Dear BSR Subscriber,
Welcome to the latest exclusive monthly tips for our subscribers!
It's time again 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. October is packed for us. Our team is hustling around the city to bring our cultural scene to you. If you’d like to help us support our 2024-2025 season coverage, a donation of $10 or more directly supports our writers. What are you seeing this month?
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 connect our past pieces we've run with our ongoing issues -- this week's is a heavy, important one.
If you're enjoying this series, let us know! And don't forget, as a reader you can support our writers in multiple ways. The ranks of our Local Media Champions are growing rapidly. Want to join them? Send an article to a friend. Check out our latest Stories and Reels on Instagram. Are you caught up on our podcast? Feel free to email me with your own picks or your organization's newsletter!
Read on for October's inside scoops.
Sincerely, Neil Bardhan BSR executive director
Neil and Alaina met up during Fringe to see a show together.
Find Us!
As usual, you'll see some familiar institution names alongside new ones. We cover a wide range of experiences in our region. Read on, and be sure to tell us what you're seeing this month.
FIND NEIL Rediscovering the humble sandwich WHEN: Ongoing WHERE: Online and in print WHY: We at BSR love what our colleagues at Chestnut Hill Local are doing. I had the opportunity to write a roundup article for them about sandwiches this fall, and what a delicious opportunity it was.
Archives Month Philly WHEN: Throughout October 2024 WHERE: Virtual and in-person around town WHY: I spend a lot of time thinking about archives, both personally and professionally. (My mother was a librarian, so it's largely a product of how I was raised. Hi Mom!) Dozens of events in our area this month bring you to archives and vice versa, with lantern slides, foods, and best practices, to name a few events.
FIND ALAINA Yannick conducts Mahler Symphony No. 3 WHEN: October 3-5, 2024 WHERE: Marian Anderson Hall, Ensemble Arts Philly, 300 S. Broad St., Philadelphia WHY: While I'm not a classical music critic, I love heading to the symphony. I have never heard Mahler's Third live, and I'm looking forward to the combo of the full Philadelphia Orchestra with the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir as well as the Philadelphia Girls Choir and the Philadelphia Boys Choir. The text includes an excerpt of Also sprach Zarathustra, so I'm bringing a philosopher friend who's an international Nietzsche scholar.
Novels in Progress WHEN: Saturday, October 5, 2024 at 2:00pm WHERE: Parkway Central Branch of the Free Library, 1901 Vine St., Philadelphia WHY: For the last two years or so, I've been working on a novel after-hours. My manuscript, THE ROWHOUSE, was chosen for a new salon series presented by Blue Stoop, the Literature Department at the Free Library of Philadelphia, and Molly's Books & Records. I'll be discussing my fiction process and doing a reading and Q&A alongside my fellow Philly writer, Michael Ivory. This is my first non-journalism public event, which is terrifying! Advance seats are currently sold out, but there's a good chance you can get in at the door.
Alaina Johns will be reading alongside M.J. Ivory on October 5.
FIND NEIL Festival of Fine Craft WHEN: October 5-6, 2024 WHERE: WheatonArts, 1000 Village Dr., Millville, NJ WHY: I’ve been trying to align my schedule for a visit to this South Jersey arts campus for nearly five years. I’m hopeful for a stroll through vendors and a peek at the Museum of American Glass.
FIND ALAINA La Egoísta WHEN: October 4-20, 2024 WHERE: Philadelphia Theatre Company, Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 80 S. Broad St., Philadelphia WHY: This story about balancing career, family, caregiving, and chronic illness immediately caught my eye. I'm excited to see this Philly premiere by local playwright Erlina Ortiz, who's also the co-artistic director of Power Street Theatre.
The Playboy of the Western World WHEN: Running through October 13, 2024 WHERE: Inis Nua Theatre Company performing at the Drake, 1512 Spruce St., Philadelphia WHY: BSR critic Cameron Kelsall gave this production a rave. I was already interested in this 21st-century adaptation of the 1907 classic by John Millington Synge, which turns Christy Mahon into Christopher Malomo, a Nigerian immigrant who reflects modern changes in Ireland. Cameron's review confirmed that I need to get to this show.
Cameron Kelsall has a rave review of Inis Nua's The Playboy of the Western World
FIND NEIL Binding Agents presents DAC BIET: Signing with Nini Nguyen WHEN: Thursday, October 10, 2024, 12:00pm-1:30pm WHERE: Binding Agents, 908 Christian St., Philadelphia WHY: This new cookbook store in the Italian Market hits the ground running with author events even before their grand opening October 18. Owner Caitie Gainor has lined up Top Chef contestant Nini Nguyen. Want to learn more about the store? Listen to our podcast episode about the Philly Bookstore Crawl.
Reading Film Festival WHEN: October 11-13, 2024 WHERE: Reading, PA WHY: The Inspirational Documentary block of this festival includes Ten Times Better from Philly director Jennifer Lin. I've seen clips from it in the past but never the full film, and certainly not on a big screen. This block will be at the R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX. Another fun event at this festival that caught my eye is an audience sing-along for Pitch Perfect.
FIND NEIL AND ALAINA Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Annual Meeting & Arts Party WHEN: Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 6:30pm WHERE: Bok, 800 Mifflin St., Philadelphia WHY: We're proud to be part of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Every year we look forward to celebrating with our peers and friends from around the region at the GPCA meeting. Will you be there? CultureWorks Workspace TourWHEN: Thursday, October 17, 2024 WHERE: CultureWorks, 1315 Walnut St. Suite 300, Philadelphia WHY: Our colleagues at CultureWorks recently moved from their longtime space to new digs in the same building. We’ve been chatting with them about everything they have planned for the coming months and this tour will kick it off!
Alaina looks forward to seeing La Egoísta by Philly playwright Erlina Ortiz, pictured here. (Photo by Nicole Souza)
Neil's nod of the month:
Stephen Silver has a roundup of the Philadelphia Film Festival later this month. I love the feeling of a film festival: exposure to movies I might otherwise not be able to see, curious audience members, exclusive access. I've learned a lot from Stephen's work over the years about the Philly scene and always look forward to his commentary.
Waking, sleeping, keeping up
Cass Lewis
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My wife and I are expecting our first kid soon. I'm certainly excited! And I'm also curious how this change shifts my days and rhythms, particularly around working and creative life. There's no manual, it seems, merely loads of anecdotes. Cass Lewis wrote an essay for BSR in the spring of 2020 about how quarantine affected her parenting and writing. I rediscovered it recently as I pondered my life's upcoming chapters.
Now that you've found us, fund us!
Stay in touch,
Neil & Alaina & Kyle
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