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Welcome back to CITY ARTS & LEISURE
in which we are resting, relaxing,
& revving our engines
For most of us, this has decisively not been, as the Ottessa Moshfegh novel portended, our year of rest and relaxation. Spring is typically time for renewal, and if, as I believe, the flowers in Berkeley are telling a story, now is a sublime time to put on your brightest, ruffliest garb and wave around like an inflatable tube person in the balmy breeze. But I will also make the case for taking some time to rest, if you are able. Re-entry into the world, with all of its stimulus, soundwaves, people, pollen, and public space is seemingly, slowly, shifting into focus. I cannot wait to dance! To hug friends! To see my family! To watch a writer discuss their books and life in a 1600 seat theater on the corner of Franklin and Hayes! But we will wilt too quickly if we are not properly prepared. Here are some recommendations for resting up so we can wrest ourselves from the wreckage of our past years of stress and decontamination, and prepare to mount our proverbial (or literal) motorcycles and ride out into the Sunset (district or otherwise).
- your newsletter writer, Juliet Gelfman-Randazzo
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Don't forget! Rachel Kushner will be in conversation with Heidi Julavits on Thursday, April 29 at 6pm Pacific! Catch the conversation about Kushner's new book of essays, The Hard Crowd, growing up in San Francisco, motorcycles, and more.
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SLEEP TALKING
The Science of Sleep with Matt Walker & Indre Viskontas
Back in 2015 we hosted a conversation with Matt Walker, a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at Cal, and Indre Viskontas, a cognitive neuroscientist (and an operatic soprano). This was before my City Arts tenure, so hearing this talk for the first time a few weeks ago fully wrecked me. All my beliefs about how sleep works (yes, founded on a delicious cocktail of pop-pseudoscience and things I've dreamed up in the ether) were completely blown to stardust. Maybe you, like me, thought that if you only sleep four hours one night, but then sleep twelve the next, you've tallied out your time card with Big Hypnos upstairs? Haha no :). Maybe you, like me, thought it was cool to sleep less/work more/brag about it? Distinctly uncool in the Actively Shortening Your Lifespan sense. Listen for: How birds and dolphins sleep with half their brains, how alien abductions work, and why we need to Destigmatize Sleep. (You can also read a transcript). Plus, if you're craving more intel about how our minds/bodies work, we've got another event coming up on May 11 with scientists Elissa Epel & Dacher Keltner, on Stress & Resilience.
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READ BEFORE BED
The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
This book is not really restful in any sense. It starts off with a race on a fancy Italian motorbike over the Bonneville salt flats, and it only picks up speed from there. The protagonist heads to the heart of the mid-1970s Manhattan art scene, and then to Rome in the midst of leftist uprisings. There are a whole lot more fancy Italian motorbikes and a bunch of biting critiques of the NYC art scene and a fair amount of bombs going off. I also stayed up nearly all night for multiple days in a row reading it. It's all the thrill you could wish for, but you can cling to it from the comfort of your own bed. Read for: a feeling of fearlessness on fast-moving vehicles, splashy vignettes of late 20th century leftist uprisings and actions, and a documentarian artist protagonist to take it all in. And you can catch Rachel Kushner — an expert on motorcycles and art, herself — in conversation with Heidi Julavits on April 29!
Sleepy Hollow Motor Inn by Molly Young
Molly Young is the literary critic for New York Magazine, and writes another very good newsletter about books. She has just published a new zine, spawned in her past year of unrest and relocation, about a certain inn in Cape Cod and the haunting history dogging it. It's certainly spooky—despite the soothing cover image featuring a perfectly tucked motel bed, you should crack these covers before going to sleep at your own risk. Read for: the real reason the Titanic was discovered, the hidden history of the blood disorder hemophilia, and crackling images of crispy underwater formations called rusticles. Plus, if you're looking for more art about pandemics past, listen to our recent conversation with Lauren Gunderson & Nathan Wolfe, the playwright and virologist couple whose lives are the subject of Gunderson's latest play, The Catastrophist.
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DREAMY VISUALS
Tampopo (1985, dir. Juzo Itami)
This is the most maximalist film about the pleasures of food I have ever seen: preparing it, eating it, savoring it. You will crave ramen for weeks, while knowing that, unless you happen to live near a family-run noodle shop in Japan, or have dedicated your life to perfecting the craft, the likelihood of the ramen you make or order living up to your expectations is woefully low. The movie poster proclaims this "the first ever Japanese noodle Western," to which I say, yes, and more. Slurp it up, noisily! Watch for: a child who only eats "healthy foods" tasting an ice cream cone for the first time, a manners course on how to correctly consume spaghetti gone wrong (or is it right?), and one woman's epic quest to prepare the ultimate bowl of ramen. Plus, if you're looking for more thoughts on food, don't miss Michelle Zauner (aka Japanese Breakfast) in conversation with Bowen Yang on May 6, when they discuss Zauner's new memoir about her mother and memories of shared meals, Crying in H Mart.
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AND THERE'S MORE
Conversations to look forward to all spring
Astra Taylor talks to Robert Reich on KQED and the City Arts & Lectures podcast about her new book of essays, Remake The World. Tune in on May 2 • Michelle Zauner aka Japanese Breakfast talks to SNL comedian Bowen Yang about her new memoir, Crying in H Mart, on May 6 (mere weeks after SF gains an H Mart of its own!) • Alison Bechdel (of the Bechdel Test, Fun Home) talks to George McCalman about her new comic memoir The Secret to Superhuman Strength on May 7 • As always, a reminder that members receive access to discounted tickets to our programs. Join today • Students and educators are entitled free tickets to our programs! Just ask.
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