As holiday roadtrips grow imminent, it’s time to plan how you’ll while away the hours you’ll spend in transit. Here at Flavorpill, we’re stocking our iPods with playlists for every time of day, part of the country, and state of mind. But listening to music only goes so far when you’re craving good conversation and your shotgun rider has fallen asleep (or you’re taking the bus or plane solo), which is why we’re filling up on brain candy in addition to ear candy. Below the jump, browse through the engrossing, educational, and entertaining podcasts we highly recommend for the road. Read More »
Since today marks the beginning of New York Book Week, we’d like to feature some events that are open to the public and might be of interest to you, dear reader. Most of them are free, so all you have to do is wander in and enjoy. If you’d like more information, head over to BookExpo America’s website here, where you’ll find a ton of readings, signings, and roundtable discussions across the city this week.
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In 1997, novelist George Dawes Green was homesick. Back in his native Georgia, on muggy, cricket-filled nights, his friends used to gather outdoors on the porch to spin stories to one another, chatting into the night while moths gathered overhead, bumping into the lightbulbs. Green, determined to recreate those gatherings in New York, founded The Moth, a non-profit literary organization dedicated to just that.
Over the past decade, The Moth sponsored live storytelling events in communities across the country, as well as launching a Moth podcast and public radio show, featuring heavyweights like Malcolm Gladwell and Salman Rushdie. Last night, The Moth had its annual fundraising gala at Capitale in Manhattan. Wry comments, feather boas, and vintage ballgowns abounded, and literary rock stars — like host Jonathon Ames and honorees Calvin Trillin — mingled with past Moth contributors. Check out our photos and read some of the best quotes of the night, after the jump.
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Remember back when we went to the Indie & Small Press Book Fair and saw the Moth storytellers do their thing? Remember the giant fortune cookie-cum-vagina? We got the opportunity to talk with the brave bearer of that costume, Elna Baker, whose first book, The New York Mormon Regional Singles Halloween Dance, is due out next fall. Baker, who started out doing one-woman shows after stunning her NYU professor with her storytelling skills, has been participating in the Moth for the past three years; it has been a life-changing experience that led her to pitch a story to Elle and ultimately land the book deal. She’s told stories at the Moth Mainstage and on This American Life.
After the jump, check out Baker’s advice on everything from finding the right place to write, to what not to say when you’re on a date.
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