Archive for the ‘Fun’ Category

Monday, April 19th

Scene Report: Annalemma Issue Six Release Party.

IMG_4747

Thanks to everyone who came out last week. It was a strange and beautiful night.

IMG_4748

Rose was a dear and helped out with the shadow play.

IMG_4749

Did I mention we adapted “Oneida, Ophelia, Ornella” from Matt Bell’s “Three Cataclysm Babies” appearing in Annalemma Issue Six? Well, we did and it was the sickness. At least, that’s how everyone at the party felt. Video coming soon.

IMG_4750

People getting purple-ized.

IMG_4752

Natalie’s commitment to the show is a force to be reckoned with.

IMG_4753

Some guy drew this portrait of me on a matchbook cover. I was upset to see my hair looked the way it did.

IMG_4754

“Hello everyone!”

IMG_4756

Actor Michael Barringer read an excerpt from Ravi Mangla’s story “Bred in Captivity” appearing in Annalemma Issue Six.

IMG_4757

The people crammed themselves into this tiny room to watch the shadow play. The love I feel for the people in the picture…

IMG_4758

…sometimes makes it hard to speak.

IMG_4761

IMG_4764

That I have friends, that I have friends who love the things that I do enough to come out on a Monday night and enjoy the hell out of themselves, these things mean a lot to me. Thank you so much to everyone who came out. Your faces and brains make my heart swell.

Check out our facebook page to see the unblurry, properly lit photos!

Monday, April 12th

Tonight, Tonight.

Annalemma_Six_Party copy

Did you know this is the only thing happening in the borough of Brooklyn tonight? Come be entertained, listen to and watch beautiful people performing music, drink alcohol that is surprisingly good for being free and pick up your copy of Annalemma Issue Six: Sacrifice.

Monday, March 1st

John Welles Bartlett.

3_2bfb

Via the Design*Sponge blog:

Brooklyn artist John Welles Bartlett’s woodcuts and prints of mythical and extinct creatures make me happy. And I’m not really sure why. Reminiscent of childhood? Desire for the unknown? Wolfboy? Who’s to say? The folks over at Berdorf Goodman have taken note as they’ve given Bartlett the run of their windows until next month.

Thanks to Wiggle Worm for the heads up!

Friday, February 26th

BBCDW: Jules Verne.

Book cover design virtuoso Jim Tierney redesigned four classic Jules Verne novels, not for some reissue campaign for a big time publisher, but for his senior project.

leagues

Jim employs all sorts of whimsical, rarely-used cover design methods like die cut half jackets, spin wheels and translucent film.

journey

The best part about these covers is you need only glance at them to get a potent taste of the adventure that lies within.

eighty

The worst part about them is that they are one of a kind. Hey Penguin! Get off your ass and mass produce these.

Click over to Faceout Books to read a short interview with Jim about the process.

Thanks to Danny J for the heads up!

Monday, February 8th

The Grand Family.

Our intrepid intern comes at us with a report from the burgeoning art capital of the world, Orlando, FL. Take it away, Janelle!

Good friend and Annalemma contributor Gianelle Gelpi held an art opening at Stardust on Saturday night.

gia pic 1

Fans and friends came together to celebrate Gianelle’s first solo show.

giapic2

I donned my newly dubbed “Montana” jacket in honor of the furry family.

giapic3

Gianelle’s choice of medium ranged from rich, seductive oils to bright and yummy acrylics. The most beloved though were her drawings.

giapic4

By the end of the night they were all $OLD! Cha-ching is a good thing indeed.

giapic5

Gianelle’s style, influenced by World Mythology, has evolved into a kind of mystical optimism. Through the creatures of the Grand Family, she conveys a belief in the connectedness of all things alive and imagined. Their serenity may be ours as well.

giapic6

I especially loved the lion. Just look at his eyes! Gorgeous. Someone else snatched it up before I got there. Boohoooo.

giapic7

We are just bursting with pride. Gianelle owned Stardust. (And the dance floor a little later that night.) Expect to see more of her.

IMG_0249

We are just bursting with pride. Gianelle owned Stardust. (And the dance floor a little later that night.) Expect to see more of her.

Friday, January 29th

Finnegan’s Wank.

image.php_-499x75

Happy Friday everyone. As a special present for making it to the end of the week, we give you the fruits of the HTMLGIANT “When Writers Get Off” contest. In retrospect, it may have been wise to choose a less confusing title to parody, but whatever, it makes for some good ol’ fashioned time wastin’ on a Friday afternoon. Thanks to everyone who submitted!

And now, Annalemma is proud to give you a work of classical literature that has been totally porn-i-fied. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you…

Finnegan’s Wank

force that through the green fuse drove the wildebeest in rear of the long bus with high seatbacks for high school play, untucked oxford shirt, corduroys unsnapped, downzipped to match her plaid skirt split thigh-wide, knees pinked, still drives me to wankshire, memory slick with swells of youth, yea, I was still a boy back then, virginia’s son, unlicensed but with mansome fingers, guitar-licking at the loudhouse, labial mimetics of miss winnie who would whimper first, a chorus, huff-n-hew, then lift me with her muttonbrooch, the niceliest mouthing of fist with slurp hole, oh, imagine the sound, how I would soak the buttoned cotton clean through. learned to launder by eleven, so dear mother, sweet saintly mami, immaculate cleanser of marriott and sheraton, would not know nor touch the spraycrust from breath slide, wring and bell-tongued ball (like wool-white plunge for heaven’s serf) of the selfsame girl who’d heave jameson at the freshman formal, but not before geyswerk beneath cloth table. we told ourselves no one could see, yet when discovered otherwise saw no need for disgrace, groan with willful eyes, glouch before mirrors, windows, open doors, like this one now, upon the aerie annalemma. finn’s splooge is yours.

– jesusangelgarcia

Mastabatoom, mastabadtomm, when a mon merries his lute, he tips un a topping swank cheroot, giving the Paddybanners the military salute, from out the belfry of the cute, to send more heehaw hell’s flutes, comming nown from the asphalt to the concrete, from the human historic brute, schwants (schwrites) ischt tell the cock’s trootabout, to traverse same above statement by saxy luters, and the Beer and Belly and the Boot, in spite of all that science could boot, like to ants or emmets wondern upon a groot, very largely substituted taker of the tributes, for render and prender the doles and the tribute, when rodmen’s firstaiding hands had rescued, the prettiest pickles of unmatchemable mute, when an explosium of his distilleries deafadumped all his dry goods to his most favoured sinflute.

Saddenly now. On a second wreathing, a celt, unwishful as he felt, was pelted (in pelted thongs), lugging up and laiding down his livepelts (birthday pelts), a lad’s thing to elter, and boundaried round with a twobar tunnel belt, where the poules go and rum smelt, and yet smelt the highstinks aforefelt, erning his breadth to the swelt, and devious delts, a bright tauth bight shimmeryshaking for the welt, and candlestock melt.

– William Walsh

Finnegan sat in the corner, spent.  He was sad now.  The softest part was always the hardest part. He spit on the ground and looked around.  He grabbed a dirty towel and weakly cleaned himself.  A big fart let loose from his fat ass. The magazine he used was called Phoenix Park, and Finnegan made a note to himself to remember the title.  It was a keeper.

The bachelor’s apartment only had one room, other than the bathroom.  The only sink was in the bathroom.  Finnegan kept a hot plate on a table near the only door in the apartment.  He occasionally cooked grill cheeses on the hot plate.  He had never cleaned the hot plate.  He owned two dishes, and he would clean them in the shower at the same time he showered himself.  He owned one fork, and cleaned it with spit.

Through the dirty window, Finnegan spied a bird flying.  He coughed once and turned away from the window.  He lay back and stared up at the ceiling, scratching his belly.  He imagined the two Asian girls he saw at drycleaner earlier in the day.  They leaned over a sink, each washing a shirt.  One was tall like a tree. The other was squat and short, like a stone.  They were both beautiful.  They were both perfect.  Each time he jerked it thinking of them, he felt closer to them.  Every day he felt closer to them.

Finnegan waited to get hard again.  It wouldn’t be long.

– P. William Grimm

Monday, January 25th

Dirty Contest Results.

image.php_-499x75

Head over to HTMLGIANT where the results for the “When Writers Get Off” contest have been announced. Congrats to Chris Killen for having the most depraved brain.

Thursday, December 24th

Pornographic Barn Owl.

Picture 1

I know I said we were gonna take off for the break but it just felt wrong to leave you hanging out there in the wind like that. We need to stick together in this world, so we’re going to be keeping it chill here over the break instead of ceasing all communications.

Anyway:

I got my issues with The Rumpus. Sometimes they can be a little too NY and SF focused and can kinda forget that anything of artistic and literary merit is happening anywhere else in the country. And also, after some pretty admirable efforts on my part to do what little promotion I can with the small amount of credibility I have to promote Stephen Elliott’s book, I have yet to get that attention reciprocated onto me and my project. Wouldn’t kill them to link to some of the cool shit that happens here. Not that that’s why I dedicated all that time and money to pumping up Adderall Diaries. It’s a damn fine book by a damn fine writer, and I believe in both. Wouldn’t kill him to show a little appreciation over there is all. I’m just saying.

Whatever. The Rumpus is cool. I’m just airing some sour grapes. It’s kind of petty to be ripping on one of the few places on the internet for things of substance. And I’m starting to sound like the nerd who wasn’t invited to the party.

My favorite thing they got goin on nowadys is Pornographic Barn Owl. Simple, subtle, sublime. Often laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes sweetly sad, always hilariously honest. Imagine if Raymond Pettibon was way funnier and drew a weekly strip. I’m waiting for the collected works of Ian Huebert to come out. I will buy that shit.

Geez, I thought I was supposed to be keeping it chill…

Monday, November 2nd

Literary Costume Contest.

cthulhusuit

Literary costumes are weird. Unless you hang out with a dedicated book crowd, chances are you’re going to be standing in the corner by yourself at the party, occasionally launching into 5 min+ speech explaining your costume to the sexy maid who was unfortunate enough to ask.

But maybe I’m wrong. Send pics of your literary costume I’ll post them and we’ll let the internet decide if they were effectively scary/funny. Best costume gets a free copy of Annalemma Issue Five!

Pic: The Inkwell

Friday, October 30th

Getting Radical with Stephen Elliott.

SDIM0389

In case you haven’t been paying attention to my media barrage, I talked Stephen Elliott into coming to Orlando.

SDIM0396

It’s required by city law that if you spend more than 24 hours in Orlando you are required to go wakeboarding.

SDIM0399

Stephen reluctantly obliged.

SDIM0409

He was a good sport and pretended to have a good time.

SDIM0414

He even showed off a little bit for us.

SDIM0410

You’re a good sport, Stephen.

IMG_3966

I didn’t take any pics from the Stardust reading cause I was too busy stressing out and keeping the drunks at bay.We did, however, shoot some footage from the Stardust event and will be cutting it together in a little bit. Keep your peepers pealed for that.

IMG_3968

This was from the next night. Stephen read for a fiction writing class at Urban Think.

IMG_3972

It was way quieter and much fewer drunks.

IMG_3977

Thanks Stephen!