“On May 31, 1953, twenty-year-old Sylvia Plath arrived in New York City for a one-monthstint at “the intellectual fashion magazine” Mademoiselle. Over the next 26 days, Sylvia Plath would go to Balanchine ballets, fashion shows, and games at Yankee Stadium. She typed rejection letters to writers from The New Yorker. She feasted on avocados and crab meat with the legendary BBD&O ad men–followed by a horrific bout of food poisoning… She hopped in cabs with trendy radio names, she flirted with famous playwrights. She shopped alone at Bloomingdales and she stalked Dylan Thomas. She danced at the West Side Tennis Club and fought off an aggressive diamond-wielding delegate from the United Nations. She brushed elbows with Jose Ferrer at the Barrymore Theater. She took hot baths, had her hair done, and discovered her signature drink (vodka, no ice.) She should have felt jaunty as a pillbox hat. She was supposed to be having the time of her life.
These 26 days–later immortalized in her novel The Bell Jar— shaped the way Sylvia saw herself as a writer–and as a woman. All New York’s gory beauty would shoot through her, indelibly altering everything from her hair color to her taste in men, to her views on Russian literature.” (Via the Huffington Post)
How will you make your mark in New York?
April 20, 2013
Contemporary Poets Re-image Shakespeare
At the New York Public Library (5th and 42nd Street) poets Heather Dubrow, Roger Sedarat, Tom Sleigh and more will be performing Shakespeare works from 1:15 to 3 pm. This free event will be entertaining for any Bard lover that appreciates modern retellings of their favorite works.
April 21, 2013
Brooklyn Zine Fest is a convention of small indie magazine publishers. Artists and authors will be selling their self-published works for cheap! Brooklyn Brewery will also be at the event with a bar and snacks. At 7 pm there will be a performance and reading event put on by staffers. The day starts at 11:00 and goes on until question mark. Check it out at Public Assembly, 70 N. 6th Street, Brooklyn.
April 22, 2013
At Bar 13 starting at 6 pm there is a free writing workshop! This is great for all of you writers out there- how to write to attract an audience. The event is hosted by Corrina Bain and Brendan Wolff. Bar 13 is located at 35 E. 13th Street.
April 24, 2013
Design and Style: Tattoo and Graffiti
Michael Kaves McLeer is a well-known tattooist and graffiti artist with a new book exploring the connections between the two art forms. Skin Graf: Masters of Graffiti Tattoo was just published by Prestel. He will be speaking about the book and his work at the New York Public Library April 24th, doors open at 5:30 pm on a first come first served basis. This free event is sure to inspire any of us with a taste for the underground.
April 26, 2013
Changing Styles in Children’s Book Illustration
This sounds fantastic! At the New York Public Library from 2:15 to 4:00 pm speakers will present notable editions of Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Maurice Sendak books and discuss the artistic techniques, cultural signifiers, and psychological factors that go into children’s book illustration. This event is free!