Just because the Festival is over doesn’t mean we can’t keep in touch with some of our favorite presenters…
I really want to cook with Ruth Reichl sometime. She makes everything sound so simple and delicious, like these shrimp dumplings.
The Yes Men want you to vote for the Worst Corporation of 2009.
Congratulations to Laurie Sandell! Her graphic memoir, The Imposter’s Daughter, was just nominated for a 2009 Goodreads Choice Award. Members of Goodreads can vote for her by clicking here. Scroll down to Poll #9, Graphic Memoir, and vote! (And if you aren’t already a member of Goodreads, you should become one. It’s a great virtual library of what you’ve read and what you’re currently reading; plus, you can friend other bibliophiles and see what’s on their reading lists!)
Imagine our surprise yesterday when we found out that we were nominated for the Philebrity Award of Festival or Gathering of the Year! We are up against some great organizations, but feel confident that our fans out there will demonstrate their support by voting for us.
Vote for us today by clicking here.
The winners will be announced at the Philebrity Awards Show and Xmas Pageant, Thursday, December 10th at the Trocadero. And thanks to Philebrity for the nomination!
Every good story needs a dash of humiliation, a bit of humor, and of course a heaping mess of pure awkwardness. Adam had these elements down. Its no wonder he won “Best Story” in our 2009 Grand Slam during our Annual Festival. He took our theme of “Letting Go” much more literally than many of our other storytellers, and the results were hilarious. And maybe one day it can be used as an advertisement for tape. What a problem-solver. Intrigued? See the clip yourself!
Alex was an obvious winner. His performance in the 2009 Grand Slam won him “Best Presentation,” and its clear why, when you watch his video. Charming is simply an understatement.
Yet, it all began with “Man Movie Night Club” which was Alex’s brotherhood of manly men, where they celebrated their manliness by watching “man movies.” Not so charming, but soon enough Alex found a new hobby that posed quite a dilemma to his man club. Watch the video below to see for yourself.
There are countless things that could go wrong when picking up a hitchhiker, but occasionally we happen upon one that (underneath the “dirty old dirtbag’ demeanor) gives us a ‘fresh’ perspective. Ironic, yes. This was the story when Ky decided to pull over, (and immediately regretted) picking up a ‘dude’ on I-70.
Watch her tell the story herself in this YouTube clip. You have no excuse to miss it, as Ky is now officially (drum roll please…) The Best Story Teller in Philadelphia! She won our 2009 GrandSlam with rave reviews, and her story is a memorable one at that. Check it out below.
#1. Pregnant doctors who pee in stairwells.
(Its a true story)
#2. Our GrandSlam winner, who realized people could find her attractive while having absolutely no idea what her gender was. She learned this from an epic hitchhiker. What a story.
#3. Our ‘best presentation winner’ telling the ‘boys club’ he is actually a ballroom dancer. The best part was his demonstration of some of the ‘less masculine’ salsa moves, talk about flair.
#4. Only Kendra could make a story about thumbsucking not suck. What a cutie.
#5. Teenage boys are so smart – they call a cop an asshole, and then get a donut craving and decide to stop at the donut shop. Hmmm I wonder who would be there? Not the cops of course. Good plan boys, good plan.
#6. Last years winner’s glittering crown shown like a star. The winners story glittered too, it involved losing the girl he loved who was also his best friend, getting her back, and after many months of dating telling her “I told you so” in front of 400 people.
#7. Sometimes a bad situation turns into a good one. Say getting fired, then becoming eligible to buy a house? And then having the house more than quadruple in value over just a few years? Karma, I think so.
#8. Smushing into a packed house. Over 350 people in one small area got cozy.
#9. Chase just being her sassy self. That woman has stage presence.
#10. Our ‘best story’ winner telling the awkward details of some medical mayhem. 
Rita Mae Brown, author of Rubyfruit Jungle, is headed to the concrete jungle of Philadelphia for a discussion of her newest book, Animal Magnestism. 
As PGN, Philadelphia Gay News, said: “We love animals here at PGN, but Rita Mae Brown’s affection for all creatures great and small puts us to shame. Just go ahead and ask her about the menagerie she lives with. ‘[There are] 75 foxhounds, 19 bassets, 40 horses. Many are retirees and rescues,’ she said. ‘There are barn cats. In the house, there’s about seven cats and the same number of dogs.’”
Rita makes a great case for her love of animals, they are more instinctive, less judgemental, and they live in tune with reality. Come hear more about why she loves animals and how she wrote her newest memoir. Book-signing, presentation and Q&A are all coming up this Saturday from 4-5 PM at the Painted Bride. There will also be an animal adoption hosted outside of the Bride before and after her performance so you can buy your next best friend. Or if you are curious about her love of animals can support her pastime of foxhunting, check out the article written by PGN for more details.
Laura Jean Zito is a photographer living in Philadelphia. She spent her childhood living in various places. Born in Cincinnati, she lived in Idaho, Syracuse, the Hague in Holland, and Philadelphia, and later in Cambridge, Manhattan and Ireland.
Laura got a Brownie camera when she was a young girl and she’s been taking pictures ever since. She writes, “The need for connection to other people engages me directly in the dialogue and dance of photography, even with total strangers, forming memorable experiences for both of us.”
Here is a recent post from food blog kitchenplay, a.k.a the blog of our volunteer coordinator, Karina.
The First Person Festival is underway! We’ve met Ruth Reichl, consumed burgers, and eaten America. We still have one more foodie event on the roster, The Girl from Foreign, with Indian food courtesy of Ekta.
And in more foodie/First Person news, E from Foodaphilia is stocking our concessions stand. And here is the line-up:
Oatmeal Whoopie Pies
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Coconut Crunch Cookies- coconut, toffee, almonds, oatmeal
Junk in the Trunk- white and dark chocolate, cookie pieces, pretzels and potato chips
A BIG thanks to E and A Full Plate Cafe for their support of First Person Arts!
The First Person Festival is taking place November 3-8 at the Painted Bride, 2nd and Vine St.
(photo from Foodaphilia)
Black, white, and read all over? Yes that’d be the City Paper, and they are all over our events: Shelter, Life Without Parole, A.J. Jacobs, The Yes Men and Sweet Tea were all written about! Not to shabby, eh?
Here are links to the fabulous articles:
Shelter (The best place to be on First Friday!)
Life Without Parole (P.S. This event is FREE! and involves a video conference call with Kenneth Hartman, an author who is sentenced to life in prison.)
Tickets to all are still available for purchase! The number of events can be overwhelming, but no matter what you pick, you won’t regret it. Get your tickets online, or just grab them at the door.
