Writers, Orhan Pamuk, Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie taking selfies, pre-iPhone with Pamuk’s new camera. PEN World Voices, Cooper Union, New York City, 2007.
Link Ensemble Wows the Wedding Crowd
Full disclosure, the Link Ensemble Vocalist, Madeline Jentsch, is my niece. But we still wholeheartedly endorse and recommend these wildly talented artists. Rounding out the trio are Madeline’s life partner, Phillip Goist, Cello, and his identical twin brother, David Goist, Violin.
They are alumni of the prestigious and rigorous, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, (CCM), undergraduate and graduate programs.
During the pandemic when orchestras and opera houses shuttered their doors, these talented entrepreneurs took matters into their own hands and started performing online at churches, weddings, holiday parties, whatever the occasion, they were game. Now that they can perform live, and are on the road again, they have become so popular they are booking events almost two years from now. We got lucky and captured this song on our phone at Madeline’s brother, Max’s, wedding to his wife, Maggie.
To learn more, check out The Link Ensemble.
Larry Kramer on the Origins of U.S. Inequality
At the time, Larry Kramer‘s 2004 speech, “Tragedy of Today’s Gays,” inflamed the LGBTQ community on his harsh rhetoric on sex and drug addition within the LGBTQ community.
Film, Tech, & Social Enterprise RESOURCES
Resources To Get Started
- Sundance CoLab Resources: A-Z resources on all things film and storytelling.
- 10 Resources Every New York Filmmaker Should Know. Useful blog post by Jonathan Sherberne.
- BRIC: Brooklyn hub for diverse creative media makers.
- Bronx Documentary Center: Inspired community-based storytelling.
- David Lynch’s The Interview Project: Video mosaic of the American experience.
- MediaStorm: An eclectic showcase for multimedia storytelling.
- MIT: Comparative Media Studies and MIT Media Lab
- NYC Media Lab: Connects tech and digital media companies with New York’s universities to foster innovation and entrepreneurship.
- USC: Annenberg Innovation Lab: University of Southern California’s hub of technology, research and innovation.
- Sagindie: Great resource for NYC filmmakers. Search for resources for all U.S. states.
- Scribe Video Center: Emerging and experienced media artists create video projects for the community.
- World Press Video: Collection of video interviews with leading photographers and storytellers, created to inspire and designed to share.
Kara Walker’s Sublime Sphinx Exposes Our Complicated Sugared Past
The line stretches over two city blocks, and for a Friday afternoon, just after 5 p.m., it was said by many a friend to be the best time to go. What is causing this must-see frenzy at the abandoned asbestos-laden Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg’s Water’s Edge? Continue reading “Kara Walker’s Sublime Sphinx Exposes Our Complicated Sugared Past”
The Shanghai Restoration Project, Zhang Le and NeochaEDGE Wows NYC
The Shanghai Restoration Project had the sold-out audience at New York’s Asia Society shouting for more after their curtain call. But it was only day two of the Chindia Dialogues, a four-day festival of Chinese and Indian writers, thinkers, artists and performers coming together for the Asian Arts + Ideas Forum, and the staff needed to pace itself. As the lights went up, the audience buzzed with appreciation, having watched stunning statuesque Shanghai singer, Zhang Le, and New York Hip Hop artist, Jamahl Richardson, riff on traditional Chinese melodies spiced with New York Hip Hop. The dazzling videos were equally stunning. Continue reading “The Shanghai Restoration Project, Zhang Le and NeochaEDGE Wows NYC”
Writer, Mark Leydorf, Makes Art On The A Train
Actor and Writer, Mark Leydorf, talks about his latest incarnation: Artist.
Continue reading “Writer, Mark Leydorf, Makes Art On The A Train”
PEN World Voices: Zadie Smith
Writer Zadie Smith on her surprise at enjoying a PEN World Voices Festival.
Writer Ishmael Beah Talks To NYC Kids On Being a Child Soldier
Ishmael Beah talks to New York City high school kids about his memoir, A Long Way Gone, about his experience as a child soldier in Sierra Leone.
Bowery: The Times They Are A-Changin’
Boutique hotels and $25 burgers make it hard for any art institution to survive, but if they have a Bowery address, it’s near impossible. Once analogous with flop houses and wet brains, the Bowery has become one of the most sought after addresses in the City. We spoke with a couple of the last holdouts of Bowery institutions, Don Holman founder of the Bowery Poetry Club and Tony Amato, founder of the Amato Opera. After a successful 60-year run Amato shuttered his doors in 2009. We were lucky to catch up with him before his retirement. Continue reading “Bowery: The Times They Are A-Changin’”