The First Person Salon series continued last night at the Gershman Y, where three local artists presented provocative works of documentary and memoir. The night’s presentations centered around Philadelphia’s social and physical landscape, and offered stories of individuals from three very different groups finding their place within it.

Filmmaker Ron Kanter screened an excerpt from his recent documentary, New Cops, which follows a class of recruits in the Philadelphia Police Academy through their training process and returns five years later to chronicle their experiences on the job. An impassioned discussion followed the film, which questioned whether young recruits have the skills needed to navigate the socially complex and demanding work of being Philadelphia Police Officers. More information about New Cops, which aired recently on WHYY, can be found here.

Mural artist Donald Gensler discussed the process of creating “Independence Starts Here”, a new mural at Broad and Race Streets. For Gensler, a mural is primarily a way to connect with people, and “Independence Starts Here” is the result of a two-year series of community workshops. The result is a kind of collaborative documentary, representing the stories of individuals who worked with the artist throughout the process. With Gensler was Antonio Cancel, a graphic designer who is depicted in the mural. Together, the two are creating a website to accompany the mural and provide a forum for discussion about issues relating to disability. See more of Gensler's work here.

The evening concluded with bestselling author Lorene Cary, who read a moving essay about her work with children from North Philadelphia’s Church of the Advocate Youth Group. Cary’s personal struggle to reconcile the lack of resources available to these children with her own education at the elite Saint Paul’s School led her to the founding of Art Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing African American cultural and educational events to the North Philadelphia community. Cary’s essay is slated to appear in the September issue of O Magazine. Her website is here.

Here's what we've got in store:

• Photographer Christopher Paquette
• Poet Tamesha Hawkins
• Performer Martha Kemper
• Musician Matt Davis and his band Aerial Photograph

$5 minimum admission, and all ages are welcome!  (And it's Phillyist-Approved Frugal Fun)

Don't know how to get there or what to wear? This video is for you

Theatre artist and educator Martha Kemper has performed her one-woman show ‘Why I Live at the P.O.’ and Other Stories by Eudora Welty at colleges, universities, theatres, and retirement communities across the country. In recognition of the show, the Pennsylvania Perfomring Arts on Tour—an organization linking presenters and artists who “maintain the highest standards of artistic quality and professionalism”—selected Martha as a roster artist, a distinction that includes opportunities for grants as well as professional showcases. Martha has also conducted workshops, lectures, and discussions related to the piece.

In Philadelphia, Martha has performed with InterAct in Feast of the Flying Cow, directed by Seth Rozin, and in Writing Aloud, a series of professional readings of stories written by regional writers. Performing with Theatre Catalyst at the Adrienne, Martha has appeared in the world premiers of The Children of Fatima (directed by Bud Martin) and The Ballad of John Wesley Reed (directed by Rebecca Wright). She has also appeared in the Eternal Spiral Project’s I Stand Before You Naked (directed by Myra Bazell). Other Philadelphia work includes performances with the Wilma Theatre in Every Good Boy Deserves Favor; with Rumpus/Brat Productions in Brother Truckers; and at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in Thin Ice and Wingspan.

As a founding member of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in Bloomsburg, Pa., Martha was an ensemble actor, director, and educator. Roles there included Masha in The Seagull, Lady Audley in Lady Audley’s Secret, Mrs. George in Getting Married, Kristine Linde in A Doll’s House, and Polly Garter in Under Milkwood. Additionally, she directed a production of Shaw’s Pygmalion, and led workshops in the Pennsylvania schools where the show toured. As associate professor of theatre at Penn State Abington, Kemper’s special interests in teaching are acting, theatre in diverse cultures, and women in theatre. Productions at PSU Abington have included The Miser, Working, Marisol, The Tempest, A Raisin in the Sun, and currently Lysistrata.

Kemper will perform at the May installment of the First Person Salons at the Gershman Y.

Mark your calendars for the May 14th First Person Salon at the Gershman Y (7-9pm)

Featuring:

• Photographer Christopher Paquette
• Poet Tamesha Hawkins
• Performer Martha Kemper
• Musician Matt Davis and his band Aerial Photograph

Guitarist and composer Matt Davis has been playing and composing music since childhood. A 2001 graduate of Temple University, Matt composes for and performs with many groups—including his 12 piece original project, Aerial Photograph, which fuses the style of a traditional string quartet with the sounds of saxophones, clarinets, trombones, flugelhorns, and even a homemade instrument called the Centralia.

As a soloist Matt has performed with musicians such as Odean Pope, Bobby Zankel (of the Cecil Taylor big band), Calvin Weston (member of Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time), Terell Stafford, and Dave Liebman. Matt helped to establish the artist-based “Collective Voice Jazz Festival,” which he coordinated from 1999 to 2003. Matt has received grants from organizations like the American Composers Forum and the American Society of Composers, Artists, and Publishers (ASCAP). He has also presented guitar/composition master classes at the University of the Arts (UArts) and has taken his skills as an instructor on the road to elementary and high schools throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Currently, Matt is a guitar instructor at UArts.

Matt will perform with Aerial Photograph at the May installment of the First Person Salons at the Gershman Y. For more on Matt and his work, visit his website.

Mark your calendars for the May 14th Salon at the Gershman Y (7-9pm)

Featuring:

• Photographer Christopher Paquette
• Poet Tamesha Hawkins
• Performer Martha Kemper
• Musician Matt Davis and his band Aerial Photograph

Poet Tamesha S. Hawkins released her first book, Sugar Lumps and Black Eye Blues, in 2008. Touted as "a smorgasbord of emotions that are sautéed in wordplay," the collection of poems touches on notions of womanhood and ethnicity in contemporary society. Originally from Lakewood, N.J., Tamesha attended Temple University, where she majored in elementary education with concentrations in theatre arts and psychology. Currently she is pursuing a certification in business in preparation for the 2009-2010 opening of her non-profit recording studio, Basic Pentameter. Maintaining a home away from home in Philadelphia, she devotes her time to working as the box office supervisor at the Arden Theatre Company, promoting literacy in Philadelphia public schools, performing, and serving as a board member for Represented Theatre Company. In addition, Tamesha has participated in a number of theatre productions, including Represented Theatre Company's presentation of Bus Stop and Pierrot Productions' Lust 'N Rust: The Trailer Park Musical. In 2009, she plans to release her second book, Confectionately Yours. To listen to some of Tamesha's spoken word work, visit her MySpace page.

First Person Salons at the Gershman Y (401 S. Broad)

May 14th 7-9pm
$5 admission, but additional donations gratefully accepted

All ages welcome!

Thanks for a great April Salon at the Gershman Y!

Let's face it: conversation is tough. Whether it's at the water cooler or at Happy Hour, sometimes we just don't know what to say—and awkward things come out of our mouths. Of course, this has some hilarious potential. Take, for instance, the exchange between this blogger and his neighbor after an intended act of kindness turns into a possible life sentence of involuntary babysitting. Or examine the awkwardness that inevitably occurs when someone disrupts another's personal space.

Do you frequently experience these awkward pauses in your everyday life? If so, be sure to join us for our next Story Slam! on April 22. It's at L'etage (6th and Bainbridge Streets); the doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the slam begins at 8:30. Bring your friends and your best, awkward-est story. See you there!

A freelance filmmaker who claims he doesn't watch a whole lot of movies, Andrew David Watson draws inspiration from "life experiences, documentary work, and media design." While he has field produced much work for clients like the Independent Film Channel and Current TV, Watson also has a passion for documentary film, including his most recent endeavor: a piece on "world famous sword swallower" Red Stuart entitled Down the Hatch, which he will present (in part) during the April 9 First Person Salon at the Gershman Y. You can learn more about Watson and his projects at his website.

At the premiere First Person Salon at the Gershman Y, Miss Koco debuted Pieces of Koco, an experiment in "letting go of things" and "collecting stories" along the way. After a lifetime of (sometimes unintentionally) collecting chotchkeys, figures, and other bits and pieces, Miss Koco has decided that it's time to give these pieces a new start: some will be given away, some will be recycled, and all will be cataloged. Miss Koco will return to the First Person salon stage this month to update her audience on the progress of her work—and perhaps bring along a few friends to share their part of the story. You can find out more about Miss Koco's project here, and follow the adventures of one of her given-away pieces—aptly named Prague the Frog—at his blog.

Mt. Airy memoirist Lori Tharps just released a book—Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain, part travel essay and part love story—that recounts her sojourn from her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the coast of southern Spain, where she would meet her husband. Lori will be reading and signing books in Chestnut Hill on April 10 and at Temple University on April 15.