Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Moira Egan (CRF 2009) reading at Civitella

This past Monday, February 27th, Moira Egan (CRF 2009) gave a reading at the Civitella offices in New York City.  To an audience of local Fellows and friends, she presented some recent work, ekphrastic poems based on paintings by Suzanne Valadon, and accompanied the poems with explanations and stories of how the work came about.  After a brief question-and-answer session, the lively crowd lingered over wine and some of Dana's delicious antipasti.  We would like to thank Moira for sharing her work, and the audience for being so engaging and welcoming.


Dana Prescott, Executive Director, introducing Moira

Moira Egan (CRF 2009) presenting her work, with images to accompany her poems and stories

Monday, February 27, 2012

Eliza Griswold (CRF 2011) interview with NPR

On NPR (U.S.), Eliza Griswold (CRF 2011) was interviewed by Kim Lawton, about the relationship between Islam and Christianity in the U.S. and throughout the world.  The video is below, and you can read further on NPR's website, here.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Lan Tuazon (upcoming Fellow, 2012) - 'Ingredients of Reality'

Lan Tuazon will be exhibiting her work in New York at the Storefront for Art and Architecture, in a solo show opening Tuesday, February 28th, at 7 PM.

Lan Tuazon, 'Parking Lot Island', 2010
February 29th - April 7th, 2012


Storefront for Art and Architecture
97 Kenmare Street
New York, NY 10012

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Watermill Center

This past Monday, Civitella's New York staff visited the Watermill Center on Long Island, accompanied by performance artists John Kelly (CRF 2010, Advisory Council Member) and Pat Oleszko (CRF 2011).  Watermill is an interdisciplinary arts center and performance laboratory that hosts residencies, performances, and exhibitions throughout the year.  We were shown the Center and the grounds by Christopher Knowles, a poet and artist who has worked closely with Robert Wilson, the Center's founder.

The Watermill Center

Standing, from left: John Kelly, Mac Walton, Christopher Knowles, Tina Summerlin, and Pat Oleszko; seated: Executive Director Dana Prescott, with Chloe

Eve Beglarian (CRF 2006) on 'Studio 360'

Eve Beglarian (CRF 2006) was recently interviewed by Kurt Anderson on WNYC's 'Studio 360', about her RiverProject Festival.  You can listen to the interview, including two of Eve's compositions, below, or visit the Studio 360 website.


Monday, January 23, 2012

Happy Chinese New Year from Yoko Inoue (CRF 2008)


It's the Year of the Dragon, and we received this beautiful card made by Yoko Inoue (CRF 2008).  Thank you, Yoko!

Update on Internships

Over 80 candidates met the December 31, 2011 deadline for applying for our 2012 internship.  Of these candidates, roughly 50 meet our varied requirements for the position, and of those 50, just 25 will be interviewed over the next several weeks by Skype.  The applicant pool has better than doubled over the past year and the variety of backgrounds and nationalities is truly inspiring.

Diego Mencaroni, who supervises the interns and who will be conducting the interviews of the finalists said, "It is exciting to see candidates from Africa, Central and South America, Europe, the United States, and of course Italy, competing for this opportunity.  I look forward to speaking with the finalists shortly."

Most candidates heard about the competition from websites and from our own community of Jury members, Nominators, Fellows, and Director's Guests. In addition to round trip airfare, room, and board, the successful candidate will receive a weekly stipend.  With unemployment looming globally, this is an ideal formative position for someone willing to learn.  The ideal candidate will spend a total of six months at Civitella.

Interns are involved with all aspects of daily life at the Castle:  researching and introducing speakers, assisting the kitchen, setting up for receptions and public events, conducting field trips and excursions, general office assistance, and working in the library.  Interns document events for the website, photograph the Fellows and their work, and assist the staff in special projects.

Of her experiences at Civitella, past intern, Briana Keating wrote, "Being a part of the Civitella community has been an extraordinary experience.  This internship has expanded my knowledge of and affection for Italy and its rich culture, and, most significantly, has helped me mature and taught me invaluable skills."

We will post the profile of the 2012 successful candidate here by the end of March.

Diego Mencaroni

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Miranda Lichtenstein (CRF 2009)

Congratulations to Miranda Lichtenstein (CRF 2009) and Cameron Martin on the birth of their son, Walker Aubrey Lichtenstein Martin!

Ales Debeljak (CRF 2002) essay

Ales Debeljak (CRF 2002) recently published an essay, "The View from Union Street: From Yugoslavia to the European Union", in which he discusses political and cultural unity in the European Union and the former Yugoslav states.

Eli Gottlieb (Director's Guest 2010) review

Eli Gottlieb's new novel, The Face Thief, is reviewed here by Anna Mundow.  The book was just released today by HarperCollins.

Cynthia Marie Hoffman (Director's Guest 2011) interview

For Devil's Lake journal, Cynthia Marie Hoffman (Director's Guest 2011) was interviewed by Nancy Reddy on her recent work and writing process.  The interview can be read here.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Amy Sillman (CRF 1999) video

For BOMB Magazine's website, Amy Sillman (CRF 1999) collaborated with poet Charles Bernstein on an animated video.  The video, which can be seen here, features Sillman's animations accompanied by a reading of Bernstein's poem, entitled "Pinky's Rule".

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

David Lehman (CRF 2006): Favorite Poems of 2011

For National Public Radio (U.S.), David Lehman (CRF 2006) has selected three of his favorite poems of 2011, including "The Mysterious Arrival of an Unusual Letter" by Mark Strand (Director's Guest 2011).  You can read the article here.

Work at the Loggia

Work has begun again in the Castle's Secret Garden.  
The restoration of the loggia, which connects to our recently restored gallery, is now underway.  Thanks to an anonymous donor, new garden furniture is being purchased so Fellows can make full use of this area.

 

Monday, January 2, 2012

"The Millions" Best-of-2011 List

For the end of 2011, The Millions asked a number of writers to contribute to their "Favorite Books of 2011" list.  Faith Adiele (CRF 2004) and Chika Unigwe (CRF 2008) are among the contributors, and their picks, along with some brief commentary, can be read here.

Kanishka Raja (CRF 2006) award

Congratulations to Kanishka Raja (CRF 2006), who recently received a grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation through its "Painters & Sculptors" grant program.

Jo Shapcott (CRF 2008) wins award

Congratulations to Jo Shapcott (CRF 2008), who was recently awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry for her book Of Mutability.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Charles Bock (CRF 2011) Fiction Writing Workshop


February 29th - March 4th, 2012, in New York City

This intimate, 5-session class will include a workshop of each student’s fiction, craft talks, and close editorial work. The class will be limited to 10 students. Sessions will last for 3 hours with Charles Bock  (CRF 2011) illustrating how to find the heart of a story or novel, as well as how to pinpoint its weaknesses. Each student will leave the class with a greater understanding of revision and a game plan for the next step in their writing career.

Charles Bock is the author of the novel Beautiful Children (Random House 2008), which was a national and New York Times Bestseller, a 2008 New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and also won the Sue Kaufman award for a first novel from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His fiction and nonfiction has appeared in anthologies, magazines, and literary journals including Harper’s, Esquire, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, AGNI, the Iowa Review, and the Mississippi Review. He’s received fellowships from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Yaddo, UCross, and the Vermont Studio Center, and has a MFA from Bennington College.

Class will meet in 5 sessions: Wednesday, February 29th—Sunday, March 4th, 2012,   3-6 pm each day

All Classes will take place at the offices of the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, in Tribeca, New York City

Application Deadline: February 1, 2012. For complete details, please visit: http://charlesbockwritingworkshop.tumblr.com/.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Everett Bradley (CRF 2009) - 'Holidelic'

Photos from Everett Bradley's (CRF 2009) annual Holidelic show at Joe's Pub in New York City, December 2011:



Everett will be performing the show on December 22nd in Hudson, NY, and on December 23rd in Philadelphia.  You can see videos from the show on the Holidelic website.