UGLY TRUTHS
Show looks at singer put on display
Double vision: Artist Laura Anderson Barbata’s show “The Eye of the Beholder,”
having two workshop performances this month, examines the larger-than-life story
of 19th-century indigenous Mexican performer Julia Pastrana, dubbed “The Ugliest
Woman in the World.” Laura Anderson Barbata
Ready for a munch marathon?
COURIER L 48 IFE, FEB, 8-14, 2019 24-7
The best reads
— handpicked by
some of the best
Bklyn bookstores
Word’s picks: “You Know You Want This,”
by Kristen Roupenian
an
sten
Cat
d a
thot
You may remember Kristen
Roupenian’s viral short story “Cat
Person” as the one that launched a
thousand think pieces, but whether
you loved it or hated it, do not
assume that it tells you anything
about the rest of her debut collection.
ng
-
t
“You Know You Want
This” goes way, way darker
than “Cat Person” within the
first 10 pages, incorporating
vindictive preteens, “good”
guys, and cursed spell books
hidden in libraries. You definitely
want it!
— Mike Lindgren, Word 126 Franklin
Franklin
St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.
wordbookstores.com .
Greenlight Bookstore’s pick:
“Leading Men,” by Christopher Castellani
In the unforgiving world of liternius
literary
fame, every artist is a genius
and a real piece of work. The
The
novel “Leading Men” tells the
the
story of Tennessee Williams
ms
through two important figures
es
in his life: Frank Merlo, his
is
lover and stalwart companion
n
during the 1950s, as Williams
s
hustled for a place among the
decade’s artistic greats; and
Anja Bloom, a fading film
actress in the present day,
who reveals that she owns
a lost Tennessee Williams
play. Tennessee is a key
player, but Frank and Anja take e center stage
stage
in a story that asks us to consider our responsibility to art,
and whether or not art can lead to redemption.
— Austin Broussard, Greenlight Bookstore 686 Fulton St.
between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene,
(718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com .
Community Bookstore’s pick:
“The Babysitter at Rest,” by Jen George
A collection of spare, absurd,surd,
and bitingly funny stories by
Jen George, whose sensibilities
lie somewhere between Helen
DeWitt and a sentient Twitter
bot. In fractured scenes, we
impossible yet deeply familiar
interactions play out between
characters who seem to be
less human people than
uncanny manifestations of
an inner monologue that
both is and is not our own.
A masterful debut.
— Samuel Partal,
ties
len
ter
we
ar
n
e
3
rroll Street and
Community Bookstore 43
Seventh Ave. between Carroll Street and
Garfield Place in Park Slope, (718) 783–3075, www.commu nityb
ookst ore.net .
By Kevin Duggan
She’s making a picture that is
more than skin-deep.
A new interactive show will
look beneath the surface of the
19th-century singer known as “The
Ugliest Woman in the World.” The
lecture, dance performance, and
work-in-progress “The Eye of the
Beholder,” at Bric Arts Media on
Feb. 15 and 22, draws parallels
between the tragic life of Julia
Pastrana, an indigenous Mexican
woman forced to sing and dance
in freak shows around the world,
and modern day human trafficking,
according to the performance
artist behind the project.
“Julia was part of human trafficking.
This was a person that was
exploited from the time she was
born to after her death,” said Laura
Anderson Barbata, who lives in
Bushwick. “Many people are still
exploited the same way, we still
have a lot of work to do to address
this better.”
Pastrana, born in 1834 in the
northern Mexican state of Sinaloa,
had two rare illnesses, which
caused thick black hair to grow on
her face, and her gums and lips to
grow thick. She was sold to a circus
at an early age, until American
Theodore Lent tricked her into
marriage. He displayed her around
North America and Europe for
years, and fathered a child with her
to keep the show running, according
to Anderson Barbata.
“There are theories that he got
her pregnant because he wanted
more people for the show,” the
artist said.
But Pastrana and her baby
died in childbirth. After a doctor
embalmed both of them, Lent stole
their remains and kept on exhibiting
them, to even greater success.
The bodies of Pastrana and her
baby remained on tour for another
century, before going into storage
at a university in Norway.
Anderson Barbata heard about
Pastrana’s story in the early aughts,
and drew a connection to her own
childhood, growing up in the same
area of Mexico and dancing for
money.
“As she was a dancer, I was
forced to dance for tourists for
money as a child,” the artist said.
The show is still evolving, but
the workshop sessions will use projections,
music, and dance to tell
Pastrana’s tragic tale, and also to
look at how society judges people
by their appearance, she added.
“The Eye of the Beholder” at
Bric House 647 Fulton St., between
Rockwell and Ashland places in
Fort Greene, (718) 855–7882, www.
bricartsmedia.org. Feb. 15 and 22
at 7 pm. $12 ($8 in advance).
By Anna Spivak We’re eating out-er boroughs!
A dazzling new dining
experience will promote the
unique cuisines found in Brooklyn,
Queens, and the Bronx next month!
Dine The Boroughs, a twoweek
culinary tour of some of the
outer boroughs’ best bites, will feature
some 200 restaurants offering
prix fixe menu options for just $28,
from March 18 to 31.
The expansive munch marathon
fills a gaping hole in New York
City’s beloved Restaurant Week
line-up, which features hundreds
of Manhattan eateries while spotlighting
only a fork-full of outer
borough options, according to
one of the creators of Dine the
Boroughs.
“This is really an opportunity to
promote the diverse food offerings
found in Brooklyn, Queens, and the
Bronx,” said Joshua Schneps, the
chief executive officer of Schneps
Media. “We want to drive traffic
to each of the boroughs because,
as we all know, great food is a
destination.”
And joining the roster of the
ultimate outer-borough feast comes
at no cost for participating restaurants,
said Schneps.
“It’s completely free for restaurants
to participate,” he said. “They
have to offer a prix fixe menu, at
least for dinner, during the period
of time that we’ll be holding Dine
the Boroughs, and they have to be
based in Brooklyn, Queens, or the
Bronx. There is no other charge,
and we’re very fortunate to have
such a large reach in those three
areas, through our different newspapers,
websites, newsletters, and
social channels, that we can really
promote these restaurants.”
Restaurants and sponsors interested
in signing up can visit www.
dinetheboroughs.com , which in
the coming weeks will be updated
with a detailed list of participating
eateries and their offerings.
Join the Dine the Boroughs journey,
presented by the Whitmore
Group, by following along on
social media using the hashtag
#dinetheboros.
Foodie feast: Dine the Boroughs, a twoweek
culinary tour of varied cuisines
found in the outer boroughs, will kick
off on March 18. Festival Media
/www.dinetheboroughs.com
/www.wordbookstores.com
/www.greenlightbookstore.com
/www.commu
/www.bricartsmedia.org
/www.bricartsmedia.org
/www.dinetheboroughs.com
/www.wordbookstores.com
/wordbookstores.com
/www.greenlightbookstore.com
/www.commu
/ore.net
/bricartsmedia.org
/dinetheboroughs.com