popcorn youth

National Book Award Finalist, Cornell poet, acclaimed author and all-around wonderful lady Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon will be reading a selection of her works with live accompaniment from two of my favorite Ithaca musicians: Johnny Dowd and Richie Stearns! J. Robert Lennon and H.G. Carillo will also be reading from their works. The reading begins at […]

[By Brandi Herrera Pfrehm] As a kid growing up in the Pacific Northwest — where the coffeehouse is king, and there were drive-thru espresso joints on every corner before the idea was even a glimmer in Starbucks’ eye — I experienced my first green-siren latte in 1989. That was back when the company fostered an […]

Today kicks off the annual Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale, which runs from Oct. 10-27, open every Saturday and Sunday, most Mondays, and some Tuesdays and Wednesdays as well. The schedule — and hours — change every week so visit their website for the full scoop. Those who have been can attest that […]

[From the Ithaca Times] Samantha Izzo has been passionate about music and food her entire life. A native of South Africa, Izzo grew up listening to Old Time, bluegrass and Appalachian folk music. As a current Ithaca resident, Izzo owns and cooks at Simply Red Bistro at Sheldrake Point Vineyard. Every Monday, Chef Izzo — […]

[A version of this interview appears in this week’s Ithaca Times; photos via Amazon] A certain philosophy towards food consciousness — a desire to know how our food is grown, made and sold, as well as a keen advocacy for sustainable consumption — has skyrocketed in popularity in the last five years.
Some take it even […]

[This is a must-see. Unfortunately Ms. Oates was not doing interviews in conjunction with her appearance at Cornell. Nevertheless, I look forward to tonight’s talk with excitement and anticipation!]
Joyce Carol Oates: The Writer’s (Secret) Life: Woundedness, Rejection, and Inspiration
* Date: Wednesday, August 5, 2009
* Time: 7:30 p.m.
* Place: Alice Statler Auditorium, Statler Hall
In this informal […]

I think the last teen/young adult book I read was Frindle in eighth grade. By this point I was reading mostly Tom Clancy, and just getting into John Grisham. Ho ho, I thought, I’m so mature. This book is about fifth graders, ho ho.
But then I really liked it. It had all the classic elements […]

And now, a message from dear friend Bob Proehl (and what a bargain this night will be, if you don’t already own his book!):
Hello Ithacats and Ithakittens!  All week have I been meaning to speak to you on the subject of very serious matters, but it turns out I need at least twenty minutes to […]

Maybe you’ve noticed that former intern Corey Millard has been writing quite a bit for the Ithaca Times. We’ve finally gotten around to posting the great stories he’s written about the following people. Read the full story in our interviews section here!

He spoke with NYT film critic A.O. Scott.

Then he spoke with local man-about-town Bob […]

By now, you may have heard that American fiction writer, literary critic and essayist John Updike passed away this morning from an ongoing battle with lung cancer. He was 76. I first ‘discovered’ Updike as a middle schooler browsing through my dad’s bookshelves and reading ‘Rabbit Run’. I later had the distinct pleasure of meeting […]

This weekend, Cornell University will “Born in the Bronx: A Conference Celebrating Hip Hop at Cornell.” This unique event will be held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, marking the opening of a new permanent collection located in Cornell’s Rare Books and Manuscripts division.
Titled “Born in the Bronx: The Legacy and Evolution of Hip Hop,” […]

Quite a few things happening tonight. This evening kicks off Cornell’s ‘Born in the Bronx: Celebrating Hip Hip History,’ a conference on hip hop culture of the Bronx in the late 70s / early 80s. Cornell Cinema is screening Charlie Ahearn’s excellent hip hop documentary ‘Wild Style,‘ a film that is widely recognized as the […]

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing owner and head chef of Simply Red Bistro, Samantha Izzo. Her first cookbook ‘Mama Red’s Comfort Kitchen’ recently came out and we chatted about her favorite recipes, her self-taught approach to cooking, and her relationship to live music. There’s an interview with half of The […]

Sorry for lack of posting lately. I’ve been really busy! This week’s Encore that appears below gives all the details on a show tonight at No Radio Records, featuring poetesses Dorothea Lasky and Laura Solomon as well as music by NPV, Mirabile Dictu, Tim Feeney, and Differance Engine:
This Saturday the worlds of experimental poetry and […]

Kurt Vonnegut passed away last night. This is truly sad news, and a great loss to 20th century American literature. Vonnegut was one of the first “serious” authors that I devoured as a young adult. I think I even did a book report on “Cat’s Cradle” when I was in 6th grade. Vonnegut went to […]