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Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Events, Gigs...
7 comments:
Anonymous
said...
The Monday Jewish graphic novel series continues from 3-4:30 on 11/19 when we'll discuss Harvey Pekar's THE QUITTER. Warning--there are no page numbers in Pekar's book, but we'll still have a good schmooze. Free loaner copies await you at the Library circulation desk. (Btw, our final discussion will be on about THE RABBI'S CAT on 12/10.)
Here's a link to Harvey Pekar on Terry Gross's NPR show; they focus on THE QUITTER. You'll see an audio link near the top of the page. Jump to
You might also enjoy (re)viewing The AMERICAN SPLENDOR trailer, which opens with boy Harvey imagery. Jump to http://youtube.com/watch?v=APpxQm7sH5k
And, please, if you would like to contribute questions for our Pekar discussion, send them to me @ ckleinma@ccsf.edu.
------------------------- Here are some things to ponder that will help shape our discussion:
Pekar has built a career on focusing on the complexities of everyday life, but it's unusual to read a work by him that emphasizes his childhood and his Jewishness. Is there a relationship between quitting and Jewishness?
Very early Pekar presents an image of his Polish-immigrant parents and their connections to Jewish culture. In what ways do Pekar's parents shape his choices in childhood and adolescence?
On the cover of AMERICAN SPLENDOR one will see this lead-in: "FROM OFF THE STREETS OF CLEVELAND COMES...." What does THE QUITTER teach you about Cleveland? In what ways might THE QUITTER be categorized as "visual anthropology"?
Compile a list of everything Pekar quits? Why does he quit these things? Do the reasons share a commonground?
What doesn't he quit? Why?
What is Pekar drawn to? Why?
Throughout the book, Pekar interacts--on a range of levels--with African Americans. What is he saying about Black-Jewish relations?
Why is jazz so meaningful to Pekar? And why is writing about jazz so meaningful to him?
What are the three most touching moments in the book?
Why is Pekar such a "tough Jew"?
THE QUITTER is the only one of our books in the series to be illustrated by someone other than the author. Dean Haspiel's representations of Pekar's narrative read differently than the works illustrated by others suchas R. Crumb. It's worth thinking about how collaboration shapes authority, and how Pekar's works shift shape. It's also worth thinking about how the representation of Jewishness here compares to the other representations we've seen.
KLEINMAN http://fog.ccsf.edu/~ckleinma
"We're talking about words." --Frank Zappa on CROSSFIRE ('86)
I was just asked to fill in (on bass) with a jazz quartet (maybe a quintet) at Cafe De La Paz in Berkeley, 8-10pm, Saturday, 11/24, over Thanksgiving break. It might be pretty good, if you want to swing by... or if you don't swing by . . .
Here's a Yelp link to the joint: http://www.yelp.com/biz/KWs1vwg8mUfDGqr11AeHZA
The Jewish graphic novel series will end on Monday, 12/10, in Library 305 from 3-4:30 with Joann Sfar's THE RABBI'S CAT. Remind your students. Pick up a copy on reserve at the library, read it, and join our discussion. Illegal library nosh to follow. For more on the author and the book, jump to http://www.nextbook.org/cultural/feature.html?id=192
Saturday night jazz quartet gig at the Revolution Cafe: 2/2, 9pm-midnight. I'll be playing with Steve McQuarry, an outstanding pianist. Stop by . . . before paper grading subsumes us all . . .
7 comments:
The Monday Jewish graphic novel series continues from 3-4:30 on 11/19 when we'll discuss Harvey Pekar's THE QUITTER. Warning--there are no page numbers in Pekar's book, but we'll still have a good schmooze. Free loaner copies await you at the Library circulation desk. (Btw, our final discussion will be on about THE RABBI'S CAT on 12/10.)
Here's a link to Harvey Pekar on Terry Gross's NPR show; they focus on THE QUITTER. You'll see an audio link near the top of the page. Jump to
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5005754
You might also enjoy (re)viewing The AMERICAN SPLENDOR trailer, which opens with boy Harvey imagery. Jump to http://youtube.com/watch?v=APpxQm7sH5k
And, please, if you would like to contribute questions for our Pekar discussion, send them to me @ ckleinma@ccsf.edu.
-------------------------
Here are some things to ponder that will help shape our discussion:
Pekar has built a career on focusing on the complexities of everyday life, but it's unusual to read a work by him that emphasizes his childhood and his Jewishness. Is there a relationship between quitting and Jewishness?
Very early Pekar presents an image of his Polish-immigrant parents and their connections to Jewish culture. In what ways do Pekar's parents shape his choices in childhood and adolescence?
On the cover of AMERICAN SPLENDOR one will see this lead-in: "FROM OFF THE STREETS OF CLEVELAND COMES...." What does THE QUITTER teach you about Cleveland?
In what ways might THE QUITTER be categorized as "visual anthropology"?
Compile a list of everything Pekar quits? Why does he quit these things? Do the reasons share a commonground?
What doesn't he quit? Why?
What is Pekar drawn to? Why?
Throughout the book, Pekar interacts--on a range of levels--with African Americans. What is he saying about Black-Jewish relations?
Why is jazz so meaningful to Pekar? And why is writing about jazz so meaningful to him?
What are the three most touching moments in the book?
Why is Pekar such a "tough Jew"?
THE QUITTER is the only one of our books in the series to be illustrated by someone other than the author. Dean Haspiel's representations of Pekar's narrative read differently than the works illustrated by others suchas R. Crumb. It's worth thinking about how collaboration shapes authority, and how Pekar's works shift shape. It's also worth thinking about how the representation of Jewishness here compares to the other representations we've seen.
KLEINMAN
http://fog.ccsf.edu/~ckleinma
"We're talking about words."
--Frank Zappa on CROSSFIRE ('86)
I was just asked to fill in (on bass) with a jazz quartet (maybe a quintet) at Cafe De La Paz in Berkeley, 8-10pm, Saturday, 11/24, over Thanksgiving break. It might be pretty good, if you want to swing by... or if you don't swing by . . .
Here's a Yelp link to the joint: http://www.yelp.com/biz/KWs1vwg8mUfDGqr11AeHZA
Kleinman
Oops, try this for Cafe De La Paz info:
http://www.cafedelapaz.net/
Kleinman
Thanks for a fun time at Cafe de la Paz!
The Jewish graphic novel series will end on Monday, 12/10, in Library 305 from 3-4:30 with
Joann Sfar's THE RABBI'S CAT. Remind your students. Pick up a copy on
reserve at the library, read it, and join our discussion. Illegal
library nosh to follow. For more on the author and the book, jump to
http://www.nextbook.org/cultural/feature.html?id=192
Happy Chanukah!
KLEINMAN
http://fog.ccsf.edu/~ckleinma
I'll be playing a jazz brunch tomorrow, Sunday, 11-2, at Socha Cafe in the Mission. Here's a map:
http://sochacafe.com/contact.html
Kleinman
Saturday night jazz quartet gig at the Revolution Cafe: 2/2, 9pm-midnight. I'll be playing with Steve McQuarry, an outstanding pianist. Stop by . . . before paper grading subsumes us all . . .
Kleinman
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-revolution-cafe-san-francisco#hrid:d5OOnl3n79WmkaaaVl1w8A/query:revolution%20cafe
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