Awkward Press

New Yorkers! Sorry for the late notice (I’ve been working on this stupid 15 Best Albums thing all day and my time has gotten away from me what with the baby caretaking and all), but YOU MUST GO SEE CLAY MCLEOD CHAPMAN REPRESENT AWKWARD PRESS at Literary Death Match tonight. It’s not even an option.

Get yr. details right here: http://www.literarydeathmatch.com/upcoming-events/december-16-2010.html.

Update: CLAY WON!!! CLAY WON!!! Which means, by extension, that Awkward Press it the BEST LIterary Death Match team in all existence. Even though Clay is our only official team member. Well done, Clay! You are a monster!

Here’s the NY Times story:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/nocturnalist-dueling-in-meter-and-metaphor/

Here’s a wrapup from the LDM:
http://www.literarydeathmatch.com/upcoming-events/nyc-ep-34.html

And here are some pics:
http://www.literarydeathmatch.com/partying-shots/nyc-ep-34/

Don’t let anyone ever tell you we do things in a timely fashion around Awkward. The LA Awkward Two release party took place on September 28, 2010 and here I am, one month later, finally posting the pictures. Good thing a picture is forever, am I right, ladies? I’m right.

Over the course of 2 1/2 hours, we managed to get through 7 fantastic readings by Joshua Citrak, Greg Pierce, Joanna Whitmarsh, Robert Cole, Michael Cipra, Nadja Stokes, and Jeffrey Dinsmore. We showed 3 of the films from the book on a giant, 40 foot screen: “Inappropriate Gifts” (directed by Tracy Dishman, based on the story by Lynette D’Amico), “Egg Salad 1967″ (directed by Brian Bartelt, based on the story by Nadja Stokes) and “The Vanishing Point” (directed by Eric Kissack, based on the story by Jeffrey Dinsmore), as well as the high-larious Awkward Two trailer directed by Gabe Michael. There were lots of laughs to be had and many drinks were consumed. We’ve had many fine hours over the last few years, but this was another one.

A thousand thanks to Katie Shapiro and Sarah Cole for taking the pictures, which can be enjoyed after the jump. (more…)

Tonight, Awkward founders Clay McLeod Chapman and Kyle Jarrow are throwing the most A-1 awesome shindig that has ever been thrown to celebrate the release of a book. If you live in New York, there is no excuse for not going. And buy a book! Buy a damned book already. Plug plug plug. Plug plug plug. Oh, I grow veery of this vorld …

Details:
THE OFFICIAL EAST COAST BOOK RELEASE SHINDIG FOR AWKWARD TWO
Their Second Short Story Anthology

Thursday September 30th at 7pm. FREE!
Happy Ending Lounge, Lower East Side, NYC

Hosted by the beautiful and charismatic Desiree Burch.

Awkward Two features thirty-three original short works by twenty-five great writers from the world over, in a package that is at once sophisticated and refreshingly humble. Thirty-three new stories of 1500 words or less.

The release party will include:
-Readings of several stories from the book
-Screenings of several short film adaptations of stories from the book*
-A chance to mill around, sip drinks and network with a bunch of charming and attractive people who like books

And it’s all FREE!

Let me just be straight about one thing: I do not regret moving away from New York. Los Angeles is the best. I mean, it’s not the best. There are other places all over the place that are better. But it’s almost always warm, the people are nice, and you’re never ever jammed up against a bunch of sweaty-smelling jerks on the subway trying to pretend like you don’t notice each other. For those reasons and others, I have a nicer way of life out here than I did when I lived in New York.

But so then why does New York have to be such a dick and keep doing cool things without me? The Debate Society, my favorite group of play-making people ever, have a new show coming out. And it sounds amazing. Just look:

You’re Welcome. from The Debate Society on Vimeo.

Before the Debate Society was the Debate Society, one of the founders, Oliver, directed and produced my Christmas spectacular, Christmas with the Flamingos. It was a miserable financial failure because I thought I could bring in way more people to see it than I actually did. My first draft of the play was unspeakably bad. I was supposed to have a co-writer but I didn’t want to relinquish control so I tossed out everything he wrote and he probably still hates my guts. I became obsessed with explaining tiny inconsistencies that no one in the audience would ever notice and one night I got stoned and came up with an incredibly complex explanation of something meaningless that I was baked-excited about and I called Oliver up to tell him about it and he patiently listened to my ramblings and explained, “I don’t think any of this matters to anyone.” (more…)

A party is happening in New York this Saturday. The party is a celebration of One Year Lease’s 10th Anniversary. You know them, of course, because they produced your favorite play of this year and forever, Teaser Cow. That play was written by Awkward co-founder Clay McLeod Chapman. This party is going to be super sweet, because Super Mirage will also be playing. They are your favorite band that you ever heard because they feature the vocal and keyboard-playing chops of another Awkward co-founder, Kyle Jarrow. I think it is clear that this is going to be the best party that ever was and if you aren’t there you’re going to spend the rest of your life feeling like a failure.

Here are the details:

Party with One Year Lease as we celebrate our 10th Birthday!
Saturday, February 6th
8pm–Midnight
Teatro Circulo (64 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery)

Special performance by Super Mirage and DJ Vainglory.
Hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Unlimited beer and wine.

Help us dance the night away and raise some money to keep bringing new
plays to the stage. This is one party you don’t want to miss!

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
To purchase, go to https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/7633585
All proceeds go to One Year Lease and tickets are tax deductible.

I’ll tell you what Awkward Press is doing … co-hosting a KICK-ASS READING at HAPPY ENDING, that’s what!

Okay, the reading won’t technically take place on Thanksgiving … it’s happening December 1st. And it has nothing to do with Thanksgiving. But it is a celebration for which you will be most thankful. And there will be pie!*

*There won’t actually be pie. I’m just making that up. The pie is that there is no pie. But there will be 4 incredible readers reading incredible things that you won’t hear anywhere else.

Details:

OLD NOTEBOOKS READING
Tuesday, December 1st — 8 PM
(doors open at 7 PM)
at Happy Ending
302 Broome Street
New York

http://www.happyendinglounge.com/

FREE

Julius Singer Press and Awkward Press team up to present “Old Notebooks,” an evening of readings by authors Sara Jaffe (The Art of Touring), Chris Leo (Feathers Like Leather), Zack Lipez (No Seats On The Party Car) and Jason Diamond (vol1brooklyn.com). In addition to reading from their published works, our writers will have a chance to dust off something buried within their old notebooks, something they’ve never read from before, something they never intended to see the light of day. Ever.

Here’s the thing about Awkward Press: we’re just three guys trying to scrape by on our looks and our desire to bring a little bit of entertainment into the world. When one is a founder of an independent publishing company, one does not expect to find oneself being lauded by the New York Times. Unless one is co-founder Clay McLeod Chapman, that is, who is currently sweeping the New York stage with the latest incarnation of his storytelling series The Pumpkin Pie Show. Two days ago, the Times wrote a rave review of Clay’s show, in which they say:

These are weird, creepy tales, but they are more than that. At his best, Mr. Chapman uses the macabre to explore the humanity of his characters and reveal an almost spiritual side to the horrific. Lovecraft once wrote that “the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown,” but in these stories, set in a banal, melancholy, lonely landscape, the unknown can also seem sublime.

Congratulations, Clay! You’ve earned it! As for the rest of you lot, if you’re looking for something to do to celebrate this year’s festival of Halloweenery, procure your tickets posthaste!

So. Jeffrey’s going to be mad at me for this, but I’m using our blog as a vehicle in which to plug a reading I’m doing in New York. Forgive me for this, but a story of mine — titled “birdfeeder” — has been selected for The Best American Short Plays 2007/2008 anthology, published by Applause books. The book itself is now available in both hardback and paperback. It is a huge honor to be a part of such an intimidating roster of writers as John Guare and Neil LaBute.

Applause is proud to continue the series that for over 60 years has been the standard of excellence for one-act plays in America. Our editor Barbara Parisi has selected 14 plays, including short works by Daniel Gallant, John Guare, Neil LaBute, and Clay McLeod Chapman.

Buy it here!

There will be two FREE reading events celebrating the release of the book here in New York City, both well worth your time. I’ll be reading my piece at both events…

SATURDAY, SEPT 12th — 6 PM
at the Barnes and Noble (Lincoln Triangle)
1972 Broadway (Broadway and 66th St)

http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/3007674

We welcome included writers to discuss their work and actors to perform excerpts from the featured plays.

MONDAY, SEPT 14th — 7 PM
at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
236 East 3rd Street (btn Ave B & C)

http://www.nuyorican.org/calendar.php?r=0&eid=231

Featuring readings and performances by the playwrights.

Hope you can make it out … Pick up the book if you can!

Take care,
CMC

I am still gone. You are not seeing me. I am on vacation. This post is not real. Let’s pretend it isn’t really happening.

I just wanted to jump in and say a great big thanks to everyone who showed up to the party last night and to all the helpers. Extra special thanks go to Sydney Maresca for her cookie service, Sarah Rachael Jones for sitting up front all night and selling books, John Nguyen and Kramer O’ Neill for taking pictures, my mom and dad and lovely wife Sarah for hustling they asses off and helping make the cookies, and all the readers/entertainers: Honor Rovai, Kyle Jarrow, Clay McLeod Chapman, and especially me for that awesome thing I did that everyone loved. Pictures will be posted posthastly.

Update: COMPLETELY forgot to also thank Paul Thureen and Andrew St. Aubin for providing the amazing harp/keyboard music at the beginning of the evening. They did a great job setting the mood for the party in gentlemanly fashion, and I am 100% grateful for their time and effort. If you ever need to hire anyone for that sort of thing, hire the fuck out of those guys. You will now be returned to the original post.

Today, I am taking a much needed break from thinking about anything. But in answer to Ginni Biggs, who was whining about how my other blog is never updated, here is a video of Harrison Ford saying “my wife” and “my family” a bunch of times in a row.

This is just a message to let you all know that I’m completely sabotaging the awesome traffic we’ve built up on the site by disappearing for a week in the New York City jungle. If you really miss me, you’ll find a way to ge to the Awkward Release Party next Tuesday. I’ll hit you when I get back, friends and strangers!

And, let’s face it, probably a few times while I’m there. It is hard to stay out of the spotlight for long, even when the spotlight is just a blog with 10-12 readers, most of whom don’t even speak English.