Tag: Bob Singleton

Hell Gate Kid on Holiday

Happy Halloween! Our recent No, You Tell It “Hell Gate” show featured an original zine titled “The Hell Gate Kid on Holiday” created by A. King McCarty that was given to all audience members as a parting gift.

The zinewhich A. King McCarty then adapted into a song she performed at the showand the entire evening was inspired by Bob Singleton of the Greater Astoria Historical Society’s poem “The Legend of the Hell Gate Kid.”

Learn more about upcoming GAHS events here.

Watch this Halloween treat created by Tim Lindner for a taste of this magical night:

The zine illustrated the line “The Saw Lady witch plays an uncanny tune.”

Can you spot Natalia ‘Saw Lady’ Paruz on the page in the photo below? This line in the poem references her performance for the Greater Astoria Historical Society’s Halloween event at Socrates Sculpture Park about 20 years ago.

 I love it when art inspires art, and in this case we had so many forms of art mingling: music, poetry, storytelling, drawing – so many creative juices! ❤ – Natalia ‘Saw Lady’ Paruz

Give a listen to the swapped stories inspired by the Hell Gate Bridge on the No, YOU Tell It! podcast.

Take a look below at the full poem and some of the historical insights behind the lines.

Look! “Hell Gate” Program

Sep 25 2024 @ 7:00PM

See you tonight at Grove 34! Tickets are still available here.

Take a look at our four storytellers whose stories started at our “Hell Gate” Sip & Scribe at Sunnyside Arts. Want to join in on the creative writing fun? The next Sip & Scribe is October 4th! Register here. 

Stories

CROSSING THE BRIDGE by Jackie Sherbow, performed by Mia Arias Tsang, directed by Erika Iverson

REAWAKENING by Mia Arias Tsang, performed by Jackie Sherbow, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons

THE BRIDGE TO THE BRIDGE, by Alicia Lieu, performed by A. King McCarty, and directed by KJ Fitzsimmons

UNDER THE HELL GATE, by A. King McCarty, performed by Alicia Lieu, and directed by Erika Iverson

Special Guests

Bob Singleton, Executive Director, Greater Astoria Historical Society, and A. King McCarty present “The Hell Gate Kid.”

Plus, a live performance from Natalia ‘Saw Lady’® Paruz!

Thank You

Shout out to our wonderful story coaches, Tim Lindner and Pichchenda Bao.

Bios

Jackie Sherbow is the Woodside, Queens-based author of Harbinger (Finishing Line Press, 2019), publisher at THRASH Press, and senior managing editor of Ellery Queen’s and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazines. Their poems and stories have appeared in places like The Sierra Nevada Review, Luna Luna, Mystery Magazine, and Asimov’s Science Fiction. They are the former editor-in-chief and currently serve on the board of directors of Newtown Literary, the journal and organization dedicated to the writers of Queens.

Mia Arias Tsang is a writer and freelance editor based in New York City. Her work explores themes of queer desire, intimacy, and disconnect. A Tin House Summer Workshop alum, her work has appeared in Copy, Autostraddle, Half Mystic Press, Fatal Flaw Magazine, and Broad Recognition Magazine, among others. She is a copy editor for the literary magazine Identity Theory and program coordinator at the literary nonprofit House of SpeakEasy, and writes a newsletter called Overripe Peach. She lives in Queens with her cat, Peanut, and is currently working on a novel.

Alicia Lieu, Jackson Heights/Elmhurst based composer/conductor hails from San Jose, California. As a composer, she has been awarded grants from QCA and City Artist Corps. She is the creator of Dance-it-Yourself Nutcracker and co-founder of nonprofits Composers Collective, Pitches Brew, and New York Conducting Institute. She spent two years living abroad in Shanghai, China, before moving to NYC and conducting has taken her to Russia, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. She earned her B.A. in Music Composition from UC Santa Barbara, M.M. in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and M.M. in Orchestral Conducting from UT El Paso.

A. King McCarty (Ashley King) is an artist, writer, actor, musician and founder of Artstoria New York with her husband and fellow creator, Graham McCarty. She is a two-time recipient of the Queens Community Art Grant and an Art Hotel resident artist. She lives near the Hell Gate Bridge with her husband, son and lots of plants and comic books. Visit her on Instagram at @artstoriany and @akingmccarty

Natalia ‘Saw Lady’® Paruz can be heard playing the musical saw on movie soundtracks such as Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, HBO’s The JinxTime Out of Mind with Richard Gere, Fox Searchlight’s Another EarthDummy with Adrien Brody, etc. She performed with the Israel Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta, with the Westchester Philharmonic, Royal Air Moroccan Symphony, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra and at Lincoln Center with PDQ Bach composer Peter Schickele and with the Little Orchestra Society. She was chosen by Time Out New York and the Village Voice for their “Best of New York” lists and was featured in articles by the New York Times and the Boston Globe.

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THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2024 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT

The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.

This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.

No, YOU Tell It! “Hell Gate” is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

Event Information

Sep 25 2024 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Astoria)

Meet Natalia ‘Saw Lady’ Paruz

Sep 25 2024 @ 7:00PM

The saw lady witch plays an uncanny tune…

All the lines from Bob Singleton’s poem “The Hell Gate Kid,” which A. King McCarty will present at the show, have a historical context, and we’re over the moon that Natalia ‘Saw Lady’ Paruz will be joining us as a special guest performer!

Get your tickets here for our “Hell Gate” show and meet the real-life Saw Lady a.k.a. Natalia Paruz.

Natalia ‘Saw Lady’® Paruz can be heard playing the musical saw on movie soundtracks such as Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, HBO’s The Jinx, Time Out of Mind with Richard Gere, Fox Searchlight’s Another Earth, Dummy with Adrien Brody, etc. She performed with the Israel Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta, with the Westchester Philharmonic, Royal Air Moroccan Symphony, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra and at Lincoln Center with PDQ Bach composer Peter Schickele and with the Little Orchestra Society. She was chosen by Time Out New York and the Village Voice for their “Best of New York” lists and was featured in articles by the New York Times and the Boston Globe.

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THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2024 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT

The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.

This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.

No, YOU Tell It! “Hell Gate” is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

Event Information

Sep 25 2024 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Astoria)

Watch “Left My Heart”

Check out the heartfelt story swaps and surprises from our “Left My Heart” show at Grove 34. The full program is here. 

Read Bob Singleton’s imaginary interview with Tony Bennett in the Queens Gazette, which inspired this unforgettable evening of shared stories, songs, and Queens history.

Video credit: AJV Media

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The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.

This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.

No, YOU Tell It! “Left My Heart” is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

We Laughed, We Cried, We Sighed

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, ALL, for a fantastic evening of story swaps, Astoria history, and music at our “Left My Heart” show! Full program here. To quote Catherine Kapphahn, “We laughed and cried and sighed.”

Interested in Catherine’s book Immigrant Daughter: Stories You Never Told Me, which was featured at the show. Grab your copy here.

Sorry you missed? Never fear, subscribe to watch the show on YouTube. Coming soon!

A huge shout out to Bob Singleton, Executive Director of the Greater Astoria Historical Society, for his amazing insights into Tony Bennett’s life and music.


Read Bob’s imaginary interview with Tony Bennett in the Queens Gazette created directly from quotes from the Astoria legend and the inspiration for our ART HEART event.

Big thanks to:

  • Everyone who came out last night with open hearts.
  • The storytellers for sharing such intimate tales of love and strength.
  • The creative team for helping to bring this night to life.
  • Grove 34 for the perfect space and help getting set up.
  • Greater Astoria Historical Society for the amazing insights into Tony Bennett’s life and music.
  • Flushing Town Hall for all their support! Check out other upcoming Queens grantee events here.
  • New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and New York Foundation for the Arts.
  • AJV Media for filming and photographing the event.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for a photo album from the event, along with podcast episodes and more. If you didn’t win a copy during story trivia, the No, YOU Tell It! Ten-Year Anthology is available here.

Fantastic “Fly By” Show!

Thank you to everyone who came out to our “Fly By” show last week! View more show photos on our Facebook page.

Left to right: Ben Katzner, Briana McDonald, Lowell Stephens, Annie Shi, and Robin Gelfenbien

Thank you!

  • Storytellers Ben Katzner, Briana McDonald, Lowell Stephens, and Robin Gelfenbien for sharing their experiences and performing each other’s stories so beautifully.
  • Annie Shi for creating the gorgeous art for the zine and our visual GIF-prompt.
  • Ellie Dvorkin Dunn for doing such an incredible job hosting yet again.
  • Bob Singleton and the Greater Astoria Historical Society for providing the story of Elinor Smith to inspire these stories.
  • Grove 34 for providing us with the beautiful space.
  • The NYTI creative team for all the work you do behind the scenes.
  • Brooklyn Book Festival for inviting us back to be a Bookend Event!
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York Foundation for the Arts, and Flushing Town Hall for your support to make this event possible. Check out more Flushing Town Hall Arts Grants for Queens grantee events here.

We have a big year planned in 2024 and can’t wait to share more of what’s to come. Until next time!

Meet “Fly By” Artist Annie Shi

Sep 28 2023 @ 7:00PM

I never drew more planes in my life! – Annie Shi

Delighted to meet artist Annie Shi at the Astoria Bookshop during the Queens Art Fair organized by Sunnyside Arts; we commissioned her to create this animated image of Elinor Smith’s 1928 flight under four East River bridges – Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg … and Queensboro!

Our storytellers’ true tales were inspired by Annie’s artwork, and we asked her about the experience:

When Kelly Jean first told me about this project, I was ecstatic that I could take part in such an important show but also worried that I wouldn’t be able to do Elinor Smith justice as I’m not used to working with historical figures. But with the help of Kelly Jean, Tim Lindner, and Bob Singleton of the Greater Astoria Historical Society, I learned a lot about Waco planes, barnstormers, and, most importantly, Elinor. We wanted to illustrate her story and achievements, which I’ve worked into a gif and short zine. I never drew more planes in my life!

Learn more about Annie below and get your tickets to receive your copy of her Elinor Smith-inspired Zine at our show!

I’m an artist based in Queens who loves storytelling, the supernatural, and cats! I also enjoy making bite-sized, cozy gifs and participating in art fairs during my free time!

 

***

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2023 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT.

The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.

This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

Event Information

Sep 28 2023 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (31-83 34th St, Astoria)

Queens “Here & Gone” Highlight: Westinghouse Time Capsule

May 18 2023 @ 7:00PM

An artifact of hubris remains in a 5000-year time capsule equal in distance today with the earliest civilizations of the past.

– Bob Singleton, Executive Director of the Greater Astoria Historical Society

Love the added insights Bob Singleton brought to our Queens “Here & Gone” Highlights and can’t wait to hear the true-life tales inspired by the Westinghouse Time Capsule, North Beach, Astoria Pool Sentinels, and The First Photocopy at tomorrow’s second story meeting.

See you at the show next week! Get your tickets here for 5/18.

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Special thanks to Rosalie Chandler, Bob Singleton, and Ava Vitali for helping us create these Queens “Here & Gone” highlights. The Greater Astoria Historical Society is the place to learn and celebrate Long Island City and its neighborhoods. Learn more at astorialic.org.

This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

Event Information

May 18 2023 @ 7:00PM

Grove 34 (3183 34th St., Astoria)