U-M anthropology professor Jennifer Robertson reads from her new book about how Japanese robots reinforce conventional gender stereotypes and the political status quo. Panel discussion follows with U-M professors Joy Rohde (history) and Alexandra Stern (American culture).
3-4:30 p.m., 2239 Lane Hall, 204 S. State. Free. 763-2066.
SUNY Albany political science professor Virginia Eubanks reads from her new book. Reception follows.
4-5:30 p.m., Weill Hall Annenberg Auditorium, 735 S. State. Free. 764-3490.
Literati is proud to be partnering with the Helen Zell Writers Program to host poet Elizabeth Alexander at University of Michigan Museum of Art Apse
Elizabeth Alexander is a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and the Wun Tsun Tam Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University. She has recently been appointed President of the Andrew H. Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest funder in the arts and humanities. She composed and recited “Praise Song for the Day” for President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration. She is the author of six books of poetry–including American Sublime, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize–and is the first winner of the Jackson Prize for Poetry and a National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim fellow. She was the Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale University for 15 years and chaired the African American Studies Department.
Literati is excited to welocme head baker and owner of Detroit’s Sister Pie bakery, Lisa Ludwinski, who will be sharing her new cookbook Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit.
About Sister Pie:
A bursting-with-personality cookbook from Sister Pie, the boutique bakery that’s making Detroit more delicious every day.
At Sister Pie, Lisa Ludwinski and her band of sister bakers are helping make Detroit sweeter one slice at a time from a little corner pie shop in a former beauty salon on the city’s east side. The granddaughter of two Detroit natives, Ludwinski spends her days singing, dancing, and serving up a brand of pie love that has charmed critics and drawn the curious from far and wide. No one leaves without a slice–those who don’t have money in their pockets can simply cash in a prepaid slice from the “pie it forward” clothesline strung across the window. With 75 of her most-loved recipes for sweet and savory pies–such as Toasted Marshmallow-Butterscotch Pie and Sour Cherry-Bourbon Pie–and other bakeshop favorites, the Sister Pie cookbook pays homage to Motor City ingenuity and all-American spirit. Illustrated throughout with 75 drool-worthy photos and Ludwinski’s charming line illustrations, and infused with her plucky, punny style, bakers and bakery lovers won’t be able to resist this book.
LISA LUDWINSKI is the owner and head baker at Sister Pie, which she started out of her parents’ kitchen. Before opening the shop, she trained at Milk Bar and Four and Twenty Blackbirds in New York and Brooklyn, respectively. She has been featured widely in national press, including a six-page feature in Bon Appétit, has twice been a semifinalist for a James Beard award, and makes the pies for Shake Shack’s Detroit location.
Veteran Chelsea storyteller and writer Steve Daut, a Second City Comedy Club grad, reads from his new collection of classic Mark Twain stories he adapted for modern audiences. The book also contains historical and performance notes for each tale.
7-8:30 p.m., Serendipity Books, 113 Middle, Chelsea. Free. 475-7148.
Under direction of Artist in Residence Irina Khutsieva. Also Sunday, December 9, 6 pm.
U-M drama lecturer Kate Mendeloff directs RC students in scenes from Uncle Vanya, Chekhov’s richly varied ensemble piece about the search for happiness–from love, achievement, or nature–at various stages of life.
All invited to an open mike storytelling session similar to The Moth, the nonprofit that sponsors storytelling events where people volunteer to tell a 3-5 minute true story. Followed at 5 p.m. by a reception with a crèche display, live music, and refreshments.
4 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 1432 Washtenaw. Free. 662-4466 ext. 342.
Under direction of Artist in Residence Raharja. From crashing loud- to meditative soft-style pieces, this performance will expose listeners to some of the diverse styles of Javanese gamelan. Sunday, December 9, 4pm, Walgreen Drama Center, Stamps Auditorium. Free
Under direction of Artist in Residence Irina Khutsieva.
