• POEMobile presents... • Puerto Rican Exhibit • South Bronx Culture Trail
• Ellington Times Two • Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Poetry finds its place in the East Village • Memory Artist

Dear Citylorists,

Please enjoy our Tours and Tales May-June 2012 e-letter!

"Sing in Me, O Muse!" Greek-American Poetry in Astoria, July 2011, photo by Tal Bar-Zemer

• The POEMobile presents:
Ironbound Fado – June 2nd, 8:00pm
Join us for a fun-filled evening in celebration of Portuguese-American lyrics for Fado, a Portuguese musical genre that dates back to the 1820’s. There will be food, dancing, drinking and making merry as we bask in the beautiful words of Portuguese-American poets, reciting and even singing their creations set to the mesmerizing sounds of Fado. For more information visit this event listing on our calendar!

The POEMobile Lights Up Staten Island at LUMEN 2012 – June 23rd, 8:30pm
Bowery Arts + Science and City Lore will collaborate with the Folklite Program of Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI) "Mobile Heritage Project" presentation of poetry, projections, and music from Staten Island’s Sri Lankan, Liberian, and Mexican communities as part of this year’s LUMEN video and performance art festival on the Island’s waterfront. For more information visit this event listing on our calendar!

Yiddish Poets: Mayn heym New York - My Home New York – June 27th, 8:30pm
City Lore welcomes you to a night of poetry in Yiddish and English, recited and projected onto the beautiful facade of the historic Eldridge Street Synagogue in the Lower East Side. For more information visit this event listing on our calendar.

Artwork by Miguel Trelles

• "I’d Still Be Puerto Rican Even if Born on the Moon" – Puerto Rican Migration Through the Arts • This new exhibit, curated by City Lore’s own Elena Martínez tells the story of the Puerto Rican diaspora to New York City during the 20th century and into the 21st through the lens of expressive culture. Nuyoricans may celebrate Three Kings’ Day differently and wear vejigante masks for the Puerto Rican Parade instead of Carnival, but they are still Puerto Rican—and would be—"even if born on the moon." This exhibit features the work of both traditional and contemporary Puerto Rican artists, many of whom are long-time City Lore collaborators. Opening with a reception on June 21st.

When: Thursday, June 21st - Wednesday, July 25th
For more information: Please visit this event listing on our calendar!

Public art by Rafael Tener

• Casita Maria & Dancing in the Streets present: Sneak Preview of the South Bronx Culture Trail • Take a guided 1-hour (FREE) tour of the first leg of the South Bronx Culture Trail with City Lore’s Folklorist, Elena Maritínez. Explore prominent sites in the South Bronx’s history, including: Casa Amadeo, famous Latin music record store; former Latin and hip hop dance club, Hunts Point Palace; former homes of cultural icons, including Dave Valentín, Eddie Palmieri, Tina Ramírez, Orlando Marín, and Sholem Aleichem; and public art by Rafael Ferrer, John Ahearn, and Rigoberto Torres. Also see the unveiling of a new Tats Cru South Bronx Culture Trail mural!

When: Saturday, June 23rd
For more information: Please visit this event listing on our calendar!

• Ellington Times Two • The Grammy-nominated Bobby Sanabria’s Multiverse Big Band and the Duke Ellington Center Big Band will perform together for the first time in the concert, "Ellington Times Two." The concert, which is organized by The Friends of the Woodlawn Cemetery, will feature a selection of Ellington’s iconic works – including a new arrangement of his signature song "Caravan" accompanied by a dance performance by Mercedes Ellington, his granddaughter. Many of the pieces will be played in the Latin rhythms Ellington experimented with, including "Raincheck" as a Jazz mambo and "I’ve Just Seen Her" as a bolero.

When: Friday, June 8th
For more information: Please visit this event listing on our calendar!

• Beasts of the Southern Wild • Steve and Amanda’s son and daughter’s film, Beasts of the Southern Wild, which won Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and standing ovations along with the Camera D’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It opens at the Sunshine and Lincoln Center Plaza on June 27th. Set in the bayous of Louisiana, it’s remarkably folkloric – which is hardly surprising since Benh and Eliza Zeitlin are children of these two folklorists! Watch the trailer here.

• Poetry finds its place in the East Village • Have you ever wished you could live in poetry’s past? Walking alongside Robert Frost, bumping elbows with Allen Ginsberg in a local bodega, buddying up with Walt Whitman over a beer? But all you have is a worn out copy of their words, printed onto pages, lacking the personalization that they strived so hard to render in your heart. Until now. At City Lore we have stumbled upon a rare treasure for any poetry enthusiast. From the Poetry Foundation and its producer, Pejk Malinovski, Passing Stranger – The East Village Poetry Walk touches on pieces of history untouched for many years. This 95 minute long audio tour guides you through the old poetry haunts of the East Village with commentary and poetry from many infamous poets, including Allen Ginsberg, Kenneth Koch, and Frank O’Hara. For more information click here and read about it in this New York Times’ article.

Photo by Amanda Dargan

• Memory Artist visits Andrus Children’s Center • Last month, City Lore worked with folklorist Glenn Hinson to bring Teresa Glouster, a self-taught memory painter from North Carolina, to Andrus Children's Center, which serves children from 4 to 16 years who have experienced difficulties at home, school, and in their communities. the residency concluded wuth an exhibit of the children’s and staff’s art. She had all of the students and some of the staff painting from memory.

We leave you with these two images taken by our good friend Nancy Tongue. Just an ordinary day on the subway. The proud gentlemen in the orange turbans were coming home from the Annual Siik’s Day Parade (their ribbons indicated that they were "officials") which took place this past April. About the gold guy...well, who knows!!

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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.