#untitled wednesday library series
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Untitled Wednesday Library Series, Part 141
Patrick Spielman’s Making Wood Decoys, published in 1982 by Sterling Publishing Company.
The How
Found alongside that comedy size chemicals-that-hurt-you book (of which there was sadly only a single volume) on a recent jaunt with @krieper.
The Text
Charm and passion. And ducks.
Spielman really wants you to know that you (yes, you!) can, should, and possibly must make wood decoys. It’s a venerable tradition, you see, and much in demand. Sayeth the intro: ‘this book is essentially for the beginner and the amateur woodworker.’
On its own terms, I think it’s probably quite successful — thorough structure, generous illustration (including a surprising amount of borrowed and attributed corporate imagery), and memorable detail without any major diversions. Several carvers from Door County, Wisconsin are roundly thanked in the intro, which tracks; this has the feel and tone of a very patiently pooled effort. The author’s photos of their work (I’m pretty sure these are his, anyway; they’re the only things not credited to someone else) are absolutely lavish, all things considered.
I have never handled a book that more badly wanted to be a YouTube channel. Mr. Spielman would’ve loved telling people to like and subscribe for more earnest and grainy and sometimes violent-looking but always well edited decoy content.
The Object
Almost lovely. Styled nicely and well printed, though the binding is no better than you’d expect from a craft book. The weak link by far is the paper — lots of spotting on and transfer from the color leaves, and there’s global yellowing besides. A predictable shame.
The combination of fonts on display (at least two ITC joints, though maybe more; I can’t be bothered to ID them) is right up the middle. It adds to it.
The Why, Though?
Not for the book itself, really. It does have some features I like: ducks; the only credit to a typist (the author’s daughter) I’ve ever seen; mid-century tool catalog insets; a curlew; showpieces from a group of dudes who may or may not have credit anymore outside of archived magazines or event fliers. Noteworthy points all, but none especially justify the shelf space.
The real reason I bought this was for the scrap of flier still tucked into the front matter, complete with ITC Benguiat (nice). Graphic design was someone’s passion. If ever something belongs in the to-be-framed-once-I-have-safe-shop-space collection, this does.
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Last Monday of the Week 2023-10-16
Another year older. Stealing the Untitled Wednesday Library Series format from Morrak for an open Reading section and then we'll get to the normal post.
Reading:
Untitled Monday Wednesday Library Entry No. 0
Do you like a recipe book? Do you like an unbearably comprehensive and frequently incorrect recipe book? Well boy do I have an item for you:
It's Indian Delights, the de facto standard book of South African Indian cooking. Assembled in the 60's by the Durban Women's Cultural Group and in print ever since then.
The How
A birthday gift from my parents, who sent it from South Africa.
There are apparently places that carry this book outside of South Africa but I do not know what those are.
The Text
Dubious, but useful despite this. It was written in the 60's by a bunch of people who had never and would never again write a recipe book. You may note from the frontmatter that while it has had sixteen impressions since its first publication in 1961, there has only ever been a single revision of the book. There are numerous errors, omissions, and flaws. Recipes may list ingredients that are not used, call for ingredients in the method not given before, begin preparing components and never use them, or outright lie about the quantities of ingredients you need. A challenging exercise.
Any given individual's copy of this book is full of little pen notes, slips of paper, and scratched out experiments. I have a blank canvas.
It is absolutely stuffed to the brim with recipes from the then-almost-century of South African development on South Asian cuisine. It is intended as a one-stop-shop for cooking from a diaspora of extremely wide origins.
South African Indians arrived in South Africa as indentured labour for British sugar farms and could just as easily be from the relatively cold and mountainous North Indian regions or the low, rainy, hot coastal areas of South India. As a result you've had almost a hundred years of adapting to the locally available ingredients, intermarriages across wide geographic origins, and failing memories. There are frequently many duplicates of any given recipe, each with some unique variation of note.
It is also extremely dated. It still lives in an era where "adding an elachi (cardamom) pod to your rice" is a luxurious choice that requires financial considerations, and where meat was still expensive. It also has a delightful section on mass cooking, such as the above "Biryani for 100 people" which has an additional note on the ingredients for a "Biryani for 800 people" on the opposite leaf. These things come up sometimes, although the largest biryani I've ever been involved in was for about 60 people.
It is not really for beginners but it does have a lot of introductory matter, in part because it has to contend with the mishmash of languages and loanwords that exist. You don't know if the reader uses the hindi word for cumin, or the tamil word for cumin, or makes a formal distinction between roti and chapati. As a result, there are extensive opening tables of translations.
The Object
Big, blocky hardcover recipe book. Cheap but hardwearing coated pages. I have seen these in every imaginable state of disrepair, unfortunately I do not have a photo on hand of my mother's which is completely beat to hell.
I mentioned that there have not been many updates, and this continues to the outside. Not a single impression has, for example, corrected the misalignment of the spine and the cover that means it stands out on any book storage system.
Some damage to the cover from the rigours of air travel. It'll recover, or rather, it'll get beat up in ways that make that negligible.
The photography is antiquated, having been taken by a photographer who was certainly good but was operating a) with 1961 camera technology, b) 1961 photographic sensibilities, and c) no real experience in food photography. As a result the images can look somewhat alien if you're familiar with more modern food photograpy. Colours are not accurate, framing is flat, and composition is often packed.
In addition to the colour glamour plates, there are black and white instructional photos, which are much more timeless.
The Why, Though?
Indian Delights is a very important cultural reference for the South African Indian population, and it's a pretty standard leaving home/getting married/leaving home and getting married gift. I've bought a copy for many friends and now this one is mine.
Will I actually use this much? Certainly not that often. My mother and her sisters learned to cook from this book, so it is the root of my personal culinary tradition. That means I already know a lot of what can be distilled from this for day-to-day recipes. Where it is handy is for more technical dishes, which require some guidance, or as an ingredient reference for something new you want to try.
In particular Diwali is coming up and while both my mother and I are staunch atheists, we will also take any excuse to make a ton of sweets for friends. If you are in Prague in the week of the 12th of November you can probably hit me up for something.
Listening: Acheney is a shockingly talented synth designer for the niche softsynth tracker sunvox, available now on windows, mac, linux, windows CE, android, and iOS. I was tooling around with their Guitar synths and decided to check out their music, which is a couple albums of very high concept EDM inspired ambient and/or noise stuff. Here's Euler Characteristic Zero
Watching: @humansbgone is an animated sci-fi series about intelligent giant arthropods and their attempts to deal with invasions of pesky little humans
youtube
Big spec-bio focus with a lot of end notes on the arthropods in question.
Playing: Played the Trans Siberian Railway Simulator demo, which I recorded and put up here, with crap audio because it's authentic to what I had lying around after I forgot my headphones at work.
youtube
Also: the digital version of the D&D themed agent placement game Lord of Waterdeep with my family, which works quite well. It's weird to have the game handling the admin of moving points around and automatically deducting resources, but it does make the game go very quickly, even if your parents are still figuring out the interface.
Making: Big cooking experiment with a slow roast lamb shank. Came out very well. Lamb shank definitely one of the more animal parts of an animal you can cook. Smells intensely of lanolin and other hair smells. Real greasy. Big honkin' bone. Smooth and fine but sturdy musculature. This thing used to be a very specific part of something alive and that thing lived the kind of life that develops the very particular smells of the insides of a sheep that are very close to the outside of a sheep. You will find some wool fibers in your pan from where the follicles reach down close to the bone and sinew.
Tools and Equipment: Easyeffects is the successor to PulseEffects and is a very complete set of audio tuning and manipulation tools for Linux. You can use it to process incoming and outgoing audio with basically any plugin you care to imagine.
#last monday of the week#Bandcamp#food#indian delights#south africa#recipe books#untitled wednesday library series
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Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared
The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!
#ACLA24#ACLA24Leaders#youtube#youtube video#climate leaders#climate solutions#climate action#climate and environment#climate#climate change#climate and health#climate blog#climate justice#climate news#weather and climate#environmental news#environment#environmental awareness#environment and health#environmental#environmental issues#environmental justice#environment protection#environmental health#Youtube
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tuesday again no problem 7/25/2023
still apartmentless (upside down smiley face emoji). six sentences or less per section, except when it's not
listening
it's goofy poppy dance music for the duration baybee. Bye Bye by Haiku Hands and Ribongia is a stompy, bird-flipping breakup song with a chorus of "see you later/bye bye/alligator/don't cry". spotify
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reading
stealing the Untitled Wednesday Library Series from @morrak mostly to show him this book but you all can look at it too i guess
The How: fifty cents at a religious thrift store whose vibes gave me the ick
The Text: it's one of these, yanno? a reference book that doesn't quite feel like a real book? put together by a team of "thirty anonymous experts in the field" which does not lend confidence. the absolutely gobsmacking number of images and illustrations and charts and graphs are similarly uncredited. god help whoever typeset this monstrosity.
many many many cutaways. lotta stuff you gotta do to the air and/or gas to compress it
a charming number of action shots in the field
and of course some BEEFY reference appendices.
The Object: faintly musty, some rather extreme acid? glue? yellowing on the endpapers. idk what horses they were using for glue in the sixties but this paper did Not like it.
The Why, Though: do we even have to ask this question
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watching
i watched all the twilight movies this weekend bc they are vitally important to my best friend, and it was fun to shriek "EXPLAIN???" at her every ninety seconds. i am fully an alice/bella truther now.
i was not allowed to read these books growing up, and by the time the movies rolled around i was thoroughly uninterested bc i had a nearly-lethal Not Like Other Girls!!! period.
i don't know that i have much to say about them. i feel like i missed a crucial window of development here? like how the first time i went to disney (i have been twice for free bc several dear friends work there, not as cast members) i was twenty. it hit different, yanno?
it was SUCH a fun stupid two nights with my best friend, though. i remain fucking furious on bella's behalf bc she deserved SO so much better.
will i read the books? absolutely not.
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playing
i'm going to stop trying to explain what the fuck genshin is about and silently deliver an out of context screencap every week. this one made me force quit the game and go for a walk.
i will say that this game has gotten better at creating fun little vignettes, even if it has to railroad you along to create it Just So. look at this fun temple!!! look at that big weird fuckin vulture thing posing in the sunlight!!! how droll!!!
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making
fallow week. maybe things will percolate in time for yeehawgust, maybe not. we shall see.
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Butterflies and Other Bits of Nabokov's Life, Dispersed to the Wind
May 6, 2004
To Vladimir Nabokov's favorite translator and only son, the thought of selling the books his father so intricately annotated with fantasy butterflies and personal asides was distressing, but it had to be done. That son, Dmitri Nabokov, who turns 70 on Monday, felt his own death approaching, he said in an interview, and he wanted to leave no loose ends.
So he decided to sell his father's memorabilia collection, which included an elaborate sketch on the flyleaf of a book showing the imaginary ''Verina raduga Nab.,'' with its dappled wings of violet and blue, blood-orange glimmers and iridescent greens. It was auctioned in Geneva on Wednesday.
''Of course it tugs at the heartstrings to let go of these lovely butterflies,'' Dmitri Nabokov said at his home in Montreux, Switzerland. ''The little, simple ones are so touching. But I would rather do a thing like this lucidly,'' he said. ''Having seen death close up on three occasions, it's frightening to think you might leave such precious loose ends.''
Dmitri has no direct heirs, so when his parents were still alive, it was decided that the books would be auctioned before his death. The collection, a few items excepted, sold on Wednesday for nearly $750,000, a lower price than anticipated. Various private collections, most from France and Switzerland, bought parts of the collection, which will now be scattered to the breeze.
Vladimir Nabokov died near Montreux in 1977. Dmitri Nabokov's library consisted of a wide array of his father's novels, short stories, poems and translations, as well as a small set of critical studies. Dedicated for the most part to Dmitri and his mother, Véra, the books were often autographed and annotated. Many are deftly adorned with butterflies, drawn in ink or color pencils on the first page of every work.
Putting a Price Tag on Art
Hot commodities. Paintings and other art pieces are regularly sold at auctions around the world. Here are some of the most expensive works to be sold in recent years:
“Untitled” by Jean-Michel Basquiat. A 1982 Basquiat painting of a horned devil sold for $85 million with fees in May 2022. It was the third-highest price paid for a Basquiat work; the highest price was recorded in 2017, when one of Basquiat’s coveted large-scale skull paintings sold for $110.5 million at Sotheby’s.
The first major series of Vladimir Nabokov archives and manuscripts was acquired in 1991 by the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library. This second series, and perhaps the last, constitutes more than 100 volumes and 30 titles, a remarkable medley of Russian and American literature.
''I am an American author, born in Russia, educated in England, where I studied French texts,'' Nabokov once noted. After publishing eight novels in Russian, he began a flamboyant writing career in English with ''The Real Life of Sebastian Knight,'' written in 1941 when he was 42. ''Lolita'' came 14 years later, and Nabokov called it ''the record of my love affair with the English language.''
Others read ''Lolita'' as a record of a more scandalous sort of affair, which brought that novel and its author international notoriety, along with immense critical acclaim.
From then on Nabokov endured ceaseless scrutiny. Who was this man who could write with such heart-rending poignancy about the ever-crafty charms of a nymphet?
In this light the books of Dmitri's library each offer a particular insight into the private Vladimir Nabokov, whose psyche was a far cry from the myriad personas of his characters. Nabokov was deeply in love with his wife, who died in 1991, and was a tender and attentive father. In a collection of short stories that sold on Wednesday, Nabokov wrote: ''For Véra. Adorata adorata. From V. Jan. 5, 1970. Montreux.'' In ''Despair'' he jotted for his Mitioucha, the diminutive for Dmitri: ''For Dmitri. From translator to translator. With love. Vladimir Nabokov. Papa. Montreux. 1966.''
The collection also presents ample handwritten notes. On opening pages or in the margins Nabokov points out plentiful misprints and errata, revealing unusual concern for minute revisions and retranslations. The first page of an early edition of ''Ada, or Ardor'' reads, among a web of other notes: ''p. 257 last line should be 'he was pregnant' (not 'she'!).'' Occasionally other hands, namely Véra's and Dmitri's, make cameo appearances.
Perhaps the most original piece is a book of expenses (1949-1952), which provides an endearingly scrupulous shopping list: ''New Yorker $00.40, Coca-Cola $00.10, movies $1.80, groceries $4.80, April rent $125.''
Then there are the fantastical butterflies, each selling for anywhere from $1,500 to $25,000. Those intended for Véra are perhaps the most resplendent and sold for the highest prices.
They have variegated colors, delicate artistry and fanciful names. Only on these pages appear the blue ''Colias verae,'' the dark ''Maculinea aurora Nab.'' and the translucent ''Parnassins concinnus Nab.''
Aside from his writing, Nabokov was a world-class lepidopterist who became the curator of the butterfly collection at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard in the late 1940's. He discovered numerous real species, which bear his name, and created a revolutionary taxonomy still used today.
Nature, Nabokov once said, conjures up the same sort of mystification and magical spell as art. And like so many diaphanous signposts of Nabokov's celebrated ''other worlds,'' these ''pretty insects'' inhabit his prose: ''A butterfly in the Park, an orchid in a shop window, would revive everything with a dazzling inward shock of despair,'' utters Van Veen in ''Ada''
Dmitri Nabokov observed that there is a tiny consolation to selling these books now. ''Today it is possible to scan and preserve superb copies of all the graphic materials,'' he explained. As for the near future, he said that the earnings from the sale have not been earmarked for a specific project. In time they will probably contribute to the PEN Nabokov literary award, a literary foundation and the Nabokov Museum in St. Petersburg, which the Russian government has threatened to close. Dmitri said he harbored the hope of buying the museum, his family's former home, which is estimated to be worth about $18 million without its contents.
Jacques Tajan, a well-known auctioneer, presided over the sale. ''People who buy these books need to pay a significant amount of money,'' he said. ''Only then will they conserve them adequately.'' Mr. Tajan emphasized the sentimental value of the auction: ''It is bliss for me to do this. It will be a terrific memory in my career.''
No matter, Nabokov's butterflies were separated. And the distant echo of his ''Speak, Memory'' seemed to be touching them with its fragile grace: ''To love with all one's soul and leave the rest to fate.''
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Reflection 7th March
1) Describe what has been completed in the week, lectures, studio session, workshops research and out of hours things?
Monday- CYMK screenprinting all day
Tuesday- made 4 canvases
Wednesday- Emily Hawes meet the artist, how to pursue career in art and how fits into her life. Then tried making Spark AR filter all day
Thursday- how to build a wall induction, then I started a painting on one of the canvases I made, testing out Oils for one of the first times.
Friday- Harry Meadows Untitled workshop and then I finished my painting
Saturday- I went to the Arnolfini in Bristol and enjoyed the immersive/ video installation piece called Assembly
2) What have I learned from the week? what has been achieved/ completed and has it been successful?
I need to write things down in organised way because I forgot so many things including my careers appointment and returning a laptop to the library so I had to pay a fine :(
I really enjoyed screen printing, there were so many colour combinations that I loved exploring, I want to go back with perhaps some of my final images and screenprint those for the show so that it is not just a series of paintings but a culmination of processes I’ve explored starting with photography. I made 4 canvases with variations, 2 of them are canvas and the other 2 are linen so I will see which surface I prefer to work with. I followed Emily’s advice about sanding the gesso and it really worked! I am so happy with my first painting from the week but I am scared I have already peaked! Also I may have use too abrasive sand paper because you can clearly see the scratches where the paint has seemed into? Maybe it is a good thing. Anyway canvas worked really well, I am going to try linen but I have a feeling that canvas is the way to go. Harry Meadow’s workshop about finding a title was great, I loved Damien Hirst’s title ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’ because it is so ridiculous. I loved the installation at the arnolfini and coming up to my proposal panel and reflecting on Tim Walker’s piece at V&A it is making me want to make something immersive for the show....
3) How will this reflection influence my actions later? What’s the plan now? How will I take forward my successes to develop the work and improve?
Try out painting on linen, which do I prefer canvas or linen? Need to work on my images and developing photos from the photoshoot the other week. Also just paint more.. make progress on face filter too. ON tuesday is my proposal panel so I need to have my proposals sorted by then.
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Things to do this week in Toronto
What's happening in Toronto April 22-26, 2019
MONDAY, APRIL 22 (EASTER MONDAY)
Spring into Easter at the Toronto Zoo: Join for special on-site animal encounters, daily Meet the Keeper Talks, the chance of catching a glimpse of our Veterinarians at work in the Wildlife Health Centre.
Easter Lunch at Miku Toronto: Celebrate Easter with a special menu only available for Monday.
Easter Day at MARBL: Celebrate this Easter weekend with family and friends. We'll be offering Easter exclusive menu items, as well as perfecting your dinner with a bottle of wine, hand picked by our sommelier.
The Best of The Second City: The Second City’s Touring Company comes home to Toronto for an unforgettable night of classic and original sketch comedy, along with hilarious unscripted improvisation.
Queer and Present Danger Collective: Spring Queening: Hosted by Bethany Daniels featuring Sam Sferrazza, Amethyst Barron and Jade Niles Craig. Headlined by Al Val.
Cher at Scotiabank Arena: Cher performs in Toronto with special guests Nile Rodgers and Chic.
Humber Valley Art Exhibition: This guild from Neilson Park Creative Centre presents an exciting juried art exhibition with a mix of subjects, styles, and media by their highly talented member artists.
The Wow: Fax My Life: The Wow returns for April for an office themed comedy spectacular. Toronto's all-star sketch comedy collective gives you a uniquely themed full-blown spectacle every single month..
TUESDAY, APRIL 23
Gene Domagala's Toronto Places, People and Buildings, Including the Beach: Local historian Gene Domagala reviews Toronto places, people and buildings of interest, including those in the Beach.
The Bourbon Excursion at Jump: Kick off the evening with a welcome cocktail before tucking in to a four-course dinner paired with J.B.’s finest bourbons. Featuring homestyle fare such as Mortadella Lasagna, Tamarack Farm Lamb Shoulder, and Peanut Butter Baked Alaska.
#PitchItYork at Seneca College Newnham Campus: Showcasing York Regions brightest entrepreneurs, Open People Network has partnered with Seneca HELIX for #PitchItYORK! Pitchit is an interactive and fun pitch event to help entrepreneurs showcase their company to potential clients and angel investors.
RSI Leadership Dinner & Dialogue Series: To explore how trusted AI can advance and sustain the competitive advantage of your business and the markets you serve, join our AI-focused dinner and dialogue for C-suite executives.
Caméra Stylo Launch Party! The Cinema Studies Student Union's Undergraduate Journal Caméra Stylo is having their annual launch party.
Kelvin Wetherell at Cafe Mirage: Cafe Mirage Grill and Lounge presents Kelvin Wetherell on Nov 6. The performance runs between 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm in the evenings with a 15 minutes break in between. Cafe Mirage is one of the leading restaurants in Scarborough.
101: Cannabis: Canna-Curious? Learn your CBD’s from your THC’s and join us for a conversation on all things cannabis. Our panelists will be able to answer all of your burning questions: from wellness to entrepreneurship, to education and responsible use.
Hot Breath Karaoke at The Handlebar: Ridiculous game show style karaoke, with prizes.
Westway Christian Church Food Bank: The Westway Christian Church Community Food Bank is open for clients to receive food on Tuesday evenings from 5-7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24
Fashion Art Toronto at Daniels Spectrum
Fashion Art Toronto is a showcase of contemporary and experimental fashion and arts The five-day multi-arts experience will inspire and intrigue guests through runway shows, photography exhibits, art installations, live performances and short films.
ALSO ON WEDNESDAY
Once Upon a Refugee: Chapter II - The Unrehearsed Plan: Once Upon a Refugee is a community education event celebrating the experience and contributions of refugees, hosted by North York Community House. The evening will have music, storytelling, food, and theatre.
Etobicoke Voters: Claim Your Right To A Vote That Counts! Fair Vote Toronto presents an information session on voting reform and Proportional Representation.
City of Toronto information session on aerial spray program for Gypsy Moth: The City of Toronto will implement an aerial spray program this spring in seven Toronto wards to protect the tree canopy and vulnerable trees from European Gypsy Moth infestation.
Blockchain Revolution Global: The first truly worldwide conference for blockchain in enterprise. Speakers include Imogen Heap, music maker & founder of Mycelia, who will also perform live at the EBA gala.
An Evening of Poetry Readings with Toronto's New Poet Laureate: Join Toronto's new Poet Laureate for a thought-provoking night of spoken word. In the first public appearance of his laureateship, Toronto's literary ambassador A.F. Moritz will be reading alongside three young poets at The Poet Presentation Centre.
Showtime! Disney Edition at The Drink: A live music showcase featuring performances by Aaron Bell, Michala Todd and Charlotte Ferrarei. This time they'll be serving you live Disney music.
Who run the world? QTBIPOC: A free drop-in workshop series on relationships for youth. Learn skills and connect with other 2SLGBTQ Black, Indigenous and youth of colour (16-29) at this Beyonce-themed workshop series on relationships-- with pals, family, partners and yourself.
THURSDAY, APRIL 25
In Her Voice: Amy Spurway Crow Launch
Please join Amy Spurway in conversation with author Emily Saso at Ben McNally Books as part of the 'In Her Voice' event series. They will be discussing Amy’s debut book Crow, followed by a signing. Books will be available for sale.
ALSO ON THURSDAY
Digifest 2019: Digifest is a three-day design and tech festival as well as a startup event, organized annually by the Digital Media and Gaming Incubator at George Brown College.
Leadership & Social Entrepreneur Knowledge Cafe 2019: Seminar of interest to entrepreneurs, professionals, activists and mentors for the next generation of leaders.
16th Albert Lahmer Memorial Lecture: Andrew Larsen: Join Toronto children's writer Andrew Larsen, author of The Man Who Loved Libraries: the Story of Andrew Carnegie, for the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books' 16th Albert Lahmer Memorial Lecture.
Art-Bound at Camp Tech: Have you heard about art journaling? Come and find out what the fuss is all about. The Art-Bound workshop is an introduction and exploration of art journaling.
Coco & Cowe presents Coco Con: Media: The second event of the Coco Con series. Catriona Smart and Halla Rafati will be joined by Vanessa Craft, Editor-In-Chief for Elle Canada.
Moonstruck at Bad Dog Comedy Theatre: By way of inspiration, its cast will take the details of one audience member’s dream to create a hilarious and magical show. Completely made up on the spot and never to be repeated, this show is sorta like a dream (no, better).
Cozy Fun Comedy Show at 120 Diner: Featuring: Velvet Wells, Sarah Ashby, Luba Magnus, Jesse Singh, Honey Bennett, Freddie Rivas, Desirée Walsh
RuPaul's Drag Race Viewing Parties: Fans of the hit reality television series can watch new episodes every Thursday at several spots around the city, including Apt 200, The Gladstone Hotel, The Beaver and Striker.
FRIDAY, APRIL 26
András Keller conducts the Royal Conservatory Orchestra at Koerner Hall
Hungarian violinist, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra, and founder of the Keller Quartet András Keller leads The Glenn Gould School’s Royal Conservatory Orchestra.
ALSO ON FRIDAY
Metric with July Talk at Scotiabank Arena: Toronto-based rock bands Metric and July Talk perform in Toronto.
Fairlawn Avenue United Church's 58th Annual Book Sale: Shop for gently used books, DVDs, CDs, and LPs.
David Newland CD Release: Newland's CD release party will take place at Hugh's Room Live.
Toronto Lit Up: Mike Barnes: Join Biblioasis and the Toronto International Festival of Authors in celebrating the release of Mike Barnes’ Braille Rainbow: Poems through Toronto Lit Up!
Dinner for Vegetarians in High Park: Join us to check out the all-vegan restaurant The Goods. Everyone welcome. RSVP via email.
Acid x Untitled presents Justin Cudmore at Black Eagle: Brooklyn's rising star of the Queer techno scene Justin Cudmore joins Aeryn Pfaff and Ceremonial at The Black Eagle. Hosted by Miss Moço. All genders welcome. No room for discrimination.
Flashback Friday: A Time Travel Cabaret: Come witness the past, present and future like you've never seen them before through some of the cities best burlesque, drag and gender performers.
Redwood Comedy Cafe: A weekly comedy showcase featuring Canada's top comedians at the intimate Redwood Cafe in Little India.
ONGOING
Jude Ifesieh presents: 'Beauty in Lines' at Visions Gallery: Jude Ifesieh has developed a unique style, building complex images from a myriad of simple, colourful strokes and dots. His resulting works express the innate beauty of life and nature, bursting with healing energy, fertility and fresh possibilities. Runs until May 12.
Art Show & Sale by Marley Berot at Starving Artist Restaurant: Trini-Ja Canadian Marley Berot is opening her first show at the Starving Artist Restaurant and Gallery at 467 Danforth Avenue. Her acrylic paintings will stay on the walls until May 18.
VideoCabaret: Too Good To Be True: A dark comedy by the marvelous playwright Cliff Cardinal, who recently won Double-Doras, and an Edinburgh festival award for writing and performing Huff. Runs until May 19.
Next to Normal at CAA Theatre: Winner of three Tony Awards, Next to Normal explores a suburban household affected by mental illness. With a gripping story and a surging contemporary rock score, Next to Normal is a raw depiction of a family in crisis trying to overcome the past. In production until May 19.
PRECIOUS: An Exhibition of Contemporary Art and Jewellery: By creating precious artwork and art jewellery from everyday and discarded items, Micah Adams, Christine Dwane and Lawrence Woodford remind us that our world is shaped by the decisions we make. Whether disposable or sustainable, beauty is everywhere. On display through May 23.
Being Japanese Canadian: Reflections on a Broken World at the ROM: Explore the original exhibition through the eyes of curators Bryce Kanbara and Katherine Yamashita. Runs until May 25.
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IV Vitamin Drip Therapy Toronto Clinic - The IV Lounge
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Hyperallergic: Art Movements
John Baldessari, “NUMAN’S MORTUARY MEYER Your big ideas bug me.” (2017), varnished inkjet print on canvas with acrylic paint, 62 1/2 x 54 x 1 1/2 in (© John Baldessari, courtesy the artist, Marian Goodman Gallery and Sprueth Magers; photo by Joshua White)
Art Movements is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world. Subscribe to receive these posts as a weekly newsletter.
Knight Landesman resigned as co-publisher of Artforum hours after a former employee filed a lawsuit accusing him of groping and sexually harassing nine women. Amanda Schmitt, a curator and the director of programming and development for the UNTITLED art fair, filed a claim for $500,000 in damages with the State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Wednesday morning. In an earlier report published by artnet, several men and women voiced complaints “regarding unwanted touching, groping, and other inappropriate behavior, including requests for massages.” The same report indicated that a former employee had filed a claim for damages with Artforum. In response, Artforum stated that the former employee’s “close friendship” with Landesman “took place well after she left Artforum in 2012,” a claim that is directly contradicted by Schmitt’s subsequent lawsuit, which alleges that Landesman’s harassment first began after she was hired as a circulation assistant in 2009. On Wednesday evening, Artnews reported that Michelle Kuo, Artforum‘s editor-in-chief, had handed in her resignation a week prior on October 18.
A local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy sued the city of San Antonio and several City Council members over the removal of a statue memorializing Confederate soldiers in Travis Park.
A 1908 bust of Napoleon by Rodin is to go on loan to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, three years after Mallory Mortillaro, a then newly hired archivist at the borough hall of Madison, New Jersey, noticed it in a meeting room and correctly attributed it to the artist.
In an internal email, Condé Nast International, the publisher of titles including Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, and Glamour, announced that it will no longer commission work from Terry Richardson. The photographer, who is known for his lurid and sexually explicit work, has faced a stream of allegations regarding sexual misconduct and exploitation since the early 2000s.
The Nordic Museum in Stockholm began collecting stories of sexual harassment and abuse shared online with the viral hashtag #MeToo.
John Baldessari‘s second solo show with Sprüth Magers opened at the gallery’s Los Angeles location. The exhibition includes the artist’s emoji paintings, a new series of inkjet prints in which emojis are juxtaposed with snippets of seemingly random film dialogue.
Thomas Vonier, the president of the American Institute of Architects, issued a statement urging the US to continue working with UNESCO.
Auguste Rodin, A bust of Napoleon Bonaparte, engraved “Napoleon enveloppé dans ses réves” (“Napoleon wrapped in his dreams”) (via Flickr/enalnomis)
A group calling itself the Monument Removal Brigade claimed responsibility for vandalizing the Theodore Roosevelt monument outside the American Museum of Natural History.
Following a public hearing, the Pittsburgh Art Commission recommended the public removal of Giuseppe Moretti’s controversial statue of American songwriter Stephen Foster. The sculpture is to be relocated to a private and “properly contextualized” location.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a proposal to overhaul the city’s Loft Law.
Mayor de Blasio’s Commission on City Art, Monuments, and Markers launched an online public survey to review possible public symbols of hate across the five boroughs.
Two members and one former member of the Berkshire Museum filed a lawsuit against the museum’s decision to deaccession works from its collection. Earlier in the week the museum announced that Van Shields, the museum’s executive director, would undergo surgery for an undisclosed health issue, transferring leadership to co-directors Nina Garlington and Craig Langlois. Twenty-one of the 40 collection works consigned to Sotheby’s have been deleted from the auction’s online catalogue.
Herman Leonard’s black-and-white photograph of Dizzy Gillespie went on display at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery to mark the centennial of the jazz musician’s birth.
The Mugrabi family sued Mana Contemporary, alleging that the company damaged works from the family’s art collection while also withholding access to 1,389 works of art. The suit centers on a dispute over a storage bill for $500,000. The Mugrabi family claims that the art center agreed to store its collection for free.
A petition was launched calling for the preservation of the Cinema Museum in London. In a Facebook post, the museum revealed that its landlord, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, is planning the sell the building on the open market.
Michelangelo Pistoletto will roll a new version of “Sfera di Giornali (Newspaper Sphere)” along the streets of Cold Spring, New York on Saturday, November 4. The event is a recreation of the artist’s 1967 performance in Turin, Italy.
Transactions
Marcel Dunchamp “L.H.O.O.Q.” (1964), pencil and white gouache over a color reproduction of the Mona Lisa, moustache and goatee added in pencil, edition 25/35, 11 7/8 x 9 in (courtesy Sotheby’s/Art Digital Studio)
A print from the 1964 edition of Marcel Duchamp’s “L.H.O.O.Q” was sold at Sotheby’s for €631,500 (~$743,162).
Britain announced that it will transfer ownership of the wrecks of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror — the ships of the ill-fated Franklin expedition — to Canada.
The Gambrell Foundation donated a $10 million lead gift toward a major renovation of the Queens University of Charlotte’s fine arts building.
The Seattle Art Museum received a $3.5 million challenge grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The gift will be used to establish and endow the museum’s Asian Paintings Conservation Center.
The Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art received a bequest of $2.5 million from the late Gerald E. Buck through the Buck Family Trust. The gift will endow the Archives’ collecting program on the West Coast.
The J.M. Smucker Company donated $1.1 million to the Akron Art Museum.
The Block Museum of Art acquired a suite of works by photographer Tseng Kwong Chi (1950–1990).
Crozier acquired the Los Angeles-based art shippers Fine Art Shipping.
The Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library received a $215,800 federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
A black marker drawing of the Empire State building by Donald Trump was sold at Julien’s Auctions for $16,000.
Bhupen Khakhar’s “De-luxe Tailors” (1972) was sold at Sotheby’s for £1,112,750 (~$1,468,719), a record for the artist at auction.
The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin acquired the Dean F. Echenberg War Poetry Collection.
Saul Leiter’s “Waiter, Paris” (1959) was sold for $25,000 at Swann Auction Galleries, a record for the work.
Saul Leiter, “Waiter, Paris” (1959, printed 1990s), chromogenic print, image: 19 1/2×13 in (courtesy Swann Auction Galleries)
Transitions
Jan Willem Sieburgh was appointed interim business director of the Stedelijk Museum following the resignation of Beatrix Ruf.
Nato Thompson was appointed artistic director of the Philadelphia Contemporary.
Ido Bruno was appointed director of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Heidi Reitmaier was appointed executive director and CEO of the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada.
Gabriel de Guzman was appointed curator and director of exhibitions at Smack Mellon.
Tracy Bonfitto was appointed curator of art at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
Rozalia Jovanovic was appointed director of New York’s Collective Design fair.
The Boca Raton Museum announced plans for a $1.5 million renovation.
Aspect/Ratio will reopen at its new space at 864 North Ashland in Chicago on November 3.
Gallery Wendi Morris will relocate to 8 Octavia Street in San Francisco later this year [via email announcement].
Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Enoura Observatory was opened to the public in Odawara, Japan.
Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Architects, and landscape architects Gustafson Porter + Bowman were selected to design the UK’s new Holocaust memorial and learning centre in London.
The Norton Museum of Art revealed its plans for a new public garden designed by Lord Norman Foster. Bloomberg‘s new £1 billion (~$1.3 billion) London headquarters, designed by Foster + Partners, opened on Tuesday.
The Pamela and Robert B. Goergen Garden, as seen from the west, Norton Museum of Art, designed by Foster + Partners (courtesy Foster + Partners)
Accolades
Agnieszka Polska was awarded Germany’s National Gallery Prize for young artists.
Emanulee Outspoken Bean, Eepi Chaad, and Phillip Pyle were appointed the resident artists of Houston’s Resident Artist Program.
The Saint Louis Art Museum and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis selected Jennifer Bornstein as their 2017–18 Teaching Fellow.
Ursula Johnson was awarded the 2017 Sobey Art Award.
Ursula Johnson, “Hot Looking” (2014), durational performance-based installation with delegated performer and looped audio, variable dimensions (photo by Michael Wasnidge)
Obituaries
Fats Domino (1928–2017), singer, songwriter, and pianist.
Al Hurricane (1936–2017), balladeer.
Rita Henley Jensen (1947–2017), journalist. Founder of Women’s eNews.
Hugh Kearney (1924–2017), historian. Best known for The British Isles: A History of Four Nations (1989).
Walter Lassally (1926–2017), cinematographer. Awarded an Oscar for his work on Zorba the Greek (1964).
Iona Opie (1923–2017), folklorist.
Paul Vogt (1926–2017), art historian. Former director of the Museum Folkwang.
Dennis Wayne (1945–2017), dancer.
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Josely Carvalho (Brazilian, b. 1942), Waiting, 1982Silkscreen and crayon on paper (diptych). 30 1/8 x 22 1/4 (76.5 × 56.5 cm) each. Courtesy of Josely Carvalho. Artwork © the artist. Image courtesy of the Hammer Museum.
Thursday, September 21–Wednesday, September 27
Thursday, September 21
Special: Signal Tide, LACMA (Miracle Mile), 9:29am.
African Masks from June Harwood Collection (Silent auction) and "Sharpener" (Faculty Exhibition), Pasadena City College Art Galleries (Pasadena), 12–1pm. Also October 13.
Artist talk: Jaime Guerrero, Skidmore Contemporary Art (Santa Monica), 4pm.
Talk: Meditation and Art—Dutch Paintings, LACMA (Miracle Mile), 4pm.
Historia Plantarum, The Huntington (San Marino), 4:30–6pm.
Dialogue: Leonard Koren and Mário Ramiro on Zines, University of San Diego (San Diego), 5:30pm.
Picturing Prince: An Intimate Portrait by Steve Parke, Mouche Gallery (Beverly Hills), 6–8pm.
Radical Women Walk-through: Beatriz Cortez, Hammer Museum (Westwood), 6pm.
Hot is Cool Summer Film Series, Palm Springs Art Museum (Palm Springs), 6pm.
BORDERS, Self Help Graphics & Art (Downtown), 7pm.
Film Night: The Mahabharata, Laguna Art Museum (Laguna Beach), 7pm.
THE PAWNBROKER / MUDHONEY, Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles (Downtown), 8–10pm.
Sorry, Atlantis: Eden’s Achin’ Organ Seeks Revenge by Asher Hartman, Machine Project (Echo Park), 8:30pm. $20–40.
Charlotte Dos Santos, Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock (Eagle Rock), 9pm. $10–15.
Art Matters Fall 2017, Santa Barbara Museum of Art (Santa Barbara), $60–75. Also September 28 and October 5, 12, 19.
Friday, September 22
The Artist Business, The Mistake Room (Downtown), 3–5pm. RSVP recommended.
Educator Open House: The Scratch and Sniff Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art (Santa Barbara), 4–6pm.
Ism, Ism, Ism: Experimental Cinema in Latin America, REDCAT (Downtown), 7pm. $8–10. Through September 24.
Mercado Los Olvidados, pskaufman... gallery (Downtown), 7pm. Through September 24. $10–35.
Facing, BBQLA (Downtown), 7–11pm.
Cool World, Previously Invisible To Me, and YIELD: Poems and Drawin's, Club Pro Los Angeles (Downtown), 7–11pm.
Latinas Out Loud: ¡Pa’rriba!, Hammer Museum (Westwood), 7:30–10:30pm.
Saturday, September 23
Around the Table, Long Beach Museum of Art (Long Beach), 8:30–10:30am.
Dino Fest, Museum of Natural History (Downtown), 9:30am–5pm. Continues September 24.
Flower Arranging: Succulent Wreaths, The Huntington (San Marino), 10am–12pm.
Latin American and Latinx Art Via South Bay/Long Beach Shuttle Art Tour, various locations (throughout Los Angeles and beyond), 10am–5pm. Continues September 24.
Workshop: Feeling One Self (a relational practice) with Melanie Maar, Pieter (Lincoln Heights), 11am–3pm. $30.
unDocumenta, Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) (Oceanside), 11am–5pm.
¡Murales Rebeldes! L.A. Chicana/o Murals under Siege, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (Downtown), 12–6pm.
Smithsonian Magazine Presents Museum Day Live!, Pasadena Museum of California Art (Pasadena), 12–5pm.
Chakra Mapping And Art Workshop, Women’s Center for Creative Work (Frogtown), 1–5pm. $24–30.
Children’s Flower Arranging: Mini Succulent Wreaths, The Huntington (San Marino), 1–2:30pm.
ECLIPSE: A Discussion and Q&A, Art Center College of Design (Pasadena), 1pm.
Talk: From the Kilns to the Grave: Pottery from the Three Kingdoms Period of Korea, LACMA (Miracle Mile), 2pm.
From Latin America to Hollywood: Latino Film Culture in Los Angeles 1967–2017, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Beverly Hills), 2pm.
Marathon Sketching: En Plein Air, Pasadena Museum of California Art (Pasadena), 2–5pm.
A Woman's Place…, The William Grant Still Arts Center (West Adams), 3–6pm.
RESTORE: Modeling Alternatives to the Criminal Justice System, OCHI Projects (Mid-City), 3pm.
Billy Al Bengston: Dentos, 1965 - 1970, parrasch heijnen gallery (Downtown), 3–6pm.
Jaime Guerrero Artist Talk, Craft in America Center (Beverly Grove), 4pm.
Film: "Chocolate" and "Still Alice", LACMA (Miracle Mile), 4pm.
Robert Rauschenberg: Horsefeathers Thirteen and John Baldessari: Hands & Feet, Gemini G.E.L. (West Hollywood), 4–7pm.
LA / LA / LA, Robert Berman Gallery (Santa Monica), 5–8pm.
Artist talk: Kathy Curtis Cahill: Childhood Matters, Diane Mann: ...Continued, Carole Garland: I <3 DTLA, Elyse Wyman: Positive From Negative, TAG Gallery (Santa Monica), 5–8pm.
Alfredo Ramos Martinez and Latin American Modernism, Louis Stern Fine Arts (Beverly Hills), 5–7pm.
HANS BURKHARDT IN MEXICO, Jack Rutberg Fine Arts (Fairfax), 5–8pm.
Coastal/Border and Southbay / Long Beach Hub Opening Reception, Angels Gate Cultural Center (San Pedro), 5pm.
Frank Bowling, Marc Selwyn Fine Art (Beverly Hills), discussion with Gavin Delahunty, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Dallas Museum of Art, 5:30–7:30pm.
Christina Fernandez: Prospect, Gallery Luisotti (Santa Monica), 6–8pm.
Axé Bahia: The Power of Art in an Afro-Brazilian Metropolis, Fowler Museum (Westwood), 6–10pm. Opening day programs, September 24.
Skip Arnold: plus ou moins and Stephen Neidich: not necessarily necessary, ltd los angeles (Mid-City), 6–8pm.
Retna: Mano A Mano, New Image Art (West Hollywood), 6pm.
David Armacost and Nilay Lawson: Untitled, 2017, AA|LA (West Hollywood), 6–9pm.
Pedro Friedeberg: Tetragrammoebius, M+B (West Hollywood), 6–8pm.
Claire Anna Baker: Suspended Wire: Suspended Wire, Moskowitz Bayse (Hollywood), 6–9pm.
Amir H. Fallah: A Stranger In Your Home, Shulamit Nazarian (Hollywood), 6–9pm.
Jagdeep Raina, Grice Bench (Downtown), 6–9pm.
Renaud Jerez, Jenny’s (Silver Lake), 6–8pm.
Live Broadcast of Carmen, Exposition Park (Downtown) and Santa Monica Pier (Santa Monica), 7pm.
Sonorama! Latin American Composers in Hollywood, Getty Center (Brentwood), 7pm.
A Cut Above / aka In Taglio, Loft at Liz's (Mid-City), 7–10pm.
D*Face: Happy Never Ending, Kristen Liu-Wong: Conflict/Resolution, Ray Caesar, Corey Helford Gallery (Downtown), 7–11pm.
The Neutra Contemporary 2017, Neutra Institute Gallery & Museum (Silver Lake), 7–10pm.
Recuerdos de un cine en español: Latin American Cinema in Los Angeles, 1930-1960, UCLA Film & Television Archive (Westwood), 7:30pm.
Summer Happenings at The Broad: Basquiat, The Broad (Downtown), 8:30pm. $25.
Sunday, September 24
Get The Job: Résumé Crafting, Women’s Center for Creative Work (Frogtown), 9am–1pm. $48–60.
KIDS SCREENINGS: Family Flicks Film Series: Duck Soup, Hammer Museum (Westwood), 11am.
L.A. Artist Grant Opportunity Workshop, Craft in America Center (Beverly Grove), 11am–12:30pm.
City of L.A. Master Artist Workshop, Craft in America Center (Beverly Grove), 11am.
Coffee and Conversation with the Artists, Studios of Echiko & Minoru Ohira (San Gabriel), 11am–1pm.
Caribbean Festival, Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach), 11am–5pm.
Axé Bahia Opening Day Programs, Fowler Museum (Westwood), 12–4pm.
Ruben Ortiz Torres: White Washed America, Royale Projects (Downtown), 12–5pm.
Marco Kane Braunschweiler: MONKEY, Human Resources (Chinatown), 12–4pm.
A Clay Workshop with Andres Payan, Craft and Folk Art Museum (Miracle Mile), 1–5pm. $50–60.
Jesse Benson: Miracle Grow, Michael Benevento (Koreatown), 1–3pm.
Super Workshop: Design Your Very Own Superhero, 356 Mission (Downtown), 1–5pm.
Chalk it Out, California African American Museum (Downtown), 1–3pm.
Families: On-Site: North Hollywood—Imagining the Shakyamuni Buddha Today, LACMA (North Hollywood), 1:30pm.
TOURS & TALKS: Radical Women Curator Walk-through, Hammer Museum (Westwood), 2–3pm.
Danza Azteca: Honoring the Past, Blessings for the Future, Beta Main (Downtown), 2–3pm.
China Art Gardens, China Art Objects (Highland Park), 2–6pm.
Artist Walkthrough: Lineage Through Landscape with Fran Siegel, Fowler Museum (Westwood), 3pm.
The "Minor Players" of Art History: Reassessing the Field, MOCA Grand Avenue (Downtown), 3pm.
7th Annual Beyond Baroque Awards Dinner, Beyond Baroque Literary | Arts Center (Santa Monica), 6––10pm. $60–70.
Getting Real With Money, Women’s Center for Creative Work (Frogtown), 7–10pm. $60–75
Monday, September 25
Pinch, Slab, Coil, POT! A Clay Workshop with Andres Payan, Craft & Folk Art Museum (Miracle Mile), 1–5pm.
Families: On-Site: North Hollywood—Art Workshop, North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Library (North Hollywood), 2pm.
Lecture: Old 'New Media': Xerox Art in Brazil, University of San Diego (San Diego), 6pm.
Screening: Teach us All, California African American Museum (Downtown), 7–9pm.
The Isherwood-Bachardy Lecture - Isherwood, Auden, and Spender Before the Second World War, The Huntington (San Marino), 7:30pm.
Tuesday, September 26
Film: The Wiz, LACMA (Miracle Mile), 1pm.
ARTIST TALK: Rodney McMillian, Art + Practice (Leimert Park), 7pm.
Wednesday, September 27
Suzanne Lacy & Pablo Helguera at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara), 5–6:30pm.
Talk: Panel Discussion—The Diversity Bonus in the Knowledge Economy, LACMA (Miracle Mile), 7pm.
In Conversation: Malik Gaines and Tavia Nyong'o, California African American Museum (Downtown), 7–9pm.
SCREENINGS: Las Madres: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and Después de Terremoto: Two Films by Lourdes Portillo, Hammer Museum (Westwood), 7:30pm.
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July Writers’ Forum
In my journey through the steps of independent publishing, refining my writing skills, and most recently completing a successful agent search, I’ve come across some excellent information, tips, tools, and shortcuts that I think would be beneficial to any writer. Once a month, I’ll share the “best of” information and news from the publishing industry as well as feature other authors and writing instructors with tips to share. I am incredibly thankful for the assistance and advice given to me from writing and publishing professionals and am happy pay that forward. On a professional level, I also use my publicity and editorial skills to aid other authors through my company Lost Lake Press.
Happy 100th Blogiversary to me! This is my 100th blog post since beginning the Three Rs: Reading, wRiting, and Roaming in 2014.
Book Events
I am not sure if Sherman Alexie had any upcoming book tour stops here in Wisconsin. I know he was here for the Untitled Town Book Fest in Green Bay this spring. Please take a moment to read his note about the heartbreaking reasons he has decided to stop his book tour.
He was promoting You Don't Have to Say You Love Me -- a memoir mostly about his relationship with his late mother, Lillian Alexie. It's available in both hardcover and Kindle or wherever you prefer to shop for books. (Alexie is best known for his middle-grade novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.)
Bookish Happenings for August
Books & Company at 1039 Summit Avenue in Oconomowoc is getting creative with a Return to Hogwarts Party on August 24 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm . . . trivia, refreshments, games etc… Looks like fun! Learn more at: http://www.booksco.com/event/back-hogwarts-party-thursday-august-24-630-pm
Mystery to Me Bookstore at 1863 Monroe Street in Madison has a great schedule of events for August:
Wednesday, August 9 at 6 pm Lesley Kagen will be speaking at the Sun Prairie Public Library. Kagen is a bestselling and award-winning Wisconsin author who will discuss her career as a writer, actress, and voice talent followed by a book signing. (Books sold by Mystery to Me.) Free and open to the public.
Thursday, August 10 at 7 pm at the store Allyson K. Abbott and Vickie Fee will be talking about their new installments in their cozy mystery series: A Toast to Murder by Allyson K. Abbott and One Fete in the Grave by Vickie Fee. (RSVP via the Eventbrite link on the store’s website below.)
Sunday, August 13 at 6:30 pm Craig Johnson (of Longmire fame) will visit the store. He’ll discuss his new book, The Western Star, to be released September 5. (Special bookplates are available for those who preorder the book for the author to sign that evening.)
Friday, August 25 at 7 pm William Kent Krueger will discuss his latest pulse-pounding thriller, Sulfur Springs. This event also has a rsvp set up on Eventbrite at the store’s website.
https://www.mysterytomebooks.com/events
Please let me know of any upcoming book releases or events that you’d like featured in the Writers’ Forum!
Featured Subject
Don’t Miss Out on Affiliate Marketing
If you have ever felt like there’s no way you’re ever going to learn everything you ought to know about the publishing world, join the crowd. I had one such moment a few weeks ago when I learned about affiliate link marketing. (Some of you I am sure are shaking your heads at this and asking, “How did she not know about this?” Trust me. I asked myself the same thing.)
So, for those of you who need a quick tutorial, I am here to save the day!
Here’s how Wikipedia defines Affiliate Marketing: . . . (It) is a marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts.
What does this mean?
If you have links to your own products (or other products) on your blog or website you should be using an affiliate link which gives you a small fee for each purchase made by clicking through that link from your page or blog. You don’t get paid much, but if you already have purchase links to your books on your website, what do you have to lose by making sure these are affiliate links that pay you a small percentage on top of your book royalty. And you don’t have to stop there, many products are available for affiliate linkage. There’s a nice article about how this works on a blog by Melissa Culbertson.
At the moment, I’ve only created Amazon affiliate links—so that’s what I’ve focused on here. For the step-by-step process in how to become an Amazon Associate (the first step in being able to create these links), read this “Savvy Book Marketer” post. Once Amazon sends you your Associate acceptance email, this article from “Untethered Income” will help you successfully build (and test) product links.
This is a good start, but all of your book links ought to be affiliate links. Nearly every online retailer has a program, you just need the diligence to set them up.
Pre-Publication Information
Best Book Covers of 2016
The Design Observer released its winners of the 50 Best Book Covers of 2016. This may be especially helpful for reference if you are at the beginning of your cover design process. The only downside to this list is that the genre is not listed. Some are obvious, but others would require some research. There are a number of great contests out there to see which book covers are considered the best of the best. Definitely do some genre-specific internet searches to see what’s working best for the type of book you write BEFORE you finalize your cover.
The Pro-Bono Marketing Staff Every Self-Published Author Has at Their Fingertips
I have to admit that the reason I clicked on this Book Designer article by Eva Lesko Natiello was my reaction that I had somehow missed out on something. What the heck??
I knew better, of course, but it got me to click. This article is a witty take on how elements of book design and promotion can serve as the hardest-working parts of a successful publishing venture. For instance, she lists your Book Cover as the Senior V.P. of Sales and your Meta Data/Book Description as your Senior V.P. of Marketing. Read the full article here.
Using Keywords to your Advantage in your Book Description
As you set up your book description (particularly on KPD/Kindle) you get to pick two book categories and then seven keywords. If you are savvy when choosing those keywords, you can leverage them to give you access to more than your two main book categories. But you have to know the right words to choose for other categories where your book might fit! A 2013 article from Jennifer Bresnick served as my original guide to this and a new article from Melinda Clayton at Indies Unlimited addresses this same topic.
Using my first novel as an example, I chose these two main categories for my young adult fantasy novel based on Celtic mythology:
· Juvenile Fiction > Fantasy & Magic
· Juvenile Fiction > Legends, Myths, Fables > Other
Then I added these keywords: Teen & Young Adult, Paranormal, Celtic, Coming of Age, Historical, Ireland, Romance
Those keywords have allowed my book to not only be ranked and searchable under the two main categories but the book has also been listed under Coming of Age and Paranormal & Urban Fantasy even though those aren’t either of the two main categories. The articles take a deeper look at this subject.
When to Publish Your Book
And just when you think your book should come out in time for Christmas sales, think again . . . The BookBaby blog walks through the best months for release, depending on your topic.
Agents Tell It Like They See It!
If you want to listen in on agents being extremely candid about the book industry, check out this discussionfeaturing Jodi Reamer (Writers House), Kim Witherspoon (Inkwell Management), Robert Gottlieb (Trident Media), Sloan Harris (ICM), Eric Simonoff (WME), and Christy Fletcher (Fletcher & Company) on the “Publishing . . . And Other Forms of Insanity” blog.
Post-Publication
My Failed WATTPAD Experiment
I had hoped that the free reader platform, Wattpad, would be a springboard to more fans and more sales. Unfortunately, the Wattpad Success Story proved elusive for me. I detail my experience and what I did right and wrong here.
Promoting your YA Novel
Another article from Book Baby this month gives tips on promoting your young adult novel through different types of social media . . . there’s some expected advice about Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest, but what was new to me were the tips about promoting via Reddit. I have one more thing on my list now--which might be good after my Wattpad fail.
Audio Books
Anne R. Allen has an excellent interview with an Audible/ACX narrator that gives inside info on getting your book recorded, so you don’t miss out on the fastest growing book market.
BUT I’M SO TIRED
I’ve thrown a lot at you today from a lot of different directions. Even if you’re not ready to use all of this advice immediately, you might be thinking, “I’m so tired!” or “There’s too much to do!” We all feel that way at least some of the time. Book writing is hard, but I think book marketing is even more difficult. Judith Briles on The Book Designer website recognizes this and talks us through our “marketing fatigue”. She acknowledges the hard work that is required to be successful and gives encouragements to keep us moving in the right direction!
Happy Reading & Writing, Valerie
#writing#writers#indieauthors#indiepublishing#indiepublish#writingtips#writing tips#writing problems#writing probz#author#authoradvice#author advice
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Untitled Wednesday Library Series, Part 142
I’ve been thinking a lot about criticism lately. It’s a thing I — we all — do often, of course, which probably makes it important. Some, but not all, kinds of criticism have traditions and vocabularies; you can (thought hardly anyone does) make a living writing about film or architecture or food. There are, on the other hand, some things about which a weekly column would have to get inventive. Spreadsheets. Individual songbirds. Tactile sensations. Rust.
I try pretty hard not to do the first kind of thing in these posts. Although that’s mostly because I fear committing to judgments on the record, it’s also (I think) an expression of sympathy toward the second kind of thing — not everything needs a critical tradition, but why not spread the attentiveness around, y'know? Maybe.
To such an end, posting about books is a pretty bad choice. You could argue that what I’m really reviewing isn’t the works themselves, but rather the choice to dedicate pieces of mind to them. I'm not sure why you'd argue that, but you could. If I’d thought this exercise through properly I’d have chosen some other thing I have several of, like 5V wall adapters or grains of rice.
Anyway, let’s talk about an art book.
Ben P. Ward’s 2021 I Dream of Dust, one of the four things Temper Books published before changing everything on their website to the past tense.
The How
From some small bookseller whose name I’ve forgotten and wouldn’t tell you anyway. A few weeks back, @krieper and I visited a printing studio that hosted some stuff — zines and local prints, mostly — on a self-service rack up front. All cool stuff, but this especially caught my eye.
The (Sub)Text
So, the Eastern Plains, right? This is about those, sort of. I broadly agree with the thoughts of this reviewer about the voice it delivers differing from Temper’s promise — yes, this is what Eastern Colorado can look like if shot competently, and yes, the meditation works for me, but no, I’m not sure it’s especially subversive.
The Object
I cannot offer you a good feel for these photographs or their printing here. Ward is on other social media, I’m told; you can also find some of these on his website.
This is a quiet project, which the printing respects. Thoughtful margins, easy blacks and whites, satin finish, more blank space than photo. Large format shots at this scale just work. I’m used to seeing posthumous collections or coffee table send-ups of painters, which are too often too full; this can breathe. Sensitive and inviting but only sparingly intimate. Glad for all that.
This first (and presumably final) printing comprised 500 signed copies in sewn hardcover bindings. Not unusual for a collection like this, but still nice to see and handle.
The Why, Though?
Because it mostly works for me, because it reminds me of other stuff than mostly works for me, and because the outing this came from involved talk of Colorado and Kansas and the Texas Panhandle, none of which I miss, I swear.
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Untitled Wednesday Library Series, Part 139
I’m in the middle of several very interesting lit searches at work, but few of the results are worth talking about in isolation. Until that somehow changes, more stuff from the shelves will do.
Franz Sales Meyer’s Handbook of Ornament: A Grammar of Art, Industrial and Architectural Designing in All Its Branches for Practical as Well as Theoretical Use in a 2014 reproduction of Dover’s 1957 edition. This is basically a final comprehensive edition, precursors to which go back as far as 1888 — or 1892(?) in English — some of which you can find good scans of on (e.g.) the Internet Archive.
The How
$2 in a thrift store endcap display -> neuron activation.
The Text
‘If we collect, into groups, the bases or motives of decoration, omitting what is non-essential and detached, we arrive at the classification given in the following pages.’ Thanks, Franz.
His arrangement of these bases or motives is (thank fuck) by principle rather than movement, which does a lot to make the sparing exposition work cleanly. The vocabulary is specific and the tone is exactly what you might expect from a late 20th century European professor of ornament. This translation is…conservative. Many nouns retain capital first letters; sentence structure is nebensatzed all over; it’s hard to say how many of these key words are actually mapped to their most appropriate English counterparts.
Not included here are any explanations of construction or guidance for use — this is a catalog and a visual reference only. Meyer’s earlier folio, Ornamentale Formenlehre, allegedly exists ‘for the purposes of tuition’ if that’s your remit.
The Object
‘3003 illustrations’ counts each numbered component of the 300 plates as well as chapter headers and sundry. All very beautifully done, though often tiny — I don’t know how large the original editions were, but the Formenlehre had them 2.5 times that size, where I expect they played a lot better.
(‘The Halberd, &c.’ Hell yeah, brother.)
Given this is a reproduction of a reprint, I’m really impressed. Crisp in text and plate; all the hatching is still clean and there’s no artifacting to speak of. Genuinely nice printing, though obviously the binding is cheap and stiff and hard to photograph or scan. Thankfully whatever previous owner(s) this had kept it well enough.
The Why, Though?
Apart from the aforementioned neuron activation? Quick lookup for otherwise difficult-to-search words, I suppose. The section on heraldry is both thorough and genuinely easy to parse, which is a combination I’ve never found. Even though it’s not organized by movement (and even though I don’t know that I particularly trust the author’s knowledge or just-so explanations of historical trends) there are some nice sketches of period and style through time per motif. Mostly for drawing and design reference, though — for my very causal needs (e.g. the long-term lathe refinishing project) figure this is going to be very handy.
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Untitled Wednesday Library Series, Part 122
Last week was a doozy, but thanks to the magic of Antibiotics™ we’re nearly back up to speed. I can therefore and finally bring you four subheadings worth of musings about that book I keep mentioning.
Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy, written by Wayne R. Moore and published in-house by the Moore Special Tool Company (named Moore after his father and its founder, respectively, who were, of course, the same person) in 1970. MIT press did a version in ‘71, which connection presumably came from George R. Harrison — then MIT School of Science Dean Emeritus — who had a strong research connection with Moore Tool and wrote the original edition’s introduction.
The How
From [sounds of drumroll] the library. Not mine, you understand, but rather a real one.
If you’re interested in following along, most library systems probably have hookups for similar copies; the company practically handed these things out. You could also just find a free scan online (like this one).
The Text
By the late 19th century, precision in industrial metalworking meant tolerances on the order of thousandths of inches. By the middle of the 20th, tenths of thousandths were common, but special applications (e.g., manufacturing diffraction gratings for lab instruments; standards work in national bureaus) fell in the regime of tens of millionths. In the U.S., Moore Tool was the top of the heap in machine building and a big name in metrology.
Their cash cows were jig borers and jig grinders — you can still find several models of each floating around eBay most days of the week — plus some of the best rotary tables ever made, all of which allowed a ton of custom tooling work that culminated in a design for what they called a Universal Measuring Machine. This book is (approximately) about the construction of those starting from absolute base principles, which Moore says are (1) creating flat surfaces, (2) defining lengths, (3) dividing circles, and (4) measuring roundness.
This is 85% textbook, 10% showing off, and 5% company history. It is very successful at each. This is perhaps unsurprising: Moore Tool was stuffed to bursting with money, connections, and expertise, including at the top. That it could produce a yet-uncontested classic in machining, machine building, and engineering practically without lifting the pen seems obvious in retrospect.
The book is also, and for exactly the same reasons, an intensely political read for exactly 100% of its runtime. The bleeding edge of 1960s American industry was bleeding for (let's say) several reasons, all of which are on some kind of display in these words and photographs. Such a company does not exist except at the confluence of a certain set of circumstances. I think that's important.
The Object
Neither an expense spared nor an opportunity missed. This volume is 53 years old and still shockingly pretty. From the endpapers to the typesetting to the overall size and shape, this is a thoughtful thing.
F. R. Gruger, Jr.'s engineering drawings are a masterclass, and together with William Vandivert's photographs lend the book even more flair and character than it already has. Genuinely some of the most effective illustration I've ever encountered.
The Why, Though?
Like I said, a classic. Everyone I know who knows anything about machine tools says they either started learning here or might as well have. I get that completely, and I'm passing the recommendation on to you, dear reader.
Do you want a whole lobe of your brain rewritten? Do you want to dream of the subtle crunch of cast iron under a carbide hand scraper? Do you find yourself wondering how to best design a room to minimize temperature stratification to within a tenth of a degree from floor to ceiling so as to more accurately grind a spindle taper? If you said yes to all these questions — and I know you did — then boy, have I got the book for you.
Also see Moore's Precision Hole Location (which, ha) and Stefan Gotteswinter's Shop Talk #28, in which he leafs through a German ~counterpart text from Deckel.
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Untitled Wednesday Library Series, Part 133
Two journal articles planned soon; one coffee and one some real specific information science wonk. Today, plant book. Playing the hits.
The Tree Identification Book (A Photographic Field Trip Designed for Easy Reference, Teaching or Pleasure — With Over 1500 Illustrations) (A New Method for the Practical Identification and Recognition of Trees) (‘companion volume to The SHRUB Identification Book’) (originally 1958, though this is an undated reprint; call it 2010). Words and structure by George W. D. Simmons, photographs by Stephen V. Chelminski, and publication out of Quill in New York.
Apologies for the canted rear cover photo. Woe presides.
The How
Alike to Pts. 128 & 132. You know the drill.
The Text
Part I comprises pictorial keys for genera, which reference the hybrid text-photo (approximately) species-level ‘master keys’ of Part II.
Unlike last week’s feature, this one’s title doesn’t make geographical claims, though its intro does: ‘a region roughly bounded by Maine (extending into Canada), west to North Dakota and south to Texas and along the Gulf of Mexico to northern Florida.’ It also outlines several exceptions to that region, which mostly apply to large, (sub)tropical, or recently introduced genera.
~1,500(!!!) photos do most of the heavy lifting, but the organization and frequent annotations are what make them work. Brutally good. Very easy prose to read; the intro and appendix are advice I wish I was smart enough to give.
The Object
Many of the ~1,500(!!!) photos are at life size. All are to given scales. All are fantastic. This is not the sort of oops-we-made-an-art-book that, say, Moore’s Foundations is, but that’s not the point — there are (printed) edge tabs, there are carefully narrow margins, there are hundreds of hand-arranged pages.
The Why, Though?
Two reasons.
First, because it came with a free American elm leaf for my American elm leaf collection.
Second, because I have been looking for this book for a decade. Not this book, exactly (though in retrospect this book, exactly, is a fit and a winner), but one like it. I do a pretty good job recognizing plants in the 0.1–1 m range, but trees other than the ones I grew up with are a weakness of mine. Frustrating; a shame.
While this isn’t seriously a text for identification — those exist, and in greater quantity — that’s not what I need yet. Recognition comes first, and that only comes from learning the small details that with experience turn into overall feel (read also jizz, if you must). For where I am in time and space, this is a fabulous, if common, treasure.
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Untitled Wednesday Library Series, Part 147
will not exist in the normal way. I'm in the final throes of thesis work, &c; no real time for reading, much less writing about reading. I do want to offer something, I think.
Before I left [town], [a coworker] gave me a little notebook — accidentally my favorite brand and size, even — for a project I probably shouldn't have mentioned in decent company. It's still mostly empty, and so it will (probably) stay, but there are a few ideas in there. All of them have THIS IS ALL TRUE written up top, and all of them pretty much are. I'll transcribe one of those momentarily. They’re part of my collection of written stuff, I guess, and obviously more writing-related scrutiny is the balm for me this week.
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Untitled Wednesday Library Series, Part 146
Long overdue: Tar for Mortar: The Library of Babel and the Dream of Totality (which book you can read for free here) published in 2018 by Punctum Books as written by Johnathan Basile (whose website you can read for free here).
The How
Until a few minutes ago, I had it in my head that this has been on my shelf for, like, eight or nine years. Apparently it's only been six. Hmm. At any rate, I don't remember how I found it. I do recall this print copy being much cheaper than the publisher's current $19 tag.
I might've found a link myself on Basile's (to me) classic project libraryofbabel.info, but that dates back to 2015 and I couldn't say whether I was checking it when the book released. Maybe word of mouth? Doesn't really matter.
The Text
An exploration of Borges' classic (to lots of people) 'La Biblioteca de Babel' (an English translation of which you can read for free, e.g., here), more or less. Of course Basile is not the only person to have done such a thing, but he is the only person to have built a working proof of concept. This book is motivated by, though only partially about, that task.
This reads and thinks more or less like you'd expect from someone with the requisite interests and a background in comparative literature, by which I don't intend to mean anything especially good or bad. Thoughtful, broadly founded, and possessed of a good eye for irony. Of the recent Borges discussion I've read, this sets out to have — and actually has — the clearest head.
Lots of fun and extensive footnotes including the likes of links to the author’s stashes of unpublished/out of print translations by Borges’ frequent collaborator Norman Thomas di Giovanni. The PDF version is, for this and other reasons, maybe the better option.
The Object
Very handy, and it ought to be so. Although it's only 98 pages at 12.5 by 20 cm, it has some presence. Maybe not striking, exactly, but it fills space and the hand alright. A $19 paperback had better.
Small type, smallish (sorry, web-optimized) illustrations, and some interesting choices with header spacing, but overall pleasant and readable. I did some shockingly sloppy work on it with some self-adhesive reinforcement, but it's held up well in spite and because of that.
The Why, Though?
I really like a project retrospective; I really like hearing what people think their projects mean; I really like it when even those things don't seem like enough to get it out of someone's system. I only somewhat care about the conclusions this comes to about Borges and the (in)finite. I mostly just think it's neat.
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Untitled Wednesday Library Series, Part 131
The year is 2000, and you’re either Dan Hipes, Dale R. Jackson, Katy NeSmith, David Printiss, or Karla Brandt. A book with your name on it, Field Guide to the Rare Animals of Florida, has just been accepted for publication thanks to a couple of Garys — Evink and Knight— in the state DoT and the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI), respectively. Maybe you’re pretty excited. Maybe you’re not. Maybe you’re worried about the copyright situation, which won’t be resolved for another year. I don’t know, I’m not you.
The How
The year is 2023, and you’re either me or @krieper. You’re walking through a thrift shop and see this book, still in two layers of plastic wrap, sitting on a shelf next to a dubiously salable woodcarving. If you’re krieper, you recognize a couple of beasties on the cover. If you’re me, you recognize the title typeface as an Ed Benguiat joint. Either way, you think it looks pretty neat.
The Text
Well, it’s a state field guide. Corals, mussels, snails, crayfish and shrimp, mayflies, dragonflies, beetles, butterflies, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, all with info on IDing, similar species, habitat, range, and status. Each (sub)species represented was or is ‘rare’; most were or are under imminent threat of extinction. Data come mostly from FNAI records.
The Object
The real stars of the show are the (always doting and often even useful) photographs and drawings. These come from dozens of different people, but a shockingly large plurality are courtesy of one Barry Mansell. Barry, you’re my hero.
A little fragile, as evidenced by the slight cup ring sustained (somehow) through the wrapping at some point in the foregoing decades. Also very glossy. Sorry about that.
You have have noticed this is in a three-ring binder. When we picked it up, the block wasn’t even installed — we had to unwrap and click it in ourselves. Very satisfying. Very fun era-typical typesetting, too, though there are about two too many fonts going on. Readable if textbookish. Did you know ITC Korinna was used to subtitle Devo’s ‘Whip It’?
The Why, Though?
First, because it makes me happy to give something this pretty its due affection. More than two decades in just-off-the-presses condition is a new record for me; I hope other copies of this — there can’t have been many — got to better homes. It’s a great example of a well-funded, administratively supported side-product of slow, uncharismatic research, though nothing can save it from the fact that it’s also a production of the same systems that made it necessary (to the extent that it is so).
To that point, and second, because it’s several flavors of violent upset at once. ‘Only’ a few dozen species have been delisted from US rolls since this was printed, and a quick cross-check agains the ToC came up blank, but that’s not especially the point. The invert roster is underrepresented and shrinking fast; specialized local subspecies like this displays are faring badly, especially in the Keys. This feels like a yearbook from the 50s or a last-ditch scribble more than a field guide, really. Maybe that’s worth something.
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