The Smart Set is a weekly feature, compiled and posted by Lauren Cerand, that usually appears Mondays at 12:30 pm 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 Ms. Cerand at lauren [at] maudnewton.com by the Thursday prior to publication. Due to the volume of submissions, events cannot be considered unless the date appears in the subject line of your message.
MON, MAR 10: Contributors to The Best American Erotic Poems: From 1800 to the Present, including favorite of The Smart Set, Cate Marvin, and Janice Erlbaum (Make your day with: “The Temp“), read from their selections at KGB [Full disclosure, as always: I am delighted to publicize Janice Erlbaum’s new Have You Found Her] 7:30PM, FREE.
TUE, MAR 11: I have a crush on the Pacific Standard Fiction Series (and so does everybody else).
WED, MAR 12: As always, Amanda Stern’s Happy Ending Reading Series promises an instant good evening. Later on Wednesday, “Maxx Klaxon has been invited to perform live at Copycat’s ELECTROCAT: A night of Electronic Cover Songs. This twice-monthly party at Otto’s Shrunken Head is all about cover versions; Comrade Klaxon will play some of his favorite songs by other artists (as well as some of his own material). Throughout the night, ringmaster DJ Xerox spins electronic covers and remixes of rock, indie, and new wave classics. And the Otto’s bartenders will keep the crowd supplied with the best frozen tiki drinks that New York has to offer.” 10PM – 4AM, FREE.
THU, MAR 13: Thursday promises a big night out for fiction lovers all over town: Tom Wolfe appears at “Upstairs at the Square,” best enjoyed in person but also webcast live at bn.com/upstairs [Full disclosure, as always: I am very involved with this project], “Dennis Cooper reads from The Weaklings, an edition of 300 numbered, signed, hard bound with art by Jarrod Anderson from Fanzine Press at John Connelly Presents, and William Gass goes “Off the Rail” at the Brooklyn Public Library.
FRI, MAR 14: “Each spring in New York City, Left Forum gathers intellectuals and activists from around the world to address the burning issues of our times. The theme for 2008 is ‘CRACKS IN THE EDIFICE.’ We will examine the context of an empire in the throes of collapse and discuss the possibilities for social movements to build a better world in its place.”
WEEKEND, MAR 15 & 16: While it’s possible to be over the Whitney Biennial since before it began, the same can hardly be said for The Pogues.