The Gnu's Room

After Five Years, The Gnu’s Room Is Closing

Jason Crane — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 03:41:22 +0000

Friends,

It is with much sadness and regret that I inform you all that after five and a half years, The Gnu’s Room is no longer able to stay open. We have struggled for quite some time to continue to be a place for the community to come and experience the arts. We have supported authors, poets, musicians and artists by providing a place for them to share their gifts with the community. We have cross-promoted other arts organizations and we have donated countless books to other local non-profits to support literacy. We have provided the community with a comfortable and welcoming space in which to hang out and to meet with others. In short, the goals I had when taking over the business have come to fruition but there has not been enough corresponding financial investment on behalf of the community to allow us to remain open.

Due to the continued lack of revenue we have been experiencing, there is no longer the hope to keep this location. We can’t sell enough books to pay the rent, utilities and other overhead associated with having a storefront. We do not have an exact closing date since we need to sell as much inventory as we can to try and pay off the debts that the store owes to creditors.

Please note that Mama Mocha’s Coffee Emporium will continue to do business.

Sincerely,

Tina Tatum

Gnu Gnotes: Movies, music, poetry, art and more!

Jason Crane — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 01:58:10 +0000

Auburn University is celebrating No Impact Week and we’re celebrating, too, with a buy-one-get-one book sale all this week. At The Gnu’s Room, we believe in recycling. We take in used books and pass them on to new readers. If a book can’t be sold, we’ll donate it to a local literacy group. And if the book is so well loved that even that won’t work, we take it to the recycling center. Mama Mocha’s Coffee Emporium is also participating in No Impact Week. If you bring in your own mug this week you get a brewed coffee for $1.00 or $0.25 off all other beverages. (Please note that Mama Mocha’s is an independent for-profit business. We both care about the environment.)

We’re working with the Little Matchstick Factory to present a play called The Other Mozart at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art on Friday, March 22, at 7:30 PM. It’s a one-woman production about Nannerl Mozart, the sister of Amadeus, written and performed by Sylvia Milo. It tells the true story of this prodigy, a keyboard virtuoso and composer, who as a child toured through all of Europe performing with her brother, to equal acclaim, but who faded away and left behind nothing of her own. Tickets are available at The Gnu’s Room: $25 for general admission, $20 for museum members, and $15 for students. Museum members and students will show cards and ID’s at the door the night of the play.

On Monday and Tuesday, also as part of No Impact Week, we’re showing two environmental documentaries. Monday at 5 p.m. it’s Libby, Montana. Tuesday at 5 p.m. it’s If A Tree Falls. Both are free.

Our Acoustic Tuesdays series continues Tuesday at 7 with Roy Schneider, co-presented this week by the Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series. For a complete list of our live shows, visit
http://www.thegnusroom.com/music/. Here’s a look at the rest of March:

19th: Acoustic Tuesdays: Roy Schneider (co-presented by Sundilla)
26th: Acoustic Tuesdays: Lydia Cash
28th: Eric Hunker

On Wednesday, the Auburn University Philosophy Club will talk about sex and love. These events are free, spirited, and always well attended, so get there early to get a seat. It starts at 5 p.m.

Our Third Thursday Poetry Series continues this week. Come to The Gnu’s Room on Thursday at 7 for a poetry open mic and a reading by Jeremy Downes. Remember, each open mic poet may read one medium-length poem or two short poems (about two pages in all). The event is free but we’ll ask for donations to pay the poet.

On Saturday at 4 p.m. we welcome artist Conrad Ross. Ross, Emeritus Professor of Art at Auburn University, will be speaking about his two art books: Drawings / Conrad Ross a picture book of 55 drawings with a critical forward by Timothy Brown, Curator of Education Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, and Perceptual Drawing, a Handbook for the Practitioner. Ross will also present a drawing demonstration. Free.

Please note that we have tickets for The Other Mozart and for this week’s Sundilla concert featuring Caroline Herring.

The Gnu’s Room Presents “The Other Mozart,” a Play, March 22

Jason Crane — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:20:34 +0000

The Gnu’s Room Presents “The Other Mozart,” a Play, March 22

UPDATE: Producer Patrick McCurry has posted to his blog the latest about this one-night showing. It includes ticket information and pictures of some beautiful handmade music boxes available after the play. Click here for the post: The Other Mozart, One Night Only (3/22/2013)!

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We are working with the Little Matchstick Factory to present a play called “The Other Mozart” at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art on Friday, March 22, at 7:30 PM. It is a one-woman production about Nannerl Mozart, the sister of Amadeus, written and performed by Sylvia Milo. It tells the true story of this prodigy, a keyboard virtuoso and composer, who as a child toured through all of Europe performing with her brother, to equal acclaim, but who faded away and left behind nothing of her own.

Tickets are now available here at The Gnu’s Room, $25 for general admission, $20 for museum members, and $15 for students. Museum members and students will show cards and ID’s at the door the night of the play.

Here’s some online buzz to check out:

The event’s Eventbrite page created by the museum where you can buy tickets online http://othermozartauburn.eventbrite.com
A post on the blog of Patrick McCurry, the play’s producer: Luke Skywalker Wasn’t the Only One Who Had a Sister http://bit.ly/Y1k8ON
A different post by Patrick, but on The Frog, the blog of the Arts Association of East Alabama: The Other Mozart Comes to the Stage… http://bit.ly/10UPJYL
An article on oanow.com http://bit.ly/10UQ0Lq
A trailer for the play on Vimeo http://vimeo.com/55899931
The play’s website http://www.theothermozart.com
This program is sponsored by Behind the Glass, Eighth and Rail, Tiger Lily Hair Salon, East Alabama Arts Association and McQuick Printing Company. To be a sponsor contact Patrick McCurry at patrick@luncharm.net. You can also make any size gift toward the expenses of putting on what promises to be an unforgettable play. Donate to The Gnu’s Room in person or online and designate it to “The Other Mozart.”

Directed by Isaac Byrne, the show is set in, on, and underneath its costume: a stunning dress, eighteen feet in diameter, by Polish designer Magdalena Dąbrowska to fill and spill over the entire stage (with a corset sculpture by Mio Guberinic). The play runs 70 minutes and will feature a talk-back with with the play’s director, Isaac Byrne, composer Nathan Davis, and actress/playwright Sylvia Milo.

Original music was composed for the play by Nathan Davis (Auburn native, whose solo show will be featured at the Museum on March 21 as part of A Little Lunch Music http://bit.ly/lunchmusic) and Phyllis Chen — both recent Fromm commission recipients and members of the International Contemporary Ensemble, in residence at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center — for instruments Nannerl knew intimately, such as clavichords, music boxes, and bells, as well as teacups, fans, and other ordinary objects that might have captured her imagination.

With the opulent beauty of the dress and hair design, the sweet smells of perfume, and the clouds of dusting powder rising from the stage, the performance creates a multi-sensory experience and transports the audience into a world of outsized beauty and delight — but also of overwhelming restrictions and prejudice. There, in communion with the audience, this other Mozart at last tells her story.

The Other Mozart team has spent over a year developing this play and bringing this incredible story to the stage. We are pleased to present a special preview of this work before its full NYC run.

Gnu Gnotes: Jake Carnley! A film! A piano! New (used) books!

Jason Crane — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:29:20 +0000

Our Acoustic Tuesdays series continues tonight at 7 with Jake Carnley. You know Jake as the lead singer/songwriter of Teacup and the Monster. Tonight you’ll get to hear his gorgeous new solo songs. The show is free but donations are requested to pay the performer. For a complete list of our live shows, visit
http://www.thegnusroom.com/music/. Here’s a look at the month of March:

5th: Acoustic Tuesdays: Jake Carnley (of Teacup & The Monster)
12th: Acoustic Tuesdays: Brennen Reece
19th: Acoustic Tuesdays: Roy Schneider (co-presented by Sundilla)
26th: Acoustic Tuesdays: Lydia Cash

This Thursday, join us for another great POV documentary, Of Civil Rights And Wrongs: The Fred Korematsu Story. Fred Korematsu was probably never more American than when he resisted, and then challenged in court, the forced internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Korematsu lost his landmark Supreme Court case in 1944, but never his indignation and resolve. Of Civil Wrongs and Rights is the untold history of the 40-year legal fight to vindicate Korematsu – one that finally turned a civil injustice into a civil rights victory.

On Saturday at 3, join us in front of The Gnu’s Room for the installation of The Keynote Project’s first piano. Local artist Sarah Scott has created a pop-art piano inspired by Andy Warhol. The Keynote Project is an effort to put pianos in public spaces for everyone to enjoy.

We’ve received so many great used books over the last few weeks. For the convenience of our customers, we’re making a special display of the newest arrivals on a cart near the front of the store. The newest arrivals will be on display for a week before they’re shelved so the newest new arrivals can go on the cart. Come see what we’ve got.

In association with the College of Liberal Arts, The Gnu’s Room is pleased to participate in No Impact Week coming up March 17th – 24th. We’ll be screening two documentaries with an emphasis on the environment: Libby, Montana (Monday, March 18th at 5:00 p.m.) and If a Tree Falls (Tuesday, March 19th at 5:00 p.m.). There is no admission charge for either film. More information to come!

Have a safe and enjoyable Spring Break next week!

VIDEOS: Katie Martin at The Gnu’s Room

Jason Crane — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:40:18 +0000

Here are two videos from Katie Martin’s recent performance as part of our Acoustic Tuesdays series.

Gnu Gnotes: Eating at Niffer’s? Help The Gnu’s Room!

Jason Crane — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:38:16 +0000

Gnu Gnotes: Eating at Niffer’s? Help The Gnu’s Room!

Hello friends!

This week The Gnu’s Room is pleased to feature the talented women of the Mystic Order of East Alabama Fiction Writers: Joanne Camp, Marian Carcache, Mary Dansak, Gail Langley, Judith Nunn and Margee Bright-Ragland. The Mystics are poets, prose writers and artists who meet once a month to hone their respective crafts (and drink a glass of wine with dinner) and whenever they decide to make an appearance, you can bet a large crowd will be in attendance. We are pleased to have copies of their latest book, The Ploy of Cooking, available for purchase as well as limited copies of their first publication, Be The Flame. If you have not had a chance to enjoy the force of nature that is The Mystics, you will not want to deprive yourself of the experience any longer. Come by and purchase a copy of one or both of their publications today!

For the entire month of February, The Gnu’s Room is the designated nonprofit for the Niffer’s Gives Back program. That means whenever you eat at any Niffer’s location this month, you can donate money to The Gnu’s Room just by writing our phone number on your receipt. The number is 334-821-5550. This offer ends this Thursday, Feb. 28.

There’s a movement afoot to make this area into a great arts hub. You can feel it already. One part of this movement is aimed at bringing representatives of our region to this year’s South By Southwest festival. Learn more about the effort here.

Our Acoustic Tuesdays series continues tonight at 7 with Noisy Deirdre. The band is primarily composed of AU professors who play “almost traditional” music. For a complete list of our live shows, visit http://www.thegnusroom.com/music. Here’s a look at the month of March:

5th: Acoustic Tuesdays: Jake Carnley (of Teacup & The Monster)
12th: Acoustic Tuesdays: Brennen Reece
19th: Acoustic Tuesdays: Roy Schneider (co-presented by Sundilla)
26th: Acoustic Tuesdays: Lydia Cash

There’s a pancake breakfast fundraiser to support Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) coming up this Saturday, March 2, from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Cambridge Place, 1101 Fox Run Parkway in Opelika. The cost is $5.00 per person. The Gnu’s Room supports RIF through the donation of books for their reading centers and for fundraising. We hope you will consider attending their annual pancake breakfast in support of this wonderful non-profit. For more information, please visit http://www.jeandeanrif.org.

After you’ve rested from your pancakes, head on over to The Gnu’s Room at 6 p.m. for a poetry reading by Madison Jones IV, immediately followed by a party to celebrate the release of the Winter Solstice Issue of the Kudzu Review.

The Gnu’s Room Podcast #3: Inside The Mobile Studio

Jason Crane — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 14:56:55 +0000

The Mobile Studio is an innovative way to bring art and design into a landscape in the real world. In this interview, Jocelyn Zanzot and Daniel Neil discuss the origins and intent of the Mobile Studio. They also talk about some of its recent projects, including the Re-Imagining Schoolyards exhibition. Learn more at mobilelandscapestudio.wordpress.com/.

Gnu Gnotes: Become A Member!

Jason Crane — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:19:29 +0000

We’re excited to announce the launch of our new membership program. For a tax-deductible contribution of $25, you’ll get a 10% discount on all book purchases for one year. And, over time, your membership card will also offer benefits at other local retailers. We’re working on that part now. The basic membership level is part of our forthcoming donor program, which will offer cool thank-you gifts at a variety of pledge levels. More details about that program will be announced in January. It’s going to be exciting!

We’re going to modify our hours for the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Mama Mocha’s will be closed from Dec. 24 through Jan. 1, and The Gnu’s Room will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during that same period, except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, when we’ll be closed.

If you’ve got a book lover in your life, we’ve got some great gift ideas. For example, you could treat that person to a copy of Chinaberries & Crows: An Anthology, the first book from our new press, Solomon & George Publishers. Pick up your copy at The Gnu’s Room at 414 South Gay Street or buy one online at http://www.thegnusroom.com/solomon-george-publishers/. We’ve also got Gnu’s Room gift certificates in any amount. Or pick up one of our Gnu Music Festival t-shirts — just $5 while supplies last.

Check out the second episode of The Gnu’s Room Podcast. It’s a reading and discussion by novelist Walter Bennett, whose new book is Leaving Tuscaloosa. The novel looks at Tuscaloosa during the heart of the Civil Rights era and tells the story of two young men who must come to terms with their place in society. Hear the show at http://www.thegnusroom.com/the-gnus-room-podcast-2-novelist-walter-bennett/.

Put this on your calendar: On January 3 at 7 p.m., come to The Gnu’s Room for a special screening of Patti Smith: Dream Of Life. Shot over 11 years by renowned fashion photographer Steven Sebring, Patti Smith: Dream of Life is an intimate portrait of the legendary rocker, poet and artist. (120 minutes. Free.)

Finally, thank you to Sarah Scott and Brennen Reece for building the gorgeous book tree pictured above. Thanks also to Chuck Ingersoll for the idea and Rachel Sharpe for the lights. Happy Holidays from all of us at The Gnu’s Room!

The Gnu’s Room Podcast #2: Novelist Walter Bennett

Jason Crane — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 03:58:31 +0000

A reading and discussion by novelist Walter Bennett, whose new book is Leaving Tuscaloosa. The novel looks at Tuscaloosa during the heart of the Civil Rights era and tells the story of two young men who must come to terms with their place in society. Learn more at leavingtuscaloosa.com. If you enjoy this program, please support it by donating to The Gnu’s Room.

The Gnu’s Room Podcast #1: Filmmaker Andrew Grace

Jason Crane — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:16:57 +0000

An interview with filmmaker Andrew Grace, director of the documentary Eating Alabama. A thoughtful and often funny essay on community, the South and sustainability, Eating Alabama is a story about why food matters. In this interview Grace talks about the film; why he prefers storytelling over advocacy; and his Documenting Justice project at the University of Alabama. Learn more at eatingalabama.com.