Lux Lotus

LUX LOTUS 'ROUND MIDNIGHT POETRY HOUR

THE TEMP
BY JANICE ERLBAUM

"He's in love with you. But you're only his
For the workweek. At night, you're married.
On weekends, you lie with your husband
And tell him you're thinking about work.
How his hands make things move across his desk.
How he signs his emails. He adores you.

Everyone knows about the two of you,
Though nothing's happened, of course, you're his
Colleague. So what if you stop by his desk
To say, I'm hungry. Are you absolutely married
To the idea of pizza? I propose let's work
On it later. The phone rings. It's your husband."

Read the rest...

POEM SOURCE.
PHOTO SOURCE.

Windowlicker

When I first signed up for a week-long Isadora Duncan Dance Intensive at the 92nd Street Y, it was an expression of faith in myself: emphasizing the "free" in freelance to take off a few mornings in a row, and breaking out of my usual cycle of 24-7 go-go-go pacing in favor of something more contemplative than clicking "refresh" on my Blackberry while on a conference call. Spending yesterday and today under the tutelage of my almost unimaginably divine, Dostoevsky-quoting, Botticelli-adoring teacher, Jeanne Bresciani, learning an entirely new but natural language of movement, wholly sensual and fluid yet deliberate, and dancing to live piano while wearing classically-styled silk gowns has been a dream. It's sort of what I imagined when I was at the Rodin Museum in Paris and learned that Isadora had lived there briefly; envisioning her sliding in reverie across the unbroken grass under a starry sky. Today in class we were volcanoes for a while and then did this Dionysian pouncing thing. When I left I felt my creativity and sense of self profoundly renewed, but in my mind it was the sensation of anticipating another escape tomorrow. Then I stopped for coffee, and "La Vie en Rose" was playing, and it started to snow for a moment and I experienced an exuberant sense of gratitude as I realized that what felt like a method of slipping out of the world suddenly became a new chance to slip into it. And what better to take that leap in than a slip dress worthy of the muses themselves?

[Violet chiffon pleated "Goddess" gown by A.B.S., $309 at Bluefly]

Windowlicker - from the French for window shopping: faire du lèche-vitrine - appears on Tuesday and Thursdays at 10am EST-ish.

Calling All Style Writers, et al

Although I know that many Lux Lotus readers are a little shy, from time to time I come across your fabulous blogs and love them forever. I am doing an event during New York Fashion Week this year, and since I am no media snob, am posting details for all of you who write about fashion, style, art, culture, etc. (as well as photographers). I especially encourage some of you ladies who write casual criticism to step it up and come out and cover this event-- journalism isn't just for les hommes, you know (although we love them too).

TUNJI DADA PRESENTS “RESURRECTION: IN A SOCIAL CONTEXT”
21st Century Designer Unveils “KIRU” Collection for Fall/Winter 2008

New York (January 11) – Le Chantier Dada today announced “Resurrection: In a Social Context,” the presentation of Tunji Dada’s “KIRU” collection for Fall/Winter 2008. The event will take place at Studio Luminoso in Tribeca on Monday, February 4th, from 6 – 8PM.  Studio Luminoso is located at 61 Warren Street (at the corner of West Broadway) in New York. Attendance is by invitation only (members of the press must RSVP to [email protected]).

Described as one of the “Faces to watch (Up-and-coming men's clothing designers)” by DNR, “At the forefront of the avant-garde” by The Boston Globe, “Nothing short of brilliance” by The Harvard Crimson, and lauded for his "One-of-a-kind pieces that walk that famously fine line between apparel and art" by Women's Wear Daily, Dada is no newcomer to the fashion scene. He is however, an iconoclast, an uncompromising artist and a refreshing antidote to conformity in fashion. He has dressed everyone from rock stars like The J Geils Band's Peter Wolf (of "Centerfold" fame) to dancers for the Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, the Den Norske Ballet in Norway, and most recently, the Colorado Ballet.

The Nigerian-born designer was educated in the UK, Paris, and the USA, and currently lives and works in New York.  His designs include clothing and accessories for men and women, all of which are sold in the USA, Europe, and Japan. Dada’s experimental approach to working with fabrics and strong, well-tailored designs helped build a following of loyal clients and admirers who have an appreciation for his inventive, deconstructed take on “modern classics” with a twist.

The ”KIRU” collection is derived from traditional Japanese kimono. It is the art of wrapping the torso with a contemporary silhouette and proportions. The “KIRU” collection is counter to the size system established by the fashion industry. It is created in consideration with most body types, and can be worn more ways than one.

To see selected looks from the “KIRU” collection, visit www.tunjidada.com. For hi-res sample images, to RSVP for the formal showing, or to schedule an interviewer with the designer, contact Lauren Cerand at [email protected].

###

School of Visual Arts Photo Global

Lux Lotus reader Stephen Frailey sends the intriguing word that,

"We will be accepting applications for the  photography program for international students called PhotoGlobal.  It is a one year certificate program structured around critique, and would be ideal for anyone -- advanced student, someone applying to a graduate program who wants to strengthen their portfolio, or a professional who lacks a critical discourse and community-- and who wants to share in the opportunities New York can offer.  The application deadline is in May. Scholarships are available this year."

La Nouvelle Smart Set

...est arrivée.

The Dialectics of Enlightenment

The much-anticipated visit of my friend Stephen came and went too fleetingly, although he did leave behind this photo he took of a friend in Australia over the holidays. Last night's event for Girls Write Now was a smash success by all accounts. I spent the day today at a riveting postmodern critical theory conference held by the journal that first published Baudrillard in English (Remember, "we seduce with our weakness"?). And now I have only a moment to spare before I have to go and change for the cocktail party tonight. I'm leaning towards the bewitching garment my mother refers to as "that little top you like to wear as a dress." Tomorrow is my day off from everything and I shall savor it. On Monday, I have half a dozen events to publicize plus my week-long Isadora Duncan dance intensive starts (in the mornings; if you're wondering where I find the time, the answer is that I usually sleep until 11 or 12 since I work so late at night). So I'll just be sleepy next week; but willowy, too, like a tree. And, I've been asked for another speaking engagement: Book Promotion 101 in New York on March 8.

Windowlicker

One of my favorite conversations in relatively recent memory included the thought-provoking and oddly incandescent line, "There is not a single culture where shininess does not equal beauty." It's stuck in my head ever since; although I might agree that gloss is gorgeous, empirically speaking, my kind of shine is more typically the inky lacquer of Flemish paintings than some sort of Swarovski miracle.  That being said, I find myself coaxed a bit beyond my usual palette by this entrancing accessory. Sure, it would be easy to veer into "Claymates do Branson" territory, but in the right light, on the right night, it could be pure fairytale magic.

[Crystal Collar Necklace by Einar Holiloekk for Geoffrey Beene, on sale for $995 at Vivre]

Windowlicker - from the French for window shopping: faire du lèche-vitrine - appears on Tuesday and Thursdays at 10am EST-ish.

The Etchings

Had dinner with the enchanting Stephen Lance, everyone's favorite Australian music video director (his film Yolk's in competition at Berlin, have you heard?), and his impossibly soigne companion, Carmel, who a cursory online search has revealed was once in the possession of some Bengal tigers. We went to Chanterelle, where moments before I walked out the door, Min Jin Lee told me on the phone with all the certainty of a divine mandate that I must have the cheese plate and I'm so glad I did; it was sublime. I wore: (all black) a gauzy goddess-pleated dress from Black Rose in Chinatown, Anne Demeulemeester sash, cap-toe Prada heels, a Kostas Murkudis ragged-edge fur collar and a very "Addicted to Love" (to reference a music video!) leather jacket I haven't worn in a decade since I bought it at Saks in high school but felt exquisite tonight. Tomorrow, I plan to cut out a little early to meet up with Stephen and see that Freud show at the MoMA I've been dreaming of, and then I'm off to the Winter Antiques Show with our own Madame X.

P.S. If you're a Mediabistro AvantGuild member, you can read an informative, well-written and nuanced piece journalist E.B. Boyd wrote regarding how to "Blog to Raise Your Book's Profile." It quotes me.

New Year, Redux

Pictured: Janice Erlbaum reading "Have You Found Her" at The Slipper Room last fall for Girls Write Now. That's me in the front, holding my notes and wearing a dress from Osaka! Photo credit: Michele Thomas.

The WNBA event in DC was splendid. Many thanks to The Happy Booker, Janet Reid, Madam Mayo, Work in Progress, DCist, and to everyone else who recommended it! I made a lot of new friends and saw some old ones, too. After the program, poet Roberta Beary gave me a copy of her debut collection, The Unworn Necklace, which she described as being about, "divorce, and second chances," and which looks exquisite. And you know how I feel about poetry! Then I went to Saint-Ex for dinner with my mother and my favorite ex, bestselling author himself, Bryan Keefer, in town to run the show at Brijit.

Now I'm back in New York and I've got so much going on I can hardly believe it's January. It feels like it ought to be June (and I ought to be planning my next extravagant, desultory trip... languorous naps and plenty of peacock feathers would be the order of the day). First up, there's a Girls Write Now event this Friday that I had a hand in making a reality; please join us.

I've also added another speaking engagement: the upcoming inaugural Pilcrow Lit Fest in Chicago this May. You can always check LaurenCerand.com for updates of that nature. I've also been asked by another organization to teach an online course, which I'll be doing in July just before I go on that vacation, as mentioned above. I can tell you this: "Innovative Publicity Basics" will be cheap, and it will be extraordinary, because I'll do almost anything once but probably never again. Join my free mailing list, Luxletters, to the right of this column if you'd like more details when they're available.

And I'm delighted to formally announce the next two books I'll be publicizing this winter/early spring. All I can say about them at the moment is WOW. I am indeed very fortunate. And so are you, dear reader! Keep an eye out for HAVE YOU FOUND HER by Janice Erlbaum (Random House/Villard) and THE DROP EDGE OF YONDER by Rudolph Wurlitzer (Two Dollar Radio). In need of sleep? Yes. Faith in literature restored? Check.

Monday in DC

A reminder for DC readers: I'll be speaking in my hometown on Monday evening. While I won't be there long, even a glimpse of the Capitol often lulls me back into my class-skipping habits: eating Ethiopian food for lunch and then kicking around the Smithsonian the rest of the day. At the top of my list... Art of Being Tuareg: Sahara Nomads in a Modern World and Wine, Worship & Sacrifice: The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani.