Mark Batty Publisher

It’s been a week since MBP rocked it at the Brooklyn Book Festival, but better late than never, right? And we’re still glowing from all the love–we mingled with fans and authors, sold books, and thanks to our Publicity Coordinator, Kate Abbey-Lambertz, we ate a lot of chocolate truffles.

The festival was a great chance to get some amazing book deals and at the MBP table The Hot Knives Vegetarian Cookbook: Salad Daze was one of the crowd favorites. I’m guessing reading and walking around works up quite an appetite because by the end of the day we had totally sold out of the book. Our chocolate truffles also disappeared pretty quickly. It’s safe to say that food and books make a good pair–except in libraries, of course.

DJ Spooky talked about climate change and The Book of Ice in a panel, and a few passersby commented on how impressed they were with his work. It’s always nice to get feedback directly from readers. Some other authors that stopped by were Garth Risk Hallberg, author of A Field Guide to the North American Family, Manami Okazaki, author of Kicks Japan, and Olga Ast, author of Infinite Instances.

In short, it was an awesome day.  But don’t be too disappointed if you couldn’t make it because this weekend we will be at the NY Art Book Fair at booth O06, Thursday night through Sunday, for all of your most urgent visual books needs. Check back for a full list of all the goodies we will be offering.

–Melissa Obando, Publicity Intern

Starting Friday, the MBP folks are escaping the office and selling books the old-fashioned way. No, we’re not building a peddler cart and planning to wheel a bookmobile through Central Park (though would this work?!). In the next couple weeks, we’ll be chatting people up at not one, but two, NYC book fairs, and celebrating with authors at a whopping four parties/lectures/fun-time-events. If only there was an MBP private jet so we could swoop in for events across the country, too…

Brooklyn Book Festival this Sunday 10am-6pm: come to Borough Hall and check us out at booth #123 with our friends at Purgatory Pie Press. We’ll have some sweet deals and some special super author guests.

But this Friday, to get yourself pumped for the fest, Garth Risk Hallberg, author of  A Field Guide to the North American Family, will be moderating  Hot Authors–a panel and launch party for Canteen Magazine’s new issue at 3rd Ward. Should be pretty steamy.

And on Sunday at the BBF, Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky, author of The Book of Ice, will be on the mainstage at 2pm talking about sustainability and the changing environment with Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

Then next week gets crazy: Paul Miller will be opening Climate Week NYC with Andrew Revkin and talking with Donavan Hohn at McNally Jackson, Simone Lueck will be showing off Cuba TV at Clic gallery, and Olga Ast and Infinite Instances contributors will be celebrating at the Robert Miller gallery. And stay tuned for info about the NY Art Book Fair the first weekend of October.

Come out!

Cuba TV arrived this week, and it’s the perfect photo book for sweltering August. We aren’t the only people all excited about this book: the good folks at Huffington Post, Boing Boing, and Miami New Times are all saying nice things, too. You can also check out an interview with Simone Lueck in Lenscratch. Here’s what she has to say about us: “Last year I got an email out of the blue from Mark Batty Publisher in New York…. At first I thought it might be a scam, but it turned out to be all-good!”
No scammers at MBP, we just know amazing work when we see it. All-good, indeed.

The LA release party is this Saturday, August 6, 6-9pm. Simone made an awesome video invite:

You’re Invited from Simone Lueck on Vimeo.

Unfortunately, we’ll be stuck in Brooklyn, hiding out at the office 24/7 to take advantage of the air conditioning. But West Coasters should get to Kopeikin Gallery early for the cocktails and Cuban food truck delights.

We won’t be too bummed this weekend–lucky us, Simone is going to make a stop in New York this fall. Hopefully, she’ll bring mojitos.

Simone Lueck has been getting some great attention for her photo show Cuba TV at Kopeikin Gallery, so if you live in LA and haven’t checked it out yet get yourself over there. Saturday, August 6 is the launch party for the new book Cuba TV, and Simone will be there signing. She’s also promised rum cocktails. If that weren’t enough to persuade you, Simone comes out from behind the lens in her deelightful video invite:

Make sure to come by!

You’re Invited from Simone Lueck on Vimeo.

Saturday, August 6 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Kopeikin Gallery

2766 S. La Cienega Blvd.

For all of you looking to party in the middle of the week (and who isn’t?) come to Eyebeam tonight for the launch party for The Book of Ice with DJ Spooky.  We’re expecting ice-themed drinks and hopefully some icey AC. The penguins are unconfirmed.

Listen in to the most recent episode of podcast Science…Sort of to get a taste of the music you’ll hear tonight. The Science…Sort of folks play selections from DJ Spooky’s “Terra Nullius” and help you bone up on your Antarctica knowledge:  guest Beverly Walker talks about the not-so-happy training experience of “Happy Camper Training” and why you need government issued winter coats. Enjoy!

Join us on Wednesday, July 13 from 6-9pm, for the release of The Book of Ice by Paul D. Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid. This FREE event will be held at Eyebeam on 540 West 21 Street, between 10th and 11th Ave.  We’re going to be celebrating with Paul and  The Telos Ensemble, who will be playing compositions inspired by his time spent in Antarctica. There will be Antarctic-themed giveaways and Paul will be signing copies of The Book of Ice.

It wouldn’t be a party without some extra special guests, including  350.org’s Bill Mckibben; the Green Patriot Posters Project’s Edward Morris; and the Small Planet Institute’s Anna Lappe. Drinks from MERCY and a huge afterparty with Evolver Magazine are the icing on the cake.

To find out more about DJ Spooky visit DJSpooky.com, and make sure to share this event with your friends on Facebook!

And even more book party madness on Thursday! Join MBP and Ekaterina Smirnova, author of An Illustrated Guide to Cockroaches, on July 14 from 6-8pm. The book release party for her newest book will be at the Chashama Gallery on 217 East 42nd street (between 2nd and 3nd Ave).  Smirnova will be signing books, teaching guest how to make their own roach traps, and leading a “roach” race. If you want more information on Ekaterinas’ upcoming projects please visit Katapostrophe.com.

Our good friends at Seven Stories Institute and Fractious Press are pretty incredible–ten days ago they opened Word Up, a pop bookshop in Washington Heights, where there hasn’t been a general-interest, multi-language bookstore in more than a generation.

There are excellent books on sale and a great line-up of events, including two from MBP, tonight and tomorrow! If you can’t make it this week, make sure to check out Word Up before it closes on July 14.

TONIGHT, June 27, 6pm:

Ekaterina Smirnova, an artist and graphic designer, will present a hands-on bookmaking workshop for kids. In An Illustrated Guide to Cockroaches, she uses her design expertise to illustrate a funny, informative, and heartfelt story about New Yorkers’ least-favorite pest. In the workshop, Ekaterina will show kids how to make books out of ordinary materials that with a little imagination can become extraordinary.

TOMORROW, June 28, 7pm:

MBP managing editor Buzz Poole and designer/production director Christopher Salyers are teaming up with Charles Day, director of digital marketing and publicity at Melville House, to answer any and all questions about publishing. They’ll share their insight about all aspects of the publishing process, essential whether you’re a published author, aspiring novelist, publishing job seeker, or simply a book lover.

Word Up
A Community Bookshop
4157 Broadway @ 176 Street, Washington Heights, NYC
June 17–July 14, 2011
Hours: Weekdays 4-9pm / Weekends 12-4pm

Norway meets New York in the double launch event for the release of Garth Risk Hallberg’s A Field Guide to the North American Family and Johan Harstad’s Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? (Seven Stories Press).

Harstad and Hallberg will come together at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe for an evening of conversation on topics of family, isolation, personal evolution, graphic design, modern fiction, and more, along with readings from both books and music by Brooklyn acoustic duo Sweater.

For a Hallberg teaser, read his recent piece on Kindle-proofing books at The Millions. As a bonus, he implies that MBP is a little crazy! We’ll take it as a compliment.

Monday, June 6, 7pm
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
126 Crosby Street, New York, NY 10012 :: 212-334-3324

Details on Housing Works and Facebook.

LE GUN’s exhibition Close Eyes to Exit opens tonight at the Red Gallery in London. It’s the launch of LE GUN 5. Their BAREBONES issue six comes out as well. There’s a party with Rough Trade on April 8. Another show at Bourouina Gallery in Berlin at the end of April. Pretty sure these guys never sleep.

If (unlike me) you were lucky enough to be invited to the private opening, or will be in London while the exhibit is up (through April 18), you can walk into the Unknown Room.

Pretty awesome. The room is supposed to show life-size drawings of the bizarre based on the contents of George Melly’s briefcase. Honestly, I had no idea who that was, but anyone with an obit like this  is alright with me:

“George Melly, the jazz singer, author and raconteur who died yesterday aged 80, leched, drank and blasphemed his way around the clubs and pubs of the British Isles and provided pleasure to the public for five decades.” (The Telegraph)

And if you prefer to enjoy the LE GUN collective in the comfort of your own home, MBP has done you the favor of putting out  LE GUN 1,2,3, the large ‘n’ lovely collector’s edition of the first three out-of-print issues of LE GUN magazine. Not as big as a whole room, but bigger than a bread box or a laptop.

Bump in the Night: Powerstrip Circus Halloween @ Coco 66!
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2009
Time: 9PM – 4AM
Location: Coco66, 66 Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn, NY
Price: $5

Know all the moves to the “Thriller” video? Can you quote Evil Dead 2 by heart? Well, then – put down that copy of Twilight and come celebrate your ghoulishness with Powerstrip Circus’s “Bump in the Night” Halloween Spectacular at Coco66! Squeeze into your trashiest, sexiest, funniest or most spine-tingling costume, hop on the Ghost train and join us as we celebrate the spookiest night of the year.

Dance your face off on Coco 66′s GIANT NEW DANCEFLOOR to Halloween sets by…

BOLLYGIRL vs. DIMM (AVAAZ / Ethnotechno)
PRAVEEN ( PercussionLab )
JON OLIVER ( East Village Radio )
NEBULLA ( Code of Arms /Kj/ Darkroom )
SOROKA ( Code of Arms /Kj/ Darkroom )
GUARDIAN ( Moodgadget / PercussionLab )
ELIJAH ( LGS Brooklyn )
and POWERSTRIP CIRCUS’ SLOUCH & KRTS!

MORE DETAILS & FREE REMIX DOWNLOADS @ DJslouch.net

Plus BOOK GIVEAWAYS from us and Day in the Lyfe Magazine!

RSVP here!

Check out another amazing Art For Progress (who worked with us for the MBP Urban Arts Fest) event, just in time for CMJ! Details from their website:

Event: “Artists Loft” V. III, Pre-CMJ Event
When: Oct 17, 2009 7:30 PM — Oct 18, 2009 12:00 AM
Where: Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center.
107 Suffolk Street
New York, NY 10002

On Saturday, October 17th, the Art For Progress (AFP) Artists’ Loft returns with an exceptional night of diverse art, music and performance. Fresh off of several exciting events in the past month including AFP”s Grooove Cruise, MBP’s Urban Arts Fest and The Drop, the excitement continues to build this fall as we present Volume III of our Artists’ Loft series.

This event will re-launch Plays for Progress (PFP), with a presentation of 3 short plays starting at 8PM. PFP utilizes theatre to promote social change, finding work from playwrights who remind us of our own life and the vibrancy of ideas that we bring to our interactions with one another.

The plays to be presented at the Artists’ Loft “reflect the laughter, love, sadness, awe and array of emotions that we experience on a day-to-day basis in New York City and around the world.” PFP cast members Emily Cheney, Paul Kendrick, June Gachui, Luis Otero, Julia Rafal, and John Touchton will perform the following plays, all directed by Alexis Confer: “Recess” by Richard LaGravenese, “Please Have a Seat and Someone Will Be With You Shortly” by Garth Wingfield, and “Sleeping City” by John Belluso.

In keeping true to AFP’s multi-media programming, we are hosting an evening-long exhibition of compelling work by several AFP visual artists. Works will be featured from Michael Lorenzini, Berette Macaulay, Jeanne Wilkinson, Maria Rapetskaya, Brooke McGowan and one of our recent additions, photographer John Morrison. Their work can now be seen on the AFP website.

As the CMJ Music Marathon begins the following week, this will be AFP’s CMJ event! Starting at 9, we’ll be showcasing our talented musical artists Quitzow, Comandante Zero with 0h10M1ke, Alex Schein, Zef Noise, and B.A.M. (Barry Komitor, Allen Hulsey and Mike Severino). Music can be previewed on the AFP site.

Cover will be $10 on the RSVP list and $12 at the door (if we are not at capacity).

RSVP’s will be accepted until 12 noon, October 17th via email at events@artforprogress.org.

CSV Center, the Flamboyan Theater
107 Suffolk Street @ Rivington. Entrance on Suffolk Street.
F,J, M, Z to Essex/Delancey.
V to 2nd Avenue/Houston