons. On July 2nd, of 2010 Bauer filed a compliant with the National Labor Relations Board.

The Rude Mechanical Orchestra, a punk marching band, provided a raucous musical accompaniment to the rally. Participants were encouraged to join with noisemakers, drums, pots and pans.

Read more at Suite 101