At the July 8th Salon,Poet, writer, and translator, Lynn Levin will give a spoken-word performance entitled For Better or for Verse: Poems, Comic, Romantic, Dramatic about her 29 year marriage. Though not self-evidently love poems, they cover a spectrum of emotional tones – tart, comic, passionate, affectionate, anxious.
Levin is the author of three collections of poems, Fair Creatures of an Hour (2009), Imaginarium (2005), and A Few Questions about Paradise (2000), all published by Loonfeather Press. Imaginarium was a finalist for ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Award. Lynn Levin’s poems have appeared in Ploughshares, Washington Square Review, 5 AM, and Boulevard. She teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and at Drexel University, where she also produces the award-winning TV show, The Drexel InterViewTM.
You can see Levin read on July 8th along with three other incredible memoir and documentary artists:
Photographer Phil Jackson will show work documenting his lifelong love of skateboarding and his engagement with its robust and creative subculture. (PhilJacksonPhoto.com)
Writer Jeff Bender will read from his newest memoir writing, La Reforma. (Jeffbender.net)
Writer and Photographer Ellie Brown will share her collaborative work on a short-duration conceptual relationship. (sevendayrelationship.blogspot.com)
The Salon takes place at the Laurie Beechman Cabaret (601 S. Broad St. in the Philadelphia Arts Bank) on July 8th and runs from 7:30pm to 9:30pm.
Admission is $8, seating is limited, and we typically sell out.
A friend of Doug posted this video of his winning story from Saturday night’s Slam at the Kimmel Center:
Join us for tonight’s StorySlam at L’Etage (6th and Bainbridge)
The theme is “Do It Yourself” and advertising maven and devoted shunpiker Ed Tettemer will host. And we’ll have a guest story from 2007 Grand Slam participant R. Eric Thomas!
Doors at 7:30 and the slam begins at 8:30.
21+ only and admission is $8 at the door.
Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by admin on June 10, 2009 @ 4:29 pm
Marketing Coordinator
First Person Arts, producers of the First Person Festival, monthly
StorySlams and artist salons, and other innovative memoir and
documentary art, is seeking an experienced marketing/communications
coordinator with skills in both traditional and new media. The
position requires excellent copywriting skills and a working knowledge
of social media, print and web communications.
Duties: Create year-long plan for promoting all First Person Arts
programs; design and implement social media campaign; maintain web
site and track web activity; oversee production, placement and
distribution of communications materials; and oversee work of outside
contractors, including designers and media representative.
Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree or higher in marketing,
communications, or a related discipline, be familiar with the arts and
with Philadelphia. Should have great people skills and an interest in
building community; needs strong creative and organizational skills;
must be flexible, diligent about meeting deadlines and able to work
well under pressure. Must be proficient in Microsoft Office
applications. Must demonstrate relevant experience (2-3 years
minimum) and basic audio, video and web production skills.
Please send cover letter and resume to Dan Gasiewski, Managing
Director
Dan Gasiewski
Managing Director
First Person Arts
One South Broad, 17th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
267.402.2056
dang@firstpersonarts.org
At the June 10th Salon, Stephanie Yuhas will share “American Goulash”, a series of humorous stories about her childhood as a first-born American to a Translyvanian family. “American Goulash” is a written self-exploration that preserves old stories, tales, and idiosyncrasies from her own past. Her work is, more broadly, an encouragement to all people to speak to their elders and learn from and share their family histories. You can read some of the stories at the American Goulash website.
Stephanie Yuhas is an award-winning writer, producer, and artist whose films have been featured on the front page of sites like YouTube, MySpace, CollegeHumor, and in dozens of international film festivals. She works with several productions companies around the Greater Philadelphia area to produce and market film and animation, including Shinygrape Studios, Cinevore Studios, and Crystalline Studios. Her last project she worked on was a musical that involved a girl rolling around in raw meat, and in addition to her current project, “American Goulash”, she is developing a feature film involving robotic uteruses. Needless to say, she leads an “interesting” life. You can see some of her work by visiting Shinygrape.com.
Yuhas is also the Executive Producer of Project Twenty1, an organization dedicated to networking, inspiring, promoting and exhibiting artists from all disciples through film and animation. To find out more about Project Twenty1, visit NotJustAFilmFestival.com.
Join us on Wednesday, June 10th for Yuhas’ Salon presentation along with three other artists exploring facets of memoir and documentary art:
Sarah McEneaney shares a series of thoughtfully rendered personal narrative paintings covering the flux of human experience ranging from the mundane to the acutely traumatic.
Michael M. Koehler shares PARADE, a photo essay exploring his relationship to Philadelphia, mediated through images of this city’s iconic Mummers. Michaelmkoehler.com
Nathan Manske will present selections of “true stories by gay people from all over” collected on his website Imfromdriftwood.com
The Salon takes place at the Laurie Beechman Cabaret (601 S. Broad St.) and runs from 7:3opm to 9:30pm
Admission is $8, seating is limited, and we typically sell out! Please buy your tickets in advance.
The videos are finished, and the audience votes are tabulated, and once again, the audience agreed with the judges! The winner of the “Baggage” StorySlam was Renee with her metaphorical use of the term to describe a relationship that now teeters on the edge of. . .well. . .something exciting, no doubt!
Thanks Renee, and welcome to the Golden Ticket Society!
June is thick with StorySlams, so mark your calendar for the Special Event StorySlam at the Kimmel Center on June 20th, part of the Summer Solstice celebration. The theme is “The Great Outdoors” and it’s hosted by Philadelphia Magazine’s Victor Fiorillo. Three days later, on Tuesday the 23rd, we’ll have another StorySlam back at L’Etage, hosted by renowned Philadelphia adman Ed Tettemer, and the theme will be “Do It Yourself.”
Katonya Mosley will host the May 26th StorySlam at L’Etage. Below is a playlist of her inimitable performances at the First Person Arts StorySlams. Enjoy, and then join us live next Tuesday! (Further details below)
Next StorySlam:
Theme: Baggage When: Tuesday, May 26th. Doors at 7:30. Slam begins at 8:30. Where: L’Etage Cabaret at 6th and Bainbridge Who: Katonya Mosley, a runner up in the 2008 First Person Festival Grand Slam, will host! Why: You’re carrying it around, why not unpack it in front of a bar full of friends!? How much: $8 with $4 well drinks all night (6-pack of tix for $40)
Until the Special Event StorySlam on April 18th–featuring a team of storytellers from Philly vs. a team from Chicago–we’ll be dropping a new StorySlam video every weekday morning at 10am. Here’s Jonathan from “On My Street.” Enjoy!
The next StorySlam is Saturday April 18th, part of the Free Library Festival and will feature a storytelling team from Philadelphia vs. one from Chicago in an inter-city rivalry on the theme “Mortified.”
“Mortified” (in partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia) Date: Saturday April 18th Time: 5pm-6:30pm Host: Madi Distefano Location: Parkway Central Library’s Bank of America Main Stage (AKA Montgomery Auditorium) Cost: FREE
Until the Special Event StorySlam on April 18th–featuring a team of storytellers from Philly vs. a team from Chicago–we’ll be dropping a new StorySlam video every weekday morning at 10am. Here’s Lou from “On My Street.” Enjoy!
The next StorySlam is Saturday April 18th, part of the Free Library Festival and will feature a storytelling team from Philadelphia vs. one from Chicago in an inter-city rivalry on the theme “Mortified.”
“Mortified” (in partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia) Date: Saturday April 18th Time: 5pm-6:30pm Host: Madi Distefano Location: Parkway Central Library’s Bank of America Main Stage (AKA Montgomery Auditorium) Cost: FREE
Sarah Bloom’s extraordinary self-portraits have been published in Fitness Magazine and were accepted for inclusion in the 2008 Art of the State show by the Harrisburg Council for the Arts. In 2006, Sarah set out to take a self-portrait each day, publishing them on flickr and her blog. One year stretched into two as she developed a significant following and discovered new avenues for self-discovery and expression. She joins us on April 8th to share a selection her self-portraits and some thoughts on the revelatory benefits of being both artist and subject. (NOTE: Sarah’s also at the top of the heap with her project “For Our Daughters” at Name Your Dream Assignment. Her proposal is an extension of the work she’ll be sharing at the Salon. Take a look and give her your vote!)
On April 8th, she’ll present her work with three other artists:
Photographer Ted Adams, art & documentary photographer, Director of Southwark Gallery, and Curator of online Abandoned Photo Museum. (link)
Samara O’Shea, founder of letterlover.net and author of The Love of Letters: A 21st-Century Guide to the Art of Letter Writing and Note To Self: On Keeping A Journal And Other Dangerous Pursuits (link)
Colette Copeland, a multi-media visual artist whose work examines issues surrounding gender and contemporary culture. (link)
EVENT DETAILS
First Person Salon
April 8th, 2009 7:30-9:30 (Doors at 7pm) Location: Laurie Beechman Cabaret at The University of the Arts
(Philadelphia Arts Bank, 601 S. Broad St., Philadelphia) Admission: $8 The March Salon sold out, so buy your tickets in advance!
10:15 With that we’ll close. Thanks to everyone who came out, and of course, particular thanks to the artists this evening: Angela Crafton, Dr. Niama Williams and Rev. Massey, Jose Cedillos, and the filmmakers Barry Vacker, Olivia Antsis and Brett Sroka. See you on April 8th for the next one!
9:56 All three filmmakers are here with us. Great discussion about media, narrative, metaphor, naivete. Vacker is asking us to examine our media environment. A commenter suggests a unifying theme for the night: ethics. Is the filmmaker bound by an ethical responsibility to force us to examine these questions. Thought provoking discussion. In particular, I’m curious about the fate of Jose Cedillos’ “feral creativity” in a totalizing media sphere. The source of our salvation?
9:28 Next up is Space Times Square:
9:20 First comment comes from Dr. Ni, saying this takes her back to life in South Central LA. The fascination with the scavenged, the found. Cedillos is suggesting this is a Darwinian model of artistry–variation not by intent, but by accident. Wow, one commenter just called Jose Cedillos “The Beatles” of visual artists.
9:17 Love this, he’s describing a “value inversion process” that new scavengers go through. Just the taking of something from the trash or gutter gives it values. (This guy would love Davy Rothbart, or maybe he already does!) Cedillos keeps referring to a 60s poster: “God Don’t Make No Junk”
9:12 On bricolage–celebration of variety, working with whatever is at hand. This approach is clear in the range of his work on display in the lobby tonight. He’s really talking about building a narrative in the creation of the piece. Respecting the work in the objects he’s drawing from. He preserves that kind of child-like inventiveness ‘gleaned’ from the outskirts of Guadalupe in his continuing work as an artist. He’s the real deal. Taking a highly democratic approach to arts instruction. Formerly a felon, he’s now a professor. A lot of great stories of redemption tonight.
9:08 “Talk about lean and mean” This is an extraordinary story–he’s suggesting that the kind of searching required of gleaners instilled an entrepreneurial, inventive and creative approach to the most unpleasant environments. These are “tricks of the body” … “by being on the move, everything is open to discovery” …I have to admit that, as an inveterate trash picker, the joy of discovery he’s describing really resonates with me. “The image of our feral glee” <–what a fabulous line.
9:05 And here’s Jose Cedillos…describing life in an immigrant community in Guadalupe, CA. He turned to gleaning with his extended family in dumps and ravines outside of town. “We slipped into a dream of watchfulness”
9:00: Dan’s giving a tour of the First Person Arts universe and talking about the Philadelphia vs. Chicago StorySlam at the Free Library Festival on April 18th. The theme is “Mortified” … There’s so much going on that I keep forgetting Davy Rothbart will be back with us for his new Found book–Requiem for a Paper Bag–on May 5th.
8:45 Oops! Had some technical difficulties in the first half, so I missed liveblogging Dr. Ni and Angela Crafton, but there were some great discussions for both, and now we’ll start in on the second half with Jose Cedillos followed by the filmmaking team of Barry Vacker, Olivia Antsis and Brett Sroka who will screen Space Times Square.
