Saturday, May 30, 2015

Editors' Buzz Books at BEA 2015

Book Expo America 2015 is in the books--and I have the aching back and sore feet to prove it! After three days of lugging books and logging miles in the Javits Center, I'll be returning home with dozens of galleys of books to be released in the upcoming months.   

One of the most fun things about BEA is having the chance to hear editors talk about the books about to be birthed with their loving care. And so Wendi and I continued the tradition of attending the Editors' Buzz panel to hear these special midwives' take on their babies.

Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine by Damon Tweedy (Picador -- presenter Anna de Vries -- available in September) --  As you might expect, Black Man in a White Coat is a non-fiction book about the issues facing African-American patients and physicians in today's world. While the issues clearly warrant discussion, de Vries was unsuccessful in motivating me to delve into the subject. (She actually read her presentation, which didn't help.) It was an unusual choice to kick off the Buzz Panel and made me wonder--as I do each year--about the selection process.  My guess is that it was the committee's nod to current events.  The book will not be leaving on a jet plane with me come Monday. 


City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg (Knopf - presenter Diana Miller -- available in October) -- City on Fire was the big book of BEA in many ways.  It weighs in at 927 pages--longer than last year's hit The Goldfinch--but that didn't stop 12 editors from different publishing houses from vying for publication rights. The press has reported a $2 million advance to Hallberg for his story about a group of people who come together in 1970s New York City in the wake of a shooting. Miller's passion for this book made me want to grab a copy and start reading right then and there. I was intrigued by her comment that readers disagree as to which person is the story's main character and that your choice will tell you something about yourself. Miller ended her talk by saying she is jealous of people who haven't read City of Fire yet because they have such a fabulous reading experience ahead of them.  I can't wait to dig in. 

Eileen by Otessa Moshfegh (Penguin --presenter Scott Moyers -- available in August) -- Moyers started his presentation by saying that City on Fire is a wonderful novel and that he hadn't been looking forward to pitching his book after Miller. He made a valiant effort, though, as he shared his enthusiasm for Moshfegh's novel about a woman who has been "damaged by the world." Moyers gave us a sense of Eileen's character by revealing a scene in which she steals a book with pictures of death masks. Eileen then uses the masks as models for the way she would like to present herself to the world. (Yes, creepy.)  I didn't get a strong sense of the plot line but do know that Eileen makes her living working in a boys' prison.  I am on the fence about reading this dark novel. 

Home is Burning by Dan Marshall (Flatiron Books -- presenter Colin Dickerman -- available in October) -- Dickerman acknowledged upfront that his description of Home is Burning would not make readers want to run out and get a copy. (He apparently had some persuading to do at Flatiron as well, where he ended up imploring, "Just read it!")  At its heart, the book tells the story of a man who goes home to take care of his sick mom and dying dad. Sounds pretty uplifting, I know. Dickerman is a good salesman, though, and his comparable synopses of Angela's Ashes and Running with Scissors effectively made the point that sometimes you do just have to read a book to understand why it's so compelling. What makes Home is Burning marketable is that Marshall tells Team Terminal's story with a lot of humor. He shares, for instance, that his non-Mormon family liked to irritate their Utah neighbors by opening the windows and swearing loudly. (Note the book cover.)  Dickerman describes the book as "Brutal. Funny. Brutally funny." One reviewer says, "Dave Eggers meets David Sedaris in this uproariously funny, unflinchingly honest and tender memoir." A film deal is in the works. Although I don't read a lot of non-fiction, Home is Burning is on my "to read" list. 

in a dark, dark wood by Ruth Ware (Scout Press -- presenter Alison Callahan -- available in August) -- Scout Press is a new literary imprint "dedicated to being on the lookout for modern storytellers." in a dark, dark wood is the house's first publication, and Callahan was clearly thrilled at being part of the Buzz panel.  Because the book is a psychological thriller, Callahan didn't tell us much other than that the story has all female characters and the protagonist is an intensely private crime writer who goes by three different names. She compared the book to The Silent Wife, Before I Go to Sleep, Gone Girl and Girl on a Train. Her comment to the men in the audience was that if their wives are reading these books, make sure to bring them flowers.  I'm a bit off thrillers these days, but this is a book I'll pick up when the mood strikes. 

The Three-Year Swim Club by Julie Checkoway (Grand Central Publishing -- presenter Deb Futter -- available in October) -- The Three-Year Swim Club tells a little known story about a teacher in Maui who, in 1937, launched a program to teach a group of Japanese-American kids how to swim.  One hundred children learned, with one towel among them and a filthy irrigation ditch as their pool. Their goal:  to represent the United States in the Olympic Games.  While the Games were cancelled due to WWII, the story of these children is a part of our history long-overdue in the telling.  Futter compared the book to Unbroken and Boys in the Boat.  I'm giving The Three-Year Swim Club to a friend.     

As always, I came away from the Buzz panel both appreciative of the work that goes into getting an author's story out into the world and eager to get reading.   So many books, so little time. 

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Dali & da Vinci - Where Minds, Machines and Masterpieces Meet


"American Neighbors" by Roger Shimomura (1996)
When Janice and I headed to St. Pete last week, our primary destination was the Museum of Fine Arts.  I'd never been to the Museum before, and its current exhibit entitled "Monet to Matisse on the French Coast" sounded worth the journey. We enjoyed the Museum, which is the equivalent of a Whitman's sampler with small collections of everything from Renaissance art to Modernism. The Monet to Matisse exhibit, though, was not particularly exciting. In fact, my favorite visual of the day was a contemporary work in the exhibit on Japanese woodblock prints -- "American Neighbors" by Roger Shinomura.

And so we were glad we had decided to add the Dali Museum to our adventure.  Janice had never been to the Dali before, and  I was interested in the Dali & da Vinci exhibit.  While I always love visiting the Dali, I didn't have high expectations for the da Vinci show. Both the Warhol and Picasso exhibits at the Dali were interesting, but nothing worth writing home (or blogging) about.  (Having said that, it was a Dali-esque experience to do a "screen test" a la Warhol in connection with that exhibit. Click here to get a sense of how painfully long five minutes can be.)

Dali at International Surrealism Exhibition
The brochure for the exhibit explains that both Dali & da Vinci "shared an ambition to use the tools of art to explore the whole of the human experience." Of course, their approaches to accomplishing this goal were somewhat different. 

When we entered the gallery, I was drawn to a small (kind of creepy) recreation of an underwater breathing apparatus that da Vinci had designed.  On the adjacent wall was this picture of Dali wearing the diving suit in which he delivered a lecture at the London International Surrealism Exhibition in 1936.  (Dali apparently almost suffocated during the presentation and had to be released from the suit by a fellow participant.)  Why, you might ask, would he lecture in this gear? Because "artists, like deep sea divers, explore the unconscious to surface hidden treasures of the mind.
 
Dalinian Analysis of Famous Artists


Janice and I got a huge kick out of Salvador's "Dalinian Analysis" of the work of 12 artists, including himself.  He rated renowned artists from da Vinci to Picasso to Vermeer in nine categories like color, originality and composition.  Dali awarded da Vinci a score of 20, the highest possible mark, for genius, mystery and authenticity.  In fact, with a maximum possible score of 180, da Vinci received a 166.  Dali awarded himself an aggregate score of 148; Mondrian's total was 4.  


Rendering of "The Sacrament of the Last Supper" (1955)
Given Dali's respect for da Vinci, it wasn't surprising to find that Dali tipped his hat to him on several occasions -- sometimes even in a serious way. Dali's Masterwork "The Sacrament of the Last Supper" is his homage to da Vinci's "The Last Supper."  This rendering was displayed with a copy of da Vinci's work and the red lines show how the compositions of the works align.  The work is done in a style Dali referred to as "nuclear mysticism." 
Halsman's "Dali as Mona" (1954)







Dali is Dali, though, and he sometimes couldn't resist his creative impulses. With the help of photographer Philip Halsman, Dali became da Vinci's Mona Lisa.  This 1954 photograph seems to reference Marcel Duchamp's "L.H.O.O.Q.", a work in which the Dadaist gave Mona a moustache and goatee. Dali takes it a step further, imposing his own eyes and moustache on the work along with his hairy hands clutching some gold coins.  When Halsman asked Dali what he saw when he looked at the photo he responded by saying -- with reference to the money -- "a paragon of beauty."  (For a hilarious look at other artists' take on Mona, click here.)

The Dali-daVinci exhibit runs through July 26th.  Check it out if you get the chance.    






Monday, May 11, 2015

Play Lab at Florida Rep

My curiosity was piqued last year when I heard about Florida Rep's 1st Annual Play Lab. It was an opportunity to see staged readings of new works, one of which would be presented this season. Talk-backs with the playwright and actors would take place after each reading. All for $10 per show. How could I resist?

My favorite reading was "Split in Three" by Daryl Lisa Fazio. Florida Rep's production of the show just closed, and it got rave reviews. But here's the crazy thing -- I enjoyed the staged reading just as much as the full-blown production! So when this year's Play Lab rolled around, I didn't hesitate before signing up for the entire Festival.


Mike Magliocca as the Tin Man
in "Journey to Oz"
My week-end of theater started off with a production of "Journey to Oz." The play was commissioned by Florida Rep as part of last year's Play Lab, and I opted out of the reading because it was a children's show. What a mistake!

Playwright Christopher Park is the Artist Director of The Experiential Theater Company, a group that brings "immersive, interactive theater" to kids in the United States and the U.K. And so I wasn't surprised when kids - and adults - were invited onstage to join the fun. While the play focuses on Dorothy's travel to Oz via tornado and the ensuing events, nods were given to Frank Baum's other Oz books (14 in all). A great time was had by all, and I'd highly recommend the show to kids of all ages.

Playwright Cynthia Babak and partial cast of "Where I Dwell"
My favorite reading of the week-end was "Where I Dwell" by Cynthia Babak.  It's a finely crafted story about family and relationships and loving each other in spite of your differences. Ms. Babak's writing is beautiful, and the nine-member cast was amazing. The show got a standing ovation after the last word was spoken.

Then came the talk-back. As far as the audience was concerned, putting "Where I Dwell" in Florida Rep's line-up for next year was an easy decision. But Bob Cacioppo, founder and producing artistic director of Florida Rep, had some logistical concerns.  To him, the script reads more than a screenplay than a theatrical production. Seventeen locations are called for. The audience immediately began brainstorming workable ways to stage the production. One person suggested projecting settings onto a screen. Another talked about the move towards minimalist sets.  A third suggested having a run just as a staged reading. Time will tell what happens with "Where I Dwell," but I'd go out of my way to see (or hear) it again.

Ad for "Firestorm" at Kitchen
Dog Theater in Dallas
I also thoroughly enjoyed the other Play Lab drama, "Firestorm" by Meridith Friedman. The leads in the reading - Robin LeMon and Zolan Henderson - were coming right off a matinee performance of "Split in Three."  They had no trouble switching gears, though, and did a terrific job with the thought-provoking story. While the play is set in the context of a political campaign, it's really about marriage and race and the consequences of past decisions. I loved its humor and the fact it made me think about some of the choices I've made in my life. And I liked the ambiguity of its ending (which the playwright shared has been changed several times).

Florida Rep is a member of the National New Play Network, and "Firestorm" came to the theater's attention through this organization. One of the ways NNPN gets new plays out to audiences is through its rolling world premiere program.  The concept is simple: NNPN will provide financial support to three (or more) theaters that mount a production of the same new play. It's an amazing opportunity for playwrights to work with different creative teams to produce their shows. In addition to the funding, participating theaters get the status of hosting a world premiere. A rolling world premiere of "Firestorm" is currently underway, and I'd love to see a production by Florida Rep added to the list.

The comedies in the Play Lab line-up didn't grab me nearly as much as the dramas. "The Dingdong" by Mark Shanahan is an adaptation from "Le Dindon" by Georges Feydeau.  Feydeau is the father of modern farce, so the play had the expected complicated (read silly) relationships and comings and goings.

"J'Oy Vey" by Lojo Simon and Anita Yellin Simons told the story of two women - one Jewish and one Christian - who spend a night with their twin granddaughters as Christmas/Chanukah approaches. Although the audience seemed to enjoy the reading, I felt the playwrights went for easy laughs.

From my perch as a mere theatergoer, neither play seemed sufficiently special to warrant the resources for its development and production.  (Capiocco shared that each show costs between $250-300,000 to produce, and I expect a world premiere would be more.)  Perhaps, though, I'm just not a comedy person. 

Regardless of whether or not any of these shows appears at Florida Rep again, it was a great week-end of theater. I'm already looking forward to next year.



Wednesday, May 6, 2015

American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell at the Tampa Museum of Art

The art of Norman Rockwell is synonymous with The Saturday Evening Post. And why wouldn't it be?  From 1916-1963, he created 321 covers for the magazine, reaching more than 2 million households each week. Rockwell called himself a reporter of present events and contemporary America. The American media called him the "Dickens of the paintbrush."  Regardless of what words you use, there's little doubt that Rockwell was a master storyteller.

Welcome to Elmville
The American Chronicles exhibit at the Tampa Museum of Art gives visitors an opportunity to see the scope of Rockwell's work.  The Norman Rockwell Museum, which organized the show, created a terrific family guide that encourages kids of all ages to engage with the art.  In addition, each painting has a fulsome description that fills viewers in on the background for the image. "Fun facts" are interspersed throughout. Take Rockwell's "Welcome to Elmville" as an example.  The painting shows a new-found way for towns to raise money -- the speed trap. Viewers learn that typical speed limits were 20 mph in business districts and 45 mph on highways and that Ford's Model A cars could run at 60 mph. The family guide invites kids to come up with a slogan for the painting, giving the example of "Welcome to Elmville - a place where life slows down." (I couldn't come up with anything more clever.)

While I was impressed with The Saturday Evening Post portion of the exhibit, I have to admit that Americana doesn't fully engage me. It's an interesting slice of life that goes in one eye and out the other.  But there's more to Rockwell's art.

Rockwell in his studio
In my last post I wrote about hearing Ruby Bridges--whose image is captured in "The Problem We All Live With"--speak at the Museum about her memories of integration. Rockwell's foray into political art ended his 47 year relationship with The Saturday Evening Post. It was the policy of The Post to only include images of African-Americans at work in service industry jobs. A painting about the issue of integration was clearly not going to grace its cover. And so Rockwell parted ways with The Post, taking his work to Look magazine.

Southern Justice (Murder in Mississippi)
The most striking painting in the exhibit was entitled  "Southern Justice (Murder in Mississippi)."  In 1964, Look commissioned Rockwell to create a painting to accompany an investigative article about the murder of civil rights activists in Mississippi. The exhibit includes some of the reference photos and notes that Rockwell compiled over the five weeks he dedicated to creating this work. His notes included information not only about what the men were wearing and how they had been killed but also that the temperature exceeded 100 degrees that day and that victim Andrew Goodman was an atheist. The painting was originally intended to span two pages, with the right hand page showing Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price and the other lawmen responsible for the killings with guns and billy clubs in hand. (This version of the work was included in the exhibit as well.) Ultimately, the magazine decided that the inclusion of only the men's shadows conveyed the sense of menace more effectively.
 
I found my thoughts returning to "Murder in Mississippi" in the days following my visit to the exhibit. It's a prime example of the power of art to make us think and feel. 

"American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell" will be on display at the Tampa Museum of Art through May 31.  It's a show well worth making the effort to see. 


Sunday, May 3, 2015

Ruby Bridges Speaks

"The Problem We All Live With" by Norman Rockwell (1964)
Even if you don't know the name Ruby Bridges, my bet is that you recognize her picture.  In 1964, Norman Rockwell memorialized Ruby's walk to her first grade class at William Franz Public School in New Orleans. The time was 1960, and desegregation was just underway in Louisiana (six years after the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education).

I had the chance to hear Ms. Bridges speak at the Tampa Museum of Art last week in conjunction with an exhibit of Norman Rockwell's art. Her words were moving and inspirational.

Integration protesters
As Ms. Bridges took the stage, video played of the angry crowds whose gauntlet she had to run each morning with four U.S. marshals clearing the way. (Many women and children were in the crowds, and they were all too happy to have their pictures taken to show their opposition to integration.) But before we get there, the story of how she came to be at William Franz is worth sharing.

When integration finally loomed in New Orleans, segregationists worked to devise ways to keep the black children out of their schools. The first step to gain eligibility to attend a white school was to pass a written test.  (I haven't been able to find out the content of the test, but I do know this wasn't a requirement for the white kids.)  Approximately 130 children took the test, and only six passed.  Ruby was one of those children. 

And so, after much debate between her parents, it was decided that Ruby would go to the all white William Franz Public School.  At the time the decision was made, two other little girls from her neighborhood were scheduled to attend with her.  They dropped out, however, leaving Ruby as the sole black student in the school.

Ms. Bridges said she didn't know much about what was happening.  Her parents had told her she was going to a new school and that was that.  Ruby had attended kindergarten, so school was nothing new to her. But having to take a test to get in made her realize something special was happening.  Perhaps she was going to college, she thought.  When the U.S. Marshals showed up to drive her (and her mother) the five blocks to school, she was confused, but she got in the car as her parents instructed. The procession of neighbors following the car to the school reminded her of a Mardi Gras parade.  So did the noise of the crowd when they arrived at the school as people chanted, "Two, four, six, eight, we don't want to integrate." (Not knowing the meaning of the word "integrate," Ruby later used this chant when she jumped rope with friends.) 

Ruby and her mother were escorted into the school and to the principal's office.  The office had windows, and she could see lots of adults coming into the building and leaving with their children.  "College is a busy place," she thought.  The reality was that the parents were taking their kids out of school in protest. While everyone knew that two New Orleans schools were to be integrated that day, nobody knew which ones. At the end of the day, Ruby was the only child at William Franz.

Barbara Henry and Ruby
For many months, Ruby was taught in a class by herself by Barbara Henry, a teacher who had recently moved from Boston.  Ruby was not permitted to eat in the cafeteria due to threats to poison her.  On the rare occasions she and Mrs. Henry went to the playground, no kids were outside.  There were only a few men in suits lurking at the perimeters.  (They were plain clothes policemen protecting her from harm.)

It was a lonely time for Ruby, but she and Mrs. Henry became best friends.  They never missed a day of school.  Eventually, Mrs. Henry realized there were four other first graders being taught in a separate classroom.  She had to threaten the principal in order to get the classes combined (and then it was only for part of the day). Ruby finally had some classmates and, over time, friends.

By the time Ruby entered second grade, first and second grades in all the New Orleans schools were integrated.  It still wasn't easy, but, as Bob Dillon sang, "The times they [were] a-changing." As current events show, however, we still have a long way to go.





Revisiting the Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo

Rodeo competitors (photo credit to Bruce Tompkins)  It had been more than a decade since I last attended the Arcadia Rodeo, known as "T...