For our (unconscionably high) rent money, the best thing about living in NYC is its endless supply of fun, odd, and inspired cultural events. But with so many options, it can be hard to know where to even begin planning your week. To help you make sense of it all, Flavorpill Deputy Editor Mindy Bond shares the very best of what’s on offer this week. It’s just a taste of what you can find on the new Flavorpill, so if you like what you see, be sure to sign up.
Monday, April 29
FESTIVAL: PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature The PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature returns to remind us that the pen continues to hold its own against the sword. With Salman Rushdie again chairing the festivities, this year’s week-long dialogue-sparking literary convention takes on the theme of bravery. Showcasing writers who have shown courage in their lives and work, over 50 events, including performances, readings, discussions, workshops and happenings, are planned. Among the participants you’ll find Aleksandar Hemon, Jamaica Kincaid, Naomi Wolf, Pierre Michon, Sapphire, and more. Notable activities include A Literary Safari at the Westbeth, a conversation between Fran Lebowitz and A.M. Homes on putting pen to paper, and a panel bringing together writers and prosecutors from Guantanamo to discuss the role writing can play in confronting human rights abuses. US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is also slated to deliver the Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture on the festival’s closing night. — Mindy Bond
Tuesday, April 30
THEATRE: Mayday Mayday
Wednesday, May 1
FILM: The Source Family Jim Baker may not have known what he was truly getting into when he went into the health food business back in late-1960s Los Angeles. The Source Restaurant, which served vegetarian fare to celebrity regulars such as John Lennon and Warren Beatty, was Baker’s baby that organically matured into a full-blown spiritual movement. Assuming the name Father Yod, Baker rented a mansion in the Hollywood Hills where his young family of followers, which numbered roughly 140, partook in mediations, secret rituals, and the recording of rock music. The Source Family is a fascinating documentary by Maria Demopoulos and Jodi Wille about the rise and fall of Father Yod’s experiment in ’70s utopian living. Based on the book by former Source Family members Isis and Electricity Aquarian, the film tells his compelling tale through archival footage and interviews with both insiders and outsiders. If you’ve ever been curious about how cults come about, this film provides full-bodied flavor for the Kool-Aid. — Mindy Bond
Thursday, May 2
ART: Tracey Emin: I Followed You To The Sun
Friday, May 3
BOOKS: Food Book Fair 2013 Cookbooks are only a tidbit of what you’ll find at this ambitious celebration of food writing, reading, and activism. Founded by Elizabeth Thacker Jones, an NYU food studies grad student who heralds the rise of a new breed of foodie, the Food Book Fair features a bounty of books and periodicals, as well as a number of events and thought-provoking discussions on topics such as foraging, domestic equality, the resurgence of the supper club, and labor injustice in the restaurant industry. Also on tap is a coffee crawl, a zine fest, a multi-course dining experience at Egg celebrating Brandon Baltzley’s new memoir, a pitch competition for food start-ups, and a blind meat taste test hosted by Jessica Applestone of Fleisher’s. For a full roundup, check the fair’s website. — Mindy Bond
PERFORMING ARTS: John Cage and Lejaren Hiller: HPSCHD Gesamtkunstwerk, John Cage’s 1969 “mass media orgy” was a reflection of the chaotic times in which the legendary composer and artist debuted the work. Fast forward to 2013, where for two evenings, composer Joel Chadabe and others will give Cage’s work a new spin, complete with the keyboardist from Cage’s 1969 premiere, and plenty of video to go along with the score. — Jason Diamond
Saturday, May 4
Festival: IDEAS CITY Festival: StreetFest Not just another tube-sock roadblock, this StreetFest, which is part of IDEAS CITY, features discussions, exhibitions, and workshops that should appeal to a creative, environmentally aware, and wonkish sort. Inventors, small business owners, and ecologists are all set to share their products and concepts relating to IDEAS CITY’s overall theme, untapped creative capital. We plan to spend our day creating seedbombs for distribution along the coastlines, learning how to extract DNA from strawberries, taking in a silk-screening workshop, and hitting the Canary Project’s booth to find out how to make a solar-powered FM radio from recycled materials. Other offerings include a performance on nothingness in the Spacebuster, food served up by local vendors, guided tours, and Bike Mind’s Bike Fun Park. After you’ve had your day’s fill at this brainy bazaar, we suggest continuing your education at School Nite, which goes down at the Old School space in NoLita immediately following the daytime event. — Mindy Bond
Sunday, May 5
PARTY: Roberta’s Cinco De Mayo Celebration If you’re going to celebrate The Day of the Battle of Puebla, do it in style and go out to Bushwick for piñatas, a kiddie-pool spa (whatever the heck that is), DJs, an all-girl mariachi band, and of course tons of pizza and beer. Like usual, when Roberta’s wants to celebrate something, they do it better than anybody. — Jason Diamond
MUSIC: Red Bull Music Academy presents Flying Lotus LA-based Flying Lotus, aka Steven Ellison, is without a doubt one of the biggest stars of underground hip-hop of the last few years. An indie-crossover-friendly producer of ambient, glitchy, experimental soundscapes, FlyLo quickly progressed from releases on Plug Research to the legendary Warp label while also setting up his own Brainfeeder imprint to nurture a whole distinct scene that includes the likes of Martyn, Gaslamp Killer, Daedelus, and Lapalux. Tonight he breaks out his mind-bending Layer 3 live spectacle show at Terminal 5 with Nigel Godrich’s new band Ultraísta, Brainfeeder cohort Thundercat, and Rafik in supporting roles. — Joe Rudkin