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.
The “3 or 4 Reasons to Leave the House” Edition
TUE, OCT 14: “At the Architectural League of New York, in conversation with Andres Lepik, Friedrich von Borries will discuss his perspective as general commissioner for the German contribution to the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale, and co-director of raumtaktik, the “agency for spatial investigation and intervention” in Berlin. And something about Brad Pitt (please note: this event will be conducted in perfect English) [Full disclosure, as always: I am the publicist for this series]. 7PM, Admission is free, and reservations are required (rsvp@newyork.goethe.org).
THU, OCT 16: Last edition of Barnes & Noble’s “Upstairs at the Square” until 2009! Alaa al Aswany, author of Chicago (HarperCollins, October 7) and Rachael Yamagata, whose new album is A Record In Two Parts: Elephants’ Teeth Sinking Into Heart (Warner Bros. Records, October 7), discuss and perform their work in conversation with journalist Katherine Lanpher, who hosts the program [Full disclosure, as always: I am very involved with this project]. 7PM, FREE.
FRI, OCT 17: New Yorker editor and darling of indie publishing Ben Greenman reads from his forthcoming Correspondences (Hotel St. George Press, November) as part of the PAGE Series at the National Arts Club. Where and how else could you celebrate Eminem’s 36th birthday? Fighting in the bathroom optional [Full disclosure, as always: Ben is one of my publicity clients]. 7:30PM, FREE (note: jacket required for gents).
THE REST OF THE WEEK: So if you are in New York, you should drop everything right now and go see A Girl Cut in Two at Cinema Village and then we can have a little cineclub and discuss it how it’s full of deep cleavage and chain-smoking and expensive books and totally makes publishing sound sexy and scary and life-threatening, and also, as if you need a reminder, some reasons why it’s not a good idea to let a Goncourt Prize-winning author take you to a gang-bang for your birthday. For starters.