This coming Sunday… September 18th… two events

A Panel Discussion of New Writing from India, Africa and the Caribbean

Music by Macy Blackman and the Mighty Fines

first up: literary panel at 2 pm!

Speakers: Aaron Bady – Rohit Chopra – Gautam Premnath

Academic specialists Rohit Chopra (Asst. Prof., Dept. of Communication, Santa Clara Univ.), Gautam Premnath (Asst. Prof. Dept. of English, UC Berkeley) and Aaron Bady (PhD candidate, Dept. of English, UC Berkeley) discuss recent writing in English from formerly colonized societies in South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

They will look specifically at work by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Teju Cole, Mohsin Hamid, Marlon James, Gyan Prakash, Altaf Tyrewala and Binyavanga Wainaina.

Since the publication of Salman Rushdie’s landmark novel, Midnight’s Children, three decades ago, postcolonial writing has become an integral part of global literary consciousness, read the world over.

The discussion will cover themes including the experiences of immigrant and diasporic communities – gender, race and class issues – the increasing significance of the US for postcolonial writing – the impact of globalization.  Short presentations will be followed by an open dialog with the audience.

Books discussed may include, but will not be limited to, the following: Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, The Thing Around Your Neck – Adichie; Open City – Cole; Moth Smoke, The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Hamid; John Crow’s Devil, The Book of Night Women – James; Mumbai Fables, Noir Urbanisms – Prakash; No God in Sight, Mumbai Noir (forthcoming) – Tyrewala; One Day I Will Write About This Place – Wainaina.

next up: New Orleans R&B at 4:30 pm & 5:30 pm (two sets)!

Macy Blackman & the Mighty Fines

Bird & Beckett’s “which way west?” Sunday afternoon concert series presents Macy Blackman & the Mighty Fines.  Macy plays a rollickin’ New Orleans-style barrelhouse & boogie woogie piano in front of a crackerjack band that includes tenor player Nancy Wright, bassist Bing Nathan and drummer Jack Dorsey.

Born in ’48 in Delaware, Macy grew up in Philly and led an R&B band, the Evergreens, while still in high school — backing up classic touring outfits like the Orlons and Lee Andrews & the Hearts… by ’66 he was in NYC, where he came under the fond tutelage of the drummer Charles “Hungry” Williams, who played with Huey “Piano” Smith & countless other New Orleans greats.  It was a relationship that cemented Macy’s knowledge of the music and mastery of the style.  Hungry’s gone now, but Macy rocks on…

Always a good time when Macy’s in the house! Let it roll!