Jennifer Camper, queer comic artist and editor of the new comic anthology Juicy Mother, brings contributing artists together to discuss comics as an expressive medium that is not representative enough in terms of diversity of perspectives. The stories in Juicy Mother are an exuberant and carefree celebration of artistry and diversity. Included are stories about an African-American gay man coming of age; an Arab Muslim lesbian searching for her identity; two big hairy men having a sappy wedding; and a cynical Latina teen battling the cosmos. In a genre especially known for being dominated by straight, white men, Juicy Mother is an alternative to alternative comics. The collection places emphasis on the voices least represented in the comic world. Contributors to Juicy Mother include: Alison Bechdel, Jennifer Camper, Howard Cruse, Diane DiMassa, Michael Fahy, Leanne Franson, Joan Hilty, G.B. Jones, Rupert Kinnard, Robert Kirby, Karen Platt, Ariel Schrag, Serpilla, Robert Triptow, Ivan Velez, Jr., and Stephen Winter. Co-sponsored by Simmons College Institute for Leadership & Change.
*Rolling Stone* writer Rob Sheffield discusses his book *Love Is a Mix Tape*, which examines life, love, and death in terms of music, specifically a set of mixtapes from throughout his relationship with Renee, the spunky punk rocker he married and eventually lost to a pulmonary embolism. After the reading, local band The Swear takes the bookstore stage and plays some rock.
Steve Almond, *New York Times* best-selling author presents *Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life*, a musical extravaganza in celebration of his new book about obsessive fandom. The evening will include literary explorations of classic hits by Styx, Toto, and other bands you are now ashamed to admit you once loved, along with other selections from the book, which *Publishers Weekly* calls "a hilarious riff on the power of music." The show closes with a live set by the utterly rocking Boris McCutcheon & The Salt Licks.
With a life that’s spanned the phonographic era and the digital age, Steve Almond lives to Rawk. Like you, he’s secretly longed to live the life of a rock star, complete with insane talent, famous friends, and hotel rooms to be trashed. Also like you, he’s had to settle for the life of a rabid fan, one who has converted his unrequited desires into a (sort of) noble obsession.
Chuck Palahniuk acclaimed novelist discusses of his newest book, *Tell All*, a novel inspired by the life of Lillian Hellman. *Tell-All* is a Sunset Boulevard–-inflected homage to Old Hollywood when Bette Davis and Joan Crawford ruled the roost; a veritable Tourette’s syndrome of rat-tat-tat name-dropping, from the A-list to the Z-list; and a merciless send-up of Lillian Hellman’s habit of butchering the truth that will have Mary McCarthy cheering from the beyond. Our Thelma Ritter–ish narrator is Hazie Coogan, who for decades has tended to the outsized needs of Katherine “Miss Kathie” Kenton—veteran of multiple marriages, career comebacks, and cosmetic surgeries. But danger arrives with gentleman caller Webster Carlton Westward III, who worms his way into Miss Kathie’s heart (and boudoir). Hazie discovers that this bounder has already written a celebrity tell-all memoir foretelling Miss Kathie’s death in a forthcoming Lillian Hellman–penned musical extravaganza; as the body count mounts, Hazie must execute a plan to save Katherine Kenton for her fans—and for posterity.
Ekiwah Adler-Belendez, acclaimed 22-year-old Mexican poet, discusses his works *Soy* (I Am), *Palabras Inagotables* (Never-ending Words), *Weaver*, and *The Coyotes Trace*. Ekiwah has appeared on *Dateline* to discuss poetry and the lifelong cerebral palsy that confines him to a wheelchair. He is now a student at Hampshire College.
*The Onion* sends Sports Editor John Krewson and Features Editor Joe Garden talk about "Comedy's Creative Power to Persuade." The award-winning and trenchantly funny publication is the focus of the final program in Cambridge Forum's series of "Conversations on Creativity" led by Dr. Sasha Helper. Krewson and Garden examine the place of comedy in our public discourse in an era when Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are the news sources of choice for a generation of citizens. *The Onion* began in 1988 as a college-based satirical publication and grew to become a national multimedia news platform that received a Peabody award in April 2009. How do its writers and editors balance news and comedy to craft stories that are persuasive enough to be taken seriously by governments around the world while leaving its readers laughing out loud? *The Onion* was founded by Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson in 1988 when the two were juniors at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. Its initial success was limited to a small number of cities and towns with major universities--Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Boulder. The creation of its website in 1996 brought it national attention. As it broke through to the mass market in 2000, Comedy Central approached it for a buyout that would take the satirical tabloid to New York City and broaden its reach into other forms of media--books, blogs, tweets, and now an iPhone app. In April 2007, The Onion launched "The Onion News Network," a web video sendup of 24-hour TV news which won a Peabody award in 2009. More than 3 million people read *The Onion* each week in print and online.
Photographer and filmmaker Norman Seeff discusses the creative process that he has documented for more than 35 years. Included are film clips and Seeff’s own photographs of such luminaries as the Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Martin Scorsese, and Nobel Prize-winning scientists.
Bret Easton Ellis, author of *Rules of Attraction* and *American Psycho*, reads from his newest novel, *Imperial Bedrooms*, which follows the infamous teenagers of his debut, *Less Than Zero*, into an even more desperate middle age. Clay, a successful screenwriter, has returned from New York to Los Angeles to help cast his new movie, and he's soon drifting through a long-familiar circle. Blair, his former girlfriend, is married to Trent, an influential manager who's still a bisexual philanderer, and their Beverly Hills parties attract various levels of fame, fortune and power. Then there's Clay's childhood friend Julian, a recovering addict, and their old dealer, Rip, face-lifted beyond recognition and seemingly even more sinister than in his notorious past. But Clay's own demons emerge once he meets a gorgeous young actress determined to win a role in his movie. And when his life careens completely out of control, he has no choice but to plumb the darkest recesses of his character and come to terms with his proclivity for betrayal.
Director Guillermo del Toro and author Chuck Hogan discuss *The Fall*, the second installment in the *Strain Trilogy*. The pair are interviewed by the Brattle Theatre's creative director, Ned Hinkle. The vampiric virus unleashed in *The Strain* has taken over New York City. It is spreading across the country and soon, the world. Amid the chaos, Eph Goodweather, head of the CDC′s team and one of a small group who have banded together to fight the bloodthirsty monsters that roam the streets, finally manages to identify the parasite that causes the infection. But it may be too late.
