Sasha Soren

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Arte Six: February 2004
All the arts. All the time.
[Art – Music – Dance – Film – Books – Travel – Life]
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Arte Six is the official newsletter of SashaSoren.com.

Read online: http://www.sashasoren.com/newsletter.htm
Subscribe: artesix@sashasoren.com

NB: Use info listed at your own risk. Arte Six gives no warranty to completeness, accuracy, or fitness for any purpose, ie. use your head, like yo' mama said.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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LIVES
Alisa Valdes-Rodriquez, novelist

ART
Madrid/Ruina – Aesthetics of Destruction
Paris/KMZ Happening!
NYC/"Iceland" @ P.S. 122
NYC/"Instant Cinema"
LA/"Risen: Tales of Golems and Voodoo"

MUSIC
Melinda Beasi, Tears in X-Ray Eyes, Down Pilot,
Trespassers William, Daughter Darling, Bopa King Carré

DANCE
NYC/Danspace Sunday Rap-Ups, Elise Monte, Sydney Dance Company, Flow workshop
MASS/Decay of the Angel, Maureen Fleming

FILM/SCREENWRITING
Casting: TLC “Date Patrol” and interns needed, “In the Life”, Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin

BOOKS/WRITERS
NYC/KGB Bar - Reading, Paul McCauley
Novelist Caren Lissner on “The Hard Road”
NYC/P.S. 122 - Reading, Worst! Sex! Ever!

TRAVEL
Paris: Le Mur Des Je T’Aime (The Wall of I Love Yous)

LIFE
The Post with the Most

SCI/TECH
Chaos theory and origami. Whoo hoo.

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LIVES (interviews and profiles)
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Alisa Valdes-Rodriquez, novelist
“Swapping Sides”

When I was 15 years old, I wrote in my diary that I wanted to be a novelist.

I already knew at that age I was a writer. Not that I wanted to be a writer, but that I was born with a need to write and a love for the process of writing.

I stumbled into a career as a newspaper reporter because it was one of the few where you could get paid to write.

I enjoyed it, overall. But there were times when I realized I was different from many reporters around me.

Such as?

Sitting outside the house of a woman whose husband had just driven a city bus into the Charles River and killed himself.

I was sobbing at the emotional intensity and tragedy of the event, everyone else seemed impatient, annoyed that she didn't want to talk.

I didn't feel like my colleagues saw this new widow as a human being, but as a subject. They were more concerned with scooping each other and landing on page one than they were about her as a person.

It repulsed me to be in a pack of vultures like that.

But I learned some valuable skills as a reporter, that have served me well as a novelist.

First, that there's no such thing as writer's block; it's an excuse. When you're looking at a deadline and the paper must come out, you write. That's all there is to it. The most disciplined writers I know are newspaper reporters.

One in particular stands out.

Karen Avenoso, a brilliant, beautiful young reporter at the “Boston Globe”, was dying of cancer.
She was undergoing chemotherapy.

And yet there she was, in the newsroom, typing away on deadline two desks away from me. She got up now and then, pale and haggard, to stretch, and at one point got down on her back, flat on the floor, because the pain was so intense.

After a while, she was up again, typing.
She turned her story in, and then a month or so later, she died.

When I meet self-important authors in the literary world (and there is no shortage, trust me) who complain that it took ten years for the muse to bite
their limited asses, I think of Karen.

And I have little patience for the "artists" who require adoration, rituals or alcohol, or whatever the hell they need, in order to write.

Reporters never have that luxury, and they don't complain.

Reporters are the unsung heroes of the literary world.

I also learned fearlessness as a news writer.
I covered horrible plane crashes, murders, rapes, hate crimes - all manner of bloody, toxic things
no normal person would want to be around.

I interviewed human monsters who'd shaken babies to death, and looked into their eyes.

I learned to ask questions I dreaded asking, of people I feared and loathed, and I learned to distill from complex realities a truth simple enough for someone with a fifth-grade education to understand.

I am mystified by literary writers - and critics - who think good writing means complicated, almost unintelligible writing.

As a newspaper writer, I realized the goal of all writers should be communication, clean and clear.
Before newspapers, I might have written in a showy, needy prose, so people noticed me, the writer, and my genius or something.

Now I can step aside, leave the curly writing to someone else, and simply write to communicate, my heart to the reader's heart, with as little clutter
between us as possible. It is harder by far to write clearly than it is to write congestedly.

Another quality I think good journalists develop is a powerful sense of empathy. And empathy is a necessary quality in good fiction.

A good journalist learns to listen, hard. And to understand. Not judge. A good novelist should try to do the same.

Without empathy or the ability to listen well to people, a reporter doesn't get a story.

Without empathy and the ability to listen well, novelist has shallow characters and fake-sounding dialogue. I absolutely believe newspapers
are the best training ground for writers, of any kind.

Journalism was limiting to me, however, in terms of truth-telling.

I feel more able to tell the truth, or at least my truth regarding race and ethnicity, in fiction than I ever did in newspapers.

Newspapers did not share my worldview, and they were arrogant in their own and unyielding.

As institutions, newspapers did not listen well, either to their reporters - particularly women and minorities - or to their readers.

As a reporter, I did not believe in the status quo, did not enjoy the way the media stereotyped so-called minorities blindly and shamelessly.

I detested the way my editors defended this practice as if it were necessary, and the stupidity that permeated every aspect of the coverage of race and
ethnicity in America in the newspapers I worked for made my sick to my stomach.

That's why I left newspapers: There was too much lying going on in their pages, and I could not, in good conscience, perpetuate the myths my editors so
passionately believed were true.

As a novelist, I am finally free, and I love it.

BIO: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is a former journalist-turned-novelist. She was a staff reporter for the “LA Times”. She plays tenor sax. Her mother is a poet. Alisa’s favorite writers aren’t novelists – they’re journalists.

Valdes-Rodriquez was named one of “Entertainment Weekly’s” breakout literary stars of 2003.
She quit her job to finish first novel.
St. Martin’s Press bought it, and the book spent three months on the “New York Times” hardcover bestseller list. Jennifer Lopez and “Spiderman” producer Laura Ziskin optioned her first novel for Columbia Pictures.

Her fiction creds: “The Dirty Girls Social Club”.
October 2004, St. Martin’s Press: “Playing With Boys”

Official site: http://www.alisavaldesrodriguez.com

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ART (events and news – painting, photography, sculpture…)
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Art/Madrid:
Thursday, February 05, 2004
Ruina - Aesthetics of Destruction (Estudio Helga de Alvear)
Doctor Fourquet, 12
Madrid, 28012 Spain
Tel : 34 91468 05 06
Fax: 34 91467 51 34
Hours: 11am-2pm, 4:30pm-8:30pm
Helga de Alvear / Carlos Urroz
Contact: galeria@helgadealvear.net
Info: www.helgadealvear.net
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Art/Paris
Celebrate the Year of the Monkey with HAPPENING! Another season of Craze, Contemplation and
Recreation brought to fruition by Tiens bon à tes rêves, Van Gogh’s Ear, and the Kilometer Zero Project.

Art, performance, haiku, video, lecture (conférence),
installations, open-mic (scène ouverte) et bar à cocktail.
Sunday February 1st 2004, 7 pm
7, boulevard des Capucines
Métro: Opéra
Contact: 01.42.65.21.39
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ART/NYC
"Iceland"
P.S. 122 Performance Space
February 26-28, 7:30pm
In "Iceland", Obie award-winning writer/performer Roger Guenveur Smith takes us volcano-hopping in the tropics, through the icy Arctic, then back home to Brooklyn to confront man-made disasters.

Smith uses his unique style of fluid movement
and poetic language to tell a hypnotic story of lovers and love gone awry.

What to expect: "A meditation on exile,
the cataclysmic terror of nature, and the
no-less-catastrophic terror of man."
Find it: P.S. 122 Performance Space
150 1st Avenue at East 9th Street
Tix: $20
Get info: 212-477-5288
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ART/NYC
"Instant Cinema"
UCBT
Feb. 10, 17, 24
11pm
Improv actors perform "The Movie" -- an original improvised movie, spontaneously created on stage via audience suggestions. Nobody will be hosed. We think. "Instant Cinema" might be your cheapest date ever ($5). 'specially if you bring your own popcorn.
Find it: UCB Theatre 307 West 26th St.
Get info: (212) 366-9176
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ART/LA
"Risen: Tales of Golems and Voodoo"
Through February 28, 2004
Sixspace kicks off the 2004 exhibition schedule
with mysterious and ooky renditions of possession, in "Risen: Tales of Golems and Voodoo".

Artists Martin Ontiveros and Donovan Crosby present new paintings that explore the themes of possession in different folklores. Ontiveros’ work deals with the Jewish legend of Golem, an automaton created to do man’s tasks. Crosby will exhibit works based on the haunting tales of voodoo and magic that includes zombies, spells, and damned souls.
Find it: sixspace
549 West 23rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Get info: (213) 765-0248


[NB: We’d like to cover more art events. If you’re
in touch with artists or gallery directors who’d be interested in being mentioned in upcoming
issues, please tell them to get in touch:
“Arte Six” c/o artesix@sashasoren.com]

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INDIE MUSIC (reviews, features, events, info)
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[Reviews courtesy of: CDBaby.com, http://www.cdbaby.com]

Feeling depressed? Seeing the sad side of everything? Stay depressed!

These CDs will help keep you from getting cheered up. Dive deeper into the dark.

MELINDA BEASI: Dorrie's True Story
Joni Mitchell weeping over her guitar after a bitter breakup with Yo-Yo Ma. It's sad. It's pretty. It's got cello.

TEARS IN X-RAY EYES: Half-Life
Bittersweet tales of love and loss from a London bedsit - acoustic guitars, old synths and orchestral percussion create something heartfelt and brimming with restless ambition - What's On In London called it "a work of pure genius".

TRESPASSERS WILLIAM: Different Stars
Dreamy, female fronted, ethereal indie rock with hints of folk and shoegaze; the passionate side of Mazzy Star meets the mellow side of Coldplay.

DAUGHTER DARLING: Sweet Shadows
This trip hop release has been described as a more "song oriented Portishead", and "a revelation for 2003." Natalie Walker's voice, which has been compared to Sarah McLachlan's, commands the music which is dark and moody, yet very accessible.

DOWN PILOT: Thrive In A Short Season
Moody and melodic, these pop gems grab you with strong vocals, intelligent lyrics and rich instrumental arrangements.
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MUSIC/NYC
Bopa King Carré
February 20, 2004
Genre: Electric tribal beats
Bopa King Carré explores music and rhythms from his life-study, world travel, extensive dance club experience and tremendous performance history.
Find it: Loftbar
Get info: [artist/manager's private number, was avail during February for this program, but removed from archives to prevent nuisance calls unrelated to listing.]
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DANCE (events, news, opps)
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Sunday Rap-Ups
Danspace Project at St. Mark's Church, NYC
Feb. 8, Feb. 29
A series of informal post-performance dialogues between the choreographers and the audience, moderated by members of the Danspace Project Artists Advisory Board.
131 East 10th Street (at Second Avenue)
New York, NY 10003
Info: 212-674-8194
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NYC
Elisa Monte Dance
The Joyce Theater
February 10 - 15, 2004
The group returns with two breathtaking programs and the world premiere of "Shekhina".

Inspired by Leonard Nimoy's controversial photographs from his book of the same name, "Shekhina" explores the concept of the female manifestation of God as told in the ancient texts of the Kabbalah.

Other highlights of the season include Monte's mesmerizing signature work Treading, the revival of 1987's compelling men's quartet Dextra Dei, and last year's critically acclaimed homage to artist Josef Albers, "Light Lies".
Info: 212-868-4488
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NYC
Sydney Dance Company
The Joyce Theater
February 17 - 22, 2004
NYC premiere of Graeme Murphy's powerfully theatrical, evening-length Ellipse, a suite of dances inspired by the music of the young Australian composer Matthew Hindson. The stylistic diversity of the music, scored for ensembles ranging from duo, to full orchestration, offers vast challenges and opportunities for choreographer and dancers alike.
Info: www.telecharge.com
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NYC
Flow Class/Workshop
Saturday, Feb. 14
Ah, l'amour. Do something sexy for Valentine's Day!
If you're fed up with yoga and bored with boxing
- try Flow. Bliss out with this wild, tranced-out, visually hypnotic dance experience.

Flow is the only 'club flagging' workshop in NYC, taught by a master flagger. Popular with professional dancers, so call ahead to grab a spot.
Find it: Empire Dance Studios
127 W. 25th St. (bet. 6th & 7th Aves.)
2pm-4pm
More info: 212.244.6637 - studio
Contact: 212-645-2441
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MASS.
"Decay of the Angel"
Maureen Fleming
Friday, February 20, 7:30pm
Saturday, February 21, 8pm
In lyrical, sculptural transcendence inspired
by butoh, Maureen Fleming invents surreal movement poetry, curving her body into shapes of shattering beauty.

Fleming's new multimedia creation, "Decay of the Angel", incorporates contemporary ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement) by Japanese artist Gaho Taniguchi, film and images by award-winning
dance photographer Lois Greenfield, music by Philip Glass and live musicians.
This performance contains nudity.
World Music/CRASHarts
Contact:(617)876-4275

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FILM/SCREENWRITING (news, events, opps)
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Film Festivals/Berlin
The 54. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin
February 5 to 15, 2004
Potsdamer Straße 5
D-10785 Berlin
Contact: phone: +49 · 30 · 259 20 · 0
Contact: info@berlinale.de
Art House and Cinema d'auteur: Panorama, part of the Official Program, is dedicated primarily to art house films and films directed by their writers. All films are presented as world premieres or European premieres, outside the countries of origin.
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Casting/”Date Patrol”:
“Date Patrol” seeking actors: TLC New Reality Series "Date Patrol" is Casting Non-Union Actors as "demo daters" to participate in on-camera dates with the shows participants. We are looking to fill for the following 4 roles:

1) Claire Daines type of woman between the ages of 28 and 34; no taller than 5'4"; slender; strong speaker; dark hair and dark eyes. Someone who can flirt fabulously, who knows about photography, and who loves to talk.

2) Halle Berry look alike; artsy, fun and loving, warm and mature. African American woman, between the ages of 25 and 35; no taller than 5'6".

3) Wholesome, cute, warm and loving "girl-next-door"; blonde hair; between the ages of 25 and 35; no taller than 5'4".

4) Tall, blonde, built, blue collar, sexy, rough and rugged, easy-going "guys guy", between the ages of 25 and 32. Boston accent would be great.

Reality show is a makeover dating program for people seeking dating help and advice--these roles will act as the "demo daters" for the show's participants.

Those cast must be able to take direction on their demo dates, and follow the guidance of the producers. Single evening of work pays $100.

If interested, please e-mail headshot and resume to casting@datepatrol.tv or call Allyson at 212-398-1393.
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Interns needed/”In the Life”:
“In the Life”, America's gay and lesbian newsmagazine, has aired on PBS since 1992.

We are seeking unpaid production interns to assist in the operation of a busy production office as needed:
Administrative support, field production, archiving, research, edit session observations. 16 to 24 hrs a week commitment; 3 months minimum. Students can receive class credit if required by university
or college.

Requirements: Ability to communicate concisely; computer literate (word processing, data entry helpful). Excellent organizational skills; detail oriented. A good sense of humor, reliable and remarkable work ethic.

Insightful knowledge of political, health, social, economic and cultural issues facing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is definitely a plus.

Send fax/email cover letter and resume to:
Ben Finley, Production Office Coordinator
ITL Media, Inc.
email: bfinley@inthelifetv.org

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BOOKS/WRITERS (features, news, tips, reviews)
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BOOKS/WRITERS:
NYC/KGB Bar
Reading
February 18, 7pm
Paul McAuley, “White Devils”
Michael Kandel, “Voodoo Euclid”
(McAuley is an award-winning sci-fi writer:
Arthur C. Clarke Award, Philip K. Dick Award,
and John W. Campbell Award)
The Fantastic Fiction series, curated by Ellen Datlow and Gavin J. Grant, is on the third Wednesday of every month at 7pm at KGB. Come early.
85 East 4th Street (just off 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10003
Contact: (212) 505 3360
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The Hard Road: Getting published [Part 1 of 2]
by Caren Lissner, http://www.carenlissner.com

Spending years working on a writing project is hard when you know how low the odds are of getting published, particularly when there's no one around to objectively tell you if you're on the right track.

Before I give some general observations, I'll start with the most important piece of advice:

Write only a story or novel that, when you're finished, you will be glad you wrote even if it
never gets published.

Why? Spending years on a novel just to sell it and get famous will end up leaving you angry if it doesn't. Revisions and submitting can take double or triple the time that it took to actually write the first draft.

To stay in it, you have to really believe in what you're working on.

The 23-year-old literary wunderkind who skipped all those steps gets so much attention mainly because he or she IS so rare, not because he's the norm. Most of us take a while to get there, and still struggle with our writing afterwards.

So once you've started writing something you love and you want to send it out, what next?:

1. Bounce it off other people
If you don't have a writing group or class where people share critiques, or friends who are willing to read and be objective and constructive, start a writers' group in your hometown.

Put notices up at the library, in the local paper, etc. People's tastes differ and you shouldn't throw your story in the trash just because a few people don't get it, but on the other hand, other people's opinions are helpful on things like mood, tone, and points that aren't clear enough to the reader.

If you hear a few people telling you the same thing, don't get defensive - consider that you might have to work harder to be readable and make your points. They might be saying the same thing an editor or agent will say when he/she looks at your work. Trust your instincts, but also keep an open mind.

2. Take time off between revisions
Unfortunately, it's very hard to be affected by our own writing; we already know who murdered Mrs. Jones and the punchlines to our jokes, so we can't keep ourselves in suspense.

Giving yourself a little time after writing will allow you to look at your work fresh. Don't rush. When you do send it out to editors and agents, you want it to be your best - they're not going to say, "Well, submit it four more times and I'll look each time."

Granted, sometimes it's hard to wait a long time to finish, because someone else might be working on a similar plot. Writers live in fear of that. You kind of have to balance the urge to get it out in a timely fashion with the knowledge that it should be at its best when you do.

3. Submitting
When you're ready to submit, send out the first three chapters or about 50 pages to a few agents. Also include a summary of the book - I've heard that it can be anywhere from two to ten pages, but I'd guess that you're better off being on the lower end. (People don't have a lot of time).

You can also send the chapters to editors instead of agents, but it might take longer, depending on who gets it. And some houses now say they only look at agented submissions (they can't help it; they get buried in mail).

But there is one thing you have going for you, no matter how many other people are writing, and it's this:

Editors and agents are afraid of missing something.

For all they know, you ARE the next literary genius, or your book IS the next bestseller. Would it be wise for them to leave it sitting on their desk for a year?
No.
So they'll at least take a quick peek. That peek is very important.

Imagine that you're an editor who gets 200 submissions in a week.

What's going to make you spend time on one
and not the others?

What's going to make you sit and read all 50 pages when you've got 200 submissions to get through?

You might first look at the cover letter and then the first page to see if the idea or writing instantly captures your attention. And if it does, THEN you'll read on.

So snag them right away.

Include a one-page single spaced letter saying what the book's about, where you've been published before (if you have), and anything else relevant. Make it neat and well-formatted.

Include the summary (double spaced) and approximately 50 pages (double spaced) or three chapters.

Make your first few pages really, really great. Consider what it is that keeps YOU reading a book when you pick it up at the library or in the bookstore. Editors are no different. They want to be intrigued.

[Part two of “The Hard Road” in March issue of
“Arte Six”.]

Bio: Caren Lissner is the author of "Carrie Pilby"
(Red Dress Ink, June 2003) and "Starting from Square Two" (Red Dress Ink, March 2004). Visit her official web site at: http://www.carenlissner.com
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Reading: P.S. 122
Worst! Sex! Ever!
February 11
7:30 p.m.
In this special evening, organized by Chris Hampton of Uffish.com, some of New York's favorite web writers come together to tell tales of the Worst! Sex! Ever!. Join us for an evening of laughs, lasciviousness and romance gone bad.
Find it: P.S. 122 Performance Space
150 1st Avenue at East 9th Street
Get info: 212-477-5288
Subscribe: artesix@sashasoren.com
Read online: http://www.sashasoren.com/newsletter.htm

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TRAVEL (events worldwide, features, scenes)
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Paris/Le Mur Des Je T’aime
Venice has the Bridge of Sighs, Agra the Taj Mahal. Paris, the City of Light, has Le Mur Des Je T’aime (The Wall of I love Yous).

Artist statement: In a world marked by violence and dominated by individualism, walls, like frontiers, are usually made to divide and to separate people and to protect them from one another. The Wall is a link, a place of reconciliation, a mirror which reflects an image of love and peace.

The artist, Frédéric Baron, has collected more than 1,000 “I Love Yous” written in more than 300 languages and different dialects. In 1998 he wrote "The Book of I Love Yous" and distributed 50,000 copies for free.

The Wall is built on a surface of 40m2 (10 x 4) and composed of 511 tiles of enamelled lava of 21x29.7 cm in size. The splashes of color on the fresco represent the pieces of a broken heart, those of a humanity which is too often torn apart and which The Wall attempts to reunite.

Find it: The Wall is located in Paris, Buttes Montmartre, Place des Abbesses,
in Jehan Rictus Square.
Metro: Abbesses.
Admission: free
Contact: Frédéric BARON and Claire KITO
E: fbaron@lesjetaime.com

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LIFE (stranger than fiction/life, the universe
and everything…)
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Elkins, W.Va. - Nothing stops the U.S. Postal Service from making its appointed rounds, not even a postcard addressed simply as "On Top of a Big Hill."

The postcard was mailed by a bookstore in Bridgeport to Helen English of Elkins, notifying her that a book she had ordered had arrived. It was addressed, "Mrs. English, On Top of a Big Hill, Elkins, W.Va. 26241."

And it arrived.

[Source: Associated Press]

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SCI/TECH (news and views)
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So, there’s “The Butterfly Effect” (chaos theory/the movie), but what’s a “Butterfly Catastrophe”?

Well. Since you asked...

It is “a catastrophe which can occur for four control factors and one behavior axis. The butterfly catastrophe is the universal unfolding of the singularity of codimension 4, i.e., with four unfolding parameters.”

[Source: Eric W. Weisstein. "ButterflyCatastrophe." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource.]

Uhm, what? Just for kicks, you can try this in origami – work it out in paper-folding therapy.

Hands up, anyone who’d like to see my origami
boulder collection…

Origami & Catastrophe Theory by Leong Chen Chit
http://www.britishorigami.org.uk/theory/chen.htm

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UPCOMING: “Arte Six”/March 2004: Brit poet Fiona Robyn, more bon mots from novelist Caren Lissner,
the good news about being dead (El Dia des los Muertes), pretzel performances by BodyVox, Ondine Darcyl and Bird York help you get your groove on,
and various other (non-naughty) bits.
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They passed it on so we could pass it on.
So pass it on.
But give them creds where due. Karma first, baby.
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