Celebrities
2010 PEN World Voices Festival: 150 Writers, 40 Countries, 7 Days
Monday, April 26 7 p.m. The Diversity Test: Gender and Literature in Translation With Lorraine Adams, Alex Epstein, Andrea Levy, and Norman Rush; moderated by Claire Messud Tuesday, April 27 7 p.m. The 2010 PEN Literary Gala Wednesday, April 28 10 a.m The Work Before the Work: A Special Program for High School Students With Annecy Báez, Rawi Hage, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh,... »
WRITERS TO RALLY FOR RELEASE OF CHINESE COLLEAGUE LIU XIAOBO
The PEN American Center is organizing a New Year’s Eve demonstration by prominent writers against the Chinese government’s sentencing of their colleague, Liu Xiaobo. On Christmas Day, Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years in Chinese prison for “inciting subversion of state power.” On New Year’s Eve at 11 AM on... »
Twilight Star Robert Pattinson Hit by Taxi Outside Strand Bookstore
Ok, so I haven’t had a celebrity posting in awhile. This one was just too good to pass up– combining a star from a film based on one of publishing’s biggest success stories with the mecca of Manhattan used bookstores (it also took place down the street from my office in the Flatiron building.)... »
PEN World Voices Festival Wrap Party
International literati were out and about at the Hungarian Cultural Center last night for the official PEN World Voices Festival after party, the crowning social event of a week of stellar literary performances. Zadie Smith practically glowed in a strapless dress, her hair swept back under a hair wrap that lent her a regal air.... »
Afterbirth: Stories You Won’t Hear in Parenting Magazines
The Triad Theater on 72nd and Broadway was abuzz with laughter tonight, and it was all due to Dani Klein Modisett’s sometimes bittersweet, always humorous ode to parenting, “Afterbirth.” The show highlighted hilarious short stories on the challenges of parenting, and featured such comedic luminaries as Caroline Rhea on how breastfeeding is a bitch... »
Purple is the New Black
For those of you watching President Barack Obama address Congress and the nation last night, you couldn’t help but notice his wife, Michelle, in a stunning, sleeveless purple number. Much ado was made in the press about her bare arms, but her color choice was significant, too. Last summer, political pundits were sporting the party-neutral color as they... »
Crazy Love
When news first broke that Chris Brown had assaulted Rihanna, we were at a loss to understand how that fresh-faced kid with the squeaky-clean image could have hurt someone he loved. When Rihanna admitted that this was not the first time that he had hit her, we all wondered how any woman could stay... »
The Incredible, Edible Oscar
In coverage of the Oscars on “E,” mention was continually made of how show business’s biggest night was cutting back in light of the nationwide economic crisis. The Governor’s Ball is more “low key” this year. The camera pans over Oscar-shaped pieces of salmon and dreamlike red and yellow chocolate boxes of decadent desserts, all... »