BOOKISH: Creative minds from all walks of life

Among the lit events we're highlighting this week are author Drew Gilpin Faust @ Headhouse Books, a poetry/jazz slam @ Woodmere Art Museum and the Fourth Wall Arts Salon @ The Media Bureau

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BOOKISH: Creative minds from all walks of life

POSTED: Thursday, May 26, 2011, 2:00 PM

Each week, Emily Apisa puts together a rundown of book-centric events that’ll keep you “lit” like a firecracker all week long.

[ Thursday ]

➤ Saturnalia Books Poetry Reading

This Ardmore-based book publisher is bringing their inked pages to life. The reading and book signing will feature Saturnalia authors, including Martha Silano, Star Black and Dorothea Lasky. These contemporary poets draw inspiration from the mundane to the sublime as evidenced in Silano’s “The Little Office of the Immaculate Conception” and Black’s “Velleity’s Shade.” Thu., May 26, 6 p.m., free, Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 219 S. 6th St., 215-925-2688.

[ Friday ]

➤ Po/Jazz Connection

Poetry and jazz both emphasize feeling over meaning, and this event brings the similar art forms to the same stage. While poets read their works, Philadelphia-based jazz band Warren Oree and The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble will accompany the recital, offering an additional component to the traditional spoken work performance. Wine and cheese will be served, and guests will gain free entry to the museum’s special exhibits. Fri., May 27, 6-8 p.m., $15- $20, Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave., 215-247-0476.

[ Saturday ]

➤ Fourth Wall Arts Salon

Creative minds from all walks of life will be contributing a little bit of this and a little bit of that to this potpourri of performances. Philly-based musicians, dancers and poets including Nina ‘Lyrispect’ Ball and Carlo Campbell will not only perform, but also engage the audience by speaking on their craft. Sat., May 28, 7-9 p.m., $15, The Media Bureau, 725 N.4th St., 215-645-2424.

[ Sunday ]

➤ Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Today is our 35th president’s would-be 94th birthday. John F. Kennedy’s life was a short, but interesting one. As a member of American aristocracy his personal life was thrust into the limelight, and his political life was examined under a close eye. Check out these JFK biographies to learn more about the birthday boy: An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 by Robert Dallek, John F. Kennedy: A Biography by Michael O’Brien or JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters by James W. Douglass. Sun., May 29.

[ Monday ]

➤ Memorial Day

On this unofficial kick-off to the summer season, take time to set some summer reading goals. Might I suggest getting around to reading those books you should’ve read, but never actually got around to it? Skip the summer blockbusters and give the classics a chance. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is a funny take on science fiction, and it’s as easy to take in as that mojito you’ve been sipping on. If Philly’s got you down, Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises is set in exotic Spain and uber-chic Paris. Let Hemingway’s sparse prose parade you down the streets of Europe. Mon., May 30.

[ Tuesday ]

➤ Books Through Bars Packing Cafe

Share your passion for books with those who do not have the luxury of a library or bookstore. Every Tuesday this group responds to book requests from prisoners by sifting through their library of donations. After books are collected, the packages will be mailed off. According to Books Through Bars’ website, the program receives about 1200 letters from prisoners a year, so volunteers are an integral part the program’s success. Tue., May 31, 7:30- 9 p.m., free, The A-Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave., 215-727-8170.

[ Wednesday ]

➤ IYC Book Club

As part of the International Year of Chemistry, this bi-monthly book club hosts speakers and discusses book selections each meeting. This meeting’s selection is “This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War” by Drew Gilpin Faust. Using the Civil War as a reference point, Faust explores the impact of death on America’s society including how people coped with trauma and grief and the expansion of the embalming industry. Wed., June 1, 7:30-9 p.m., free, Headhouse Books, 619 S. 2nd St., 215-925-2222.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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