Arts Archive

The following is a recording of live readings from Tanwi Nandini Islam. Tanwi is the author of Bright Lines (Penguin 2015). She is the founder of Hi Wildflower Botanica, a small-batch niche perfume, candle and skincare line. Her writing has appeared in Elle.com, Fashionista.com, Open City, Women 2.0, Billboard.com and Gawker. A graduate of Brooklyn College MFA and Vassar College, she lives in Brooklyn, NY. As a disclaimer, the literature in this program does contain some profanity.

In this episode of Arts and Answers, Danielle Fox talks with artist Marylyn Dintenfass, known around the world for her vibrant paintings and installations that explore the shape through which we perceive the world—the circle. A New York native, Marylyn’s work has been included in more than 60 national and international exhibits. Her work can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. From now until October 24th, Marylyn is proud to present Oculus, her latest body of work, housed at Driscoll Babcock Galleries in Chelsea.

Kat Wright and the Indomitable Soul Band visited WKCR for an interview and performance on October 3rd, 2015. The band talked about their influences, their creative process, & how they came together as a group in Burlington, VT.

The following live readings are from Jennifer Sears and Francesca Giacco. Jennifer's fiction publications include Guernica, Ninth Letter, Fence, Fiction International, So to Speak, Barrelhouse, Sequestrum, The Journal of the Center for Mennonite Writing, and Fiction International. She has received awards from the Millay Colony for Arts, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Money for Women Fund, and The National Endowment for the Humanities.

The following live readings are from Kelli Trapnell and Kerry Cullen. Kelli recieved an MFA from Columbia University, and now enjoys writing literary horror. She has worked as a columnist and editor for Untapped Cities, a production editor for Apogee, and currently works for The New Yorker. Kerry also received an MFA at Columbia University, and has work published or forthcoming in One Teen Story, Prairie Schooner, Cicada, Monkeybicycle and elsewear.

The following are live readings by Kaitlyn Greenidge and Naomi Jackson. Kailtyn is a graduate of Hunter College’s MFA Fiction program and her work has appeared in American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, Kweli Journal, The Believer, Guernica and other places. Her debut novel, We Love You, Charlie Freeman will be published by Algonquin Press in 2016. Naomi Studied fiction at Iowa Writers Workshop and traveled to South Africa on a Fulbright scholarship, where she received an M.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town.

My guests tonight are Alex Cuff and Caitlin Blanchfield. Alex is a poet and public school teacher living in Brooklyn. Her writing can be found online in The Recluse, Apogee Journal, Sink Review, Two Serious Ladies, and Leveler. She’s a graduate of the Milton Avery School of the Arts at Bard College and co-founding editor of No, Dear magazine.

The following is a recording of live readings by Paco Marquez, Eva Saavedra, and Elizabeth Whittlesey. Paco is poetry editor at Washington Square. He’s been featured as Lo-Writer of the Week in Juan Felipe Herrera’s California Poet Laureate website, and he recently completed an MFA in poetry at NYU. His work has appeared in Occupoetry.org, and Apogee, among others.

The following is a recording of live readings by Brandon Caro and John Benditt. Brandon Caro is a veteran from Aphganistan who is pursuing an MFA in Fiction Writing from The New School, with works featured in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Whitehouse Magazine of Contemporary Art, and elsewhere. He will be reading from his debut novel, Old Silk Road, which will be released October 13th of this year.

This Arts & Answers episode features a conversation between WKCR programmer Alexa Mercado and guess Rafael Gamo and Susana Arellano who discuss their upcoming photography exhibit "Here There, Acá Alla." The exhibit documents th elives of first and second generation Mexican-American immigrant families. The opening reception is at The Bronx Documentary Center on August 29, 2015 from 6-9 PM free of chaarge. The exhibit runs from August 20 - September 13. For more information, visit herethereworkshop.org

The following is a live recording of excerpts from Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" performed by members of The Drilling Company. The company will be performing the play as a part of Bryant Park Shakespeare from September 4th until September 20th with shows on Friday and Saturday at 6:30 pm and shows on Sunday at 2 pm. The shows are free. In these excerpts, you will hear Alessandro Colla as Petruchio, Evangeline Fontaine as Katherina, Jarrod Bates as Tranio, Michael Bernstein as Gremio, and Lukas Raphael as Lucentio. Alessandro is also the director of the play.

The following is a recording of live readings by Marina Blitshteyn and Kara Thordarson, also known as K.T. Billey. Marina holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University, where she also served as a University Writing instructor and consultant. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, Lilith, No, Dear Magazine, Two Serious Ladies, and her latest chapbook is Nothing Personal. Kara holds a MFA in Poetry from Columbia University and is an assistant editor for the literary journal Asymptote.

The following is a recording of live readings by Elizabeth Blickle and Elisa Fernandez-Arias. Elizabeth is currently in the MFA program at Columbia University and will be sharing work from her thesis. Elisa received an MFA from Columbia in 2014, will soon be moving to Rome to teach English Composition at John Cabot University, and will be sharing an excerpt from the novel she is currently working on, The Under. Because of a technological error, the recording of this show was cut slightly short.

The following is an interview with James C. Strouse, the writer and director of the film People Places Things, and the star of the film, Jemaine Clement. The film follows a newly single graphic novel artist who is attempting to balance his twin daughters, students, and his love life. Strouse and Clement talk with WKCR programmer Chaim Lazaros about the character of the film, the artistic procress, the role illustrations play in the movie, and what audiences can learn from the film. People Places Things will be in theaters in New York City beginning Friday, August 14th.

The following interview is with Hubert Sauper, the Academy Award-nominated director of Darwin's Nightmare, discuss his latest documentary, We Come As Friends. In We Come As Friends, Sauper travels around the Sudan in a self-built airplane showing his audience glimpes into the present day colonization taking place. In this interview, Sauper talks with WKCR programmer Danielle Smith about the process of making the film, his artistic take on documentaries, and the troubling situation in Sudan right now.

The following is an interview with Tom Surgal, the writer and the director of the documentary, Fire Music. Fire Music is a full-length documentary about the Free Jazz Revolution–a subject which is often ignored when people discuss jazz. Fire Music is currently hosting a kickstarter campaign to help raise the necessary funds for completing this documentary. In this interview, Tom Surgal talks with WKCR programmer Gabe Ibagon about the genre of free jazz, the process of making the documentary, and his inspiration for this film.

The following is a recording of live readings by Christopher Swetala and Matthew Di Paoli. Christopher holds an MFA from Columbia University and is currently a researcher for the radio program This American Life. In addition to writing short stories, he has recently finished his first novel. Matthew also holds an MFA from Columbia, currently teaches Writing and Literature at Monroe College, and just published a novel entitled Killstanbul with El Balazo Press on July 25, 2015.

The following is a recording of live readings by Dr. Hannah Rogers and Carla Stockton, from the MFA program at Columbia, on the show Studio A.

The following is an interview with Sarah Fornace and Ben Kauffman, two of the artistic directors at Manual Cinema, a Chicago based shadow puppet company. Fornace and Kauffman talk with WKCR programmer Danielle Smith about Manual Cinema, Shadow Puppetry, and the show currently running in New York City, Ada/Ava. The show, using overhead projectors, shadow puppets, and live music, follows the elderly woman Ada as she deals with the death of twin sister Ava. The show takes place in a New England gothic setting and uses the supernatural and uncanny to explore themes of grief and death.

The following interview is with Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of the late Malcolm X, and co-author with Kekla Magoon of X: A Novel. Shabazz is also the author of Growing Up X and Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up To Become Malcolm X. In X: A Novel, Shabazz explores her father's adolescent years as he leaves Lansing, Michigan for the east coast only to find himself at the end of the novel in prison.

WKCR programmer Danielle Smith interviews Elaine Lee, travel writer and author of the first black travel guide of this era–Go Girl: The Black Women's Book of Travel and Adventure. The book is a compilation of travel stories written by African American women including Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, Audre Lorde, Jill Nelson, Alice Walker and Pearl Cleage. Lee talks with Smith about representation in the genre of travel writing, what it's like to be a "wander woman," as well as some traveling tips.

WKCR programmer Danielle Smith interviews Jan Gaye, author of After the Dance: My Life with Marvin Gaye. In her refreshingly honest memoir, Mrs. Gaye discusses her relationship and marriage with the late Marvin Gaye giving readers a greater understanding of her story. In this interview, Mrs. Gaye talks with Smith about her book, her writing experience, and her involvement with the Harlem Book Fair. Mrs.

WKCR programmer Kally Patz interviews Zvi Gotheiner, the artistic director of Zvi Dance. Gotheiner grew up in Northern Israel where he studied the violin with the Young Kibbutzim Orchestra until he began studying dance at the age of 17. He has performed with Joyce Trisler Dance Company, Feld Ballets/NY, and Bat Sheva Dance Company. He also directed Tamar Ramle and Jerusalem Tamar Dance Company in Israel before founding Zvi Dance in New York.

WKCR programmer Danielle Smith interviews Annie Holt, the executive artistic director of Morningside Opera, about the first performance of Harry Lawrence Freeman's opera, Voodoo, since its premiere in 1928. The concert performance will take place in Miller Theatre at 7:00 pm on June 26th and 27th. The performance is a collaboration between Morningside Opera, Harlem Opera Theater, and the Harlem Chamber Players. Holt speaks with WKCR programmer Danielle Smith about the life of Harry Lawrence Freeman, his opera Voodoo, and the production of the opera.

WKCR programmer Danielle Smith sits down with director Marc Silver to talk about his latest documentary, 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets. The film follows the aftermath of the murder of Jordan Davis and the trial of his killer, Michael Dunn. The film won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact at Sundance and the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at River Run. The film will be in theaters beginning June 19th.

WKCR programmer Danielle Smith sat down with Alexandra Watson, the managing editor of Apogee Journal, to discuss the release of Apogee's fifth issue. Apogee is a literary journal, whose self-proclaimed mission is to "publish exciting work that interrogates the status quo, providing a platform for unheard voices, including emerging writers of color."

Danielle Smith sat down with independent curator Yulia Topchiy to discuss the opening of an exhibit called Made in Ridgewood. The exhibit features the work of Joy Curtis, Riitta Ikonen, Yasue Maetake, Christian Sampson, Adam Sipe, and Josef Zutelgte, all artists who are based in Ridgewood. Made in Ridgewood opens on June 5th at 6:00 p.m. and will be open every day from 1-6 pm until June 30th. The exhibit is located at
1902 Palmetto Street, 1FL Ridgewood, NY.