The Ithaca Times Interviews David Orr

March 8, 2012 – 5:32 pm

“Poetry is harder than some things,” [David Orr] said, “but it’s not any harder than, say, literary fiction. Or, think about movies. It’s amazing all the conventions of moviemaking that we just take for granted, all the jump cutting and things like that. Even a 1950s audience would have trouble understanding today’s movies.”

A great interview with New York Times and NPR poetry critic David Orr, who will be here to discuss his book, Beautiful & Pointless on Tuesday, March 18th at 6:30 pm. You can read the entire article here.

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March Events!

March 7, 2012 – 6:29 pm

Hi, this is Erika. I’m an intern here at Buffalo Street Books and thought I’d say howdy. If you see a stranger consistently lurking between the shelves of Buffalo Street Books it may be me, so feel free to say hello!

Also, the Ides of March are upon us and an old soothsayer came and prophesized a couple of crazy weeks for our little book store – filled with author readings, a storytelling competition, art, more author readings, folk songs and a book drive – so I thought I’d let you in on the scoop.

happiness of pursuitKicking off March with Cornell’s Shimon Edelman this Thursday March 8th at 6 pm, she’ll be reading from his book The Happiness of Pursuit: What Neuroscience Can Teach Us About The Good Life. His book has been deemed “an elegant tour de force that combines neuropsychology with liberal references to Shakespeare and Homer” – so you know its gonna be good.

 

 

And if that wasn’t enough, also on March 8th at 7 pm, Buffalo Street Books is hosting its first ever story-telling competition, Trampoline at Lot 10 (former Lost Dog/Deliliah’s), hosted by our own Bob. Life is tough when you have to choose between different literary events, but we think you’ll survive. Also co-hosting is Ithaca College’s Buzzsaw Magazine so it should be a roaring fine time.

Continuing with the trend of doing something different, Cornell M.F.A. graduate and Visiting Professor, Gilliam Pederson-krag is giving an artist talk at the store on March 9th at 6 pm, on her paintings and prints.

All before the Ides of March, we will have three authors – Amy Reading, David Orr, and Leslie Daniels – all here to share their respective books with us.

On March 10th at 6pm, Amy Reading will be reading from her new book on con artistry in America, The Mark Inside: A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con.

 

 

 

 

March 13th at 6:30, award-winning critic David Orr will be reading from Beautiful and Pointless, a riveting tour of poetry as it actually exists today.

 

 

 

Celebrating the paperback release of her debut novel, Cleaning Nabokov’s House, Leslie Daniels will be joining us March 14th at 6 pm for a “meet the author” with a discussion and book signing.

 

 

 

 

And as if all of that wasn’t enough, we’ve got our monthly Folk Song Swap on March 11th at 2 pm and our Works In Progress Reading on March 18th at 4 pm. Like we said, life is tough. What can we say? There are just too many opportunities to expand your mind and enrich your soul in Ithaca.

A final note on enriching your soul – currently the Books 4 Boynton Book Drive is happening. With the economy down and budget cuts for schools, Buffalo Street is doing its part in the drive by offering a 30% discount for any books purchased for Boynton Middle School during March. We’ll even deliver them for you!

For more information on the Books 4 Boynton Book Drive check out http://www.icsd.k12.ny.us/boynton/library/bookdrive.html to see their wish list and get more information.

That’s all for now -

Happy March people!

Erika Lundahl

Buffalo Street Books Intern

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Poet and Troublemaker Sparrow speaks!

February 17, 2012 – 6:53 pm

In 1996, NYC-based poet Sparrow looked at the slate of Republican presidential candidates and decided, “Those guys need a revolutionary Communist poet on the ballot.” With that decision, the poet who had once picketed the New Yorker carrying a sign that read “My poems are as bad as yours” launched his first presidential campaign. He’s run in every election cycle yet, although he has yet to be declared the Republican nominee.

A gifted poet and provocateur, Sparrow has been called “one of the funniest men in Manhattan” (by Robert Christgau), “a cult hero” (by Publishers Weekly) and “the poet laureate of comic relief” (by Philadelphia City Paper). Buffalo Street Books is proud to bring Sparrow to Ithaca for what we think is the first time. At least it’ll be the first time he’s told anyone he was here.

To kick off his visit, Sparrow will be performing as half of Violet Snow & Sparrow (he’s the Sparrow half) as an opening act for the Atomic Forces at Lot 10 on Thursday February 23rd at 9:30pm. Two members of the legendary anti-Plutarch pop group Foamola will sing quiet and secret American anthems of their own composition, with crumpling percussion, flute, kazoo, mountain harmonica and (possibly) toy xylophone. With proper encouragement, they may perform the Foamola hit “Balzac Prozac.” Plus at least one Russian folk song. This show is free and is a 21 and over event.

On Friday February 24th at 6pm, Sparrow will give a reading at Buffalo Street Books. The reading will probably include material from America: A Prophecy: The Sparrow Reader. But then again it might not.

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