BOOKISH: From blackout queen to succulently sober

POSTED: Tuesday, November 8, 2011, 4:00 PM

Filed Under: Arts Books

Each week, Francesca Crozier-Fitzgerald puts together a rundown of book-centric events that’ll keep you “lit” like Marilyn's baby blues all week long.

[Tonight]

➤ “Ask not what your country can do for you…”
For many Americans, Nov. 8, 1960 was a day that marked the beginning of the most inspiring presidential term in our nation’s history. John Fitzgerald Kennedy defeated Republican candidate, Richard Nixon, and in doing so became an advocate of humanitarian endeavors, welfare promotion, the Cuban Missile Crisis solutions and the inspiration behind Marilyn’s sultry “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.” Since these are the facts that have been mentioned ad nauseum, pick up Robert Dallek’s An Unfinished Life to learn about the closeted secrets of JFK. With Dallek’s unrestricted access to Kennedy family papers in the JFK Library, namely the Joseph and Rose Kennedy papers, you too will be tapping into the confidential files of this intriguing family story. All day, free, in a dark corner of the library stacks.

[Wednesday]

➤ A Sobering Experience
Binge drinking among America’s high school and college students is nothing new, nor is it disappearing any time soon. Funneling jungle juice, balancing for keg stands and suiting up for games like “Edward Forty-Hands,” are all cute ways of masking developing habits of alcoholism. These trends make sobriety the outcast lifestyle — a scary but true reality. In her recent book, Unwasted: My Lush Sobriety, author Sacha Scoblic (pictured) discusses the transition from blackout queen to succulently sober. Socializing sober? Who knew! 6 p.m., free, University of Pennsylvania Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St., upenn.edu/bookstore.

[Thursday]

➤ Umberto Echoes
To fully understand the progression of conspiracy theories and semiotic puzzles that renowned Italian author Umberto Eco constructs in his novels, you'd have to enroll in his class at the University of Bologna. But you could at least get a start locally by attending this discussion of his latest novel, The Prague Cemetery. This new release traces and exposes religious and political conspiracies that lay among the cobwebs of 19th-century European history; it’s a philosophical, investigative thriller. As Eco is famous for repeatedly mesmerizing his international audience with words, there are high hopes for The Prague Cemetery. 7:30 p.m., $15, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341, libfreelibrary.org/authorevents.

[Friday]

➤ Immersion Schucking
No matter what they say about the death of journalism, people will always crave stories. The itch to learn about a place or thing that the reader has not — or cannot — experienced on their own still lingers. Immersion journalism is alluring to both writer and the readers for its ability to inch as close to the actual living, breathing experience as possible. It’s a day-by-day account of everything that was smelled, touched, tasted and, in this case, shucked. In 2009, Erin Byers Murray (pictured) left her job as editor at the Boston Daily Candy, convinced oyster farmers at Island Creek Oyster Farm to bring her aboard and spent the next 12 months in erratic weather conditions to learn the inside scoop of oyster harvesting. As part of the First Person Arts Festival, Murray comes to Dinardo’s, a Philadelphia seafood hotspot, to tell the tale. 6-8 p.m. $35, Dinardo's Famous Crabs, 312 Race St., 267-402-2055, firstpersonarts.org.

[Saturday]

➤ Fear Fighters
Why go through the emotional and psychological anguish of overcoming fears and insecurities if you don’t get a chance to brag about it? This event will offer a safe space to share stories of those difficult patches from the past. Using the flexible spoken-word medium, the brave souls who take the mic will have freedom to depict their experience in living color. 7-10 p.m., $7, Sanctuary Wholistic Art Gallery, 2737 Cambridge Ave. 267-707-9114, poetry247.com

[Sunday]

➤ Deep Inside of a Comic Universe
The colorful, animated components of a comic book may give it a juvenile flair but the truth is, comic books and the plots that keep their pages turning require a unique development process. The heroes, the “bad guys,” the winners and losers are all vying for face time in these bite-size boxes and the comic book artists are responsible for the conversation that will take place between them. The Mighty Writers will attack this project in a series of five sessions and they are inviting all creative young minds. Every Sunday, Nov. 13-Dec. 18, noon-1:30 p.m., free, 641 South St. , 267.239.0899, mightywriters.org.

[Monday]

➤ Phiction Outlet
Teen writers searching for an outlet for their words in advanced English courses or creative writing classes can still feel restricted by deadlines and guidelines. But fear no more. Philly Phiction is a workshop that guarantees to nurture the free-reigning creativity of any of its participants. All are welcome to come write about their personal experiences with the city — their city — Philadelphia. 4 p.m., free, Free Library, Torresdale Branch, 6742 Torresdale Ave., 215-685-8755.

Have an event you'd like to see in an upcoming Bookish? Email the author at francesca@citypaper.net.

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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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