Tag: Brooklyn Book Festival

Episode 52 – a Muse (Part 2)

Our first story finds a dyed-in-wool New Yorker facing unforeseen suburban horrors. Negotiating neighborly encounters that make her question whether to recalibrate her moral barometer to keep up with the Joneses. Or, in this case, the Weavers.

Kicking off the second half of our special Brooklyn Book Festival event at The Astoria Bookshop, here is Ellie Dvorkin reading “The Neighbor’s Muse” written by H.E. Fisher.

Top left: Ellie Dvorkin; Top right: Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons and H.E. Fisher; Bottom left: Story partners!; Bottom right: H.E. Fisher

Switching it up, in our next story, a daughter fails to find anything amusing about her lifelong role of caretaker. Her mother’s recent health scare causing her to rethink the responsibilities we take on, the ones put upon us, and what it takes to release yourself from burdens of the past. H.E. Fisher reads “Fun” written by Ellie Dvorkin.

For this 2019 Brooklyn Book Festival event, we partnered with The Astoria Bookshop for a special evening of poets and comedians trading true tales inspired by the theme “aMuse.” Stories performed live on September 17th, 2019.

Storeis were directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons who also narrated this episode.

Episode 51 – a Muse (Part 1)

First up, Pichchenda Bao’s “Speak, Muse” contemplates the roles we are assigned in life and the roles we adopt: refugee, American, daughter, mother, artist, citizen; the compromises we make for survival and the ways we interpret silence, and ultimately how we can expand, not contract, our relationship to each other and the world.

Read for us here by Carolyn Castiglia.

Story partners: Pichchenda Bao and Carolyn Castiglia

Switching it up, in Carolyn Castiglia’ s story “A Friend Request,” the author looks back at a time in her early twenties when she chose comfort over vulnerability and suffering over fulfillment. A small gesture reminds her how people who pass through our lives can show back up on our radar years later to remind us how we’ve weathered life’s storms.

For this 2019 Brooklyn Book Festival event, we partnered with The Astoria Bookshop for a special evening of poets and comedians trading true tales inspired by the theme “aMuse.” Stories performed live on September 17th, 2019.

“Speak, Muse” was directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons.

“A Friend Request” was directed by Erika Iverson.

Podcast narrated by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons.

Congratulations “A Muse” Story Partners!

Poets and stand-ups trading true-life tales inspired by a theme was a jumping-off point for our Brooklyn Book Festival Event… Our four storytellers ran with that aMUSE-ing idea and all took fantastic leaps last night.

Congratulations to our story partners on fully embodying each other’s stunning stories and captivating the crowd. There was standing room only at The Astoria Bookshop but not a word was missed.

Top left: Pichchenda Bao, Carolyn Castiglia; Top right: H.E. Fisher, Ellie Dvorkin; Bottom left: Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons, Ellie Dvorkin, H.E. Fisher; Bottom right: Carolyn Castiglia, Pichchenda Bao

Meet “A Muse” Storyteller Carolyn Castiglia

Sep 17 2019 @ 7:00PM

Meet comedian Carolyn Castiglia who is rehearsed and ready to “aMuse” you.

TONIGHT! 7 pm SHARP at The Astoria Bookshop.

 

Carolyn Castiglia is a stand-up comedian you may recognize from her television appearances on Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, HLN, NickMom, Lifetime, fyi, WE tv and more. Or from the thousands of live performances she’s given here in our great city of New York. She lives in Brooklyn with her 13-year-old daughter and their very handsome cat.

Don’t miss this special evening of poets and comedians trading true-life tales!

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2019 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL EVENT.

Event Information

Sep 17 2019 @ 7:00PM

The Astoria Bookshop (31-29 31st St Astoria NY 11106)

Meet “A Muse” Storyteller Pichchenda Bao

Sep 17 2019 @ 7:00PM

Tuesday! Arrive at The Astoria Bookshop early to grab a seat (and wine!) and stories start at 7 pm SHARP. Rehearsals begin tomorrow but first, meet “aMuse” storyteller Pichchenda Bao.

Pichchenda Bao is a writer and poet. Born at the end of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, she was an infant when her mother carried her across the Thai border. She and her parents arrived in the United States as refugees. Now she lives, writes, and raises her two young children in New York City. Her work has been published by Newtown Literary, the Stilt House zine, and great weather for MEDIA, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is a 2019 Aspen Words emerging writer fellow.

Event Information

Sep 17 2019 @ 7:00PM

The Astoria Bookshop (31-29 31st St Astoria NY 11106)

Meet “A Muse” Storyteller Ellie Dvorkin

Sep 17 2019 @ 7:00PM

Second story meeting for No, YOU Tell It! “a Muse” is tonight! The full group is coming back together to workshop each other’s revisions in preparation for next week’s Brooklyn Book Festival event at The Astoria Bookshop. First, let’s meet our next aMUSEr, comedian Ellie Dvorkin.

Ellie Dvorkin is an actor/writer/host who is best known as one half of the hilarious comedy music duo “Mel & El”. Hailed as “outrageous” by The New York Times and “ready for prime time” by The New York Post, Mel & El have brought down the house at Joe’s Pub, Ars Nova, Gotham Comedy Club, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, 92Y, and onboard Atlantis gay cruises. These days, El’s bathroom humor can be seen/read on MomCaveTV, but it is most appreciated by her five-year-old son Charlie, who loves to talk about butts. See more at elliedvorkin.com and welcometothemommyshow.com.

Event Information

Sep 17 2019 @ 7:00PM

The Astoria Bookshop

BKBF Bookend Event

Summer’s flying by but we have a reason to be super excited for September.

Save the date for No, YOU Tell It! “aMuse” on September 17th at The Astoria Bookshop. THIS IS AN OFFICIAL 2019 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL EVENT.

For this special BKBF Bookend event, we are bringing poets and stand-ups together to develop their nonfiction stories inspired by the theme “aMuse” on the page. Then trade their true-life tales on stage.

Check back for more info on our storytellers soon!

No, YOU Tell It! at The Brooklyn Book Festival

We had a great time at The Literary Review‘s booth today at The Brooklyn Book Festival.  TLR Associate Prose Editor and ‘3 Strikes’ switched-up storyteller Kahle Alford met with writers interested in submitting to TLR during Editor Office Hours while our own Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons took a less literary approach to the day…

Brooklyn Book Festival collage

September 20, 2015 Post Comment News Tags: ,

Visit Us & TLR at the Brooklyn Book Festival!

Thank you to everyone who came out to our special team-up show with The Literary Review on Wednesday at Jimmy’s No. 43.

TLR greats Kahle Alford (Associate Prose Editor) and Tim Waldron (Online Fiction Editor) ended up hitting it out of the park when they swapped their ‘3 Strikes’ stories.

3 Strikes Kahle and Tim

Sad you missed the show and the chance to win some literary swag?

Good news. Subscribe to our NEW NYTI Weekly PODCAST and you can hear Kahle and Tim’s stories when their episode airs this week. You can also visit us at The Literary Review’s booth at the Brooklyn Book Festival today – Sunday, September 20th. #246!

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