The Smart Set is a weekly feature, compiled by Lauren Cerand, that usually appears Mondays at 12:30pm and highlights the best of the week to come. Special favor is given to New York’s independent booksellers and venues, and low-cost and free events. Please send details to lauren [at] maudnewton.com by the Thursday prior to publication, with the date in the subject line.
MONDAY, 4.9: O luminous dusk! Heart of the summer night!/ Hold fast your secret, breathe the watchword never./ Keep it inviolate, veiled from sense and sight;/ Safe from disclosure’s disenchanting blight,/ Dear and desired, unknown, beloved for ever. (From “In a London Garden”). One of my most treasured volumes, Decadent Poetry from Wilde to Naidu — “(Penguin Classics), a definitive collection of poems that express the languid eroticism and aesthetic rebellion of the late Victorian age, edited by Lisa Rodensky” — receives the celebration that it deserves at the Reader’s Room. “There will be readings from the collection by Honor Moore, Bob Holman, Maureen Howard, Dan Brady, Adam Kirsch, Lisa Rodensky, and Billy Merrell.” Presumably, lotus eating and deshabille optional. At Mo Pitkin’s. 7PM, one-drink minimum.
TUESDAY, 4.10: Said Sayrafiezadeh says he’ll be “reading an excerpt from my upcoming memoir” as part of Periodically Speaking: Literary Magazine Editors Introducing Emerging Writers at The New York Public Library. The event takes place in the Dewitt Wallace Periodicals Room, 5th Avenue and 42nd Street (Use 5th Avenue Entrance). 6PM, FREE. Plus, “[The Crier] has broken new ground with pieces on female wrestlers in Bolivia, iconoclastic New York rock promoter Todd P, and several short articles on the theme of surveillance, among others. To celebrate Issue 3, The Crier will hold a reading featuring writers from the issue. Gabriel Boylan will read from his piece on iconoclastic New Age composer Vangelis, who wrote the theme to Chariots of Fire, and he promises musical accompaniment. Alexander Provan will read from his piece on Bolivian wrestlers (he may even do some reenactments), and Kate Levin will read from her piece on NannyCams… The party will be held at Cake Shop, from 7-9pm. The readings will begin at 7:30pm. Admission is free for subscribers to The Crier, $10 for non-subscribers, and the admission fee for non-subscribers includes a copy of Issue 3 of the magazine.”
WEDNESDAY, 4.11: The best part about the award-winning play “Blackbird” is that my sister and I discussed going to see it while she was visiting (it’s kind of a “Lolita story”), and although we ultimately were too lazy (and the tickets rather pricey), it did come in handy when the (grand)father/daughter-seeming duo in front of us at the opera started going at it when the lights went down, and we hissed “blackbird” in a half-whisper and elbowed each other until we almost fell prey to the giggle loop. Anyway, sounds great, Jeff Daniels stars. In previews.
THURSDAY, 4.12: Barnes & Noble presents “Upstairs at the Square,†at the Union Square B&N. The series features host Katherine Lanpher in conversation with established and emerging authors and musicians, who read and perform their work. Presented in association with the Scottish Book Trust as part of the Isle of Jura Festival of Scottish Writing, Thursday’s guests are Ian Rankin and Aidan Moffat & the Best-ofs [full disclosure, as always: I am the PR consultant for this project]. 7PM, FREE.
FRIDAY, 4.13: Jami Attenberg announces the “Instant Love/Red Weather Paperback Release/Tax Day Party” at KGB with Pauls Toutonghi (Red Weather), Darin Strauss (Chang and Eng, The Real McCoy), Min Jin Lee (Free Food for Millionaires), and an accountant [Full disclosure, as always: Min Jin is a PR client of mine]. 7PM, FREE.
SATURDAY, 4.14: “future perfect is a fifty-minute quest for the curious, with music ranging from Little Jimmy Scott to Arabic folk ballads. A playful but delicate piece, this ensemble explores the individual paths that lead to a more desirable place. Misnomer is sharing the program with another company, Keigwin & Co, which will present work for 80 dancers! The evening ends with a DANCE PARTY and a live DJ on the stage of the 860-seat Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Misnomer’s most recent production was named by the NY Times as one of the 10 Top NYC Dance Performances for 2006. Come see what’s new for 2007! Two performances only! Price: $20 (balcony) / $30 (orchestra) / Students $15 / NYU Students $12.” Highly recommended.
SUNDAY, 4.15: Nelly Reifler writes in to extend an invitation to a reading by “The glorious Amy Hempel and erudite surfer Thad Ziolkowski at Magnetic Field, 97 Atlantic Ave. between Henry & Hicks (We’re quite excited about this one).” 7PM, FREE. Plus, “The good words @ Good World reading series continues with THE SPORTSWRITERS: “ESPN anchor and national correspondent JEREMY SCHAAP , the author of Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics, and the New York Times bestseller Cinderella Man, and New York Times sports reporter ALAN SCHWARZ, the author of Once Upon a Game: Baseball’s Greatest Memories and The Numbers Game, one of the bestselling sports books of 2004. He is the host of ESPN’s Baseball Today.” 5PM, FREE. Also, charming, environmentally friendly, fiercely independent Minneapolis-based phenom, Cloud Cult (Have you heard “Chandeliers” yet? Download it already, I’ll give you the 99 cents.) plays Mercury Lounge.
This week’s soundtrack: The Medicine Show, Vagabonds.