What I loved about last night at Two Moon Art House and Cafe was the vibe of the place, where I produced a reading as part of my series Only the Blog at Two Moon.
The Fourth Avenue space is lovely. The location does feel like a crossroads between Park Slope and destinations west like Gowanus and Carroll Gardens, as well as points south like Sunset Park and Bed Stuy.
It’s small but not that small with three distinct areas, including a great bar. There’s curated artwork on the walls, at the moment a show by Hugh Crawford. And the wine and beverages, including mulled wine, are great. One of the co-owners is an amazing baker and there’s always sumptuous desserts on hand.
The atmosphere seems to inspire a real receptivity for a reading or musical performance. It’s not a formal space but a focused space. Guests seem to feel comfortable interacting with the performers.
Last night, the microphone stopped working for a moment and someone in the audience jumped up to fix it. There’s a nice interactive feel about the place.
Peter Wheelwright and Leora Skolkin-Smith read excerpts from their new novels As It Is On Earth and Hystera respectively. The audience actually seemed to want more. Afterwards a discussion flowed freely like a dinner table conversation. And after that, attendees hung around for more than an hour drinking mulled wine and coffee and talking.
Honestly, I don’t think there’s any place like it in Park Slope. The owners are two, energetic and creative women in their late twenties with great stories of their own.
There are more events to come and I hope you’ll join me:
November 7 at 7PM: Writers Who Sing, Singers Who Write celebrates the double-threat talents of artists who cross mediums to tell their stories. In this inspiring musical and literary evening, songwriters/writers Mila Drumke and Peter Silsbee will share how their music influences their non-fiction and fiction and vice versa.
Mila Drumke is currently writing a memoir called All the Time in the World about caring for her sister, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 27. The project has received generous support from the NEA/Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Millay Colony for the Arts and Hedgebrook. She has also recorded numerous albums, including Radiate, which was named “one of the top 10 album discoveries of 2006” by WFUV. “Radiate is not just an artistic triumph—it’s easily Mila Drumke’s best work to date and one of the most impressive records of the year by anyone—but a personal one, too. In taking unimaginable sadness and turning it into something both grounded and visionary, she has created a deeply humane song cycle.” writes Neil Parkinson inHearsay magazine. For more information: miladrumke.com.
Peter Silsbee is a writer of fiction and non-fiction. He is also a singer/songwriter, who performs with his band, The Haywood Brothers, in top venues in New York City. He has published five young adult novels, including Amanda: Revealed, The Big Way Out, Love Among the Hiccups, and The Temptation of Kate.
December 5, at 7PM: Therapy Ira Goldstein will read real life stories about his work as a physical therapist, Louise Crawford will read from her book of poems 5:10 on Tuesday, expect hilarity on the subject from Karen Ritter and Marian Fontana and Leora Skolkin-Smith will read a fascinating passage from her acclaimed novel Hystera, about psychotherapy in the days before antidepressants.