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Come to the Hobo Cabaret
Tonight I will be rubbing elbows with sword swallowers, dancing dolls, fire eaters, burlesque dancers, and hobo poets. An average evening at home? Nope, the Fireball Masquerade at the Majestic Theater, put on by the traveling Yard Dogs Road Show. Described on their website as patchwork crew of “vaudeville and rock and roll,” the Yard Dogs promise to lead the “modern hobohemian on a visual and sonic journey through part of history that may or may not have existed – followed by an ambitious return to the emotional challenges of our punch-drunk contemporary world.” All of this for only ten dollars. What are you doing tonight? Photo by Hilary Hulteen.
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Everyone Needs a Photographer Friend
It is absolutely essential to be friends with at least one good photographer. Seriously. The person doesn’t need to be a professional–anyone with a decent camera, preferably a digital SLR, and knows how to use it, will do. In these days of constant life documentation on Facebook, Picasa, Flickr & Tumblr, you might as well look good. This is where the photographer friend comes in. A good photographer can make you look Project Runway-ready even if you’re feeling bloated, have a giant zit on your chin, and your hair decided not to conform to the styling products you put in it and instead looks straight out of a Flock of…
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Dance Your Troubles Away
I love these posters around town, but I don’t know what they are for. I find them both uplifting and creepy at the same time. Does anyone know who made them?
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On Writing: Give It All, Give It Now
American artist Sam Fink, who is in his nineties, published a gorgeous, illustrated version of Annie Dillard‘s advice to writers in a book called Give It All, Give It Now (Welcome Books, 2009). Lena Tabori recently featured some of the book’s illustrations on The Huffington Post. I found the article so inspiring that I wanted to share some of it here. The quotations featured in the illustrations are from Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life (Harper Perennial, 1990).
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Motherlode of Talent
Yesterday I attended “Listen to Your Mother” at the Barrymore, directed and produced by Madison blogger Ann Imig of Ann’s Rants. The show featured Madison writers reading their own pieces on the ever-complicated topic of modern motherhood. Many of the pieces were funny, some were poetic, others were sad, but all of them were heartfelt and inspiring. I’m not a mom to anyone other than my dog, but the show reminded me how important it is to have a community: whether it is fellow women, fellow moms, fellow writers, or all of the above.
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Gallery Night
Tonight is Madison’s semiannual Gallery Night. Get out there and support your local artists! And if you don’t like art, go for the drinks. You don’t need to be a highfalutin fancy pants to attend. Artists’ work will be shown at coffee shops, museums, and even pet stores. Here’s a listing of all the events around town: http://www.mmoca.org/events/gallerynight/index.php I will be attending an exhibit of artist and fellow writer, Juliette Crane, at EVP Coffee Shop at 1250 E. Washington Avenue. Ghost Town Council will be providing live music, so stop on in between 5:00 and 9:00 if you are in the neighborhood. Even if you aren’t, it will be worth…
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