OK, so there’s another pub crawl this Saturday, but this time there’s actually legit reasoning behind it… Philly Beer Week!
Philly Beer Week is a 10-day series of beer events starting on the first weekend in June in Philadelphia as a celebration of America’s Best Beer-Drinking City. Last year, it featured 674 separate beer events. The Hammer of Glory was used to tap the ceremonial first keg at Opening Tap on March 6, 2009. This year, more than 875 events are scheduled.
So, if you aren’t headed in to the city, where are you going in P-ville?
The Steel City Reading Series, co-sponsored by Wolfgang Books and Steel City Coffee House, continues on Saturday, June 5th at 3 pm. This time the two businesses will welcome Emily St. John Mandel to Phoenixville. Emily is one of the most exciting young writers working today, surely a rising star, and her most recent novel, The Singer’s Gun, has received considerable praise across the board. Her previous novel, Last Night in Montreal, was one of Wolfgang Books’ favorite books of 2009 and has just been released in paperback. Emily will discuss both her work and her experiences as a writer, among other things.
The event will run the same way the first two installments did: opening with an interview by Jason from Wolfgang Books, followed by an reading from Emily, questions from the audience, and concluding with a booksigning. The books are in stock now at Wolfgang Books and will be for sale the day of the event.
The Steel City Reading Series has gotten off to a great start – hopefully you are able to check it out.
Robin Black, author of the recently published short story collection If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This, will visit Phoenixville on Saturday, May 22nd for the second installment of the Steel City Reading Series. The event begins at 3 pm at Steel City Coffee House, and is a collaboration between Steel City and Wolfgang Books. The event will begin with an author interview conducted by Jason from Wolfgang Books after which Black will read from her work. At the conclusion of the reading there will be time for audience questions, after which Black will sign copies of her book which will be for sale at the event and are in stock now at Wolfgang Books at 20% off.
Black’s short stories have been published in some of the most prestigious literary journals in the country, and the auction for If I Loved You, I would Tell You This caused quite a stir. Random House won the bidding war – that’s right, a bidding war for a short story collection in 2010 – and the book is already being translated as foreign publishers see the strength of Black’s work. You will realize what all the buzz is about yourself before you finish the first paragraph of any given story, and the depth of the collection is starting. Her work has received rave reviews across the board, and her perspectives on writing and publishing will also be discussed at the event.
While Phoenixville has gotten a pretty good reputation for its food and nightlife, a cultural identity is still taking shape. An author series such as this is uncommon outside of a major city and a great enrichment to our town’s cultural scene. On top of that, Black is an incredibly gifted writer who has taken an interesting path to publication.
Though the event begins at 3 pm, it is requested that you arrive a little early to grab a drink and get a good seat.
by Washington Washington
By Captain Morgan Street