Gertrude Stein, the esteemed poet, Modernist matron, and, according to little-known fact, pot brownie chef, gets the full Triple Canopy treatment this weekend. The online magazine is hosting a marathon reading of Gertrude Stein in its Greenpoint offices for a second year in a row. It must have been fun the first time around.
Anytime between the hours of 7 PM on Friday through 11 PM on Sunday, you can drop in and listen to writers like Sasha Frere-Jones and Andrew Russeth, and artists such as Lisi Raskin and B. Wurtz. You can even hear artist’s offspring Rainer Judd read from Gertrude Stein’s tome, The Making of Americans: Being a History of a Family’s Progress. Triple Canopy has affectionately referred to the book as an “enormously long and allegedly unreadable novel”. Looking at the schedule, there’s still a few open reading spots left.
Gertrude Stein, very likely a genius, wrote in her autobiography that “It takes a lot of time to be a genius. You have to sit around so much, doing nothing, really doing nothing”. This event appears to be modelled after this sentiment.
That’s great and all, but let’s be honest: does sitting around for hours, doing practically nothing, sound like hell? Well, yes. But like us, you’re probably not a genius (even though I do read Heidegger for fun), so this event won’t be for you.
Even if you’re not going, anybody who wants to tweet about nothing can do so. @Triple_Canopy has already started it with #makingofamericans.
. @stumptowncoffee just dropped off 10 pounds of coffee for weekend’s #MakingofAmericans marathon & we’re v. excited and grateful. Thanks!
— Triple_Canopy (@Triple_Canopy) January 14, 2013
They’ll need it.