10 Quotes from Cheryl Strayed and Wild

A central theme of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild is grief and the human response to it. Due to a recent unexpected death in my family, the quotes I’ve chosen lean to the darker parts of the book. That’s what makes the book powerful and explains some of Cheryl’s more reckless behavior. Cheryl also has an advice column called Dear Sugar where she tackles a variety of readers’ questions including those about recovering from grief. I’ve pulled some quotes from there as well. Sprinkled in amongst the grief themed quotes are some about love, faith, forgiveness and survival. Read more

Cheryl Strayed’s Wild — Video Short

Here is a nice little video recap of Cheryl Strayed’s captivating memoir Wildjust in time for our big Wild inspired event this Wednesday night. It is equally enjoyable for both the folks who have read the book, and the folks who have not (hopefully very few of you fall into the latter category).

This nugget of Wild goodness stars the talented Annie Jantzer (Bucket of Honey) and is narrated by Seattle funnyman Emmett Montgomery. A special thanks goes out to the mighty Aimee Zoe and Joy Mills for bringing this story to life.

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10 Quotes From Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain

Annie Proulx’s short story Brokeback Mountain is chock full of beautiful descriptions of sex, love and longing. Choosing quotes to highlight was easy; just pick the prettiest ones. I’ve focused on those that describe Ennis and Jack’s relationship and their lives. Since these quotes are lengthier than our normal picks, I’ll cut this short so you can get to reading and then cogitating over their story.

One other thing — come on out and celebrate Valentine’s Day with Bushwick this Saturday when we present original music inspired by Annie Proul’x Brokeback Mountain — bring your sweetie! Get your tickets here!

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Brokeback Mountain Poster

Feast your eyes on this baby — the official poster for our upcoming Valentine’s Day Event, original music inspired by Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain.

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Bookshelf Report: Books, Boomerangs and Hand Grenades

The Bookshelf Report is an ongoing series where a Bushwick reader invites us into their home and shares a little bit about the books that occupy their shelves.

Today’s bookshelf comes from Seattle sketch comedian and film maker Kevin Clarke. He’s a pretty funny guy who happens to make up exactly one half of the sketch comedy duo Travis & Kevin (the other half is Travis Vogt). Kevin has collected laughs all over town — you’ve probably seen him perform with Bushwick,  Weird & Awesome with Emmett Montgomery, or in this hilarious video you are about to watch:

Ha!

Now, keep reading so you can find out all about the books that are on Kevin Clarke’s bookshelf — I dare you! Read more

10 Quotes From A.A. Milne and Winnie-the-Pooh

One of the most delightful takeaways from A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh is how much the characters, especially Pooh and Piglet love each other. When picking quotes for this month, I focused on their relationship. I admire how open they are with their gushy feelings. I’d do this more in real life if my I knew that my friends wouldn’t just turn around and call me a giant dork for being such an emotional drip around them. A. A. Milne sure knows how to make friends feel loved.

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Creative Uses For Books Other Than Reading

Back in the 90s, I worked at a Midwestern independent bookstore helmed by a fascinating and charismatic man.  Our store meetings and social occasions would give rise to his impassioned lectures of “the soul of the book”.  Even at that time, he knew, books and reading were under attack.  The now ubiquitous e-readers were expensive novelties, only owned by the rabid early adopters of technologies.

Now, it seems everyone and anyone has begun to forsake the musty physical charms of a real book for the convenience of the soulless machine that has any book you want, anytime you want it, right at your fingertips.  But what to do with all those pesky books you have littering your household?  Never fear, there are plenty of uses for books beyond reading! Read more

5 Facts About the Seattle 7 Writers

The Bushwick Book Club is pretty pumped to be working with the Seattle7Writers for our  next show. Authors and collective members Timothy Egan, Nancy Horan and Garth Stein will be on hand as the Bushwick artists perform original music inspired by their work. I, being unfamiliar with the Seattle7Writers, went on a quick Internet fact-finding mission and thought I’d share those results with you here. Read more

The Poster For Our Seattle 7 Writers Event

Here is the poster for upcoming event original music inspired The Seattle 7 Writers which is happening on January 15th at the Hugo House.  We are very excited to be teaming up with the Seattle 7 Writers for this one. Authors Garth Stein, Nancy Horan and Timothy Egan will be on hand to witness the Bushwick artists perform music inspired by their work.

Poster design by Mike Votava (that’s me!).

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New Literary Inspired Music From Anna Coogan

I was an early member of The Bushwick Book Club Seattle, before I moved to Ithaca, NY in 2011. Before Bushwick, I hadn’t done much writing about books at all, and my first few shows were quite a challenge. Now, more than a decade into my career, I lean heavily on literature to bring new ideas and fresh­­­ness into my writing. (I used up my quota of whiskey-swilling country songs in about 2005.)

Ithaca, much like Seattle, is a literary town. The two major employers in the area are Cornell and Ithaca College, and during school sessions there are as many students as locals. There is also a lot of turn over – people constantly moving in-and-out and every spring free piles of books pop up like crocuses. There is also a huge book sale that takes place twice a year over the course of three weekends. By the last weekend, they are giving away books by the bagful — a quarter a bag. Between those two sources, I have several books that have become trusty inspiration when I sit down to write: an old volume of Scottish songs, some contemporary Irish poems, an ancient hymnal, and a book of Sylvia Plath poetry. I also found and toted home three volumes of Tolstoy, Niezche, and James Joyce, but those are currently serving as coasters. One can dream.

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