John’s debut novel, Three-Fifths, was named one of the best books of 2019 by the Chicago Tribune. In the U.K., Three-Fifths was named a Book of the Year by The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, and The Guardian. His second novel, After the Lights Go Out, was published by Soho Press. It’s been called “simply brilliant” by Publishers Weekly in a starred review, “shrewd and explosive” by The New York Times, and was named an Editors’ Choice in Adult Fiction for 2022 by Booklist. His third novel, Devil Is Fine has received starred reviews from Booklist and BookPage, was named a Best New Book of the Summer by TIME Magazine and The Root, an Indie Next pick for July, and one of the Top Ten Books to Add to Your Reading List in June by the Los Angeles Times. Additionally, Devil is Fine was a June book pick by The Center for Fiction, one of the 12 Must-Read Books of June by The Chicago Review of Books, a Book of the Day for July by NPR, and was featured on NPR’s It’s Been A Minute.
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John Vercher
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Brute Force
Born in 1940, Monmouth University alumnus Stephen Friedland performs under the name Brute Force. A lifelong singer-songwriter, Friedland began his musical journey a songwriter for Bright Tunes Productions at the behest of doo-wop group The Tokens, who had scored a hit with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Friedland joined the band as their keyboard player. For Bright Tunes, Friedland composed the Chiffons’ 1965 hit “Nobody Knows What’s Goin’ On (in My Mind But Me).” He also composed hit songs for Del Shannon, Peggy March, and The Cyrkle.In 1968, The Beatles famously invited musicians around the world to submit their work for consideration for release by Apple Records. Friedland answered the call with his original composition “The King of Fuh,” which has emerged as one of the most notorious songs in annals of Apple Records history. Against all odds, John Lennon and George Harrison opted to release the song, which tells the tongue-in-cheek story about a monarch toiling in the land of Fuh. Under Harrison’s supervision, the song was overdubbed with a string arrangement composed by John Barham. Given the song’s irreverent nature, EMI (Apple’s parent company) refused to distribute the single, of which only 1,000 copies were pressed. In 2010, more than four decades after its original rejection by EMI, “The King of Fuh” was released by Apple Records on the Come and Get It compilation. Friedland is currently developing a play titled Color Talk for production. -
Hurricanes of Color
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The Importance of being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
directed by Max WebsterThree-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D Clarke is joined by Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who; Sex Education) in this joyful reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy. While assuming the role of a dutiful guardian in the country, Jack lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy adopts a similar facade. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate.
Max Webster (Life of Pi) directs this hilarious story of identity, impersonation and romance, filmed live from the National Theatre in London.
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Click Here (to Start Your Order): Performance and Talkback
The 2022 Dobbs decision, which led to the loss of national abortion access, has ushered in a new era for women’s health, one marked by worsening health outcomes, maternal health deserts, uncertainty and fear. This 4-woman performance of a new verbatim play is based on oral history interviews and shares the stories of women across the country most impacted by state abortion restrictions in order to inspire social action and compassion.
The performance will immediately be followed by a talkback facilitated by Dr. Katie Parkin and Dan Swern (writer/director).
Written and directed by Dan Swern of coLAB Arts in New Brunswick, with contributions from the ensemble.
Ensemble:
Karen Alvarado
Debjani Banerjee
Chantal Jean-Pierre
Kaitlin OrmerodThis project was made possible by grants from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Middlesex County Board of Commissioners’ Cultural and Arts Trust Fund, and funding through the New England Foundation for the Arts.
This event is co-sponsored by the Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies (PGIS)
For more information, contact the co-chairs of ArtNOW, Prof. Amanda Stojanov at astojano@monmouth.edu or Prof. Dickie Cox at rcox@monmouth.edu
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Adult Education Series: Christmas Time Is Hear Again
Class Schedule: Thursday, December 19 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
From 1963 to 1969, the Beatles sent Christmas messages on flexidiscs to their US and UK fan clubs. In 1970, a compilation of these messages was sent out, and they were re-released as a collector’s set in 2017. Join SCOTT FREIMAN and KEN WOMACK for a one-session virtual course to explore this unique aspect of the Beatles’ history.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
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Poetry Readings with Q&A Featuring Alicia Ostriker & Joan Larkin
ALICIA OSTRIKER has published 19 collections of poetry, been twice nominated for the National Book Award, and has twice received the National Jewish Book Award for Poetry, among other honors. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Yale Review, American Poetry Review, Best American Poetry , The Atlantic , Prairie Schooner, and other journals, and has been translated into numerous languages including Hebrew and Arabic. Her most recent collections of poems are Waiting for the Light and The Volcano and After:Selected and New Poems 2002 – 2019 . She was New York State Poet Laureate for 2018 – 2021 and a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2015 – 2020.
JOAN LARKIN is the author of five previous collections of poetry, including Blue Hanuman (2014); My Body: New and Selected Poems (2007), which received the Audre Lorde Award from the Publishing Triangle; Lambda Literary Award winner Cold River (1997); and Housework (1975). With Jaime Manrique, Larkin translated Sor Juana’ s Love Poems, a bilingual edition of Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz’ s poetry (1997). Her prose works include I f You Want What We Have: Sponsorship Meditations (1998) and Glad Day: Daily Meditations for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People (1998). Her plays include The AIDS Passion, The Living, and Wiretap.
This event is being held in conjunction with A Tribute to Jean Valentine – Panel Discussion on October 29 at 2:50 in the Julian Abele Room.
Hosted By Department of English (Brother Austen Poets-in-the-Classroom Series) in partnership with the Visiting Writers Series. Also cosponsored by PGIS (Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies)
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Bring in Da Funk, Part II
Class Schedule: Thursdays – December 5 & 12 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
Parliament/Funkadelic’s George Clinton declared “we want the funk,” and by the mid-70s the genre was in full swing. On the R&B and pop charts as well as on the dance floor, funk had officially taken over. This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole covers the peak of the genre, its eventual decline in popularity, and its continuing influence. Artists examined include the Ohio Players, Stevie Wonder, Average White Band, Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind, and Fire, the Commodores, Cameo, Slave, Zapp and Roger, and many more. In addition, subgenres including go go, punk funk (coined by Rick James), funk rock, and Bay Area funk will be covered. The course includes multimedia presentations and class discussions.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
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Podcasting for Beginners
Class Schedule: Thursdays – November 7 & 14 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
In this two-session virtual course taught by Robert Rodriguez, students will learn how to produce a podcast from the planning stage to the final upload. The two sessions will focus on developing a concept, basic recording technology, post-production and launching onto Apple & Spotify. No previous podcasting experience is required.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
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Producing the Beatles
Based on his acclaimed podcast, Producing the Beatles, Jason Kruppa explores the music of the Fab Four from the perspective of the one person whose point of view has never been properly and thoroughly examined: their producer, George Martin. Using innovative techniques to break down their recordings, we’ll discover how the Beatles went from learning their way around the studio to becoming masters of the art of recording, with their producer working side by side with them each step of the way. And finally, with re-recordings and detailed recreations of Martin’s orchestral scores that allow us to hear individual instrument parts,, we’ll learn how his arrangements enhanced and shaped the Beatles’ music.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.