Here’s three events happening at my day job very soon that might be down the alleys of random readers of this blog. All programs are FREE and open to the public. The Writers House is located at 3805 Locust Walk, on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.

A lot of the times programs at work wind up being background noise to me, but that’s mainly because I deal with the administrative end of things. If you couldn’t tell from this blog that I have some slight interest in music/culture writing, and so for once it’s like, finally, something that appeals to me. It would be fantastic if you could come out and support these events, in order to keep them happening at KWH! (And feel free to check out our calendar for other great events.)

» Thursday 9/27, 6PM: A Conversation with Music Journalist ALAN LIGHT, introduced by ANTHONY DECURTIS.

Alan Light is the author of The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys. He is the former editor-in-chief of Vibe, Spin, and Tracks magazines, and a former senior writer for Rolling Stone. He currently writes for the New York Times, Spin and other publications. He is also the editor of the New York Times bestseller Tupac Shakur and The Vibe History of Hip Hop.

» Thursday 10/4, 6PM: A presentation by author and music historian IRWIN CHUSID, introduced by KENNY GOLDSMITH. Co-sponsored by the ICA and Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing.

Irwin Chusid has spent many years unearthing and documenting obscure and unusual music as part of his efforts to preserve some of the “musical landmarks” of our time. As a record producer and music historian he has spearheaded many efforts to archive original recordings by outsider musicians and has authored a book, Songs In The Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music (A Cappella Books/Chicago Review Press), chronicling the work of some of the seminal figures of outsider music. As a music writer and historian he has published many articles in Pulse, Mojo, New York Press, New York Times, Billboard, Mix, and elsewhere. He has spoken about outsider music at many galleries, museums, and theaters including New York’s Museum of Folk Art, the Coolidge Corner Theater in Boston, and the Beursschouwburg in Brussels.

» Tuesday 10/30, 6PM: Comics expert DOUGLAS WOLK and graphic novelist HANS RICKHEIT

Douglas Wolk is an author and critic who has written on comics and popular music for the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork Media, and other prestigious publications and websites. He has published two books, the first a volume in the 33 1/3 series on James Brown’s Live At The Apollo (2004, Continuum Books) and Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean (2007, Da Capo Press). In Reading Comics, Wolk advances the idea that comics are not a failed attempt at cinema, not a derivative form of literature, but an entirely new and modern form of art. Because comics have only recently begun to grapple with their artistic potential, there is not yet a critical language sufficient to fully discuss them, a problem that Wolk’s book begins to solve. Wolk’s engaging, approachable, and thorough criticism is rooted in deep knowledge of and love for his subject, making it an ideal read for those who have been lifelong comics readers and also for those looking for an way to approach their daunting and rich world for the first time

Hans Rickheit has recently come to Philadelphia from Boston, where he had been dedicated member of the Zeitgeist Gallery, a Cambridge art space for local fringe artists. Throughout his career Rickheit has self-published his own cartoons, made several short films, made experimental noise music, and, in partnership with Gallery owner Alan Nidle, helped to publish Cambridge Inferno, a showcase for local cartoonists. Rickheit’s art is concerned with the surreal, the disquieting transition from the waking world to the nightmare. In 2001 these artistic concerns found their most coherent form in Chloe, his Xeric Foundation award-winning first graphic novel. In Chloe, the titular girl’s search for her runaway dog serves as the departure point for Rickheit to explore themes of alienation, mutation, sexual transgression, mutation, and the philosophy of creativity itself, all presented through his own distinctively horrific imagery. Rickheit continues to publish his work in his own Chrome Fetus magazine, currently through issue six, and is presently working on The Squirrel Machine, his second graphic novel.

Wolk’s portion will be a brief lecture in which he outlines the multitude of forms that comics can take, the ways in which they tell stories, and the present state of the comics world. Rickheit’s portion of the program will consist of a slide show of some of his stories accompanied by avant garde violin, and will be followed by a brief talk by the artist. For those interested in learning more about comics, this program will provide an unusual opportunity to both see and learn about the art form.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 at 11:50 am and is filed under general, local, management, writing.