My awesome Mom, Sue Garvin, recently installed a new book-based feature in her backyard and I asked her to write about it in the hopes that some Bushwick members would be inspired to build their own.
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish born man from a poor family who immigrated to America with his parents in 1848. He became one of the richest men of his time through investments in the steel industry, railroad sleeping cars, bridges and oil derricks. In 1889, he wrote “The Gospel of Wealth” wherein he urged the wealthy to use their money to improve society. He took on many philanthropic projects, but the one still thriving today is his establishment of public libraries. All in all, he funded 2,510 libraries in 47 states, and countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Forty-Three Carnegie libraries were built in Washington State alone. Thirty-two of these buildings still stand and 14 are libraries to this day. Locally, you can find Carnegie libraries are in Columbia City, Fremont, Green Lake, Queen Anne, First Hill and West Seattle. Read more
The Roald Dahl Adventure Begins
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Amanda Sue WinterhalterUntil this month, I’d never read a word of a Dahl book. I saw Gene Wilder’s crazy eyes in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory before I started Kindergarten. I remember turning the dial on the T.V. to change the channel back and forth because Wilder’s Wonka and his minions were creeping me out big time, but I wanted to know what horrible end Charlie might meet. I watched James and the Giant Peach in elementary school and thought the animation style was new and neat. Jump to college in 2005, and my teen dream Johnny Depp was starring in Tim Burton’s take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so of course I attended the midnight showing at the theater. Freddy Highman’s Charlie was sincere, and Depp’s Wonka seemed weirdly adolescent. Then, post-college, the delightful Wes Anderson stop-motion adaptation of The Fantastic Mr. Fox made its way into my canon of film favorites. Read more
Following in Carnegie’s Footsteps, One Little Free Library at a Time
/2 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Kerry GarvinMy awesome Mom, Sue Garvin, recently installed a new book-based feature in her backyard and I asked her to write about it in the hopes that some Bushwick members would be inspired to build their own.
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish born man from a poor family who immigrated to America with his parents in 1848. He became one of the richest men of his time through investments in the steel industry, railroad sleeping cars, bridges and oil derricks. In 1889, he wrote “The Gospel of Wealth” wherein he urged the wealthy to use their money to improve society. He took on many philanthropic projects, but the one still thriving today is his establishment of public libraries. All in all, he funded 2,510 libraries in 47 states, and countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Forty-Three Carnegie libraries were built in Washington State alone. Thirty-two of these buildings still stand and 14 are libraries to this day. Locally, you can find Carnegie libraries are in Columbia City, Fremont, Green Lake, Queen Anne, First Hill and West Seattle. Read more
Book Preview: Read These Books If You Want to Be Cool
/2 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Mike VotavaCalling all Bushwick Readers: now is the time to stock your bookshelves with some of the books we plan on reading during the upcoming months.
Ready… Set… READ! Read more
Bookshelf Report: The Titanic Won’t Build Itself
/1 Comment/in Bookshelf Report /by Mike VotavaThe Bookshelf Report is an ongoing series where we ask 5 questions and share 5 pictures of a bookshelf belonging to a Bushwick reader. Today’s bookshelf comes from Amy Levenson. She is one of the organizers behind Moveable Type’s: Literary Mixer, a fun social event for book enthusiasts. The next mixer is on October 23rd at The Vermillion Art Gallery.
What’s your favorite book on the shelf?
I’m very sentimental about books, so it’s nearly impossible for me to pick just 1 favorite. How about 3?
I have a copy of Taschen’s The Pedro Almodovar Archives, which I received as a gift. I’m a big Almodovar fan, and this edition is beautifully laid out with great content. This book rarely leaves my coffee table because I can flip to any page and be completely happy.
The Alien Vault has a special place in my heart because it was a huge labor of love to get it published. If you’re a fan, it has some really great stuff like Ridley Scott’s storyboards and some of H.R. Giger’s early concept designs.
Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee is another one of my favorites. After I read it for the first time it took me a while to pick up another book. There’s nothing quite like the terror of human nature. Read more
Concert of a Lifetime: New Kids on the Block Part II
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Kerry GarvinPreviously on the Bushwick blog, Kerry dazzled us with Part I of her V.I.P. New Kids on the Block concert experience. There she described the pre-concert activities including detailed descriptions of the hugging style of each New Kid. Now, in Part II, the show is about to start.
Boyz II Men descend the stage (photo by Morgen Schuler)
Two video screens came alive and reviewed all of Boyz II Men’s credentials. A laundry list of mega hits and awards flashed across the screens reminding us how huge these guys once were. Judging from the screams emanating from the crowed, no one had forgotten a single bullet point on their neatly harmonized resume. When the video stopped, the stage lights came up and Boyz II Men magically appeared at the back of the stage. The screams from the crowd were nonstop as they started singing “On Bended Knee” with velvety smoothness. As they sang, they slowly moved down the path to the intimate main stage right in front of us. Their journey from back stage to front felt like it took hours because I was holding my breath in anticipation of seeing them up close. When they arrived right in front of me and started singing “Water Runs Dry,” I may have teared up a bit. Read more
Bookshelf Report: An Unhypothetical Library of Goodness
/1 Comment/in Bookshelf Report /by Mike VotavaThe Bookshelf Report is an ongoing series where we ask 5 questions and share 5 pictures of a bookshelf belonging to a Bushwick reader. Today’s bookshelf comes from Elizabeth Cohen, author of the new book The Hypothetical Girl, a delightful collection of short stories that captures the magic within the wonderfully awkward world of online dating.
What’s your favorite book on the shelf?
My favorite book is The Black Cauldron, by Lloyd Alexander. A kid’s book that was incredibly important to me as a child and into adulthood – a coming of age story about an assistant pig keeper (that he was an “assistant” was important to me, who became, of course, a king of a magic land). I was read it by my dad and then read it alone and later had a series of “assistant” jobs in which I often thought of that book.
The job does not define the person. That was my little life lesson I somehow need to cling to. Read more
This Week in Books & Music: Bumbershoot and More!
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Cassie CrossIt’s a busy week with an assortment of events that will satisfy all interests, no matter what they might be! (Well, maybe not if your interests involve ASMR videos on YouTube, but you can do that at home!) You’ve probably heard that Bumbershoot is this weekend, but you might not know that some of our very own Bushwick performers are part of the lineup. Read more
Bookshelf Report: The Case of the Missing Photography Books
/0 Comments/in Bookshelf Report /by Mike VotavaThe Bookshelf Report is an ongoing series where we ask the same 5 questions and share 5 pictures of a bookshelf belonging to a Bushwick reader. Today’s bookshelf comes from Seattle photographer Morgen Schuler. For the past 5 years Morgen has been using her camera and creative eye to put her own artistic spin on Seattle’s music and arts community.
What’s your favorite book on the shelf?
KBCS 91.3 FM Bushwick Radio Segments Now Available for Download
/2 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Mike VotavaEvery day last week KBCS 91.3 FM broadcasted a radio segment featuring a Bushwick artist performing music inspired by Michael Pollan. In case you missed the original broadcast, those segments are now available for download. Enjoy! The links are below. Read more
Concert of a Lifetime: New Kids on the Block Part I
/1 Comment/in Uncategorized /by Kerry GarvinMy best friend Zandra and I have an uncommon addiction for most 35-year-old women. We are and have always been obsessed with boy bands. We listen to their music and talk about them frequently. We email pictures of our favorites back and forth. We spend copious amounts of cash going to their concerts and buying their merchandise. We often fantasize about what a boy band music festival in the same vein as Lollapalooza or Sasquatch would be like. Picture New Edition and the Backstreet Boys on the main stage and less popular boy bands like O-Town and High-Five on a secondary stage. In the corner, a tent stage would feature tertiary groups like O-Town cast-offs LMNT and my personal favorite, Five. We figured that this summer’s “The Package” tour with New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men would be the closest we would ever come to this dream so we quickly scooped up tickets. Read more