• POEMobile goes Persian • Meet the Musical Mastermind behind 50’s Popular Songs
• A Photographic Memory of New York Past • Two Finkels Are Better Than One
• Leap for Lore! • Place Matters Map

Dear Citylorists,

Please enjoy our Tours and Tales February-March 2012 e-letter!

• Live from POEMobile: Norooz Celebration • Join City Lore and Bowery Arts and Science for a night of Persian poetry performances. In our 2nd year bringing poetry to your community, we are thrilled to offer you the opportunity to share in the wealth and beauty of Persian art and culture.

The night will feature:
• Multi-media performances by poets on the subjects of life, death, homeland and love. Poets include Roger Sedarat, Sara Goudarzi, Amir Parsa and Kaveh Bassiri. Poems will be projected in Persian morphing into English translations from the roof of the POEMobile, a hand-painted truck and traveling cinema of words, onto DUMBO’s buildings and streets surrounding VII Gallery!
• Film viewing of Niloufar Talebi’s The Persian Rite of Spring: the Story of Nowruz.
• Musical performance by Middle Eastern-meets-Brooklyn band, Vatan.
• Performance Art by Aphrodite Desiree Navab: Through her performances, photographs and writings, Aphrodite explores the symbolism, inevitability and beauty of the Rite of Spring.

So bring a friend or three and come celebrate the Persian New Year in music and verse!

When: Thursday, March 22, 7:00pm–11:00pm
Where: VII Gallery, 28 Jay Street, Brooklyn.
Admission: FREE
For more information: 212.529.1955 ext 308 or cfletcher@citylore.org, and follow us on Twitter @ POEMobile.

Funded by The Rockefeller Foundation’s NYC Cultural Innovation Fund.

Photo by Christopher Barr

• Meet the Musical Mastermind behind songs such as Stand By Me, Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, and Love Potion No. 9.: In Conversation: Mike Stoller and Corky Hale Stoller • "I didn’t know if it was day or night, I started kissin’ everything in sight." If you’ve ever wondered who wrote this and so many more of the classic lines of ‘50s popular music, you’ll be delighted to share in this public conversation with Mike Stoller of the infamous songwriting duo, Leiber and Stoller. He is joined by his wife Corky Hale Stoller, acclaimed harpist, singer and jazz pianist as they talk about their extensive careers working with a Who’s Who of the popular and jazz music worlds ranging from Elvis Presley, The Coasters, Peggy Lee and The Drifters to Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett, and Barbra Streisand.

When: Tuesday, March 6, 7:00pm
Where: The Museum at Eldridge Street, 12 Eldridge Street, Manhattan.
Admission:$25 adults; $18 students and seniors. Purchase tickets online at Eventbrite.
For more information: Please visit eldridgestreet.org or call 212.219.0888.

Photo by Rebecca Lepkoff

• Life on the Lower East Side: Photographs by Rebecca Lepkoff, 1937-1950 • City Lore’s long-time friend and collaborator, Rebecca Lepkoff, will be exhibiting her historic photographs at The New York City Tenement Museum. Rebecca contributed her images to City Lore first publication, City Play. Ever since then, though she was in her ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, she has continued photographing the neighborhood, and often drops in at City Lore to give us an update. The exhibition will feature 37 evocative vintage prints revealing how time has shaped and changed the Lower East Side we know today.

When: Opening Reception: Wednesday, March 7, 6:30pm
Where: Tenement Museum, 103 Orchard Street, Manhattan.
Admission: FREE but need RSVP to events@tenement.org or 212.431.0233 ext 212.
For more information: 212.431.0233 ext 212

• Two Finkels Are Better Than One: In Conversation: Fyvush Finkel and his son Ian Finkel • What could Fiddler on the Roof possibly have in common with The Simpsons, you ask? Well, Fyvush Finkel of course! This Emmy award-winning actor has credits everywhere from the Yiddish Theater to Broadway to recurring roles on more recent TV shows such as Picket Fences and Boston Public. In this discussion, Finkel is interviewed by his son Ian Finkel, an acclaimed musical arranger and xylophone virtuoso. Their dialogue will bring back the bygone days of show business in the Lower East Side as Fyvush Finkel recalls his lengthy and extensive acting career, stemming from age nine in Brooklyn.

When: Tuesday, March 6, 7:00pm
Where: The Museum at Eldridge Street, 12 Eldridge Street, Manhattan.
Admission:$25 adults; $18 students and seniors. Purchasing tickets online at Eventbrite.
For more information: Please visit eldridgestreet.org or call 212.219.0888.

• Lover's Leap (Year) Fundraiser for NY Folklore Society • Did you know that there are not 365 days in a year? That’s right, there are 365 and one quarter days in a year. In honor of four consecutive quarter days, come out for a raucous night of urban folklore, celebrating the heritage of the "leap year," while also supporting the NYSF. Our friend Kay Turner has this to say about it: "Girls chase boys, boys chase girls, boys chase boys, girls chase girls. And whoever gets caught pays up! Bring some dough and join the chase. All captured funds benefit the New York Folklore Society, a gem in the crown of New York folk arts advocacy! More details below—see you there for the LEAP—the extra day that only happens every four years!!"

Bring cash and your singing voice to:

When: Wednesday, February 29, 5:00pm – 7:30pm
Where: McManus Pub, 152 7th Avenue (between 19th St & 20th St), Manhattan.
For more information: Please visit nyfolklore.org or call 518.346.6617.

• "If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are:" Place Matters Map • This month, we are very proud to officially debut our interactive Place Matters map! Many thanks to our friends Allen Carroll and Stephen Sylvia at Esri, the world leader in geographic information systems software and services, who have helped us create a map of the sites listed on the Census of Places that Matter. Click on our website’s map icon to see all 757 places together, or you can browse the map by checking the "Select/Clear All" box at the top of the Legend, and then choosing one or more categories such as "market" or "theater" from the list below. The map graphically identifies cherished sites in all five boroughs, and we hope that it will foster exploration of the ways in which places across the city are geographically, culturally and economically related. Like the Census, the map will continue to grow with your nominations, so please let us know about the places that matter to you.

Please forward this email to your friends and encourage them to join City Lore’s email list!

Enjoy the City! and – if you engage in social media, please like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and follow us on Twitter!

Steve and Abby

City Lore is part of a cultural coalition called CATCH, to promote the City’s cultural heritage. Check out the web sites of our wonderful partners, the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, the Latino Children’s Theater, SEA, and the World Music Institute.