Bowery Boys honor Walt Whitman at live show
By Julianne McShane Call it a ’cast of multitudes.
Local history buffs the
Bowery Boys will discuss the
literature and legacy of Brooklyn
bard Walt Whitman at the first-ever
live taping of their eponymous podcast
at the Bell House on Jan. 11.
The event, presented as part of the
four-day Brooklyn Podcast Festival,
will focus on the role that Kings
County played in shaping the poet’s
best-known work, according to the
show’s co-host.
“A lot of people consider ‘Leaves
of Grass’ in particular the most
important piece of literature about
Brooklyn,” said Carroll Gardens
resident Greg Young. “It’s clear that
his experience in Brooklyn is what
inspired it.”
Young and co-host Tom Myers
— who dwells in the distant land
of New Jersey — will spend the
first half of the show exploring the
historical context of 19th-century
Brooklyn, when Whitman spent
nearly three decades moving between
the borough’s various neighborhoods,
including Clinton Hill, Fort
Greene, and Downtown, Young said.
The duo will then discuss how the
Borough of Churches inspired some
of the scribe’s writings — including
“Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” and
“Song of Myself” — with Whitman
scholar and New York University
professor Karen Karbiener, who is
COURIER L 38 IFE, JAN. 4-10, 2019 24-7
also the leader of the Walt Whitman
Initiative.
Whitman’s mark on the Better
Borough was not limited to his poetic
writings: the author spent two years
By Bill Roundy The pod people are coming!
The Brooklyn Podcast
Festival will sprawl across
four venues for four days, so you can
catch your favorite shows with your
eyes and your ears! In addition to
the Bowery Boys discussion of Walt
Whitman on Jan. 11, here are a few
highlights of the fest:
Hometown host
Brooklyn podcaster (and author,
and television host) Touré will interview
an as-yet-unnamed special
guest during a live taping of the
“Touré Show,” where he chats with
prominent black people about their
struggles and successes. Past guests
have included basketball player
Dennis Rodman, singer Macy Gray,
and members of the Wu Tang Clan.
“Touré Show” at Bric House 647
Fulton St. at Rockwell Place in Fort
Greene, (718) 683–5600, www.bricartsmedia.
org. Jan. 10 at 7 pm.
Free.
Jest talking
How do jokes work? In the
podcast “Good One,” Jesse David
Fox — Vulture.com’s senior editor
— asks a comedian to break
down a joke. Today he will chat with
Brooklyn comic Catherine Cohen
and “Difficult People” actress and
writer Julie Klausner.
“Good One” at Union Hall 702
Union St. between Fifth and Sixth
avenues in Park Slope, (718) 638–
4400, unionhallny.com. Jan. 11 at
7:30 pm. $15.
Travel talk
Brooklyn’s favorite topics —
bike lanes and subway woes — will
be up for discussion at the “Talking
Headways” podcast taping. Host
Jeff Wood will chat with transportation
planner and technologist Ryan
Westrom about creating streets that
are focused on people, not cars. The
discussion kicks off an afternoon
of podcasts focused on urban planning,
followed by a happy hour
gathering at 5 pm.
“Talking Headways” at Camp
David (237 36th St. Suite 112,
between Second and Third avenues
in Sunset Park, www.cityfarmpresents.
com/bkpodfest). Jan. 12 at 1
pm. $8 ($15 for all four sessions).
It’s a drag
The website Jezebel brings its
pop culture podcast “DirtCast” to
Continued on page 41
the Bell House to dig into the celebrity
ecosystem of tabloid reporting.
Tonight’s guest will be Aja, from
“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” who will dish
about the reality of the competition
show and working in the butch world
of hip-hop.
“Dirtcast” at the Bell House 149
Seventh St. between Second and
Third avenues in Gowanus, (718)
643–6510, www.thebellhouseny.
com. Jan. 13 at 7:30 pm. $10.
By Julianne Cuba Scientifically speaking, it’s beautiful!
A new gallery that merges art with science
opens at the Brooklyn Army Terminal on Jan. 4
with “Spontaneous Emergence of Order,” an exhibit of
work from four artists who have created ordered patterns
from the natural world. Combining an artist’s eye with
a scientific approach creates pieces that can help people
understand the world around them, according to one of
the show’s curators.
“I think it’s an important link, and I think scientists
and artists seek to understand the world we are living in,
and when you merge the two you can have really substantial
breakthroughs,” said Elena Soterakis, who lives in
Bay Ridge and co-curated the show with Jeannine Bardo.
“We believe in the union of both mediums and bringing
them together.”
The inaugural exhibit inside the BioBat Art Space
at the Sunset Park terminal will feature work from a
quartet of artists, including Tanya Chaly’s drawings of
frogs linked by thread and dissection pins; Tarah Rhoda’s
“Ourglass,” which features an IV bag under ultraviolet
light; Magdalena Dukiewicz’s “Flesh and Blood,” an
installation of solidified blood and collagen; and Richelle
Gribble’s “Community Web,” a social engagement project
built of rope, string, yarn, cords, and plastic.
The curators, whose own art focuses on environmental
issues, say they selected the artists for the exhibition
based on their esthetic and their ability to tell a story
with science.
The exhibit will appeal to anyone with a curious mind,
said Bardo, but the gallery will also hold special events to
reach out to local residents and pupils in nearby schools,
including talks by the artists, educational programs, and
hands-on science activities and projects.
“It’s very community-oriented, open to everybody. It’s
very accessible to the public, that’s the point of both science
and art, they are accessible and connected,” she said.
“There’s a lot to learn from both of those disciplines.”
The meshing of art and science may also spark
answers to future problems, said Soterakis.
“That intersection is going to answer a lot of problems
of tomorrow and solve a lot of problems,” she said. “I
believe science really is the answer to the problems of
the future. The intersection of art and science is very
important.”
“Spontaneous Emergence of Order” at BioBat
ArtSpace at the Brooklyn Army Terminal (140 58th St.
between First and Second avenues in Sunset Park). Jan.
4–March 3, Mon–Sat; noon–6 pm and by appointment.
Free.
Worshipping Walt: Local podcast duo and history buffs the Bowery Boys will host a special
live taping of their show honoring Brooklyn bard Walt Whitman as part of the Brooklyn
Podcast Festival at the Bell House on Jan. 11. Benjamin Stone
Lost and found: Richelle Gribble’s “Community Web” is made of
found objects, rope, and string.
Science flair
BARD BROADCAST
The best of the fest
New gallery combines
artwork with biology
Queen ’cast: Non-binary artist Aja will
discuss their time on “RuPaul’s Drag
Race” and working in hip-hop at the Bell
House on Jan. 13, as part of the Brooklyn
Podcast Festival.
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/unionhallny.com
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