two umbrellas

happening at the FLP coming up and into the fall:

• Ralph Nadar
• Lorrie Moore
• Marjane Satrapi
• Howard Dean
• Richard Russo
• Richard Dawkins
• Jeanette Walls
• Jonathan Safran Foer
• Lydia Davis
• Lydia Bastianich

If you’re in Philadelphia, be sure to check out the calendar. Where ever you are be sure to support your local library!

I know it’s a bit late, but I went to the Free Library Festival a few weeks back. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the size this year. Usually the vendors stretch all around the library but only one block had vendors:



There was still a good offering of local university presses and bookshops. Harvest Books was giving away free books (which means you couldn’t get anywhere near the stand). I had never heard of Harvest Books before and didn’t realize they were in the Philly area. I’ll definitely have to check out their warehouse someday or order online: Hooray, local booksellers!! There were also some magazine stands: N+1 and McSweeney’s made appearances. Here’s another shot:



I didn’t make it to see any of the authors this year. A disappointment, I’m sure, but I was suffering from an allergic reaction to an Rx which made me look and feel like a poorly copied Seurat – there’s always next year. Although with the small size of this year, I am hoping there will be a next year…So, don’t forget to support your local library!!

Check it out. The dates are 18-19 April. The new logo is cool, too. There’s a pretty long line-up of authors scheduled, including: Joyce Carol Oates, Joe Queenan, among many others.

The Great Poe Debate continues tonight with, well, The Great Poe Debate tonight at the FLP. Since Edward Petit, a writer and professor at LaSalle University, wrote an article , “We’re Taking Poe Back” (Philly is a very proud city) for City Paper two years ago, a literary debate has been sparked regarding which city: Boston, Baltimore, or Philly, Poe ‘belongs’ to. Fighting over the writer’s remains is a little macabre but perhaps quite appropriate.

If you’re in Philly, info for visiting EAP’s house can be found here.

Etgar Keret + Rivka Galchen will be appearing at the Free Library of Philadelphia on 23 October at 7.30 pm (FREE). This may be the Parasol’s first reading…

Don’t forget that Monday 16 June is Bloomsday. The Rosenbach Museum puts on a splendid reading from noon ’til 7pm – plus a host of other Joycean events. I thoroughly enjoyed last year’s reading.

The 2nd Annual will be held on 17-18 May. There will be over 80 exhibitors and a full schedule of authors, music, and more.

Last Saturday mr. twoumbrellas and I went to see Lawrence Lessig give a presentation for Barack Obama at UPenn. I was quite impressed (not that I wasn’t impressed with his presentations before). I’ve only ever seen his presentations online so it was a treat to see it live.

Since he was – in my case – preaching to the choir, as they say, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the presentation; I’ve seen so many speeches and listened to the candidates and their supporters for so long that I tend, not quite to lose interest, but my excitement wanes with all of the repetition. Lessig had a few interesting arguments that I had heard him talk about in previous slide shows. What struck me the most interesting was Lessig’s point that change – real change – is not just about action (or ideas of what actions to take) but it is also about perception. How we perceive things are happening in government is just as important as how they actually are happening; transparency can ultimately lead to trust – and a fair government that is working for the people’s best interest.

Here are a few highlights from the calendar:

*FREE

Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking is a beautifully designed cookbook. With lavish sushi presentations, action shots of Morimoto cooking, and numerous money shots of all of the dishes, the book is exquisite with its simple beauty. Many of the recipes are complicated and precise: Squid Ink-Salmon Gnocchi or Crispy Duck with Port Wine Reduction and Red Miso Sauce (this recipe requires making foie gras croissants). There is a section titled “Recipes to Contemplate” (with ingredients such as blowfish, abalone, and sea urchin) that hints at Morimoto’s sense of humor.

When I went to see Morimoto speak at the FLP, I was excited to walk into the auditorium and see a small kitchen station. He arrived on stage with his sous chef and immediately entertained. His fierce appearance in photographs seems to contradict his persona on stage. Every other line was a punch line and he is quite aware that he is there to promote is many products. He quickly got started with cooking. He prepared a Tuna Pizza, which looks like one of the more simpler recipes in his book. It took him only about ten minutes (with everything already prepped – we were at the library) and it looked good enough to eat. However, I can only hope that he gave the pizza to someone after the reading; it would be very disappointing to see a very expensive piece of tuna go to waste. He then took questions (with his chef de cuisine to help interpret) and I was surprised to hear his thoughts on TV, which he hates. Someone asked about Iron Chef, which he also hates and quickly added that he also loves. The show requires a lot of prep work and they only get so many hints about the secret ingredient. There is great pressure on the Iron Chefs to create new dishes for each show. At this point in his career, he added, he does not need to create new dishes so often.

Morimoto’s eponymous restaurant sits inconspicuously on Chestnut street. Once recognized, it’s smooth facade and translucent florescent green doors do begin to contrast the abandoned or reconstructed storefronts. There’s a deli or two on the block and a karate studio shares the building. I have yet to eat at Morimoto but I pass the restaurant almost everyday on my way to work and each time I do, those green doors tempt me to consider spending at least half of a paycheck on what I will assume would be one of the best meals I would ever have. Since I haven’t given into temptation (the sushi is always at market price – from Tokyo – and the wagyu is twenty dollars an ounce – with a six oz. minimum), I have to resort to the cheap version of food porn – the cookbook.