i can't really sing, so

I think it was two (or maybe three) years ago that I implemented the first Birthday Club . It involved people mailing me books for my birthday, under the condition that if you mailed me a book within a month of my birthday, I would mail one back to you. It was a great success, and I received and read many awesome books , some of which I probably never would have read had I not created The Birthday Club. I can now say I read every book that a Birthday Club member sent to me that first year I did this, and I am glad I did. This year, on March 26th, I turn 30, and for this grand occasion, I would like to bring back the Birthday Club for a second round. I really love my birthday. I am one of those crazy people that celebrates her birthday all freaking month. (Shameless plug: I am  reading on 3/20 at the Tirefire  Reading Series, and this feels like a birthday present somehow.) Anyway, below are the rules for Birthday Club if you would like to participate this year. [ cupca...

Thanks to all my friends who participated in my birthday club . My birthday was on Monday, and no less than three books arrived in the mail that day. Here is a list of all the books I received, alphabetical by author: Monster Party by Lizzy Acker Metropole by Ferenc Karinthy Ava by Carole Maso Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling & The Culture of Consumption by Laura J. Miller Zirconia by Chelsey Minnis Inferno by Eileen Myles The Myth of the Simple Machines by Laurel Snyder The Book of Things: poems by Ales Stegner God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut Please Don't Be Upset & other stories by Brandi Wells selected poems by the author, Yevgeny Yevtushenko I am mailing most of my "response" books out tomorrow, though not all quite yet. Geoff and I are having friends stay with us down the shore in Avalon, NJ for the weekend to celebrate both of our birthdays (his is tomorrow). I bought him a pair of glasses for his. He says he wil...

I like my birthday. I am one of those people who reminds everyone for the month before and then the week after that I was born on a certain day of the year and they should care. I also like giving things to people. This is slightly antithetical to the popular idea that most people have about birthdays. My favorite birthday ever was one year where a friend had us over in Brooklyn, and a few of us, including me, cooked dinner for everyone else. I felt relaxed and happy, and I was glad that these people were willing to share this day with me. So this year, I decided I wanted to give people I know things for my birthday. Specifically, books. So, I've decided to start THE BIRTHDAY CLUB. I couldn't think of a better name for it, and I like the simplicity of it. The idea is that, I will have a small group of people who are a part of my Birthday Club and then maybe others will like my idea, and they can have their own Birthday Club and really, in the end, it will be one big Bir...

Hey New York, busy this week? We are... join us! Tonight, 9/16/09 11pm: Danny Malone will play @ The Living Room , LES Tomorrow, 9/17/09 all day: Happy Birthday to Daniel Christensen and Anna Levy! Friday, 9/18/09 all day: Happy Birthday to Laura Regan ! 8pm: Field 309, three short plays @ Dixon Place , LES 9pm: GunFight ! performs @ Bushwick Music Studios , Brooklyn Saturday, 9/19/09 8pm: if you missed Field 309, catch it today! Dixon Place, LES 9pm: catch Emily Easterly sings to you @ The Living Room, LES ...not to mention various birthday and other sorts of shenanigans. hizzah!