Isabel Allende's Latest Novel; Lili Taylor's New Birding Book; Bells Larsen's Album Explores Gender, Voice and Change; Jesse Krimes On Art and Incarceration
Chilean novelist Isabel Allende discusses her latest novel, My Name is Emilia del Valle. The story follows a young journalist who becomes caught up in the Chilean Civil War. Isabel will be speaking at Symphony Space on May 6 at 7 pm.
Fifteen years ago, actor Lili Taylor took a sabbatical and spent time at her house in upstate New York. There, in the quiet, she started to listen. As she writes, "I started to hear birds. It was as if I'd switched my studio input from one dimension to Dolby stereo." It changed her perception of the world. In her new book of essays Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing, she writes about her encounters with the natural world, what she has gained by paying attention to her surroundings, and how her connection with nature helps her find peace and calm.
On Canadian singer-songwriter Bells Larsen's new album, Blurring Time, half the vocals were recorded at the beginning of his transition journey. The other half were recorded after testosterone had brought his voice to a lower register. Larsen blends his two voices in moving harmonies that touch on the passage of time, identity, and relationships others and oneself. He joins us for a Listening Party.
Jesse Krimes was interested in art at an early age but got caught up in the criminal justice system in his early 20's. He served 6 years in prison and some spent in solitary confinement. Since his release, he has pursued his own art career, and worked to help incarcerated people use art as a tool for self-expression and rehabilitation. Now he has his own exhibition at The Met. His solo show is called "Corrections," and runs through July 13. He'll discuss his work and his Brooklyn-based organization, The Center for Art and Advocacy, which provides resources for formerly incarcerated artists.
