The Bushwick Book Club podcast Bushwick Book Club podcast by Lusterlit

In Episode 13, Chris Lafave, curator and greeter at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis, interviews BBC founder Susan Hwang, BBC co-producer Charlie Nieland and BBC Malmö founder Thomas Teller about their upcoming artist residency at KVML for Banned Books Week, 9/25-10/1 with fellow BBC songwriters spiritchild and Patricia Santos. They talk songwriting, Vonnegut, artistic freedom, creative process and was that John McEnroe?

Our show for Epiphany Literary Journal's EMPIRE Issue was Bushwick Book Club's first collaboration with a periodical. Each songwriter selected a different work from the issue to respond to –– poetry, short stories, visual art and essays. In addition to the live recordings of the songs from the show, we have an introduction from Epiphany guest editor, Sameer Panya and readings from Epiphany writers Celia Bland, Ilya Lebovich and Leah Umansky. You'll hear songs written and performed by Charlie Nieland, Beth Bliss, Susan Hwang, Teresa Toro, Patricia Santos, Lianne Smith, John S. Hall and Ray Brown, plus Sung Uni Lee's soundscape performance. You'll also hear Intros from contributing Epiphany writers sharing their most recent earworms and intros from BBC songwriters sharing their latest reads. We hope you enjoy this convergence of writers, musicians, artistic disciplines and creative communities.

This episode features author Ann Lewinson and songwriters from all over the country with new songs and performances inspired by Lewinson’s thought-provoking, art-provoking debut novella A STILL LIFE WITH MEREDITH. Get ready for songs like the accordion, flute, beatboxing ostinato from Jet Black Pearl in Portland, the new synth pop slow jam by Gary Burton in Brooklyn and a looping cello and vocal ballad from Mia Pixley in Oakland, CA. There’s also an original sketch written by Teresa Toro depicting a Zoom Tinder date between Marie Bonaparte’s clitoris (played by Teresa Toro) and Jesus’ foreskin (played by Don Rauf). The variety and creativity in the show only mirrors the imagination and depth of the book. Thank you Ann Lewinson for such rich artistic fodder. Performances from: Gary Burton, Ellia Bisker, Nick Balaban, Joy Askew, Teresa Toro, Sung Uni Lee, Charlie Nieland and Susan Hwang. From outside of New York— Timothy Dark (Las Vegas), Don Rauf (Seattle), Nan Turner (Kansas City), Jet Black Pearl (Portland), Amanda Thorpe (London), Chris Rael (Maryland), Mia Pixley (Oakland, CA). Thank you Nick Balaban for the intro music, and Charlie Nieland for the outro score!

Join hosts Susan Hwang and Charlie Nieland as they talk with frequent BBC contributor, singer songwriter and legend, Ray Brown. The conversation covers music and books, songwriting during quarantine, kratom, Bob Dylan, John S. Hall’s love life, Walt Whitman and crack house motels. Ray’s songs written and performed for Bushwick Book Club over the past five years are played throughout.


Watch the Zoom video conversation of this interview at Youtube.com/bushwickbookclub. We appreciate donations to paypal.me/bushwickbookclub You’ll want to visit https://raybrownworld.com/ because now you can’t get enough of him. You’re welcome.

The first Quarantine edition of Bushwick Book Club featured 16 musicians, filmmakers, dancers and one chef who came together with author, Tanya Marquardt, to present new songs, dance, film and a fermented food offering in response to Marquardt's STRAY: Memoir of a Runaway. Performances were live-streamed not only from Brooklyn, but BBC Chapters in New Orleans and London. Excerpts from the live-stream show alternate with clips from songwriters and artists on their experience of this new format and other observations of life and art in Quarantine. If you listen to the end, you get to participate in the concluding ritual lead by the author, Tanya Marquardt, making this not only a podcast, but a tool for excising ancient karmic Quarantine sludge. Enjoy!

Performers featured: Susan Hwang (host, Lusterlit, co-producer), Charlie Nieland (Lusterlit, co-producer), Sung Uni Lee, Ellia Bisker, Ray Brown, Teresa Toro, John S. Hall, Troy Ogilvie (w/Sean Gannet and Omar Zubair), Olivier Conan, Michael Lentz, Henry Tenney w/ Lulu, Tanya Marquardt, Stephanie Larriere, Scott MX Turner. Amanda Thorpe, Gary Burton, Swan Drsti with Spencer Bladyka. Lisa Barnstone's film is absent from the podcast, but please view it in the video of the whole show saved to our Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/BushwickBookClub/). Tanya's performance of "Just Relax" was used with permission from Theatre Conspiracy Stray. (https://conspiracy.ca/stray)

Author Pam Grossman talks about her new book, WAKING THE WITCH with Bushwick Book Club songwriters Susan Hwang, Charlie Nieland and Gary Burton right on the heels of the latest BBC show of new songs, rituals and spells inspired by Grossman’s “love letter” to the Witch. They talk magic, politics and art with special attention to the witch archetype and how it’s even more meaningful to personal power and global change now than ever.