Art2Art

Almond Rocks It and Schiavone Grills It

2010-07-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

This Thursday (July 8th) promises a rockin' evening with Steve Almond and Dayna Kurtz. The gig, which promotes Steve's stellar book, Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life, will be held at the Oberon in Cambridge -- details can be found here. Why go, you ask? Because Steve's writing has made it to my top ten list of authors, and because I, to my utter chagrin, cannot attend. Family duties call and I must fulfill, but perhaps you can go, dear Art2Art friends? Flip me, I can't believe what I'm missing.

As you may already know, Steve is a master of deeply felt writing that is never sentimental, often wry, and jawdroppingly honest. There truly isn't another voice out there like his. Plus he's a brilliant presenter. Hilarious, heartfelt, penetrating, profound.

Add in Dayna Kurtz's stellar tunes and you've got a night to remember.

The second gig I'm missing is Timothy Gager's Dire Literary Series Annual BBQ, starring Art2Art friend and reader Michael Schiavone, whose new novel is soon to rock your world. Mike is a powerful writer whose voice will stay with you. His work is inventive, edgy, and hits you with pure force. It's going to be a treat-and-a-half. Do yourself a favour and check out the details.

And save a hot-dog for me, would you?

We're All Going on a Summer Holiday...

2010-07-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Just a note to remind everyone that we're taking a break over the summer. Our space in the Piano Factory gets ludicrously hot during the summer months and it's really rather an uncomfortable place to perform (and breathe) when it's steamy outside. But we look forward to being back in the fall with some fabulous new performers as well as wondrous Art2Art favourites. Until then, enjoy the season!

The pic is of our talented friend KL Pereira, who read her gorgeous work at the last Art2Art. KL is a fabulous writer-teacher. Check out her blog here.

Music and Art Among the Sculptures

2010-06-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jonathan for letting us know about what sounds like a wonderful artistic event in Acton, MA, running between June 4th-6th. Yin Peet, a sculptor, has turned a quarry into a sculpture park and art center, and there's an open house this weekend. The music event also sounds amazing.

Art2Art8 - Pure Poetry

2010-05-23T12:26:00.001-07:00

Posted by Sue Williams

Last night, as we were clearing up after Art2Art, Stephen Masse and I agreed that the line-up was so talented it might seem to a newcomer as if we'd auditioned the acts. Truly, it was a stellar evening. Many thanks to both our gifted performers and also one of the warmest audiences I've ever had the pleasure to have known.

There were too many great moments to list in one blog post, but here are a few reminders. A technical blip led to a gutsy move -- Harris's decision to grasp the moment and sing a cappella led to a performance that proved his talents as a singer. I believe this was also Harris's first public performance. What a triumph! Many folks mentioned the high standard of the authors, too. Jennifer Jean, gave a most thoughtful talk to put her beautiful work in context - and what a lovely reading. In fact, let's hear it for the whole cast last night:

Mike Kelly - reading his powerful Rewind.
Jennifer Jean -- reading from In the War.
Michael Mack -- leaving us spellbound with solo performance poetry.
Nick Linsky -- always an enjoyable reader.
Thom Donovan -- rocking our socks off.
Ethan Gilsdorf -- we were privileged with the coolest of geeks.
James Dempsey & Liz Tobin -- a passionate performance.
Harris Allen -- the a capella genius.
KL Pereira -- I could eat this woman's words for breakfast.
Randy Ross -- Get that novel published, mate, it's going to happen.
Professor Zhang & John Clifford -- haunting music.

Thanks go out to the Art2Art team, including Wayne Strattman, Jerry Fireman, Richard Williams and all who helped last night. Art2Art wouldn't be here without you.

And for those who were wondering, "bin bag" is Brit speak for "trash bag".

Snort.

Check out more Art2Art8 photos here.

Geeks, Vamps and Rock 'n Roll: The Next Art2Art

2010-04-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

The next Art2Art will be on May 22nd and looks set to be a dazzler. Performers are still to be confirmed, but will include MICHAEL MACK knocking us out with another stellar solo performance; ETHAN GILSDORF, author of the widely acclaimed FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS; KL PEREIRA, celebrated writer of the sublime and fantastical; and JENNIFER JEAN reading from her beautiful new release, IN THE WAR. We're also thrilled to be treated with music from HARRIS ALLEN, THOM DONOVAN, JAMES DEMPSEY and LIZ TOBIN, and look forward to exciting work from our talented friends MIKE KELLY and RANDY ROSS.

We've had so much interest in performance slots that we're trying out a new system - performances are by invite, so let us know if you'd like to go on the waiting list! We look forward to your performances and readings. Artists - bring a few copies of your books, CDs and crafts to display and sell. And anyone interested in displaying their artwork...do get in touch. Emails can go to:

Art2Art (at) suewilliams.co.uk

Can't wait to see you all on May 22nd, from 7pm, at the usual address in Boston's South End. And email me if you're not yet on the evite list - directions etc. are on the evite itself.

By the way, the picture shows Lynn flame-twirling at Art2Art4. Remember? What a great night that was! And does anyone know who took the photo, so I can credit them? It's a beauty.

Until the 22nd!

Anais Nin, writing about her own work as an artist: "I was creating the world I wanted, and into this world, once it is created, you invite others and then you attract those who have affinities and this becomes a universe..."

Films of Art2Art Performers in Action

2010-03-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

We thought it would be fun to showcase some videos of Randy Ross and Jerry Fireman, plus a short film of one of Stace Budzko's flash fictions. These are inspiring! Do take a look:

Nha Trang, Vietnam: Beetle burritos, bubonic plague, and naked old men who should keep their clothes on, by Randy Ross.

Why I'm Over Forty and Still Single, by Randy Ross

Stand-Up at Art2Art7, by Jerry Fireman

How to Set a House on Fire, by Stace Budzko - a short film, directed by Henry Zaballos. (Yes, an amazingly talented young director actually made a film of Stace's published short-short!).

Stellar stuff, guys. I'm impressed.

Art2Art7 - Candlelight and Tigers

2010-02-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

Art2Art last night was aglow with talent. From Wayne's steampunk incandescent candles and amazing "lights down" timing device to readings, songs, and an appearance by Tiger Woods (thank you, Jerry), we were totally treated. Our audience and performers really do go from strength-to-strength - Art2Art is supportive, warm, downright fun, and chock-packed with talented artists. Thank you to all of you for your generous contributions...including the fabulous food and drink. Bravo. In the meantime, I'm trying to get better at updating this blog. Please encourage me by letting me know you read / commenting below!

Roll up for news from last night's performers:

You can view Jerry Fireman's brilliant comedy act here -- what a treat to see it again. Margaux Skalecki's beautiful new CD, Dancing on Holy Ground*, is now for sale. Check out the cover in the sidebar - it's a wonder. Michael Schiavone, who read from our writing group's chapbook, has a stunner of a novel forthcoming from the Permanent Press - keep abreast of when it will hit the bookstores here. Steve Mackinnon read his short-short "Read Me One," which you can enjoy reading at your leisure here, in The Pedestal Magazine; plus you can have the pleasure of Stace Budzko's "The Right Profile," which he read last night, here. Lisa Borders read from her wonderful novel-in-progress -- check out Lisa's website, including her award-winning, published novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land. Stephen Dorneman read a wondrous tale of Las Vegas woe, which has been recently published in the Scrivener Creative Review (issue 33). Also, Stephen Masse gave a most enjoyable reading, last night. To buy his book, Short Circus, do click here, and view his book jacket in the sidebar. Last but not least, my own gorgeous gang, the Hanover Street Writers' Group, have a new website -- please check out our flashy chapbook campaign! (It's gonna get edgy and subversive. Watch this space).

Let me know if you have other news to pass on. We'll showcase the websites and work of performers for the next Art2Art before the event.

Special thanks to all our artists, readers and performers from last night:

Visual artist, Wayne Strattman (Yes, the candle lights are for sale, contact A2A or Wayne's site for details).

The Hanover Street Writers' Group (Stace Budzko, Cathy Elcik, Steve Mackinnon, Mike Schiavone, Sue Williams).

Singer, Francesca De Vries

Novelist, Lisa Borders

Author, Stephen Dorneman

Singer, Margaux Skalecki

Author, Stephen Masse

Author, Bill Sarrill

Comedian, Jerry Fireman

Author, Matthew Sandel

Also, a big thank you to everyone who collected and gave donations, stacked chairs, helped set up, said soothing things to me, and also to those who made sure the A2A gang weren't cleaning up alone. :)

*Margaux tells us that Andrea Condit, who attends Art2Art, has also contributed to the CD. Isn't that cool?

Art2Art7 - Shining On!

2010-02-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

We haven't written for a while, it's true, but we ain't lost our sparkle -- in fact, Art2Art6 has passed and Art2Art7 is now merrily upon us. Hurrah! At the coming A2A (Feb 27th) we're lucky enough to be hosting performances from wondrous novelist Lisa Borders, the Hanover Street Writers Group (to include myself, Mike Schiavone and Stace Budzko), a debut A2A reading from Stephen Dorneman, songs from the enchanting Francesca De Vries, and many more stellar readers and artists. As usual, we'll be offering performances in sets, with room for socializing in between. Wayne will display his stunning neon artwork, too. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Art2Art5 - Talent So Bright Wayne Has to Wear Shades

2009-10-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Last night, over seventy of us got together to share work and party against a stunning backdrop of neon art by Wayne and Evan. In fact, Evan deserves a special mention as the beautiful piece he displayed was his first work in neon. (Frankly, it never fails to amaze me how talented you folks are!). Anyway, because nine of our twelve slots last night were filled by writers, Wayne wore his extraordinary "writer's disguise," which Richard caught on camera (see left). A dark beret, a pair of shades and a special sideways stare. That's how every writer should look. Naturally.

Here are just a few images from last night's performances/displays: a hoop of red neon, a bogey like an oyster, an extraordinary tongue, a riot of poppies, a mystical thread, a Jesus lookalike, and beans planted beneath a full moon. We had the pleasure of music too: the haunting beauty of Francesca de Vries, and Elaine's vibrant opera. Also, Jerry, our fab comedian, brought the news that this economy is now so bad that the Obama administration have changed their slogan to "We'll give it our best shot."

We were bowled over by the standard of the work last night. Many thanks to our wondrous performers, Elaine Zhang, Tara Masih, Hyejung Kook, Sophie Powell, Francesca de Vries, KL Pereira, Matthew Sandel, Bill Sarill and his talented son, Michael Mack, Nick Linsky, Sue Williams (I'm thankin' myself here!), and Jerry Fireman. As always, our audience were so warm and encouraging-- what would we do without you all; you make us! We'd also like to thank Evan and Greg Smutny for helping set up, and Tara Masih who sold her exquisite farthing cards in aid of Art2Art. Art2Art is organised by Wayne Strattman, Jerry Fireman and myself, with help from Richard Williams and Greg Smutny. Thanks for being such a great team.

Oleg very kindly sent us a link to his YouTube video of the event. You can get to it here.

I must add that those of you who helped clear up are much appreciated, especially Rich and Evan who were kind enough to re-chain the chairs. (Holy smoke, that's one tricky puzzle).

And cheers to all who brought food and drink too. If you made the brownies, I love ya.

P.S. Please don't assume you're performing in November unless we have exchanged emails. That's very important. We need to have discussed it in writing or over the phone. I'll add that we are grateful that all performers last night stuck to the seven-minute rule. This really helped keep the wonderful momentum!

The Next Art2Art

2009-09-08T08:40:00.001-07:00

The next Art2Art will take place on the evening of October 3rd, 2009. Do let us know if you'd like to present or display -- there are still slots available. If you're already on the guest list, you'll receive an evite soon.

Looking forward to seeing you!

More Photos from Art2Art4

2009-06-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Because Blogger won't work for me right now, you'll need to visit my own site to view these stellar photos. Hopefully I'll have them up here before too long. They're by Mark Hoffman, so definitely worth a look.

Singing, Sliding, Flashing - Art2Art4

2009-06-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, the economy's struggling. Yes, we're spending less. And yes, art still matters.

We're the proof.

On Saturday night, amidst fairy lights and music, a crowd of over fifty joined to celebrate art. Here are just a few of the stellar artists who treated us to their work:

Wayne displayed stunning sculptures of colour and light, which caught the eye wherever we stood, and Annie and Margaux sang, with rich, soulful voices, also inviting the audience to pelt out a tune. Michael Mack, oral poet and storyteller, gave a powerful performance from his play, "Speaking in Tongues", which, I might add, has been reviewed to great acclaim (rightfully named "Exquisite" by NPR, for one). Several authors shared work-in-progress. While I read a couple of pieces of flash fiction and talked about what it means to write in the genre, Randy Ross, Matthew Sandel, Bill Sorrell and Chris Payne-Taylor each read from their highly engaging works. We laughed a lot on Saturday night, not least because of Steve M. who dazzled us with a his witty slide-show, (for which, I am told, he skipped a sunny Saturday prepping his slides in the basement!). We finished the night with live music from Thom Donovan, whose rendition of "It's a Wonderful World" was original and moving.

No write-up would be complete, of course, without mentioning our audience. The warmth and support was second-to-none -- these incredible folks bring such life to the evening.

Many thanks to the A2A team, without whom the event wouldn't happen - that's Wayne Strattman, Sue Williams (me!), Jerry Fireman, Richard Williams and Greg Smutny.

If you've been part of Art2Art and would like to share links or news, let us know. Also, if there are folks out there who are interested in joining us, drop us a line and we'll evite you. Art2Art, in case you're not aware, is an entirely free event.

(Having said that, we're grateful to all of you who donated time, food, drinks and money on Saturday night. From fairy lights to napkins and paper towels, every bit helps!).

A2A will be taking a break over summer. We look forward to getting together again this fall. In the meantime, do check back for news and events, and feel free to get in touch.

UPCOMING FREE EVENT!

Yes, I'm first to plug myself, we notice! If you'd like to hear me, Sue Williams, read and talk about flash fiction in a little more depth, I'll be reading and presenting along with Tara Masih, Stace Budzko (who read at Art2Art1), Steve Almond and Rusty Barnes (Editor of Night Train) at Brookline Booksmith on Thursday June 11th, to promote The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction, edited by Tara Masih. We kick off at 7pm. Hope to see you there!

I'll also be teaching a one-night seminar on writing stories about "Vulnerable Monsters" (June 16th). Do visit the Grub Street site or my own blog for more details.

See You at Art2Art3!

2009-02-24T07:17:00.000-08:00

At Art2Art, we've seen a rich variety of performances and displays, including readings from new work by local writers, comedy by talented stand-up artists, stunning kinetic art displays, performance poetry, and much much more. Here's Jerry's invite for the third Art2Art:

Art2Art2 was not only a lot of fun but also educational. Where else could we have learned (from Haik) that English soccer fans sing (to the tune Nah Nah Nah Nah, Nah Nah Nah Nah, Hey Hey, Goodbye):

No one likes us

We don't care

Chances are that we never would have figured out how to say the retroflex sounds (such as Zh and r) in Chinese without having Jamie point his sword at us. Nor understood why Joe rarely gets a chance to tell potential dates that his daughter's hair is pink.

But now that Wayne and Sue have kindly consented to present Art2Art3 we will have the opportunity to learn many more interesting things from those within our midsts whose talents have until now remained hidden.

Art2Art is based on the idea that each of us has valuable talent that is worth nurturing and sharing with our supportive (within limits) friends. Each performance is about 5 minutes long and more than half the time is devoted to discussing and partying.

We want to thank you for limiting your talking during the performances at Art2Art2 to 90 dB. At Art2Art3 we are aiming to further reduce the level to 70dB. Pursuant to that goal, we have decided to not allow chain saws and jackhammers into the event.

Many artists or their agents (some of our performers have been handling themselves too long) have already signed on to perform at Art2Art3. But there are still a few slots available. To perform or display, contact Wayne and Sue at:

art2artboston@live.com