Category: New York

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NATALIA OSIPOVA MUGGED

 

I really hesitate to post this in case my mom still reads my blog. She’s an avid Law and Order watcher and she’s always thinking if I go for 24 hours without calling or emailing her it must be because something’s happened to me like what happens to everyone on Law and Order, and because L&A is on every day and I live in the same city, every day, every hour in New York City people must be getting attacked and going missing and what not…

Anyway, according to the New York Times, none other than Natalia Osipova, the Bolshoi dancer guest starring with ABT this season, whom everyone and their dog – including me – is going on and on and on about being the greatest dancer extant, was mugged yesterday after watching a performance of Sleeping Beauty at ABT. The Times isn’t specific about exactly where she was attacked, but apparently it happened near the Met, as she was crossing Amsterdam Avenue, in the early morning. Two men came up behind her, hit her in the face and ran off with her bag, which contained pointe shoes and a small hammer she uses to shape them. Thankfully, she seems to be okay and will still dance Sleeping Beauty this weekend and Romeo and Juliet in two weeks.

It’s just crazy though. This is what New York used to be like in the Dinkins era, pre-Guiliani, like over 15 years ago, when I first moved here. Now we’re reverting. I guess the effects of the recession have finally hit.

Thank you to reader Roksolana for sending me the link.

Photo by Gene Schiavone.

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HAPPY WORLD CUP EVERYONE!

Holy crap, I cannot believe these photos were taken four years ago, right after I’d just started this blog, actually.

 

Like a proper newly obsessed samba fanatic, I’d dragged my friends to a Sushi Samba restaurant in the Flatiron District to watch the final game, between Brazil and … I don’t even remember 🙂 I think we had a lot of caipirinhas… But we also tasted for the first time Feijoada, Brazil’s national dish. It was like comfort food to me, having grown up on Mexican, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

 

 

Alyssa and Kathy were very excited about the farofa, which we sprinkled over it. It looked like parmesan cheese but tasted like very buttery, finely-ground cous-cous. Delicious.

 

These shoes were, and probably ridiculously, remain, the only item of clothing I own that is either green or yellow (Brazil’s colors). I seem to wear all black and red… and it’s funny how in some ways you don’t change.

Anyway … how does four years go so fast?… That was really a blast though. This year, I think I’m going to try to get friends together and do the same — whoever wins, celebrate that country with … what else – food!

Will be hard to take a break from watching my Yankees, but that’s the way it’s going to have to be unless I want to watch them on my home TV which really just doesn’t appeal…

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BEA

You guys, I am sorry about being out of it the last few days. BookExpo America is currently underway at the Javits Center and my week is nuts. But I promise to get up a review of the two ABT Bayaderes that I saw last week — especially since it was Cory Stearns’s debut as Solor and Hee Seo’s debut as Gamzatti! I will write more later this week, after all the madness has ended. In the meantime, here are some photos of BEA thus far. Above, the entrance, although early in the week there wasn’t much activity. Today is the beginning of the free galley (book before book goes to market) giveaways so I think it’ll be a lot more packed.

Big advertisement for John Grisham’s new, soon-to-be-released book — because who needs more publicity than John Grisham, right?

Inside the Javits Center. I’m standing in the ridiculously long Starbucks line, for my overpriced cup of coffee. Everything in Javits is ridiculously expensive. If you ever have a conference there, bring your lunch!

My book, along with some of the other Book of the Year Award finalists in the ForeWord Reviews stand at the new book exhibit.

And last night at Providence in midtown was the IPPY (Independent Publisher) Book Awards. For each of the gold medalists they had a continuous little slide show whereby they’d project a picture of the cover of your book, along with details like author and publisher, onto these big screens throughout the restaurant so everyone could see. Very very nice 🙂

Anyway, thoughts on Bayadere, as well as the Millepied / Karoui / Escaich event at the Guggenheim coming soon!

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SWALLOW NAMED FINALIST IN 2010 IPPYS

So psyched! My novel is a finalist in this year’s IPPY Awards, in the regional fiction division. I’m psyched both because, if the entrants mean anything (and I’m sure they do), this is a pretty prestigious contest for indie publishers (just scroll down to the Literary Fiction division, for starters – I mean, Matterhorn guy is there for cry eye! And the highly regarded indie publisher Other Press has a bunch of finalists, McSweeney’s has one in the Popular Fiction category, Rachel Kramer-Bussel, the queen of erotica, is in the Erotica division, etc. etc.). I’m also happy because I’m in the race for a regional award. I tried to make New York a real character in the story as much as the human characters and I feel my book is as much a New York novel as it is one about a young woman with Globus Hystericus. This makes me feel I kinda succeeded in doing that (at least in someone’s estimation 🙂 ).

I really really wanted an IPPY! And I really wanted to be in the running in ForeWord’s BOTYA (btw, here is a pic of my little ole book in their display at the recent London Book Fair — I’m on middle shelf all the way at the end). So, I am very happy right now — particularly after getting T-rashed by one reviewer — which put me in a blue funk for days… More on that to come!

Book publicity stuff and planning for the party tonight have put me behind on dance reviews (4 to be exact — Luciana Achugar’s rather eerie Puro Deseo at the Kitchen, the birth of a compelling new modern dance company – DeMa — which took place on Thursday night at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theatre, and two NYCB performances). I promise to try to get to them tomorrow afternoon and Monday.

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WILD FIDDLEHEADS

My friend and I went to DUMBO yesterday for an open artists’ studios tour (some of the buildings that house groups of  artists’ studios have a day once a month when they allow visitors inside to peruse and talk to the artists about their work). We stayed for a while afterward to explore the area a bit. We found these in a grocery store there, which I found interesting. Never had fiddleheads before. And $25.99 per pound?!!!

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FOREWORD, SMASHWORDS, AND SHE-WRITES

Swallow received a positive review in ForeWord Reviews this week, which made me very very happy. ForeWord is an industry magazine, specializing in independently-published books and is read by librarians and booksellers and the like. The reviewer called me an “exuberant writer” — both in the book and here on my blog! Hehehe, no, really?!?! 🙂 I so love the last sentence.

Also, I’ve made the book available on Smashwords, which is an e-book seller and distributor. I know lots of people don’t have a Kindle and some were having problems downloading the Kindle ap to their computers or iphones, etc., so on Smashwords it is available in a variety of formats for virtually any kind of e-reader, including your computer. It’s been approved for the Apple iPad and should be on that soon. And pricing is the same as on the Amazon Kindle.

Finally, on Thursday night the newish writer organization SheWrites had its first NYC get-together, at the chi chi Marc Forgione bar and restaurant in TriBeCa. Huge turnout! I got a t-shirt (above) since I was one of the first five to arrive. And those of us who’ve published did a book exchange. So, I ended up making off with two books — The Last Bridge, a really intense-looking novel by Teri Coyne, and The Futurist’s Mistress, a book of poetry (which I don’t read nearly enough of) by Lorraine Schein. If you’re a writer (you don’t need to be published and you don’t need to be female; you just need to be supportive of women’s writing) I recommend joining. It’s free and fun and there are great networking and socializing opportunities.

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CASTING FOR OPENING NIGHT NEW YORK CITY BALLET

 

Ballet season is almost here in NYC! New York City Ballet opens April 29th with a program that includes two premieres — one by Benjamin Millepied and one by Alexei Ratmansky (now ABT’s resident choreographer). The Millepied ballet, set to music by Thierry Escaich, will star several SLSG favorites: Janie Taylor, Sara Mearns, Sean Suozzi and Amar Ramasar.

The Ratmansky, set to a score by Eduoard Lalo, will be danced by Wendy Whelan, Jenifer Ringer, Sara Mearns, Robert Fairchild, Megan Fairchild, Abi Stafford, and Daniel Ulbricht.

The two world premieres will launch this season’s Architecture of Dance – New Choreography and Music Festival, devoted to new work. Acclaimed architect Santiago Calatrava has created scenic designs for five of the season’s premieres, including opening night’s Millepied piece.

Go here for tickets and details.

Above drawing by Santiago Calatrava.

ABT, currently on tour in Chicago, opens its classical season at the Met, in honor of its 70th anniversary this year, later, in May.

ABT, NYCB, Yankees — CLEARLY the best time of the year 😀

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SWALLOW IS A FINALIST IN THE LIVING NOW BOOK AWARDS

My novel has just been named a finalist in the Living Now Book Awards, in the category of Women’s Fiction. This is a new contest (last year was its first year; this is the first year they’ve accepted fiction) run by Independent Publisher, a literary review devoted to indie publishers. These awards recognize “lifestyle” books intended for the North American market that “enhance the quality of our lives” and help us to live better. (Click on the above link to see other finalists in other categories.) Winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22nd, and awards will be given on May 25th at Book Expo America, held this year here in NYC.

May 25th at BEA is going to be a big day for me: in addition to this award, the winners of ForeWord Magazine‘s Book of the Year Award will be announced as will the finalists in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. It’s going to be my first time attending a book expo and I’m really excited about it! Will def do a lot of live Tweeting from the expo!

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ART FOR CHANGE PRESENTS: HAITI: BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS THERE ARE MOUNTAINS

 

My friend, Alyssa, who is an independent art curator, is helping to curate a new show for Art For Change. This one is to benefit Haiti and opens this Friday, March 5th in the Art For Change lobby, located at 1699 Lexington Avenue. There’s a party on opening night, from 7-11 in said lobby, with a suggested donation of $20-$100. All proceeds from door admissions and a portion of proceeds from art sales will benefit Partners in Health in Haiti. Hors d’oeuvres and entertainment, featuring Haitian DJ Sabine, will be provided, along with of course the art. Should be exciting! For more information and a list of artists, go here.

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DRUCILLA CORNELL AT TRIBECA BARNES & NOBLE TONIGHT


I was in the Tribeca Barnes & Noble yesterday and saw this poster. Tonight, at 7:00, my former Feminist Jurisprudence professor is giving a talk about her latest book, about Clint Eastwood (as director) and contemporary American masculinity. I think it sounds fascinating. Unfortunately, I have a prior commitment and can’t go, but if you have no plans and you’re in NY, please don’t miss her. She is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met in my life and I’m sure it will be well worth it to hear her speak.