Dear BSR Subscriber,
Welcome to the latest exclusive monthly tips for our subscribers!
It's time for our monthly BSR in the Wild update! The first Friday of every month we bring you our hottest tips on what's on our radar, through three sections: Find Us!, Neil's Nod of the Month, and Recommended Reading.
Find Us! is exclusive subscriber tips on which events and exhibitions our staff is heading to in the coming month. There's a lot happening, this month as always, and we love to provide these tips.
Neil's Nod of the Month is a look forward to the upcoming BSR story or review I'm most excited to read.
Finally, Recommended Reading is a quick, subscribers-only tip to contextualize the work we have coming up, placing upcoming articles in dialogue with past stories, because our arts and culture scene is an ongoing citywide conversation that you're a part of, too.
If you're enjoying this series, let us know! And don't forget, as a reader you can support our writers in multiple ways. Be sure to support our staff with a donation. Send an article to a friend. Follow our dynamic content on Instagram, like Alaina's visit to the Southeast Asian market in FDR Park. Listen to our podcast episode from May's live food media event. And email me with your month's picks!
Read on for August's inside scoops.
Sincerely, Neil Bardhan BSR executive director
Find Us!
August has us reflecting and engaging in slightly different ways than the rest of summer. As usual, you'll see some familiar names alongside new ones. We endeavor to cover a wide range of experiences in our region. Read on, and be sure to tell us what you're seeing this month.
FIND GABBY PLACING:The Windgate Arts Residency Program in Wood Exhibit WHEN: Friday, August 4, 5:30pm WHERE: the Museum for Art in Wood WHY: The Museum’s annual summer exhibition represents the culmination of the Windgate Wood Arts Residency Program (WARP-Wood), a two-month arts residency program.
FIND ALAINA
Whale watching down the shore WHEN: August WHERE: Cape May Whale Watcher WHY: As the new season looms, I'm going to take a little break from arts events, and do something else I love: nature excursions. I've taken the three-hour afternoon trip with Cape May Whale Watcher a few times already at different times of year. I always see tons of dolphins, which is great. On my most recent one, I saw humpback whales for the first time in my life. It was so special to see these magnificent animals right off such a familiar coastline, and the Cape May Whale Watcher captain and crew take care to view wildlife responsibly, and educate their guests about the importance of respecting and protecting marine life.
Some of our writers gathered in July for drinks at Bok Bar.
FIND NEIL YO! It's Martha Cooney's Book Launch Party WHEN: Tuesday, August 15, 6:00pm WHERE: Second District Brewing
As we noted during BSR Book Week, Philly storyteller Martha Cooney has published a book of essays. Walk Me Through Your Resume gets a launch party soon at this South Philly brewery. It seems like there'll be guests and performances in addition to Martha's reading and signing. I've known Martha through the local comedy scene for years, and I can't wait to connect with others over her book!
FIND ALAINA True West WHEN: Saturday, August 19, 2:00pm WHERE: People's Light WHY: This promised "reimagining" of a Sam Shepard classic boasts an all-Asian American cast and crew. Star Sanjit De Silva is excited to explore Shepard's look at the Old West vs the New West, "and how it could be reinterpreted to reflect the struggle generations of Asian Americans experienced grappling with ambition and 'American' ideals of success." My partner is an Asian American actor, and we're looking forward to seeing and discussing this.
BSR livestreamed the FAT HAM book launch event in July with TCG and The Wilma Theater.
FIND THE TEAM: The Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl WHEN: Saturday, August 26 WHERE: Various locations WHY: Eric Smith is a Philly author and agent, who masterfully connects booklovers and creators. He recently announced that he'd organized a "bookstore crawl." Independent stores will, on one day, offer giveaways and special programming. As Eric notes, "There’s no specific trail to follow. No route." I know I'll be stopping by A Novel Idea and at least one other spot to see what's happening! It warms my heart to support local businesses and to see the community gather in solidarity.
Neil's nod of the month:
I had the chance to sit down with Kiran Pandey earlier this month and chat about his summer plans. He was telling me about how he'll see Zooman and the Sign from Theatre in the X and review it for BSR. I look forward to reading his article about this outdoor performance, which the company notes is "BYOC" (Bring Your Own Chair).
Recommended Reading
A story all its own
Hanae Mason
View
I'm revisiting Hanae Mason's review of the film version of Fat Ham. James Ijames's Pulitzer winner returns to The Wilma in November, and in preparation for viewing it live, I find myself drawn to the discussions around the play in its various forms so far.
Now that you've found us, fund us!
Stay in touch,
Neil & Alaina & Kyle
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