Weekend of Words in May

If it wasn’t for Dorothy Parker and her friends, there may not even be a New Yorker magazine today. That is why the publication shouldn’t ever forget the contributions of the original founders of the magazine, which in now celebrating its 75th anniversary.

To mark the occasion, there is going to be The New Yorker Festival, May 5-7 in Manhattan (of course). How do you celebrate 75 years of publishing short stories, essays and doctor/lawyer cartoons? With a literary and arts festival (the arts being cartoons, it appears). This is a good chance to see in person and listen to some of the biggest names in print these days. Among the people attending are Calvin Trillin, Richard Ford, Stephen King, Annie Proulx, Alice Munro, Ricky Jay, Paul Simon, Robin Williams (!) and Edna O’Brien.

There are readings around town at several venues, from clubs to ballrooms, on Friday night. There are daytime speakers and tours on Saturday, with a big Saturday Night “Humor Revue” at Town Hall starring Wendy Wasserstein. She is presenting a lot of New Yorker greats, so Dorothy Parker better be in the mix with S.J. Perelman and Steve Martin. Sunday is the biggest day: brunches around town (crime, architecture, health, and fiction), to be followed by a giant FREE poetry reading in Bryant Park at 4 p.m. A dozen New Yorker poets will read from their own work and the poems of past contributors. Again, another chance for Mrs. Parker to get some attention.

Tickets for each event are sold separately; they range from $15 for the readings, to $25 and $35 for the humor revue. See the current issue of the New Yorker for a whole schedule, and also Barnes and Noble has a booklet because it is a sponsor. Call 1-877-847-TNYF for more information. You can get tickets on www.ticketmaster.com. Looks like an incredible weekend, and another reason to be a New Yorker. If anyone is planning to attend these, let me know, and maybe we can hook up. The Dorothy Parker Society of New York will be handing out flyers to spread the URL too.

Daly and Dottie

There are a few new products on the market now to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the New Yorker. Dorothy Parker’s classic story “Arrangement in Black and White” is included in “Wonderful Town” a hardcover book and the accompanying audio CD and abridged audiobook cassettes.

Tyne Daly reads the story on the CD and cassette. You can take a look at the details (and order too) on our What the Hell Book Shop page. In addition, Random House Audiobooks and MP3Lit.com are co-promoting audio content from the New Yorker Anthologies online.

There is a 10-week promotion on MP3Lit.com. To listen to the audio excerpts, go to mp3lit.com/newyorker.com. For more details visit www.mp3lit.com or www.randomhouse.com/audio. The Tyne Daly piece is due online.