I want to lamp, I want to be in the shade

Hi kids. Today, I'm, over at [redacted], which recently rose like Amare from the ashes of The Daily Dump. We'll see if I have any blogging juice left in me. Please do my self esteem a favor and leave some nice comments.

read: What Would Jodeci Do?

Past guest blogging gigs:

Gawker: intro/outro

high class jackass

a blog soup

This Is What We Do Now

extrawack!

We been together like Nike Airs and crisp tees

Look, I appreciate all the kind words, Jordan/Jay-Z comparisons and offers for S&M play, but this shit isn't coming back.

You can, however, find me all week over at Gawker trying to squeeze into Jessica Coen's size zero jeans. I'm not going to pretend I have any idea what I'm doing, so I'd be super appreciative if you could submit tips over to tips at gawker dot com.

Thanks, see you at the crossroads.

Let's cut the bullshit

I'm done with this blog. I know, this is not the first time I've taken off but I always knew I was coming back to it. But this time it's permanent. I think it is, anyway. I've been known to be quite fickle, but for the time being, I don't see myself blogging again, at least not on this site. Probably.

(Oh, but I am available for guest blogging. Honestly, I think I've done better writing on other people's sites than my own, and it's way more enjoyable than trying to maintain your own site week in and week out.)


You'll have to go elsewhere for musings on relationships, douchebaggery, chili recipes, Carolina basketball, the Continually Disappointing Roots Crew, Liverpool F.C., Jenny Lewis and her scandalously short skirts, heterohomoerotica, various smells of the New York subway system and drunken Downtown debaucheries.

I wish I could just say "I quit" and be out instead of giving an overwrought farewell post, but that just wouldn't be me. I have to give a fucking explanation to everything I do, so here goes. The reasons are the same as last time, pretty much. Except instead of needing a break, I simply don't give a shit, which is why I don't think this is just a break. Before you say anything, I'll say this - it's not you, it's me.

When I do something, I usually have two sides of my personality motivating me. One is pure arrogance; I know whatever I decide to do, I can do better than anyone else and it's just a matter of trying, and I owe it to the world to show how awesome I am. The other is fear, fear that I will be exposed for the total fraud that I am. The arrogance and the fear have carried me thus far in everything I've done with mixed, but generally good results.


As the quality and the frequency of my posts have dropped, I noticed that I didn't care any more. The arrogance and the fear were gone. I no longer felt the need to keep pace with Larry, play Rashomon with Pants or point-counterpoint Ali. And I don't like to do things half assed, so it's time to pull the plug.

Thank you to everyone who's read this site, everyone who's commented or emailed me (and apologies to people whose emails I haven't responded to - I have no excuse but my own douchiness) and anyone who told me I was a good writer. You guys are too awesome. And I would be remiss not to recognize all the bloggers I've been fortunate enough to meet - generally speaking, they're some of the most wonderful people you'll ever meet. I hope I'm still allowed to drink with them.


There's plenty of reading material out there without me - just follow the links on the sidebar. Props especially to Passion of the Weiss, forksplit and the good folks at FreeDarko, who are all much better writers than I could ever hope to be. And for the love of Suri, someone hire Ian Cohen and give him a forum that's not powered by Blogger or Word Press or AOL.

Originally uploaded by modelux.com

Now, just because this site's dead, doesn't mean I am. I guess I'll have more time to spruce up my Myspace profile, and you can still catch my photos on Flickr and the music I'm listening to last.fm. And I really need more movie recommendations - shoot me an email if you wouldn't mind being my Netflix friend.

Finally, please accept the following mixtape as a parting gift from you to me. Some songs you'll like, some you'll hate, the rest, you'll just say "meh" (I have a feeling I'm going to catch some shit for the Timberlake, but shit's not horrible. There are some dull moments on the album, but the best songs here would make half decent b-sides to tracks on Sign o' the Times. And don't act like you "Rock Your Body" didn't rock the party that rocked the body that rocked to "Rock Your Body" that rocked the party).

1. Justin Timberlake - Summer Love
   
2. Magneta Lane - The Constant Lover
   
3. Spoon - Nefarious
   
4. Lupe Fiasco Pressure (ft Jay-Z)
   
5. Pulp - Common People
   
6. The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health (Ratatat remix)
   
7. Jaymay - Gray or Blue
   
8. Silversun Pickups - Little Lover's So Polite
   
9. Rilo Kiley - Pictures of Success
   
10. Edith Piaf - Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

It's been fun, and again, I can't thank you all enough. As the song goes, I don't regret shit.

I'm bad for you

This makes me sad. My mom was right, I really did grow up to be a ladykiller.

Tale of Two Shitties

I may have mentioned in an earlier post that my two favorite football teams were the Carolina Panthers and Liverpool. Also in the same post, I mentioned that my weekend didn't get off to a good start. But I'm an eternal optimist; all is well that ends well and shit ain't over until the fat lady sings. And what better to salve the wounds with the ointment of sports, the ultimate escape?

So what happens? It's 7:30 Saturday morning, I head over to Bleecker Street and meet up with our friend Slack for Liverpool vs Everton and breakfast. Well, did I mention something about Liverpool losing winnable games? Yup, 0-3. Liverpool controlled the match but sloppy defending and an awful, awful goalkeeping error by Pepe Reina doomed the slumping Reds. It wasn't even 10 am and my Saturday was alreay ruined.

Oh, but it's football season! I mean, the NFL kind! Surely my Panthers will offer some salvation in my time of need. Oops. Well, there's at least fantasy football right? So you'd think, but not so much when your #1 pick is the Madden Curse-afflicted Shaun Alexander and the #2 pick is the gimpy Steve Smith. I still would have won the week despite it all if Antonio Gates hadn't caught that touchdown pass last night.

So yeah, this month is off to a flying fucking start. I make for pretty shitty company right now. Please wake me up when September ends.

Also,

Thank god, that overwrought Manning Bowl shit is over. Now, we won't have to hear about it for another 4 years since neither brother is making the Super Bowl any time soon. But it makes me wonder - why isn't Ricky Manning Jr getting any of this attention.

Now the no-longer-fashionable-pick-for-the-championship heads to PSV Eindshoven for what should be a routine Champions League match. PSV made the semifinal a couple years ago, but the stars of the campaign - Mark Van Bommel, Ji-sung Park, DaMarcus Beasley and the so awesomely named Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink - are long gone, and the team isn't expected to contend for the European title. Which, of course, means that Liverpool will be lucky to come away with a draw.

Here's Mos Def performing "Katrina Clap" outside the VMAs. It's a pretty unremarkable standard annoying Mos Def sing-songy-rap, except he gets arrested at the end.

I can't believe it's already been five years, I can't believe it's only been five years.

The reason I had trouble writing this post though, was that I no longer know how to feel about the day. I'd only been in New York for thee months when it happened, so I was lucky enough not to lose anyone in the towers. And as a relative newbie in the city, New York really wasn't a huge part of my identity yet. It was just a place I'd ended up, and didn't mind sticking around for a few years.

This isn't to say I'm apathetic. I'll never forget the screams coming from the office where my co-workers watched as the towers fall, not knowing whether their loved ones had made it out in time, the walk from Midtown to Astoria as an Air Force jet scrambled overhead, just wanting desperately to shut myself in my room, talking to my parents in Japan who stayed up until I finally got through to them on the phone at 4 in the morning their time. September 11, 2001 is one day I'll never forget.

And since the first anniversary of 9/11 and every year since, I've shut the TV off for the entire day. Each year, I try to watch the Ground Zero ceremonies, but I just couldn't because the memories were too painful. But this year, it's because I got pissed off. Everything I feel about 9/11, it's not really about 9/11 any more. It's become anger at the political and commercial exploitation of the tragedy and how willing people are to rationalize bad policy, and the asinine debate over whether 9/11 movies are "too soon". 9/11 has become just another buzzword. It means everything to everyone, and consequently, nothing at all.

So on this day, I just try to remember what I went through that day, without commentary or agenda. At least I have my memories - however painful - and that can't be co-opted.

-----

If you haven't already, it would seriously behoove you to check out the graphic adaptation of The 9/11 Report over at Slate and the What If 9/11 Never Happened feature that New York magazine did a while back.

the back four

Just to let y'all know I'm still here:

1. Dear Dan de la Dump,
   
   You suck. Really. What the hell am I going to read everyday to put off whatever I'm supposed to be doing. At the risk of getting all bloggy-hyperbolic-backslappy, you have more talent as a writer in your, um, daily dump than most of us do in our entire bodies. If I had to go gay and I had to do it with a male blogger, I'd probably do it with you, Dan.
   
   I understand, blogging is often incompatible with real life and ultimately inconsequential. And as much as we appreciate the audience and the response, we have to put our offline needs ahead of our online kicks.
   
   That said, you still suck. It's not that I don't understand. In the 2+ years of existence, this blog has gone through two hiatuses plus the current slowdown, but not once did I get close to 200 comments on a farewell posts. You suck, Dan.
   
   Sincerely yours.


2. At the French Kicks show at Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday night:
   
   What's that Angelina? What do we have here?
   
   
   His hair? Oh, it's a mullet.
   
   
   What's that? It's a mullet/tail combo?
   
   
   Behold!
   
   
   Seriously, if the owner of the above mullet is reading, or if you know the owner, please drop in and say hello. The thing is absolute perfection. Look at the shape! The cascade! For reals.


3. There will be more football posts coming up, of both the Association and gridiron varieties. My beloved Panthers start their road to world domination Sunday and they seem to be the fashionable pick to take the big prize, not unlike my beloved Liverpool across the ocean.
   
   Which makes me worry, of course, my pessimism and neurosis being what they are, and both the Kitties and the Reds have similar tendencies to drop very winnable games. I am doubly worried as Steve Smith, along with his wondrous but gimpy hamstrings are on my fantasy team. I think he will play Sunday, but do I bench him and replace him with, say, Matt Jaaaaaaaawnes of Jacksonville? I'm a walking case of buyer's remorse.


4. Real life took a turn today, and as often is the case in life, it's not a particularly good turn. Or rather, life missed the turn it was supposed to take and I remain on the same road I was on before. Not the best way to end the week.

Inspired by a true story

Hey kids, I'm out again. Today, I'm getting my sexy on at a high class jackass. The dinner's in the fridge - take off the saran wrap and microwave on high for one minute.

Have a happy Labor Day weekend, everyone.

I'm not here, the key's under the mat

Guest blogging today at A Blog Soup.

And a related request to my dear readers - if anyone can find a decent quality mp3 of "Hip Hop Junkies (Spanish Fly Remix)" by Nice & Smooth, I'd greatly appreciate it and possibly marry you.

2006 New Yorker Festival: Color me disappointed or color me badd

If you're like me, nothing gets you excited for fall in New York City like the New Yorker Festival. Every year, New Yorker gets out its manilla envelopes full of writers, directors and musicians in compromising positions and get them to appear for one fabulous weekend of cultural elitism and free alcohol courtesy of sponsors.

But I'm looking at the lineup and I can't say I'm impressed. I remember a couple of years ago, having to choose between Salman Rushdie and Dave Eggers. Last year, I immediately went out and got tickets for Jeffrey Eugenides, killed myself for skipping out on Rza/Ric Ocasek/Ani DiFranco, and chose The Roots and Malcolm Gladwell over Rick Gervais.

This year? Meh. Maybe I should care about Jonathan Safran Foer or Zadie Smith? The names that are jumping out at me are Pedro Almodóvar on Saturday afternoon, and Jhumpa Lahiri and Ed Norton on Saturday morning. There's no writer that's really wowing me.

There's Jon Stewart, a cruise around Manhattan and a eating tour of Downtown but they're all a little too rich for my broke ass.

Although, there is the screening of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan which may very well be worth the price of admission.

Anyhoo, the complete 2006 New Yorker Festival lineup is after the jump. Maybe I'm missing something - please feel free to point me to an event that deserves my money.

Now, crap in bullet points:

The Quiet: Wow. Wow wow wow wow. Wowie wow wow. Thighs has this movie covered, but shit, it will blow your mind. All I can say is that I'm buying, not renting, the fucking DVD when it comes out and I will pull it out at the most opportune moment. Holy fucking shit.

Incredibly looking forward to Science of Sleep (trailer). But let's be honest here, I'll watch anything directed by Michel Gondry. Shit, I'll watch an instructional video if Gondry's behind the camera. For reals. The only thing that could possibly hold me back is the indietasticness of the trailer - I know the ladies love the Death Cab, but shit, Ben Gibbard makes me want to give myself a hug.

Also excited about Stranger Than Fiction (trailer). As much as I love Will Ferrell in frat pack comedies, I think he can be even better in quirky comedies. Plus it's always great to see Maggie Gyllenhaal not do a 9/11 flick.

And you know what? Marie Antoinette (trailer) is going to be awesome. Trust the Coppolla. If nothing else, seeing Jason Schwartzman in tights, Steve Coogan doing his thing and the New Wave soundtrack will be worth the $10.25.

Volver (trailer)? Well, it is Almodovar. Though I'm still kinda recovering from Bad Education.

New Portishead? Pretty please. Yeah, I realize the songs aren't complete and they've been around, but still, is there anyone who attended college in the late 90s and didn't have really intense, brooding sex to Portishead?

Our uptown Orchard St neighbors reminisce over The Avalanches. 3 years from now, if The Avalanches' Since I Left You doesn't show up in top album lists compiled by bloggers or the 2009 equivalent thereof, that means:
a) The bloggers (or the 2009 equivalent thereof) are compete idiots
b) Music will be incredible for the rest of the decade, because nothing in the past 5 years has topped Since I Left You
or
c) Sufjan completes his 50 States project really fast.

Finally, a medley of videos from the Roots:

It's not Illadelph Halflife, but hey, this isn't half bad.

(New Yorker Festival event listings)

2006 New Yorker Festival lineup:

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 6
An evening of paired readings by writers whose stories have appeared in The New Yorker; a New Yorker Town Hall Meeting on Islam and the West; and a New Yorker dance party.

FICTION NIGHT
Monica Ali and Aleksandar Hemon
7 P.M. Ailey Citigroup Theatre ($16)

Donald Antrim and Tobias Wolff
7 P.M. Cedar Lake Dance Studios ($16)

Yiyun Li and Edwidge Danticat
7 P.M. Bowery Poetry Club ($16)

Lorrie Moore and Julian Barnes
7 P.M. Newspace ($16)

Antonya Nelson and Thomas McGuane
7 P.M. Anthology Film Archives ($16)

Uwem Akpan and Louise Erdrich
9:30 P.M. Bowery Poetry Club ($16)

Charles D’Ambrosio and Sherman Alexie
9:30 P.M. Anthology Film Archives ($16)

Andrea Lee and T. Coraghessan Boyle
9:30 P.M. Cedar Lake Dance Studios ($16)

Jonathan Safran Foer and Edward P. Jones
9:30 P.M. Newspace ($16)

Gary Shteyngart and George Saunders
9:30 P.M. Ailey Citigroup Theatre ($16)

THE NEW YORKER DANCE PARTY
Join the internationally renowned d.j. Michael Mayer and The New Yorker’s Sasha Frere-Jones for a night of minimal techno and house music.
10 P.M. to 2 A.M. T New York ($20)
(Please note: You must be 21 to be admitted to this event.)

THE NEW YORKER TOWN HALL MEETING ON ISLAM AND THE WEST
Moderated by New Yorker staff writer George Packer. Panelists, to be announced, will include political figures, scholars, writers, and Muslim leaders.
7 P.M. Town Hall ($10)

SATURDAY
OCTOBER 7

A day of interviews, panel discussions, and New Yorker Talks, a new series; a poetry reading with John Ashbery; an About Town lunch prepared by Mario Batali.

WRITERS AND THEIR SUBJECTS

Manolo Blahnik and Michael Specter
1 P.M. Supper Club ($25)

The Honorable Stephen Breyer and Jeffrey Toobin
4 P.M. Celeste Bartos Forum
The New York Public Library ($25)


A poetry reading by John Ashbery
4 P.M. Florence Gould Hall
French Institute Alliance Française ($25)

IN CONVERSATION WITH

Roz Chast interviewed by Steve Martin
10 A.M. Supper Club ($25)

Calvin Trillin interviewed by Mark Singer
10 A.M. Celeste Bartos Forum
The New York Public Library ($25)

Garry Kasparov interviewed by David Remnick
1 P.M. 37 Arts ($25)

Tom Stoppard interviewed by John Lahr
1 P.M. Directors Guild of America ($25)

Pedro Almodóvar interviewed by David Denby
4 P.M. Directors Guild of America ($25)

NEW YORKER TALKS

Oliver Sacks
Revisiting “Awakenings”
10 A.M. Florence Gould Hall
French Institute Alliance Française ($25)

Anthony Lane
This Is Not Acting: Ava Gardner and the Mysteries of Stardom
1 P.M. 37 Arts ($25)

PANELS

Global Warming
With James Hansen, Martin Hoffert, Robert Socolow, and Timothy E. Wirth. Elizabeth Kolbert, moderator.
10 A.M. 37 Arts ($25)

Midterm Elections
With Barney Frank and Dana Rohrabacher. Hendrik Hertzberg, moderator.
10 A.M. 37 Arts ($25)

Fiction Into Film
With Michael Cunningham, Jhumpa Lahiri, Mira Nair, Edward Norton, Sarah Polley, and Liev Schreiber. Deborah Treisman, moderator.
10 A.M. Directors Guild of America ($25)

Winning the War on Terror
With Bradford Berenson, Deborah Pearlstein, Michael Scheuer, and Ali Soufan. Jane Mayer, moderator.
1 P.M. Celeste Bartos Forum
The New York Public Library ($25)

TV, Movies, and the Mob
With Lorraine Bracco, Paul Haggis, Harold Ramis, Gerald Shargel, and Frank Vincent. Jeffrey Goldberg, moderator.
1 P.M. Florence Gould Hall
French Institute Alliance Française ($25)

Fake News
With Andy Borowitz, Scott Dikkers, and Ben Karlin. Nick Paumgarten, moderator.
4 P.M. 37 Arts ($25)

Medical Breakthroughs: The Next Frontier
With J. Michael Bishop, Daniel Callahan, Eric Kandel, and Eric Topol. Atul Gawande, moderator.
4 P.M. 37 Arts ($25)

ABOUT TOWN

What You Can Do with Boiling Water
Mario Batali talks with Bill Buford
Mario Batali will discuss making, cooking, and serving pasta with Bill Buford as the two of them make lunch. Their dishes will be served with a selection of Italian wines.
1 P.M. Italian Wine Merchants ($125)

SATURDAY NIGHT
OCTOBER 7
Early and Late Shift events, many of them featuring live musical performance, throughout the city. There will also be an evening New Yorker Talk, with Lawrence Wright, and a sneak preview of the feature film “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”

EARLY SHIFT

Steve Coogan talks with George Saunders
7:30 P.M. Cedar Lake Dance Studios ($35)

Milos Forman talks with David Denby
7:30 P.M. Directors Guild of America ($35)

PJ Harvey talks with Hilton Als:
A Conversation with Music
7:30 P.M. Supper Club ($35)
(Please note: You must be 21 to be admitted to this event.)

Liev Schreiber talks with John Lahr
7:30 P.M. Newspace ($35)

NEW YORKER TALKS

Lawrence Wright
“My Trip to Al-Qaeda”
8:30 P.M. 37 Arts ($25)

LATE SHIFT

Composers on the Edge
Mason Bates, Corey Dargel, Nico Muhly, and Joanna Newsom talk with Alex Ross:
A Conversation with Music
10 P.M. BargeMusic ($35)

The New Pornographers talk with James Surowiecki:
A Conversation with Music
10 P.M. Newspace ($35)

Randy Newman talks with Susan Morrison:
A Conversation with Music
10 P.M. Supper Club ($35)
(Please note: You must be 21 to be admitted to this event.)

Gustavo Santaolalla talks with Jon Lee Anderson:
A Conversation with Music
10 P.M. Cedar Lake Dance Studios ($35)

Saturday Night Sneak Preview
“Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
10 P.M. Directors Guild of America ($15)

SUNDAY
OCTOBER 8
A free screening of “Barry Lyndon,” with an accompanying talk by Simon Schama; a day of About Town excursions and events throughout the city; a benefit interview with Jon Stewart; talks by New Yorker writers; and a series of Master Classes.

ABOUT TOWN

Cruising Manhattan: An architectural boat tour with Paul Goldberger
Paul Goldberger discusses the architecture of Manhattan on a chartered ferry ride around the island. Brunch will be served.
10:30 A.M. Lexington Classic Cruiser
New York Skyports Marina ($75)

Sunday Matinée with Simon Schama
A screening of the 1975 film “Barry Lyndon,” directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Ryan O’Neal in an adaptation of the William Makepeace Thackeray novel about the rise and fall of an Irish rake among the eighteenth-century British aristocracy. A discussion with Simon Schama will follow.
11 A.M. Directors Guild of America (Free event; first come, first seated.)

To the Ends of the Earth: An explorers’ brunch
Bruce Beehler, Constanza Ceruti, Reinhold Messner, and Bruce Robison will talk with David Grann about modern-day exploration. Brunch will be served.
1 P.M. Explorers Club ($75)

My Life in Three Courses
Nora Ephron talks with Ken Auletta
Nora Ephron cooks three dishes, each representing a distinct phase in her life, while Ken Auletta helps out in the kitchen. Snacks and drinks will be provided.
1 P.M. Culinary Loft ($75)

Inside the House of Zac
Zac Posen talks with Judith Thurman
In his atelier, Zac Posen will discuss the creation of his new collection—from concept to manufacture, from the runway to the boulevard.
1 P.M. The meeting place will be indicated on the tickets. ($75)

Come Hungry
Calvin Trillin
leads his sixth annual gastronomic walking tour of downtown, sharing his favorite eateries and culminating in a dim-sum banquet in Chinatown.
1 P.M. The starting point will be indicated on the tickets. ($100)

IN CONVERSATION WITH


Jon Stewart talks with David Remnick
4 P.M. Directors Guild of America ($50)
All ticket proceeds will go to the Committee to Protect Journalists and the U.S.O.

NEW YORKER TALKS

Mohammed Nasseehu Ali
Blinding the Seer: Our Love/Hate Relationship with Prophets
10 A.M. 37 Arts ($25)

Malcolm Gladwell
The Case Against Secrets
1 P.M. 37 Arts ($25)

Zadie Smith
Fail Better
4 P.M. 37 Arts ($25)

MASTER CLASSES
Seminars for people with advanced interest in the topic.

Master Class in Editing
With Roger Angell, Dorothy Wickenden, and Daniel Zalewski.
10 A.M. Condé Nast Auditorium ($25)

Master Class in Criticism
With Hilton Als and Anthony Lane.
1 P.M. Condé Nast Auditorium ($25)

Master Class in Cartooning
With Matthew Diffee and Edward Koren.
4 P.M. Condé Nast Auditorium ($25)


BOOK SIGNINGS
Following is a schedule of Saturday and Sunday free book signings at Festival Headquarters. Schedule subject to change.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7

11 A.M.
T. Coraghessan Boyle — “Talk Talk”
Edward P. Jones — “All Aunt Hagar’s Children: Stories”

12 NOON
Andy Borowitz — “The Republican Playbook”
Matthew Diffee (editor) — “The Rejection Collection:
Cartoons You Never Saw, and Never Will See, in The New Yorker”
Featuring: Marisa Acocella Marchetto, Danny Shanahan, David Sipress, Barbara Smaller, Gahan Wilson, and Jack Ziegler

1 P.M.
Elizabeth Kolbert — “Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change”

2 P.M.
Thomas McGuane — “Gallatin Canyon: Stories”
Antonya Nelson — “Some Fun: Stories and a Novella”

3 P.M.
Julian Barnes — “Arthur & George”
Andrea Lee — “Lost Hearts in Italy: A Novel”

4 P.M.
Jeffrey Goldberg — “Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide”

David Remnick — “Reporting: Writings from The New Yorker”

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8

11 A.M.
Calvin Trillin — “A Heckuva Job: More of the Bush Administration in Rhyme”

12 NOON
Monica Ali — “Alentejo Blue: Fiction”
Gary Shteyngart — “Absurdistan: A Novel”

1 P.M.
Roz Chast — “Theories of Everything: Selected, Collected, and Health-Inspected Cartoons by Roz Chast, 1978-2006”

2 P.M.
Lawrence Wright — “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11”

3 P.M.
Donald Antrim — “The Afterlife: A Memoir”
George Saunders — “In Persuasion Nation: Stories”

4 P.M.
Bill Buford — “Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany”
Nora Ephron — “I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman”