We're Practically Giving It Away

A while ago the great Dave Eggers came by to sign copies of the fur-covered, limited-edition edition of The Wild Things, his novelization of Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are. We are offering this lovely book for the cover price of $28.00. And we sell a copy now and then, but not like you would think. So I went onto Ebay just to see what folks are asking for a signed first edition of this beauty, and check this out, the cheapest copy for sale there is $44.99, plus shipping. And the most expensive one is listed for a cool Benjamin. So if you neglected to add this one-of-a-kind tome to your collection, now is the chance. Best to call the store direct if you're interested.

Oh, what a night...

So yesterday was a pretty big one for me, as I tuned 40 - gulp! The cake was fantastic, but without a doubt, the highlight of my celebratory romp around The City last night was being able to catch the wonderful new production at A.C.T. called "The Tosca Project".

As any reader of this blog will tell you, many of us at Green Apple enjoy the periodic tipple (although we justify this interest well with our sterling book recommendations), and when we get to North Beach, there has only been one bar we prop our elbows on - Tosca Cafe, the most literary bar in San Francisco (sorry Vesuvio, but you know it's true).

"The Tosca Project" was a beautiful collaboration of theatre and dance; more dance in fact than I expected, but as many of the performers are active in the San Francisco Ballet, the dancing was top-notch. Curious that there was little (if any at all) dialogue during the performance. Indeed, the tale of Tosca's decades was told via moody lighting, kaleidoscopic colors and costumes, costumes, costumes. And dance.

Good news for those of you who haven't been able to score tickets to this World Premier - "The Tosca Project" has just been extended through July 3rd! Take someone special, dig some artistic history, then head north to the authentic Tosca Cafe for a nightcap. And if you catch Jeanette or Peter near that velvet rope, please tell 'em that the folks at Green Apple send our love.

Buenaventura

If it's not one thing it's another. I didn't know until a couple of weeks ago that the doors had been shut and locked over at Buenaventura Press in Oakland. I'd had my suspicions of course, due to the increased difficulty in ordering their books and the skyrocketing prices of their previous releases used on Amazon or Ebay. From the little I've heard, the small publisher received some kind of devastating financial blow. I'm not sure what the nature of that is. It was a good run though, that's for sure. Buenaventura published some of the most beautifully packaged art and comic books of the last decade. They produced the enormous Ignatz nominated Kramer's Ergot compilation, worked with world renowned artists such as Jaime Hernandez and Robert Crumb, and promoted up and coming artists such as Matt Furie or Lisa Hanawalt (both of whom now have monthly strips in The Believer, FYI). They even wrangled Microphones/Mount Eerie musician Phil Elverum for a book at one point....

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...well, there it is. Another goodbye too many. Buenaventura, you will be missed. Best of luck to Alvin on any future ventures.

Panel from Jerry Moriarty's Jack Survives, from Buenaventura 2009

Poem of the Week by Laura Moriarty

Happy Monday, readers. Today's poem comes from A Tonalist by Laura Moriarty (Nightboat Books, 2010). Enjoy.

8. The Imaginary Community

Real as thought
When thought

Plain as paint or
Audible sings

In tones that
In times which

These darknesses
Seem light

As among beings
Or notes between them

When us means both
Many letters

Between us
This commerce

As fast as light
Sets the tone

Webern's Bagatelles
The dark light again

As with yourself
Though (I am) not there with

But aware of (you) on
The edges of everything

To be read as if
Our lives depended upon

Knowing there is one
Are ones who know