todaysdocument:

“I saw this man [Booth] come out of the door with something in his hand glittering.”

Testimony of Mrs. Mary Ann Turner, a witness during the trial of the conspirators to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward on May 16, 1865.

From the Poetry Center Archive: John Cheever reads “The Swimmer”

On Thursday night, 92Y’s Unterberg Poetry Center will present “John Cheever at 100,” a centennial celebration of the great fiction writer with readings and remembrances by Susan Cheever (his daughter), Blake Bailey (his biographer), Allan Gurganus (a former student) and Michael Chabon (one of his biggest fans).

The evening will also feature some audio excerpts from Cheever’s two appearances here at 92Y (in 1964 and 1977), but today, in anticipation, we’d like to share a recording of Cheever reading one of his most famous stories, “The Swimmer” at 92Y on December 19, 1977.

“The story was made into a film some of you may have seen,” Cheever remarked before he began to read. “It still runs on late-night television. I know because people always call me and say, ‘Hey, you’re in the movies!’ It’s usually about half past 11… . Here again the story has had an international success, and the various interpretations have always interested me. It’s very popular in Russia, for example, where there are almost no swimming pools and where almost nobody swims.”

Burt Lancaster starred in the adaptation, which was shot in May of 1966. “Though an acrobat, a boxer, and a horseman,” Bailey reports in his biography, “Lancaster could scarcely swim a stroke and had been working since April with the UCLA swimming coach.” Cheever himself makes a brief cameo at a poolside cocktail party. Unhappy with the original cut, the producer delayed the film’s release until 1968. After attending the premiere, Cheever wrote to a friend: “It is not a great picture, but it is faithful to the story, and at the end, when he returns to the empty house, grown men weep.” And he thought Lancaster was terrific—“both young and old, masterful and tearful … lithe and haggard.”

Bailey says that Cheever had been nervous about meeting Lancaster that first day on set, but “after shooting was finished that morning, the actor put on a bathrobe and had a poolside lunch with Cheever…after which Cheever (evidently over the worst of his shyness) ‘jumped beararse’ into the water.”

In an ongoing effort to share with our readers some of the great literary moments which the Poetry Center has presented across the decades, this blog has begun to feature regular postings of archival recordings. To purchase tickets to “John Cheever at 100,” please click here. And for access to other recordings from the Poetry Center archive, please click here.

REMINDER: Tonight at 8 pm, we’re live webcasting the SOLD OUT Andy Borowitz’s Countdown to 2012: Ancient Mayan Prophets Edition, on our Facebook page. Joining Andy on stage will be Joy Behar, Jonathan Alter and Calvin Trillin. You might want to reblog this and let your friends know! 

silentdraperunners:

This is perfect and *exactly* what we’re going for when we do the Twin Peaks resoundtracking. From last night at 92YTribeca, photo via Ben Fama. 

Don’t flip your wig but 225 years ago today, the Constitutional Convention began. Read it. Reblog it. Be The People!

theheritagefoundation:

Your Heritage Foundation Tumblr-in-Chief in the flesh.

Hello!

From the Poetry Center Archive: Kay Ryan reads from her sixth collection of poetry, The Niagara River, at 92nd Street Y on November 13, 2006

“When I read my poems to any audience there’s a lot of laughing, but I always warn them that it’s a fairy gift and will turn scary when they get it home.” –Kay Ryan in The Paris Review

Come see for yourself this Monday night when she returns to 92Y. Tickets are just $10 for anyone 35 and younger.

On September 15, 2008, the Unterberg Poetry Center of the 92nd Street Y celebrated Maurice Sendak’s 80th birthday with a star-studded cast, including Spike Jonze, Meryl Streep, Tony Kushner, James Gandolfini, Dave Eggers, Christine Quinn and many more. 

Upon hearing of Mr. Sendak’s recent passing, Bernard Schwartz, director of 92Y’s Unterberg Poetry Center, wrote a touching tribute. 

In memory of Mr. Sendak, we’re sharing the full video from his 80th birthday celebration. Click through to YouTube to see the full list of speakers that evening. 

“So this is to say with a full heart,” Maurice remarked when he took the stage, “thank you, thank you. Thank you.” 

(Source: youtube.com)

The most valuable lesson Tom Ford ever learned:

“Only hire people you want to have dinner with.”

In an event that was sold out for four months, Tom Ford sat down with Fern Mallis at 92Y for her Fashion Icons series and lived up to the hype by delighting the audience with playful storytelling. In this clip he talks about the rocky relationship he had with Yves Saint Laurent, his fascination (and personal limits) of cosmetic surgery and the difference between being a commercial fashion designer and making films. Want more? Yesterday we shared his views on same-sex marriage.

Read more coverage of the event from Styleite, Fashionista, The Fashion Spot, Style.com and Wall Street Journal.

Fashion Icon Tom Ford on Same-Sex Marriage: It’s the Federal Government, Cupid

While a majority of voters in North Carolina supported a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman, designer Tom Ford spoke at 92Y last night for Fern Mallis’s Fashion Icon series and offered his opinions on the subject.

While he is openly gay, he “hates that word” and does not wish to define himself in such a manner. When asked if he would marry his partner Richard Buckley, he said absolutely yes but qualified they are residents of California where it’s not legal. Moreover, Ford firmly believes the federal government ultimately needs to recognize same-sex marriage to ensure equal rights. With President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage today, is it on the way? Watch the Tom Ford video and let us know what you think.