Hustler of Culture
I was fortunate to perform last night at a benefit for the Center for Digital Storytelling which was celebrating its 10 year anniversary. Fray has had a long time association with the organization and Derek asked a couple of us frayers to come and represent.
Based on a wealth of talent that showed up, it looks like a neat little organization that associated with lots of artists in multiple storytelling traditions. Glad I got to know them.
Public Radio Fan is a godsend for sound geeks like me. Its main feature is an enormous real-time list of what public radio programs are on right now, at every streamable station in the country. So instead of plundering the archives of This American Life (which I’ve probably done eight times over), you can sample an enormous list of music, news, and arts programming from around the world, at any hour of the day. Fantastic.
The radio show here in San Francisco I contribute to, Invisible Ink, a clever attempt to merge zine culture and public radio, has begun archiving its shows on the web. Now you can hear the first 4 episodes of a great new program I’m describing as “Utne Reader on the Radio.” I’m not in any of them but that shouldn’t stop you. I’m set to head into the studio this week to record my first story.
Invisible Ink can be heard every Sunday at 2 PM PST on KALW 91.7 FM public radio in San Francisco or live via the web at KALW.org.
Suzan and I ran into Roman Mars, the esteemed creator of the show yesterday at the Alternative Press Expo where we both gabbed about the zine world while she mostly rolled her eyes. More on that later…
Now this looks like a way cool job (via Tip of the Quil).
Invisible Ink is a new radio show featuring the best of zines, small presses and magazines and their practictioners. It’s a bit like Utne Reader on the radio, a bit like an audio zine. In either case, it’s a great concept and is broadcast every Sunday at 2 PM on 91.7 KALW Radio San Francisco and streamed live at KALW.org for those not in Bay Area. I’m pretty sure all shows will be archived on their web site too.
Also, you can sign up for their newsletter to stay informed about future shows.
*Whisper* I’m a contributor to Invisible Ink. Listen for my stories later this month which you’ll hear about ad nauseum right here.
Megnut pointed the other day to Save Our Sounds, a federal organization to preserve America’s audio heritage. Many of the original recordings of Langston Hughes’s early poetry readings, work songs by Chinese railway workers and speeches by nearly every president of the 20th century were recorded on wax cylinders and other fragile media. Many of these sounds could be lost forever if not safely transfered to digital. If my experience with film preservation is indicative of anything, this is a time consuming and expensive process.
To donate, please visit here.
I can’t say enough good things about the 20 Things Benefit Auction, a project of the 20 Things art swapping project. I’ve always been excited by and seriously envious of my friends who leaped with gusto into 20T’s swaps, where you made 20 little pieces of art and then traded them with 19 other creatively-minded individuals. One of these days I’ll screw up the courage to join in. For now though, I’m captivated by wealth of creativity and diversity (there’s even southern folk pottery in here) on display and for sale. All proceeds go to worhty causes like Doctors Without Borders and The National Partnership for Women and Families.
Congratulations to all those involved, especially Judith Zissman, the powerhouse behind the whole thing.
Off to bid.
Marion Ettlinger was Terry Gross’s guest on Fresh Air yesterday, a name you’ll probably recognize less than the images she creates. Ettlinger is one of the country’s best known author photographers, specializing in those dust jacket pictures on hardcovers that put a face to an author’s words. She’s also been accused of “glamming up famously unattractive authors” which seems like kind of a silly complaint. I mean, hey, I already think Sarah Vowell is sexy, even though Ettlinger’s portrait backs me up.
Should you happen to miss one of your favorite shows on TV, don’t Tivo, read. Recaps that is at Television Without Pity. They’re kinda self-rightous but awfully funny.
Arts & Letters Daily is back, now run by the Chronicle of Higher Education. I’ve missed it.