Before Katherine Dunn charmed the world with Geek Love twenty years ago,  she had begun establishing a career writing about a different subset of society - the world of boxing. Last month she released an anthology of essays entitled One Ring Circus about this subculture she has come to know and love. Guernica magazine caught up with Dunn this month to discuss both works.

Get yourself into discussion mode by pondering some of these Geek Love questions and then come on out to Molly Malone’s (The Snug) this evening at 8pm to share your thoughts on the freaks and geeks!

Like most any child of the 80’s, I must admit I do get really excited when I see that say the cast of Goonies was recently reunited or that Cameron Frye’s home from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is up for sale. I will watch I Love the 80’s whenever its on usually, even though I’ve seen all of the episodes already. There is no end to the enjoyment I continue to derive from reminiscing over the pop culture of my childhood.

So of course I was also excited to read about what the cast of Footloose is doing now. I was not so excited to find out there are plans to remake this 80’s favorite, possibly with Hayden Panettiere of Heroes fame, in the female lead. Unfortunately it seems Hollywood has decided that its time to recreate practically every eighties film that still holds a nostalgic flame, cult classic status or was even remotely successful the first time around. We have already seen the beginnings of this trend with the recent remake of Friday the 13th and it continues later on this year with the ressurection of Fame. Oh how I wish it ended there. But sadly the list goes on and on.

With all of the great new talent that has emerged out of Hollywood over the last 5-10 years, do we really need to revisit Arthur, the alcoholic womanizer, with this guy? Or even crazier yet, are audiences seriously begging to peer inside a 21st century Videodrome? If only there were some standards for remakes that everyone could agree upon. It would make my future rounds of “Remember when…” far less painful.

One of us! One of Us! One of Us!

Reading Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love for this month’s Genre X has gotten me thinking about the circus sideshows of the early 20th century. And that gets me thinking about Tod Browning’s cult classic, Freaks.

If you’ve never seen Freaks, you should run right out and add it to your Netflix queue (or your library hold list) right away. Filmed in 1932 with actual circus perfomers, Freaks is the story of a group of sideshow performers who take revenge on some of the “normal” performers after years of abuse. The original film shocked audiences and censors, and its original 90 minutes was cut down to just over an hour. The original footage is now considered lost.

Audiences were initially so uncomfortable with the deformity of the main players that the film was often banned, most notably in the UK where is was banned from viewing for 30 years. Freaks resurfaced as a cult hit in the 1960s and 70s, where it was frequently shown at Midnight Movie screenings. In 1994, the National Film Registry chose Freaks to be selected for preservation based on its cultural and historical significance.

If you’re interested in more film and television looks at circus life, you might also try:

Carnivale: the short lived HBO series about a traveling carnival during the Dust Bowl era.

The Elephant Man: the David Lynch directed film about a severely disfigured man who earns his living as a sideshow performer until a surgeon (Anthony Hopkins) attempts to give him a new life.

La Strada: Fellini’s early masterpiece features a girl who is sold to a traveling strongman by her destitute mother.

Something Wicked This Way Comes: Even though this film adaptation pales in comparison to the Bradbury book of the same name, I couldn’t leave the list without this story of a sinister traveling carnival and the town librarian forced to save the day.

Don’t forget to join us for our discussion of Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love at 8pm on Tuesday, June 23 at Molly Malone’s in Forest Park.

This June, genre X is taking a plunge into the world of geeks with Katherine Dunn’s cult classic, Geek Love. Keep in mind, however, that these are not the same geeks lovingly portrayed in Judd Apatow’s darling television series, Freaks and Geeks. Instead, Dunn dreams up a family of carnies who’re at times hard to empathize with but entirely impossible to ignore. A synopsis, from Library Journal:

“Guiding us into the world of the grotesque, Dunn produces a novel of compassion, insight, and macabre humor. At its center are Al and Lil Binewski, carnival owners who breed freak offspring through drug use so that they can perform in the show. Over the years, this ghoulish process becomes the norm; indeed, as we share the experiences of the children, we find that for this close-knit family, a child’s signs of normalcy are seen as a real threat. What elevates this work is Dunn’s controlled, matter-of-fact narrative, her skillful character development, and her relentless insistence that we address these people and their concerns in human terms.”

Please join us on our journey into the horrifying and engrossing world of the Binewski family. And if you’re in the Chicagoland area, we’d love to see you at our discussion of Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love at 8pm on Tuesday, June 23 at Molly Malone’s in Forest Park.

drawing of Kundera by Adolf Hoffmeister

We hope to see both new and old faces at Molly Malone’s this evening at 8pm for what is bound to be a hearty discussion of The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera. If you’re looking for some points to ponder before then, you might want to check out Philip Roth’s 1980 interview with Kundera in which the author offers up his perspectives on many of the more discussable aspects of the book. Numerous critics and fans have also ruminated over some of Kundera’s favorite concepts and conventions like the emigre experience and bending the definition of the novel, but I want to know what underlying theme resonated most with you?

This May, genre X will be making a foray back into World Literature with Milan Kundera’s The Book of Laughter and Forgetting. Written by Czech-born Kundera in 1979, the novel was the first written after his exile to France in 1975, remains one of the most important of his career, and exemplifies his philosophical style. From Harper Collins Publishers:

“Rich in its stories, characters, and imaginative range, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting is the novel that brought Milan Kundera his first big international success in the late 1970s. Like all his work, it is valuable for far more than its historical implications. In seven wonderfully integrated parts, different aspects of human existence are magnified and reduced, reordered and emphasized, newly examined, analyzed, and experienced.”

Join us for a discussion of The Book of Laughter and Forgetting on Tuesday, May 26 at 8pm at Molly Malone’s in Forest Park. Stop by the Oak Park Public Library’s Adult & Teen Services with your OPPL library card to pick up a copy (or just to say hi).

If you were at last Tuesday’s discussion of Bonk by Mary Roach, you may have heard the conversation turn to booklists and guides after the discussion of sex research and Mary Roach subsided. If you’re looking for a way to find the best books the world has to offer, or you’re just looking to structure your own reading habits, some of these resources can be a great way to start.

I should point out that I am obsessed with lists. I like creating lists, reading lists, creating top 5 lists, and pulling apart other poeples lists. Of course, no list can ever match your tastes or fulfill your own reading needs entirely, but I’ve found its a great way to supplement the kinds of titles I would normally pick up.

My recent obsession with reading lists was kicked off by Entertainment Weekly’s recent New Classics issue in June of 2008. The editors went through the top 100 achievements of the last 25 years in movies, music, tv, fashion, theater, and of course books. Some people may accuse the publishing of ‘best of’ lists as being lazy journalism, but I love the way it gets me thinking about new ideas. The list inspired me to pick up Lonesome Dove, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Secret History for the first time this year. And then I started thinking - whay am I stopping at 1983?

That brought me to the big book pictured above: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. This reference style source is British in origin and the original list (published in 2006) features 1001 books that trace the origin of the novel - not necessarily the best of the best books. Its easy to get engrossed in this list and I immediately wanted to check how many of the 1001 I’d read. Luckily someone at Arukiyomi was wonderful enough to create a spreadsheet where you can keep track of what you read. It will tell you the percentage of the list you’ve already completed and it will let you know how many more you need to read each year for the rest of your life (if you live an average amount of years). The 2008 British edition of the book added another 284 titles to the original list and the spreadsheet also includes those titles and some other neat supplementary features. There is also a 1001 Books Goodreads Group where you can follow a monthly selection and discuss the list with other readers.

If you’re still looking for some books to jumpstart your reading try:

Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason by Nancy Pearl and its sequels.

1001 Books for Every Mood by Hallie Ephron

The Well-Educated Mind: The Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had by Susan Wise Bauer

Is it possible that Mary Roach, the author of this month’s genre X selection Bonk, is not only smart and successful but this impossibly gorgeous?  Some people.

Before the success of Stiff, Ms. Roach used to work a beat at Salon, the online magazine.  So it makes sense that she would grant them a long and interesting interview about sex research.  She covers a lot of the same material that she gets to in the book, but there are a few extra tidbits that didn’t make it in.

NPR has got a story you can hear concerning her own experience as a research subject.  A debate of the romantic possibilities of the Les Miserables soundtrack is included.

If you’d like to know more about Mary Roach than what Bonk will teach you, take a look at this interview at the movie review site, Pajiba.com.

If you’re interested in reading more about the topic of sex research consider taking a look at The Inner Circle by last month’s genre X author TC Boyle.  It explores the world of Alfred Kinsey through fictionalized biography and pre-WWII research in a very different tone than that of Bonk.

Don’t forget to join us for our next discussion on Tuesday, March 24 at 8pm at Molly Malone’s (The Snug) in Forest Park.

Image designed by meganowdom.com

Join us Saturday, March 14th from 7 to 10 pm to participate in the pop culture trivia event of the year.

Hop on Pop is getting closer! Don’t miss out on your chance to flex your trivia muscles and compete for prizes during our first ever trivia event. And don’t forget - this Genre X after hours event is FREE thanks to the support of the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library.

Invite your friends and pull together the best 2-3 person team you can. Or arrive solo and meet another trivia fanatic to team up with. Either way, be aware that this multimedia competition that’s sure to make you lose your mind with awesome.

No registration is necessary, but if you’d like to size up the competition take a look at the Hop on Pop Facebook event page and tell us you’re coming.

Thanks once again to everyone who came out last night for our discussion. While T.C. Boyle explored the concept of “free love” in Drop City, Mary Roach takes a much more clinical look at the act of sex in next month’s selection, Bonk. Here’s a starred review from Kirkus Reviews:

One of the funniest and most madcap of science writers, the author has approached sticky subjects to hilarious effect in her two previous books. … Her latest is no less captivating or entertaining, as she flings wide the closed doors behind which the scientific study of coitus has traditionally been conducted. Roach details the careers of sex researchers Alfred Kinsey, William Masters and Virginia Johnson, Marie Bonaparte (Napoleon’s great-grand-niece) and porn-star-turned-Ph.D. Annie Sprinkle, among others. Such researchers “to this day, endure ignorance, closed minds, righteousness, and prudery,” she writes. “Their lives are not easy. But their cocktail parties are the best.” Emulating her subjects’ daring spirit, Roach displays a firm belief that there is no question too goofy to ask—or, barring that, to Google. What happens when you implant a monkey testicle in a man: Does he get more vital, or does he get an infection? She explores centuries of research into such questions as how penile implants work (a pump could be involved); whether surgically relocating the clitoris can lead to better sex (no); why the human penis is shaped as it is (to scoop out competitors’ sperm); and what exactly is going on when it enters a vagina (shockingly, there is still much to learn). Apart from its considerable comic value, the book also emulates its predecessors by illustrating a precept of scientific research: The passion to know, in the face of censure and propriety, is what advances our understanding of the world. A lively, hilarious and informative look at science’s dirty secrets.

Once again we hope to see new and old faces at our next discussion on Tuesday, March 24 at 8pm at Molly Malone’s (The Snug) in Forest Park. If you need a copy of Bonk, please stop by the Oak Park Public Library’s Main Library second floor Adult and Teen Services desk with your OPPL library card to grab one.

photo by howieluvzus

Calling all Pop Culture Scholars: Do you know Entertainment Weekly like the back of your hand? Do your friends run to you for Oscar predictions? Can you assemble a team of 2 or 3 to vie for your chance at prizes and glory? Then this is your chance to prove that all of those hours reading gossip blogs finally paid off.

Join us on Saturday, March 14th at 7:00 pm for Hop on Pop: A Pop Culture Trivia Night sponsored by the Oak Park Public Library. Teams from all over Chicagoland can compete for their chance to show off their pop culture scholarship and win gift certificates and other prizes.

If you’d like to play:

Come to the Oak Park Public Library’s Main Library at 7 pm on Saturday, March 14th. The quiz begins promptly at 7:30 pm so be on time or lose valuable points.

Be a part of a 2-3 person team. Come in with your team intact, or come by yourself and join one when you get here.

This is a team event, so don’t worry about being put on the spot individually. You can expect a multimedia quiz with questions on books, movies, music, television, and cultural events from the 80s to 2009.

First place is a gift certificate for $75, second place is $50, and third place is $25. There will also be some covert surprises along the way so prepare your creativity.

We’re serving refreshments. Yum.

Keep watching the genre X blog for more details on this event. See you there, SmartyPants!

photo courtesy of C-Trick

As it turns out, Mr. JT isn’t the only one who knows where its at. From Anais Nin to Zane, books have been bringing sexyback for centuries. And now you too can star in your very own romance novel. Simply fill out a couple facts about yourself (and the target of your affection) and for just under $40 UStar Novels will send you your very own personalized erotic tale!

If you’re not quite ready to write yourself into fictional steamy scenarios, you may want to get a head start on next month’s genre X selection, Bonk: The Curious Couple of Science and Sex by Mary Roach. Its our attempt to bring sexyback, genre X style.

photo by ppld

A recent study from Washington University confirms just what Big Bird has been telling you all these years: reading makes you smarter.   The study explores the relationship between reading and learning new skills.  It turns out that reading about physical action stimulates the brain in the same way that actually ‘doing’ those actions does.

The study suggests that using your imagination stimulates the brain in a way that actually makes you better at some activities - whether that’s performance in a sport or proficiency at some outdoor activity. 

So next time your Grandma tells you to put that book away and go play outside, let her know that you’re preparing to be the next Michael Phelps.  In your mind.

Link: Current.com

If you’re enjoying February’s selection as much as I am, you may want to head out to Unity Temple in Oak Park on Monday, February 16 at 7 pm to listen to T.C. Boyle read and discuss his latest book, The Women. The Women is a fictional biography about Frank Lloyd Wright and the many women in his life. Boyle will be signing books and refreshments will be served following his talk. This event is free and co-sponsored by the Oak Park Public Library.

Once again thanks to everyone who at least attempted to take on the behemoth that is House of Leaves and subsequently came out to talk about it last night. We could’ve never predicted that Danielewski would draw an unprecendented 23 genre Xers - and on a snowy night too! Clearly everyone has something to say about postmodernism (and it isn’t always pretty)!

Since many of you referred to the act of reading House of Leaves as work, February’s selection should come as refreshing change. Drop City by T.C. Boyle serves up an entertaining look into a hippie commune. Here is the Amazon.com review:

With Drop City, T. Coraghessan Boyle offers proof that he has become one of America’s most prolific, gifted storytellers. Set in the 1970s, Boyle entertains readers with the denizens of “Drop City,” a counterculture California commune that welcomes anyone wanting to live off the grid, use drugs, and practice free love. Boyle sublimely captures the sociology of its rebellious members, who doubt the sincerity or beliefs of newcomers, express some insecurity about nonconformity, and chastise outsiders while remaining oblivious to their own hypocrisy. Marco, Pan, Star, and other “cats” and “chicks” live hassle-free until dissention and cries of racism mount amid increasing run-ins with the local government (a young girl is raped, installation of a sewage system is mandated, a mother lets her toddlers drink LSD-laced juice). Seeking refuge, the citizens move north, to Alaska, to reinvent their utopia, but soon learn the natural environment is more unforgiving of a lackadaisical lifestyle.

Drop City is funny, evocative, and well-paced, shifting between the hippies and the Alaskan locals–primarily Sess and his new bride Pamela (a city dweller who arranged stays with several trappers over a few weeks to determine whom she would marry)–until the two cultures collide. Balanced between plot and character, Boyle excels at describing the physical world and his characters’ interaction with it, whether portraying the harshness (or sheer beauty) of the Alaskan wilderness, the simple survival routines of its grizzled inhabitants, or the sounds wafting through Drop City: “the goats bleating to be milked or fed, the single sharp ringing note of a dog surprised by its own hunger, the regular slap of the screen door at the back of the house–and underneath it all, like the soundtrack to a movie, the dull hum of rock and roll leaking out the kitchen windows.” Truly American in spirit, Drop City is a strong novel of freedom and those in pursuit of lives of liberty. –Michael Ferch

I hope we see just as many of you at our next discussion on Tuesday, February 24 at 8pm at Molly Malone’s (The Snug) in Forest Park! Remember, if you haven’t picked up your copy yet, stop by the Oak Park Public Library’s Main Library second floor Adult and Teen Services desk with your OPPL library card to grab one.