Fans of memoir, fans of Jamie Livingston’s Photo-of-the-Day AND fans of Hugh Crawford and No Words Daily Pix work WILL NOT want to miss this year’s Memoirathon this Thursday at 8PM. The details are below:

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 Thursday at 8PM: The Memoirathon →

It’s Valentine’s Day, which means that it is time once again for Syd Straw‘s Heartwreck Show.  If you have never been to one of these shows, it consists of  rock vocalist extraordinaire Syd Straw leading a band of friends through any number of songs about the down side of love.  This year the place the festivities will take place is Southpaw in the northwest corner of Park Slope.   The full details are available to you at Now I’ve Heard Everything by clicking here.

–Eliot Wagner

Lots of cool stuff, including a LIVE screening of Nixon in China from the Metropolitan Opera at 1PM at BAM. The Diary of a Mad Man by Gogol with Geoffrey Rush at BAM AND Frost/Nixon at Height Players. Also: the new high school fair is Saturday and Sunday AND Biutiful with Javiar Bardem (swoon) shows at the Cobble Hill Cinema. Click on read more for more ideas and all the essential details.

Continue reading OTBKB’s Weekend List: Feb 12-13 →

The answer is really quite simple. Hugh Crawford is visiting a farm in Northern California and the Internet is quite problematic there.

No Words Daily Pix will be up and running upon his return.

Lucinda Williams has a new album about to be released.  Titled Blessed, the buzz is that this album is the best that Lucinda has recorded since her 1998 classic, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.  I haven’t heard the new one yet, but the first single from that album is called Buttercup and this video of it has been released.  It is, as Rod Serling used to say, presented for your consideration at Now I’ve Heard Everything, just click here to see it.

–Eliot Wagner

Closing reception for Tom Bovo show at 440 Gallery: Art in Brooklyn

Before books become kindling: Water Over Rocks

Lowlands: Brooklynometry

What exercise has done for me: Fin Slippy

Plumb Bronson house: Stylefile NYC

Serenity comics: Word Nerd

The Russian heart is dark and full of secrets: Electric Literature Blog

Balloons: Joe’s NYC

“Are there any questions?”

From The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Mind you, Babeland is not paying me for this ad (I asked them once to advertise on OTBKB and it was no go). I do like the store very much, however, and want you to know that they are offering FREE Babeland Body Chocolate to any customer who attends their massage event tomorrow night (details below) AND references Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn (while supplies last)

The free workshop is called: Inspiring Desire with Massage and it’s on Thursday, February 10 at 7PM at Babeland Brooklyn ( 462 Bergen Street in Park Slope). You will learn techniques to add” romantic touch to your Valentine’s Day date.” According to the “babes” at Babeland, massage is an excellent way to get things started.

Here we are at February Residency Wednesday again.  But tonight, we add another show to the mix and get four shows for you to choose from.   One is in the East Village at 8pm, two are on the Lower East Side at 9pm, and one is in Williamsburg at 10pm.  Tonight’s selections from which you can mix and match: Pete Kennedy, Milton, Aaron Lee Tasjan and Serena Jean.  You can find all the details at Now I’ve Heard Everything by clicking here.

–Eliot Wagner

On Thursday (February 10th) at 8PM at The Old Stone House my friend Nancy Graham will perform in To: From, a play developed through improvisation on the theme of giving. 

It is sure to be an interesting evening and I hope you’ll join me there.

To: From:
an evening of improvisation on the theme of giving

With Jerry Wintrob + Nancy Graham
Directed by Amy Poux

Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Old Stone House
336 3rd Street in Park Slope

On Thursday, February 10, at 6:30PM, Brooklyn for Peace presents a screening of Inside the Revolution: a Journey to the Heart of Venezuela, a documentary by Pablo Navarrete  (2009)

A discussion, led by Carol Delgado, Consul General of Venezuela and Greg Wilpert, author of Changing Venezuela, and a professor of political science at Brooklyn College, will follow the screening.

At the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture at the corner of 2nd Street and Prospect Park West in Park Slope.

A friend brought this wonderful after-school program at the New York Transit Museum’s Education Department to my attention. It is for students working at grade levels 4 and 5 who have been diagnosed on the Autism spectrum.

The program begins on February 16th so sign up now. If you are interested email: Lynette.morse@nyct.com

The program uses content about the history of New York City subways to practice and promote social skills, collaboration, and problem solving among participants. Over the course of nine sessions, ten students will learn about various aspects of subways past and present and then work in partnerships to create digital media projects to share their
discoveries.

Here are the details:

— The program runs Wednesdays, February 16 – May 4 (no sessions on Feb. 23, Mar. 16, or Apr. 20) from 3:45 – 5:30 PM.

–Regular attendance is important as each session builds on the previous session

–The program culminates in a student presentation for family and friends on May 4

–All sessions will be held at the New York Transit Museum, located on the corner of Boerum Place and
Schermerhorn Street in downtown Brooklyn

–Depending upon school locations, the Museum may be able to provide bus transportation with a bus
monitor from school to the Museum

–Parents or caregivers are responsible for picking students up from the Transit Museum promptly at 5:30PM.

Who is this program for?

–The program is open to students working at grade levels 4 and 5 who have been diagnosed on the Autism
spectrum.

–There is a suggested fee of $200 for this program. However, the Transit Museum is is committed to providing equal access to this program and no child will be excluded based on ability to pay. In other words: participants may pay according to their financial capability, from $25 to $200.

To read more about the team that put together this wonderful program and to learn how to apply click on read more:

Continue reading Subway Sleuths After-school Program for Kids on the Autism Spectrum →

Hepcat, OSFO and I stood on Seventh Avenue in front of Animal Kind and contemplated whether we should adopt Roscoe (who we later named Stanley). A couple stood nearby waiting for us to make a decision.

“We have the same kind of dog at home,” the woman said. “We’re thinking of getting another.”

“The dog we have is perfect. A perfect dog. He could use a companion,” the man said.

The pressure was on. Someone else wanted the dog. I looked at OSFO. That was a no-brainer: of course she wanted the dog. I looked at Hepcat: it was obvious that he was falling for little Roscoe.

And me?

Despite the fact that I’d never owned a dog in my life. Despite the fact that we’re not allowed to have dogs in our apartment building (a fact that worried me a great deal). Despite the fact that owning a dog meant a world of unknowns, I found myself wanting to share our home with this adorable little dog.

Who could blame me? He stared up me with these dark, gorgeous searching eyes. He and OSFO looked so cute together. Hepcat, who had dogs as a child (and grew up on a farm with cows and goats and cats and even a pet crow) was all goo goo eyes for the little pup (who, it turned out, was 2-years-old).

“We’ll take him,” I said to Charlie, who runs Sean Casey Animal Rescue.

“Great,” he said. “You just need to fill out a few forms…”

To be continued…

Harper Blynn is a four piece band featuring high energy pop rock, lots of  hooks and good harmonies.  The band is playing a very early show tonight at the Lower East Side’s Mercury Lounge.  How early?  They go on at 7pm sharp!  So if you don’t go out on school nights because you can’t get home late, this is the show for you.  See further details at Now I’ve Heard Everything by clicking here.

On the heels of her recent residency at The Rockwood Music Hall, Lelia Broussard has released a video for Satellite, a song from her latest album, Masquerade.  It’s catchy, has a great hook and it’s just plain fun.  Click here to see it.

–Eliot Wagner