Nashville love after Valentine’s

Just because it’s the week after Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean that you have to stop sharing love, for your family and friends and/or chocolate.  I say buy and eat up even more chocolate than before.  Treat yo’ self, if you must and should.  With that in mind, I have several treats for you to buy into this week that will be better for your diet, dentist, and life in general.

Also, with keeping the theme of having and giving hearts to others in mind as well, this Tuesday, February 18th, will be one for the ages (kids of all ages).  First, you can make a real positive difference by doing something you are going to be doing at least once this day regardless.  Any time from 9am-9pm, if you like good eats for good causes, plan to join some great people at the Pied Piper Eatery (1601 Riverside Drive) for the 2nd Annual Gilda’s Club Benefit!  No matter what you order, 20% of the day’s sales will benefit Gilda’s Club of Nashville, a cancer support community FREE for everyone and it is by far the best non-profit in the world (in my opinion).  Bring your family, friends, and neighbors!  You can read more about Gilda’s Club of Nashville here – www.gildasclubnashville.org.

Then, in between eating at Pied Piper Eatery for Gilda’s Club, pop on over to Mad Donna’s (1313 Woodland Street) at 7pm sharp for the next great round of East Side Storytellin’.  In our 31st edition, leave it to renaissance man/artist/author Ryan Dunlap and the golden sounds of the local band called The Golden Sounds to enlighten your day, week, and month just right.  It is FREE to attend, starts at 7pm promptly, and you can eat, drink, and buy merch if you want to do so.  See more information about it here – http://www.nowplayingnashville.com/event/detail/441815901.

Skip over Wednesday night and head heart first into 2-for-Thursday.  At 6pm, until 7:15pm, you can hit up Atmalogy (2320 West End Avenue) for an interactive night of poetry.  Featuring some of Nashville’s wonderful bards, Writings on the Wall (a poetry experience) is a perfect way to end the work day before you head home.

But you don’t have to head home just yet on Thursday. If you head to The Building (1008 C. Woodland Street), at 7pm ’til, you can see Unbound Arts Presents: Third Thursdays at The Building.  These legendary Unbound Art Presents events are unique nights of collaboration and intermingling of artistic disciplines to reach new goals creatively.  This month you’ll be able to see a documentary film project by Ron Coons called East Side of the River.  From 7-8, there will be photography by Ron Coons and John Partipilo.  Then East Side of the River will show at 8:30. It’s only $5 at the door.

On Friday, February 21st, this one is for all you hard working americans.  The band, Hard Working Americans, will be playing at Marathon Music Works (1402 Clinton Street).  It starts at 8pm, and you can learn more about the band and stuff at www.thehardworkingamericans.com.

On Saturday, February 22nd, there are 2 events that will be more fun than a house party in high school.  First, from noon until whenever they shut it down, over at Watkins College of Art, Design, & Film (2298 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.), it is the college preview day.  This is your chance to take a tour of the campus, meet current students, talk with Admissions, learn more about the program of your choice, see where students live, and learn all you need to know about Financial Aid.  It only happens if you make it happen!  Then, secondly and certainly not the least, drop by East Side Story (1108 Woodland Street, unit B), from 2-4pm to listen to the authors Tom Wood and Robert Bailey read and sign from their respected works.  You can read more about both, independently, at http://tomwoodauthor.com & http://robertbaileybooks.com.

That pretty much wraps this week up in a lovely bag for you to grab from if you choose to do so.  Oh, I almost forgot … this just in.  My good friend, and very cool artist in that of Jason Brown has come up with one of the coolest ideas I’ve heard since his last one.  I’ll give you the website with the invitation and descriptions and all, but he has invited YOU and every artist that wants to participate around the world really to take part in a one-of-a-kind call for art.  It is a call for mail art.  The Technique is free of choice, as well as the size, and there will be no jury selection or return of mail art or sales included.  There will be an exhibition held in Nashville later this year, but all work will be published on the blog (and every artists will receive a postal response).  The deadline for art is June 1st, so this won’t be the last time that I post about this here.  Take a look at the following link and please share with every artist that you know around the world, near in Nashville or far East (& West) – http://nashmailart.blogspot.com.

Now, I must go and do a few other things.  I bid you good evening, morning, and afternoon, and remember to be nice to one another out there.

Thanks for coming here, reading, attending the events, and sharing with others.
much love,
chUck

www.eastsidestorytn.com
www.nashvillesheart.com

PS- On an art writing note of urgency around our region- Make sure to send in your reviews and regional updates to Number: so that we all can help cover and represent our visual arts region right! –  YOU can help more than YOU know.  Thanks!

https://numberinc.submittable.com/submit

Super Bowl Aftermath

The fun of football doesn’t have to end all at once. This week ahead in Nashville proves that there is hope for happiness after all the confetti has fallen on the field.

Monday, February 3rd, from 6-8pm, Scarritt-Bennett Center and Nashville Fair Food are joining together to provide Advocacy for Justice: Farmworker Exploitation, Anti-slavery & The Fair Food Project … for starters. At the Scarritt-Bennett Center, 1008 19th Avenue South, YOU can come learn directly from farmworkers about one of the most successful anti-poverty and anti-slavery programs of our generation. You can learn more about the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) work on modern-day slavery, human rights abuses, AND their pioneering model for social responsibility of a Fair Food Program based on a partnership with farmworkers, Florida tomato growers, and buyers. RSVP online here-http://conta.cc/1lPR885, and know that it is completely FREE to attend.

Speaking of FREE fun to attend, come out Tuesday night, February 4th, at 7pm at Mad Donna’s for another wonderful chapter of East Side Storytellin’. East Side Storytellin’ 30 will feature words from the local poet Stephanie Pruitt Gaines and then music from the cool Colour of London! The show will start at 7pm sharp, and there will be plenty of literature, music, creative conversations, food, drinks, art, and fun for everyone who takes the time to liven up their night and week. You can see more information about the details and how you can get yourself a good seat here-http://www.nowplayingnashville.com/event/detail/441815895.

Then, back to Scarritt-Bennett Center on Wednesday, from 7:30am-9am, in order of celebrating the first week of February as Wold Interfaith Harmony Week (as designated by the UN) and the 4th Annual World Interfaith Harmony Breakfast. There will be such renowned panelists present- Aisha Lbhalla (The Muslim Women’s Council), Rev. Jennifer Bailey (SNAP outreach coordinator with Community Food Advocates), and Miriam Leibowitz (Reproductive Freedom Organizer with the ACLU-TN. The program is only $12, includes breakfast and program, and you can register online here- http://conta.cc/1ev3OP8.

The week’s events really ramp up on Thursday. Here is a list, outline form to preach it simple, for you to make plans accordingly (in chronological order):

1- From 6-7:30pm, at Art and Invention Gallery (1106 Woodland Street), novelist Victoria Schwab will celebrate the release of her latest novel called Unbound. Hosted by Art & Invention and East Side Story, YOU ALL (Y’ALL) are welcome to meet the author, enjoy some champagne (age willing) and hors d’oeuvres, and take home an autographed copy of Victoria’s latest book with purchase. Unbound is the follow-up story in the Archived series. It will be spectacular for sure!

2- On both February 6th at 6:30pm until February 7th at 8:30pm, Company Rose is partnering with the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons at Vanderbilt University to present “Pools of Glass.” Both nights, from 6:30-8:30pm, at the Frist Center (919 Broadway), this FREE choreographed contemporary dance performance is completely FREE to attend and brings to movement the passage from Asia to the West.

3- From 7-8pm, at The Parthenon (Centennial park, 2600 West End Ave), come out and listen to the Artist Symposium: Talk by Kristin Llamas. Llamas is represented locally by Tinney Contemporary Gallery and her work can be seen at www.KLlamas.com and the collaborative work at www.AKLlamas.com. The artist will be speaking about the Socratic Dialogues at the Parthenon Museum on February 6th, 2014.

4- And then you can finish your night with East Side Storytellin’ 1 alum The Smoking Flowers playing a Palaver Records Showcase performance at Foobar at 9pm. Seriously, don’t miss it!

Jump, skip, and rest over Friday so you’ll have enough energy for Saturday’s fun in store.

Here, again in chronological order, are another round of events you need to check out, plain and simple form for your easy eyes and schedule:

1- In store, speaking of East Side Story (1108 Woodland Street, Unit B), from noon-2pm, you should drop by to see the latest from one of the most hard-working independent authors on the rise in that of Megan Duke. She is officially celebrating her book Small Circles with one and all. Snacks and free goodies will be available so you really don’t have any excuse. I know I’ll be there! I hope you will too.

2- From 1-4pm, at Turnip Green Creative Reuse (535 4th Avenue South), you can come make art and be a part of the Nashville Collage Collective. Bring a project, some materials to share, or just come and explore some cool stuff with some cool people.

3- For all of the people fearing Valentine’s day, present and/or past, leave it to The Porch Writers’ Collective to save your day. They will be presenting a special show, from 5-7pm, at The Stone Fox (712 51st Avenue N.) for their first Annual Heartbreak Happy Hour. Stories of romantic failures, songs, tears in beers, and ovational eating will take place with storytellers and singer/songwriters alike. It is FREE and fun for everyone who comes out!

4- Then, to end the night and weekend for good, besides the Second Saturday art crawl over at 5 Points East Nashville, from 6-9pm, YOU should quench your hunger for poetry and prose by heading on over to Portland Brew East (1921 Eastland Avenue) for Poetry in the Brew Open Mic Poetry Reading. The guest host is the lovely and talented Leslie LaChance, the feature will be Alita Terry, and readings begin at 6pm. Come correct and come early for a good seat.

I think the above is enough for you to get along just fine without football, despite whatever weather and/or storms come your way.

Thanks for taking time to visit and share the above. Remember to be nice to one another.

much love,
chUck

www.eastsidestorytn.com
www.nashvillesheart.com