Thanksgiving was awesome: turkey, tofurkey, and silly dancing to Frankie Valla. Yes! Now it’s time to get your cool on again. I’m here to help you get back into the swing of things.
1. Ron Padgett & Katha Pollitt: Poems & Pints. At FRAUNCES TAVERN/ Tues, Dec. 1: 6:30 pm. 54 Pearl St at Broad. Don’t know who the girl is but Ron Padgett is what they’re slowly starting to teach high schoolers as the “New York School” of poets in the 60s. Read that as The Beats, New York style, a bit later, and instead of Allen Ginsburg we’ve got John Ashbery and he’s still around! Poetry in a bar, good marketing.
2. Andrey Vrady: Reconquista. At SPUTNIK/ Thurs, Dec. 3: 6-8 pm. 547 W 27th St, Chelsea/ Photo exhibit at the best named gallery ever. Vrady is an “artist, graphic designer, musician, and director.” He’s like a recession special! All-in-0ne. Wonder if that makes his photos sell at a discount…
3. Plant Body, Animal Body. At CAVIN-MORRIS/ Thurs, Dec. 3: 6-8 pm. 210 11th Ave, Chelsea/ Interspecies references, if you’re interested in: “anthropomorhpism, shape shifting, and metaphysical insinuation. Follow with a list of hyphenated, international selling names to give the show street cred: Gregory Van Maanen, Ignacio Carles-Tolras, Lubos Plny, Mort Golub, Christina Sefolosha (they’re just parodying my joke by now right?), Hyungsub Shin and I could go on but I’ll stop here. If anyone ever uses the phrase “metaphysical insinuation” in my presence I will send you to the School for Wayward Pretentious 20-(30+ if you’re a guy) Somethings. That’s in Williamsburg.
4. Patrick Brennan: Fazes. At DAILY OPERATION/ Sat, Dec. 5: 6 -9 pm. 103 Reade St., No 2, Tribeca/ Abstract painting with lots of hints. Look for: crosses, moons, skulls and probably Hamlet, Ethan Hawke rendition. Or just a pop art print of Ethan Hawke’s face that they’ll sell at Urban Outfitters and call it “abstract painting.” That was harsh. The artist is probably good I’m just hating on what passes for “abstract painting” these days. Glad we got that one out in the open, before the opening.
5. PSA Chapbook Fellows. At KATE’S PAPERIE/ Sat, Dec. 5: 4 pm. 8 W 13th St at 5th/ Has Jean Hartig and Idra Novey reading, who are all people I don’t know. But Lytton Smith is also featured and he’s what excites me when I think about slapping someone over the state of young contemporary poetry. This is rarely done, but since he’s a poet in NY, young, talented, (and not bad looking, hello English accent!) buy his book HERE.
-Nikki-Lee