I wrote an article in today’s Brooklyn Paper about Park Slope painter, Simon Dinnerstein and a masterful drawing of his that is included in a prestigious show at the National Academy Museum on Fifth Avenue near the Guggenheim. This picture, taken by Hugh Crawford, was cropped in the print and web edition. Here it is in its entirety. I include an excerpt from the article. Go here to read more.

Most people say hello to their grocer or smile politely at their
barista — it’s not a relationship that requires much more. Park Sloper
Simon Dinnerstein disagrees, going beyond the usual niceties of these
daily interactions and developing relationships with the people he
meets on Seventh Avenue.

Sometimes, he even sketches them.

Sure,
it takes more time than just waving, but it has paid off — a drawing of
the man from whom he buys cheese is now hanging in a fancy museum.

When
Dinnerstein, who has lived in the neighborhood since the 1960s, was
asked to submit a drawing to the National Academy Museum, a
200-year-old institution modeled after the French Academy in Paris and
the Royal Academy in London, he selected his portrait of Wajih Salem,
an owner of D’Vine Taste, a local gourmet shop.

I went to Brookyn Record today for one of my daily look/sees and found out that it has been discontinued.

I, for one, am sorry to see it go. I liked it over there. I know that it hadn’t really found it’s own unique voice yet but I thought it was a fun and ambitious idea. An off-shoot of Brownstoner, Brooklyn Record was trying to be an all-Brooklyn (non-real estate) blog. That’s a tall order as this is one BIG borough.

I think this blog business is very nichey — you really have to focus and figure out what you do best. Brooklyn bloggers are carving out various slices of the Brooklyn pie and there’s lots to go around in term of neighborhoods and themes. 

I do respect Brownstoner’s "live and learn" attitude as stated below. He’s decided to stick with Brownstoner and post certain Brooklyn Record-type items there. Here’s what the ever-thoughtful and ambitious Mr. B. had to say. Good bye Brooklyn Record: we’re gonna miss you.

Live and learn. We launched Brooklyn Record almost exactly a year ago
with the idea that there was a whole lot of stuff going on in Brooklyn
that had little to do with real estate and that wasn’t being adequately
covered in any one blog.

We still think it’s a valid concept but we’ve
decided to leave it to someone with deeper pockets to try and to stick
to our knitting here at Brownstoner.

It’s been hard trying to support
two brands and creating artificial boundaries editorially; frankly,
it’s also proven a lot harder to support a general interest blog with
advertising. Going forward, some of the things we’ve been putting in
the Brooklyn Record basket in recent months—like storefront openings
and closings and the more human-interest side of real estate, for
example—will find a home under the Brownstoner umbrella.

Other topics,
like kick-boxing classes and indie rock concerts aren’t going to make
the cut.

Conversations with Frank Leon Roberts reports that a new exhibition of photographs of black men opens at Harriet’s Alter Ego on Flatbush Avenue in Park Slope.

A photographer for over 15 years, Delphine Fawundu-Buford is among the
‘young lions’ of Black photography. Her work has been exhibited and
collected nationally and internationally by institutions like Museum of
Contemporary Art of University of São Paulo, the International Center
of Photography, the Anacostia Museum in Washington, DC and most notably
the Brooklyn Museum of Art where her photograph, Patiently Waiting,
graced the cover of the catalog-book of the “Committed to the Image”
exhibition.

A Living Photo-Essay by Delphine Fawundu-Buford
Opening Reception: Sunday, June 3, 2007, 3-6pm
On View: June 3 – July 6, 2007

The Gallery at Harriet’s Alter Ego
293 Flatbush Avenue
(btw. St. Marks & Prospect Pl.)
Brooklyn, New York 11217
718.783.2074 – www.harrietsalteregoonline.com
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 11-7pm

Tom Leonard writes in the Telegraph about, what he calls, "A tribe that strikes fear and loathing in the hearts of normal parents."

I
don’t know if there is an exact British equivalent of Park Slope
Parents (PSPs), but in terms of the horror and dismay they engender
among other New Yorkers, they would be somewhere between Black Death
victims and Burke and Hare.

Known to other New
Yorkers by such affectionate nicknames as the "Stroller Mafia" and the
"People’s Republic of Park Slope", they have much in common with
middle-class, liberal-leaning, multiple-baby-breeding North Londoners.

Here, it’s taken to extremes. After all, does
Islington have a supermarket that insists that if you want to shop
there, you have to work there, too? Park Slope does – on any one day,
the food co-op is full of off-duty mums and dads putting in their
statutory two and a half hours a month, cluelessly stacking organic
beans in the non-organic condiments section.

So,
when a typed notice went up on lampposts in this leafy, affluent,
child-infested Brooklyn neighbourhood headed "Infant Burned", there was
little sympathy with the PSPs who had posted it. The infant’s parents,
Cori and Stu, needed help: "Our infant was burned by his nanny at
Starbucks… she spilled a hot cup of tea on him and he suffered 2nd
and 3rd degree burns on his face, neck and shoulder. If anyone
witnessed this incident please contact…" When the notice found its
way to Gawker, the New York gossip website, readers piled in with abuse
and ridicule. Perhaps correctly, everyone assumed mom and pop were
preparing to sue the pants off their nanny.

People
tend to assume the worst about the parents of this enclave. "Why does
everyone hate Park Slope?" asks NY Time Out this week. Park Slopers say
that it’s because they’re jealous, especially arrogant Manhattanites.
Critics say that it’s because they are parent fascists. In a city of
the smug, Park Slopers are reviled as the smuggest.

PSPs keep in touch via the message boards of ParkSlopeParents.com,
many of whose 5,155 members can punch out 1,200 words on the hormonal
damage caused by plastics or the pros and cons of "Ferberizing" at the
drop of a hat.

Perhaps best not to mention hats,
given the agonised debate that followed an innocent "found: boy’s hat"
email, with accompanying picture, that was posted on the site. "What
makes this a boy’s hat?", one mother asked, bristling at the gender
categorisation. Another said that the finder’s speculation that it
belonged to an "older child" showed a lack of consideration towards
"younger children who happen to have larger heads".

Other
Park Slope controversies that have prompted weeks of online
soul-searching included a mother who wanted help in finding the
delivery man she suspected had defecated or been sick – she wasn’t
quite sure which – in her building’s hallway. She wanted a scalp. "Has
anyone else ever experienced such a thing? Over the last week?" she
wrote. "If so, maybe we can put our heads together about where we
ordered from…"

Another mother’s diatribe, about
being criticised by an unknown nanny for breast-feeding a somewhat old
child in the playground, turned into a debate on lactation and,
inevitably, into a hunt for the nanny. A Park Slope dad complained
about his own nanny – she’d lost two toy pushchairs (belonging to his
son) and he wanted to know if other PSPs thought he should charge her.

An
English PSP friend raves about the area – reeling off the celebrities
who live there (the list is probably slipped under your front door when
you move in) but admits he often feels that his parenting is being
scrutinised. Our neighbour, a former PSP, said that what most annoyed
her were people stopping her in the street when she was with her son
and saying things such as: "Now, you will breastfeed until he’s four,
won’t you."

Inevitably, it is with some
trepidation, mixed with the curiosity of a visit to the zoo, that we
venture through Park Slope whenever we need to get to the big park on
the other side. For us less hands-on parents, this is enemy territory.

The
Leonard wagon train draws in closer, the safety catches are clicked off
our parenting skills. The children mustn’t get too far ahead of us or
too far behind, or the natives will close in for the kill. We try not
to stop for anything. As Marika says: "We wouldn’t last a minute there."

HAVE YOU HEARD THE WORD?

THERE’S A NEW JAZZ VENUE IN BROOKLYN CALLED THE BURGER BAR.
Located on the corner of 9th Street and Seventh Avenue, there’s no cover and no minimum

The music starts on Thursday May 31 from 9-1 and will be every Thursday and
Saturday from 9pm – 1am thereafter. Here’s the schedule.

5/31 Gary Levy alto, Ray Parker bass, Charles Sibirsky piano
6/2 Anders Nilson guitar, Dan Shuman bass, Charles Sibirsky piano
6/7 Jan Leder flute, C.S. piano, Ray Parker bass
6/9 Charley Krache tenor, Ed Fuqua bass, Charles Sibirsky on piano
6/14 Bob Kella tenor, Joe Solomon bass, Charles Sibirsky on piano
6/15 Gary Levy alto, Virg Dzurinko piano, Alex Gressel bass
6/21 Kurt Stockdale tenor, Ed Fuqua bass, Charles Sibirsky on piano

The series is being programmed by pianist Charles Sibirsky (slopemusic.com)

Don’t miss a new film with Steve Buscemi. And this one is directed by TOM DiCILLO who made LIVING IN OBLIVION (also starring SB).

Delirious  (2006) 100min
irector/Screenwriter: Tom DiCillo
June 2 at 8:45pm
Sun, June 10 at 9pm

At a time when celebrity mania is at its zenith, Tom DiCillo
(Living in Oblivion) delivers a high-energy, sharp-witted satire
that pokes fun at the absurd machine—paparazzi,
publicists, and stars—that manufactures fame, while also
addressing the toll it takes on those caught in its cogs.

Toby (Michael Pitt), a desperate homeless kid, insinuates
himself into the life of Les (Steve Buscemi), a hapless
paparazzo, offering to serve as his unpaid assistant. Always
game for a deal, Les adopts Toby and shows him the sleazy
ropes of party crashing, scoring goody bags, and chasing
hot tips. As Les and his cameraman cronies clamor for
photo opps, Toby falls for the reigning pop princess
K’harma. Les views Toby’s entrée into K’harma’s heretofore
untouchable realm as a chance to snap a shot and make a
buck, but Toby is genuinely smitten. When Les is unable to
control his impulses, both men grapple with the meaning of
friendship and the price of betrayal.

With a slickly written script and spot-on performances by
Steve Buscemi and Michael Pitt, Tom DiCillo astutely reveals
our own voyeuristic anxieties, while also reflecting on our
aspirations for authenticity and truth-telling in a world
obsessed with packaging the image. NY Premiere!
Q&A with director Tom DiCillo follows both screenings.

In  The Gothamist today, a profile of Union Hall’s show booker, Jack McFadden (pictured left). He’s a big part of the reason that Union Hall is Park Slope’s hottest club.

GUESS WHAT: Cool and Unusual will be playing Union Hall on June 9th at 1 p.m. SPREAD THE WORD.

Last year a new bar/venue/bocce haven opened in Park Slope called Union Hall.
As most good things in New York, everyone seemed to find out about this
gem in no time, leading to crowded bocce courts and limited seating on
weekends. On most nights, however, the sirens still draw us there. Jack
McFadden (affectionately called Skippy by those who know him), books
the downstairs venue, which has consistently had solid lineups. We
recently asked him about how he makes the magic happen there…

Kensington Blog has the scoop on reasonably priced rental apartments and co-ops on Ocean Parkway.

Thanks for the tip, Kensington Blog.

Join your neighbors on Saturday, June 23, for a STOOPendous party that
is as big as the Slope!  Celebrate the solstice and start of summer
with your neighbors on your own stoops and sidewalks.

In the continuation of this post, a short guide offers you suggestions for how you can create a simple
and engaging event to take back the solstice and mark the longest day
of the year on your block, in your building, or along an avenue.

Your celebration can occur any time of day, but at 8:31 pm, when the
sun sets, the All-Slope-Solstice-Shout-Out will start. Use kazoos, bang
pots and pans, swing bells, play drums–make a racket to bid farewell
to the sun and ring in the new season. 

Sponsor

The Park Slope Civic Council is sponsoring this event to support:

•    all of us strengthening the community spirit in our Park Slope village
•    neighbors connecting with neighbors
•    children learning more about the impact of the sun cycle on our lives
•    residents joining together to create one day of spectacular home-grown fun.

Help the Civic Council continue its community leadership work by becoming a member…

Additional Resources
For event updates, check our web site www.xxxxxx.org. If you need to talk with a STOOPendous leader…

For STOOPendous regalia (great-looking T-shirts, hats, totes, and
what-have-you) take a look at our official shop at
www.cafepress.com/stoopendous. Proceeds go toward next year’s event.

When all is said and done, blog on how your event went…at stoopendous.org. Let’s learn from each other how to do STOOPendous.

Background on the Solstice
Saturday, June 23 is in the midst of two important summer evenings–the
summer solstice, which falls this year on June 21, and the traditional
Mid-Summer’s Day, which falls this year on June 24.  The solstice is
the longest day of the year, and Mid-Summer’s day was considered the
halfway mark in the growing season in old Europe.

The word solstice comes from Latin words for sun and stand still. At
the solstice, the sun cannot go farther in its current direction and
reaches its maximum or minimum length from earth, depending upon where
you are in the world—in the northern or southern hemisphere. The
solstice happens twice a year, when the earth’s axis tilts the most
toward or away from the sun.  In the Northern Hemisphere, we’re
celebrating the summer solstice.  Below the Equator, people will be
celebrating the first day of winter.

The summer solstice is considered a powerful time, and has been marked
through the ages with dancing and lightheartedness, garlands of
colorful flowers, bonfires, and rites of purification, including the
removal of unwanted items from the home. 

For links to more information about the history and celebration of the summer solstice, go to the STOOPendous website.

Continue reading GET YOUR STOOPENDOUS ON AND CELEBRATE JUNE 23RD →

And we’re just thrilled for designer Elizabeth Reagh of Good Form Design. The poster, which lists the montly BRW readings at the Old Stone House, won a Merit Award and will be posted on Portfolios.com
the first week in June.

This missive from Catherine at Community Books arrived in the old in-box this morning.

Hi Everyone — One of our favorite local authors (and yours, surely?) has a new book out: The River Queen, of which Patricia Hampl writes: “The emotion in this book is wonderfully sly — it creeps up on you. Like the Mississippi itself, it winds in a seeming meander, just following the buoys, day following day, but in fact there is a tremendous build of feeling in the inquiry of the heart. It’s a wonderful adventure, going on this trip downriver.” ALSO, we’re going to have wine and beer and cheese and olives and all good things, and you should come to hang out for the party and post-reading socializing, too — the garden is starting to look gorgeous, and we’re eager to inaugurate it with a pro-Mary (pip!pip!) Bash.

Wednesday May 30th at 7:30 at the Community Bookstore on Seventh Avenue between Garfield and Carroll.

If you missed part 1 go here.

Smartmom came home with the three cans of cat food. She found Teen Spirit lying on his bed playing with the kitten.

It was an adorable site. Note: Smartmom can rarely resist scenes of Teen Spirit with pets. TS’s gentle, soulfulness seems to come through in these moments and it makes Smartmom gush.
It reminded her of the day he fell in love with their dearly departed rabbit, Opal. They were at a pet store on Fifth Avenue and TS bonded with their white dwarf rabbit big time.

While TS and OSFO took turns cuddling the kitten, they tried come up with a name for her.

“I’ve always wanted to name a cat Supermercado, which means supermarket in Spanish,” Teen Spirit told Smartmom.

“I like it but I always forget how to say it,” OSFO replied.

She was thinking more along the lines of Lula or Lulee.

Smartmom had to admit that the kitty was quite fetching with her fluffy black fur and white paws that make her look like she’s wearing socks.

Smartmom went into the kitchen and opened the fancier—and more expensive—of the three cat food cans. It was some kind of chicken souffle, which she mashed up. Truth be told, Smartmom hates the smell of cat food. But she soldiered on. Mush. Mush. Mush.

Supermercado-Lulee enjoyed it immensely. She lapped it up quickly like she was starving or something. Maybe she was. The person from the Brooklyn Animal Foster Network said that someone found her in a garbage on Fourth Avenue. She was only two weeks old, the poor thing.

When it was time to go to a BBQ at Best and Oldest’s, Teen Spirit decided to stay behind with Supemercado-Lulee. Smartmom thought that sounded like a good idea.

A boy needs to bond with his kitten. And a Supermercado-Lulee needs a lot of TLC.

Arriving at the BBQ, Best and Oldest laughed about the family’s new acquisition. “I can’t believe you succumbed to getting a cat. I hate cats,” she said. “Do you need a glass of wine?”

After the wine, thoughts of Supermercado-Lulee scurried away. Dinner was delicious and the conversation transported Smartmom away from thoughts of their new kitty. Until Teen Spirit called Hepcat on his cell phone, that is.

From what she could tell, TS was asking Hepcat if it was okay to go out. He wanted to see “Pirates of the Carribean” with friends. Grrr. She thought: that’s so irresponsible.

“I’m leaving food and water in the box. I think she’s going to sleep…” he told Hepcat.

Smartmom and Hepcat were miffed. TS’s kitty-bonding phase lasted until the first social phone call and then he was off. They knew TS meant well, but, they wondered, is he really at a stage where he can be the main support for a tiny kitten or cat?

It was dawing on Smartmom that adopting Supermercado-Lulee might NOT have been the best idea.

TO BE CONTINUED

Memorial Day is Monday. Here’s what happened last year.

Mr. Kravitz bought the building a new Weber yesterday just in time for our first barbecue of the season. We’ve had two stolen: he bought a lock to lock it to the gate.

A new Weber: we’re not sure how many ways we’re going to split it. It doesn’t really matter. It’s for everyone’s use. And for all the barbecue we’re gonna have this summer.

And if it gets us through the summer, we’re ahead of the game.

“We’re getting very Slopey,” Phized said watching over the shrimp kabobs, the Chilean sea bass kabobs and the Fairway meats that were cooking on the grill.

Clearly, this is not a hamburger and hot dogs crowd. Come to think of it, there were no burgers last night. None. Though Hebrew National franks were in good supply. We’ve been doing these potluck barbcues for a few years now and we is getting fancy.

It’s amazing how quickly we pull these barbecue together. It started Sunday afternoon. “Anyone wanna do a Memorial Day barbecue?” A sign went up on the the front door, neighbors from other buildings were invited informally. Bowls of salad, guacamole, hummus were prepared. Corn shucked. Chicken microwaved in advance because everyone is squeamish about undercooked childen. There’s always lots of wine, exotic beers, lemonade in the big red cooler.

Most importantly, the kids make sure their parents bought marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hershey bars for S’mores.

Who says you can’t make S’mores in the front yard of a Brooklyn apartment building?

Fofolle brought blue and pink straw cowboys hats for everyone to wear. Mrs. Kravitz made a joke about “Brokeback Brownstone,” which everyone thought was pretty funny.

You had to be there, I guess.

Every chair in the basement was brought upstairs. It’s an odd assortment: dining room chairs, folding chairs, office chairs, beach chairs. Whatever. There was nothing even vaguely Martha Stewartish about this event. It couldn’t have been less tasteful in its chaotic mish-mash of bowls, chairs, paper plates (leftover from birthday parties), white paper cups, less than artful presentation of meat hot off the grill.

But it was perfect. And the food was delicious. Especially the Chilean sea bass kabobs, which were prepared by a 13-year-old boy who lives across the street, an aspiring chef. A friend of Ravi, our resident sitar player, he wore a white chef’s coat and watched over the kabobs carefully as they cooked on the grill.

Mr. Kravitz started cooking at around 4:00. The party was done by 10 p.m. The clean up went pretty quick. Everything returned to the basement. The Weber cleaned and locked up. The kids, who were still racing their bikes, trikes, and scooters up and down Third Street, were sent to bed.

Everyone went back to their respective apartment buildings on Third Street. Those who came from farther away took car service chariots home.

Afterward, a quiet moment sitting on the stoop, talking and taking in the cool night breeze.

Gowanus Lounge reports that a film called Diminished Capacity was shooting at Eighth Avenue and Eighth Street in Park Slope yesterday. Did anyone see Matthew Broderick or Virginia Madsen, Lois Smith or Alan Alda. Quite a cast.

GL got pix of the catering trucks and equipment – no celebs. The film is, according to Yahoo Movies, about a man, who suffers memory loss after getting hit on the head. He takes a trip with his high school sweetheart and his Alzheimer’s-addled uncle to a memorabilia show, as the group concocts a scheme to sell a rare baseball card.

At MS 51 on Fifth Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets, filmmakers were shooting an anti-drug Public Service Annoucement. There were quite a few trucks on Fifth Avenue and on 4th Street next to JJ Byrne Park.

Go to the pro when you need Brooklyn Gardening tips. Today he got list, he got list. A list of all the places to get plants and other gardening supplies that is. And it’s really happening in Red Hook, which is fast becoming the Brooklyn gardeing NEXUS.

Thanks Flatbush Gardener, You’re a big help

While Smartmom finished her iced coffee in front of the Montauk Club this morning, she noticed a man staring up at one of the tall tress that hangs over Eighth Avenue. When he came across the street, still staring up at the sky, she asked him what he was looking at.

"I think there’s a Nashville Warbler in the tree," he said. "I can’t see it but I hear it whistle. It’s very distinctive."

"Does it have a Nashville twang,?" Smartmom asked.

He didn’t laugh. But he didn’t seem particularly offended either. She looked up for a minute or so and tried to find the bird.

"There it is," the man said. "It’s in the middle there. It’s a yellow bird,"

Still, Smartmom couldn’t find the bird. He said she’d probably need binoculars to find it. She asked him if it was a rare sighting.

He said it was. Dressed  in denim from head to toe, the man was in his early 40’s not someone she would immediately identify as a birdwatcher.

And Smartmom knows all about them. Her father is an avid birdwatcher and used to take her to the Ramble in Central Park. She was never able to see the birds. Her father tried to teach her to use his binoculars. "Find the bird with your eyes, now press the binoculars to your eyes. It’s simple," he’d say.

But it wasn’t and she was never any good at it. Not being able to find birds, Smartmom found herself bored on these Central Park expeditions especially when her father got into long conversations with the other birdwatcher who wore sensible shoes and LL Bean vests.

"There is goes," the man on Eighth Avenue told her. And she saw it. The tiny yellow Nashville Warbler flew from one branch of the tree to another. It was delightful to see. A special treat for Monday morning. A wonderful way to start the day.

Streetsblog and Gowanus Lounge report that the transportation committee of Brooklyn Community Board 6 voted unanimously last night to approve DOT’s traffic calming and bike lane plan for Park Slope’s 9th Street.

It was also requested that the DOT build a bike lane along Prospect Park West, undertake a curbside management study and that the agency monitor the effects of the new street design.

Seeing Green had this to say about the meeting.

What was missing from it all was a feeling that maybe, just maybe, the roads could be for us all… bikes, cars, trucks, buses and walkers. Being a strong proponent of shared streets, it was sad for me to see so many staking out their personal positions without regard to the larger picture.

New York 1 reports that supporters of same-sex marriage rights rallied Saturday — calling on the state to legalize gay marriage.
Advocates held a march across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

Reporter Roundtable is a 30-minute weekly public affairs talk show on Brooklyn Community Access Television. The show will be available for viewing here. Watch the show tonight at 9pm. Time Warner 56; Cablevision 69.

I think we all look very pundit-y. Brownstoner said he’d heard that it’s a good idea to sit on the bottom of your jacket to keep it from riding up. I couldn’t do that. Lumi thought she was having a bad hair day but I think she looks fantastic. Doing our cutaways (the reaction shots) was probably the weirdest part. We each had to act like we were were listening by nodding our heads and wordlessly reacting to what was being said (even though nothing was being said) for about a minute.

I used to be a film/video editor so I know all about cutaways. They are essential for smooth editing of interviews and the cutting out of awkward pauses, ummms, etc.

The impact of Brooklyn blogs was the roundtable theme. Pictured right to left: that’s me, OTBKB, in the brown jacket, Jonathan Butler of Brownstoner Media and Lumi Michelle Rolley of No Land Grab in the bright red jacket. Our moderator was, far  left, Ted Hamm, founding editor of the Brooklyn Rail.

Roundtable created a nice montage of the Blogfest, with excerpts from various speakers and nice shots of the event set to music.

Bob and Judi of Bob and Judi’s Coolectables wanted to make sure that everyone knows that the Fifth Avenue Fair is THIS SUNDAY!!

The Fabulous Fifth Avenue Street Fair
Sunday May 20 11 am – 6 pm
Sterling Place to 12th St.
Arts and Crafts section from Berkely to Carroll St
Antique Auto Show 1st st- Garfield Pl
Puppetry Arts- for the kids- make puppets and portrait tiles(to be used in the Brooklyn Hospital Mural) 5th ave and 2nd st.
Live Music all over
Great food from your favorite 5th Ave. Eateries
Kids rides by JJ Byrne Pk.
Check out the events at The Old Stone House
Antiques, Gifts, Jewelry, clothing and so much more
A whole neighborhood of fun

The Daily News reports that students at Brooklyn’s Midwood High School wrote and illustrated about 100 original storybooks which they will send to a school in Zimbabwe this fall.

The books are part of a program dubbed the “Children’s Storybook Literacy Project,” which was started by teacher Maureen Cox started September with students who needed extra help with reading and writing. She soon expanded the program to include other students.

She was helping these students improve their literary skills. Sounds like it was a great ideas.

I got an email this morning from Louis Rosen about the show he is planning for the Old Stone House.

CAPATHIA JENKINS & LOUIS ROSEN: SOUTH SIDE STORIES
An Evening of Song to Benefit The Old Stone House

DEAR BROOKLYN FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS:

I wanted to let you know that my splendid collaborator, Capathia Jenkins (a 2007 Drama Desk Award nominee), and I are scheduled to perform our second benefit concert on behalf of The Old Stone House on Saturday night, June 16th. The proceeds will go to supporting The Old Stone House’s rapidly growing arts programming, including this summer’s Piper Theatre at OSH’s production of Macbeth, Brooklyn Film Works and the excellent Brooklyn Reading Works.

The performance will mark the Brooklyn concert premiere of the songs from our recently released and highly acclaimed debut recording, South Side Stories, songs of youth, coming of age and experience, inspired by the Chicago neighborhood where I grew up. We’ll also be offering a “sneak preview” of a excerpts from my newest work for Capathia, Giovanni Songs, on words by the renowned poet Nikki Giovanni. Capathia and I will be joined by two splendid musicians, the pianist Kimberly Grigsby, and Dave Phillips on acoustic and electric bass.

The evening is being billed as a “Champagne Cabaret,” which means champagne and dessert will be served at 8 pm, and the concert will begin at 8:30. Last year’s benefit sold out—the room only holds 90 people—so we hope that you make the scene.

The Old Stone House is at J. J. Byrne Park at 3rd Street and 5th Avenue.
Tickets are $40 in advance, $45 at the door.
Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.nycharities.org, or you can RSVP by calling 718 768 3915.

By the way, the South Side Stories CD s now available for downloading at www.itunes.com, www.rhapsody.com and most other online sights, as well as available for purchase at www.cdbaby.com, and in Park Slope at the Community Bookstore on 7th Avenue.

Best Regards,
Louie

P.S. For those who would like to read what critics have had to say, here is a sampling of the press we received when we performed the New York premiere of South Side Stories at The Public Theater’s Joe’s Pub last winter, and its world premiere in Chicago the winter before that at The Steppenwolf Theater.

From Bloomberg News’ Jeremy Gerard, Nov.1, 2006: “Jenkins will knock you flat….I’ve never been so seduced by music completely new to me yet as embraceable as any from the classic American songbook. Don’t miss this show!”

From the Chicago Tribune, Kerry Reid, December 21, 2005: “In South Side Stories, Rosen has created a fine and sometimes somber portrait of heartbreak and survival, joy and its absence, and love that endures even when the objects of that love are long vanished.”

From Cabaret Scenes’ Tesse Fox, October 29, 2006: “Capathia Jenkins is gifted with one of those rare voices that makes pouring out one’s soul into music seem effortless. And when she is singing the music of Louis Rosen, she makes that soul into a thing of rare beauty and power….A wonderfully emotional celebration of life that can appeal to every musical palate.”

From the Chicago Sun-Times, Hedy Weiss, December 20, 2005: “Something quite magical can happen when a composer has a specific voice to serve as his muse. Consider the case of Louis Rosen and his songbird of choice, Capathia Jenkin’s performing Rosen’s nostalgic, romantic, emotionally charged song cycle, ‘South Side Stories’s.”

From The Jewish Exponent, Michael Elkin, October 26, 2006: “In a way, Rosen’s collaboration with singer Capathia Jenkins, his musical muse, gives voice to two peoples, blacks and Jews, in a harmony rarely heard offstage.”

OnlyTheBlogKnowsBrooklyn, Louise Crawford, November 6, 2006: Here’s what I was thinking after Capathia Jenkins’ and Louis Rosen’s tight, moving, musically glorious show at Joe’s Pub last night: How lucky they are to be working together. And how lucky we are to witness the on-going story of their unbelievably fruitful collaboration. Great, great show.”

It looks like the Khalil Gibran International Academy finally has a home at the Brooklyn School of the Arts on Dead Street.

Phew. It’s been a long and contentious road but the two Parent-Teacher Associations at the Boerum Hill school are backing the plan to house the school in its building, despite complaints that they had absolutely no say in the decision.

The school generated controversy as the Department of Education tried to shoe horn it into two existing school buildings in Park Slope and Boeurm Hill.

Opposition from parents (on charges of overcrowding) was strong when the plan was presented after the fact at an “emergency meeting.”

Misinformation and misunderstanding of the school’s mission was only a small part of the problem. But cries of overcrowding were key to parent’s opposition at the Brooklyn High School for the Arts, which also houses Math and Science Exploratory middle school.

Mostly, administrators and PTA’s felt they had no say in the decision. THey say they were informed after the decision was a fait accompli. That more than anything caused feelings of anger.

Today’s Brooklyn Paper features an interview with Khalil Gibran International Academy Principal, Debbie Almontaser.

A native of Yemen and a longtime veteran of the Brooklyn public school system, Almontaser began her career in education at PS 321 where was a school diversity consultant.

In the interview, Almontaser, who was cited as one of OTBKB’s Park Slope 100, spoke with The Brooklyn Paper about her school and her vision.

Got this note from a reader of OTBKB.

Just wondering if you awoke to the same smell outside that my husband
and I did this morning (and yesterday morning). Some kind of exhaust or
fumes (burning jet fuel? burning rubber? chemical leak?). Both mornings
around 6 AM, the offending fumes came swiftly through our open windows
(it’s been hot!) and filled the entire apartment, where they lingered
for over an hour. Is it just us? We are on 2nd btw 7-8 in Park Slope.
Any info would be great. Thanks! :)

FIRST RUN FILMS AT BAM

Brooklyn Exclusive!
Away From Her (PG-13) 110min
Opens Fri, May 18!

Brooklyn Exclusive!
Paris, je t’aime (R) 121min
Opens Fri, May 18!

Waitress (PG-13) 105min
Now playing

The Hampton Jitney will be making stops on Fourth Avenue and Union Street and Fourth Avenue and Ninth Streets. DANG. NO SERVICE TO SAG HARBOR. I AM SO BUMMED.

Here’s the Jitney Blurb about its new Brooklyn service:

We are excited to
launch Hampton Jitney’s new Brooklyn Service pilot.  Introduced by
popular demand from Brooklyn Borough residents.

THIS SATURDAY MAY 19th: Regina McBride returns for Inner Lives Developing Characters, a full-day intensive writing workshop. She was here in April and may make this a monthly event. Take it from me: This is a GREAT WRITING WORKSHOP (very gentle, very creative, very much about generating work).

INNER LIVES, DEVELOPING CHARACTERS: A one-day writing workshop with
novelist Regina McBride, author of "The Nature of Water and Air," "The Land of Women," and "The Marriage Bed."

10:00
– 5 pm in Park Slope.  Fee: $125. Fabulous  jump start for writer of all
levels. REGISTER NOW:  email:
louise_crawford@yahoo.com  or call 718-288-4290.

DESCRIPTION: Using relaxation, sense memory, and emotional memory (Stanislavski
acting techniques transformed for the writer) a variety of exercises
will be offered to enable the student to find a deeper, richer
connection to the character he or she is creating.

Exercises will be followed by writing periods, and opportunities for
people to read and share their work. The atmosphere will be safe, with
the focus on exploration. The class is designed to help the student
break into new territory with the character, and with the story itself.

Brooklyn Vegan has even more info on victims of Pizza Plus who were members of a band called, Sam Champion. He spoke with band member, Noah Chernin:

I live there with two other roommates, ryan, who plays drums in our band and luke schurman, an actor/musician. our bathroom and back of the apartment including luke’s room are completely destroyed. ryan’s room and my room were pretty much untouched, except my windows were smashed out and some smoke damage.

it’s still a crime scene, i think. we are slowly going back and getting our things. no instruments or gear really got damage. luke lost a bunch of writing and journals that obviously have a lot of sentimental value and can’t be replaced.

we are couch surfing and living with girlfriends right now and don’t think we’ll be back there (if we go back) for another few months.

at this point we don’t really know what our next move is…except to ROCK HOUSE on TUESDAY MAY 15th at the BOWERY BALLROOM.

Go to Brookyn Vegan for info about their show at Bowery Ballroom. Give them your support by going to the show.

You won’t want to miss the EDGY MOTHER’S DAY EVENT because it’s turning into quite the whoopdeedoo.  Brooklyn Reading Works presents a roster of edgy moms, who write about motherhood in edgy ways. At the Old Stone House on Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets. Contact: louise_crawford@yahoo.com

What a line-up: Tom Rayfiel (author of "Parallel Play"), Susan Gregory Thomas (author of Buy, Buy Baby: How Consumer Culture Manipulates Mothers and Harms Children), Louise Crawford (AKA Smartmom), Amy Sohn (NY Magazine columnist and novelist), Sophia Romero (AKA Mom After-Hours), Mary Warren (AKA Mrs. Cleavage), Jennifer Block (author of "Pushed"), Judy Lichtblau, Alison Lowenstein (author of City Baby Brooklyn) and poet Michele Somerville Madigan (author of Wisegal).

Five bucks gets you in. Free cocktails.