Category — In the Spotlight

To the rest of the world, Richard Price is a prestigious novelist and screenwriter. To me, he’s just a humble person who will always be connected to the Lower East Side, a well-known melting pot of Jewish culture, Fujinese immigrants, yuppies and hipsters. As Price entered the Lush Life reading, he was dressed in a simple way, and didn’t make a grand entrance like I assumed he would. Instead, he was simply reading to himself, and made it extremely difficult to make him out. When he talked, it put me at ease due to his manner of speech, even though he is an extremely educated individual.

I knew I had witnesses an amazing performance after Richard Price was finished with Lush Life. As a natural storyteller, Price gave us an honest account by speaking in a colloquial way that helped the audience to capture the essence of the story. During the Question and Answer session, the most alerting fact was that Richard Price didn’t care to take notes, but instead decided to immerse himself within the story itself.

Was that Richard Price who just walked through the door? The middle-aged, moppy-haired, yellow-socked guy? I anticipated a grander entrance for such a well-acclaimed author and screenwriter, but Price’s casual attire begged otherwise. Unfortunate for me, I did not recognize him when he first showed up on Tuesday evening. His frumpy shirt, yellow socks, and no-brand briefcase, were so unassuming; I couldn’t imagine it was he. It took me three seconds to realize it was the author himself who had just slipped through my fingers. By then it was too late. I missed my chance to be the first to welcome him.

Price’s heavy “New Yawk” jargon accessorizes his informal getup. An ex-pat of Lower East Side who never truly left, Price recreated the neighborhood for us with sentimental talk of his own “Bubbe” and witty anecdotes of the resident loony tunes. I spotted a twinkle in his eye as he outlined the transformations of the LES, as a haven for Fujianese immigrants, a hub of Jewish life, and now a magnet for today’s hip yuppies. Price puts the LES on display, using a timeline of events to outline the renovation he has witnessed and the ever-changing dynamics of the neighborhood.

Price wowed the crowd with his synthesis of pride and humility, all the while camouflaging himself into his predominantly New York audience. (Also, I’m just a wee bit jealous of his natural theatrical flair.)

nymag.com/…/2008/03/richard_price.html

Listening to Richard Price speak, I could hear a down-to-earth presence about him. The way he spoke made me feel comfortable listening to him. You can see that he is extremely intelligent, but he doesn’t flaunt it in the way he speaks or gets his message across. He doesn’t get too wordy which is something I liked about him. He wasn’t afraid to use foul language in a room full of people. He spoke in the language he knew how and didn’t try to hide it. He speaks using his own voice and doesn’t try to sound different than who he is, which was admirable. To be honest, I expected to hear some big time writer talk about his books in a way I couldn’t comprehend. I thought it would be a bore the whole way through. Instead, he was genuine with his answers and added his own touch of humor which made him fun to listen to. After every question, I was waiting to hear the witty answer he had and a comment to follow it. He sure does know how to keep an audience’s attention.

Aside from the interview itself, you can see how much work he put into his books with all the research and interviews he had to do. Using his own experiences and the collective information of those around him, he creates these real life stories, such as Lush Life. But its his creativity that makes them as famous as they are. You need to have a sense of history, humor, and writing in order to create those types of books. Having those three qualities isn’t an easy thing to have, but Richard Price has it and it shows in the way he speaks and writes.

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don’t forget your (steel covered) umbrella!

While sitting in the room waiting for the reading to commence, I noticed a man sitting down in the front row with his back facing me, seeming to be oblivious to whatever was around him; he was reading a book and seemed unaware of everyone standing and talking around him. Little did I know that that man was actually Richard Price himself.

Contrary to my belief that he was a reticent man, his readings from Lush Life and of his encounter with a “woman prophetist” were so engaging that I found myself inching further to the edge of the seat, drawn to his storytelling. Every single sentence he spoke aloud were abundant in description and details. The slang terms used by the policemen and the descriptions of the city streets made the story more engaging for listeners.

His question and answer session was even more interesting to me; I would think that a writer who includes so many minute details and captivating imagery would have to take notes, but he informed the audience that he rarely took notes, and he called himself “just being a sponge” and learning through osmosis about life in the Lower East Side and the separated communities there. He spoke of the fact that he learned on his own, pursuing his writing career with only encouragement and validation from his teachers when he was in school. His down-to-earth conversation with the audience brought me to realize that this author was not ostentatious, but extremely humble, and in one word, talented.

Hazel enjoys chewing on Brownie’s ear instead of eating dog food…

Pull up your pants buddy!

Doing my part cleaning up the neighborhood, one tree at a time

Protecting the streets of Brooklyn

at the “World’s Largest McDonald’s” in Orlando, Florida