Salman Rushdie and Emory English professor Deepika Bahri in Rushdie archive exhibition, "A World Mapped by Stories, " now on display at Emory's library. AJC/Elissa Eubanks

So what does a Knight Bachelor, Booker Prize-winning author, fatwa subject and ex-husband of Padma Lakshmi put on display when a university comes looking for the actual words and objects that have made up his life?

Now that Salman Rushdie’s archive is on display at Emory University, we can see: e-mails and letters from the past 30 years, old computers, calendars and journals, family records, photos and doodles.

The whole thing was curated by Emory Associate Professor of English and Director of Asian Studies Deepika Bahri, but I rather like Rushdie comment, made during a media tour attended by AJCer Katie Leslie:

“From the moment I agreed to do this, I knew it was going to be sort of embarrassing,” Rushdie said during a media tour of the exhibit. “The biggest issue for me in the whole discussion with …

Continue reading Salman Rushdie archive, lectures at Emory University »

Titian's "Diana and Acteon" has never been seen in the United States, but it's coming to the High, along with "Diana and Callisto" in October.

The High is about to welcome more masterpieces, AJCer Howard Pousner reports: Atlanta’s High Museum of Art will be the first museum in the United States to show two Titian masterpieces never before seen in this country.

“Diana and Actaeon” and “Diana and Callisto” — what a High press release called “two of the greatest paintings of the Italian Renaissance” — will be part of a 25-piece exhibition, “Titian and the Golden Age of Venetian Painting: Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland,” to open here in October.

The “Diana” paintings were originally commissioned by King Phillip II of Spain, and were acquired by the Duke of Orleans in the 18th century. They went on long-term loan to the National Galleries of Scotland in 1945, and in 2008, “Diana and Actaeon” was acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland and …

Continue reading High to show Titian paintings never before seen in U.S. »

Jennifer Maciejewski over at Atlanta on the Cheap offers the handy reminder that CityPass prices will go up in Atlanta (and Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia and Southern California) on March 1.

Prices are currently $69 for adults or $49 for kids. On March 1, they’ll jump $5 per book, which doesn’t seem like much till it’s spring break and you’re buying tickets for the entire family and a couple visitors. They’re good for nine days once you use a ticket to visit one of the attractions, but you don’t have to use them immediately. Physical ticket booklets are good for one year. An E-tickets must be exchanged for a physical booklet at one of the attractions within 90 days; you’ll have to redeem a ticket and start your nine days at that point, a CityPass customer service agent told me.

For those unfamiliar, Atlanta CityPass includes discounted admission to the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Zoo Atlanta, Inside CNN tour, Fernbank Museum of Natural History or …

Continue reading Atlanta CityPass prices to increase on March 1 »

Well, let’s just go ahead and say what’s not in the works at the Alliance Theatre for its 2010-11 season: a Stephen King-John Mellencamp musical called “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.” Indeed, such a thing exists, and theater hawks apparently were expecting it to be there, but no, it is not.

AJCer Howard Pousner goes into some detail in his story, “Surprises in Alliance Theatre 2010-2011 season announcement,” but I’ll just leave you with the juicy list of what will be on stage. Yes, there will be cheerleaders.

The Alliance Theatre’s 2010-11 season includes…

On the Alliance Stage:

• “The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years,” a world premiere by Pearl Cleage.
• “Bring It On: The Musical,” another world premiere, featuring the cheerleader movie title, but an original story.
• “August: Osage County,” a Tony winner for best play and Pulitzer winner for drama.
• Another show yet to be announced, but not “Ghost …

Continue reading Alliance Theatre season: yes cheerleaders, no Mellencamp »

Did you recognize this week's Access Point? It's an African penguin at Georgia Aquarium — just a little easier to see when it slows down. AJC photos by Jamie Gumbrecht

This is an African penguin, one of 19 that lives at Georgia Aquarium. Commenter Lora was right about the place in this week’s Access Points photo game, but it’s quite a bit smaller than a whale — most African penguins weigh 6 to 7 pounds. (Mallory was the first to guess correctly! Woohoo!)

One of these birds was the star of a recent film, “Love Lost and Found: A Penguin Odyssey.”

It’s so cute, you may have seen me squealing about it on Twitter.

Here it is:

Dodo, a 5-year-old penguin who came to the aquarium from Portugal, is the star. He was young when he arrived in Atlanta — still mostly gray, instead of his mature black-and-white — and a nervous little bird. Over many “enrichment sessions” with “environmental enrichment objects” — husbandry speak for “playtime with toys” — aquarium staffer came to learn this …

Continue reading Access Points 26: African penguin at Georgia Aquarium »

Freaknikers from Southern Illinois University danced around Five Points in downtown Atlanta in 1996. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said he doesn't expect the party to return to Atlanta.

That illustrious, verifiable source we know as The Internet says that Freaknic (sic) is coming back. “The Official Atlanta Freaknic Site” says it’ll be April 16-18 in Washington Park. It also says that the 2010 theme is “Super Freak,” and that “Freaknic is a private event for members only. You must register on this site and pledge to not break the law.” It adds, “There are no nude pictures on this Web site.”

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed says no way. Or rather, “I don’t believe it will materialize and it’s not my intention for the city to be supportive of it.” He points out that nobody has filed for a permit. It’s not clear who the organizers of the Web site are.

Continue reading POLL: Do you want Freaknik back in Atlanta? »

The Moth

Non-fiction storytelling seems to be enjoying a resurgence in Atlanta.

Last week, I wrote about the True Story! reading series, which I’m told had quite the crowd at Kavarna on Monday night.

Then last night, it was standing room-only inside Manuel’s Tavern for MothUP, a local installment of The Moth storytelling series. (Organizers apparently told Manuel’s staffers that it would be a party of 10. What a merry kind of oops.)

A quick explanation: The Moth began in New York in 1997, but has roots in Georgia. Poet and novelist George Dawes Green, a native of St. Simons, wanted to recreate the experience of sitting on the porch and swapping stories. As attendance grew, it moved to larger venues, it became a popular podcast,  appeared on radio programs like “This American Life” and has split off into satellite programs — like Atlanta’s.

Every MothUP has a story theme. This month’s was denial, next comes tradition, then rules. The stories are supposed to be true, but it’s …

Continue reading Overheard at MothUP Atlanta’s first storytelling night »

Beethoven (front) and Maris, swimming inside Georgia Aquarium's Cold Water Quest exhibit this week. Returning is Maris, a 15-year-old female, and newcomer Beethoven, an 18-year-old male. They've been at Sea World San Antonio while renovations were done on their habitat in Atlanta. AJC/John Spink

Belugas are back!

Atlanta hasn’t seen them since last October, when female Maris, her mother, Natasha, and Nico, a male, were moved from Georgia Aquarium to Sea World San Antonio while construction was going on in their habitat. Nico died in San Antonio — the cause remains unspecified –  and Natasha will remain there because of a potential mate. Maris and her new pal, Beethoven, are back in Atlanta. Eleven-foot-long, 900-pound Maris and 13-foot, 1,740-pound Beethoven could, indeed, be a mating pair. Here are more photos of the beluga pair at Georgia Aquarium.

There are only 36 belugas on in captivity in North America. If Georgia Aquarium’s pair are responding well to their space, …

Continue reading Georgia Aquarium belugas might be on display today »

We reported a few months ago that Mixed Martial Arts would take over Atlanta Symphony Hall in January at an event titled “Brawl at Symphony Hall.” Of course, it never happened; the fights were swiftly canceled after angry reactions from arts patrons.

But “Brawl” organizers said in a press release today they’re “still considering legal action” after the cancellation, and they’re planning another bout in an unexpected venue, if not one with the high art cachet of Symphony Hall.

This time, they’re calling it “Beatdowns in the Ballroom” and the Ultimate Fighting event will feature Cortez Coleman, Douglas “The Phenom” Lima, Diego “The Octopus” Saraiva, Ethan Garrison and others in the Thomas Murphy Ballroom at the Georgia World Congress Center, home to so-many bridal shows and pep rallies. The winner takes home a $10,000 prize.

Melissa Sanders, the director of public & media relations for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, said in an e-mail Tuesday that they have nothing further to …

Continue reading ‘Brawl at Symphony Hall’ returns as ‘Beatdowns in the Ballroom’: Ultimate Fighting at Ga. World Congress Center »

This is a scene from the Broadway production of "Spring Awakening." You could be on stage for this when the show comes to the Fox in March. File photo

Strange as it sounds, the most affordable seat inside the Fox Theatre when “Spring Awakening” comes to town is the one on stage.

The Tony Award-winning show has incorporated audience members into seats on stage since its early days off Broadway. When “Spring Awakening” comes to Atlanta in March, you could be one of them for $25. The seats are available for purchase only in-person at the Fox Theatre Box Office in Midtown starting Feb. 23. The box office is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.

Of course, because you’re on stage, this is not the typical theater experience. Audience members with on-stage seats have to arrive a half-hour early, or they won’t be seated till after intermission. Personal belongings are stored in secured lockers because they can’t be taken on stage, and they’ll ask those …

Continue reading Tickets available next week to sit on stage during ‘Spring Awakening’ at the Fox Theatre on March 9-14 »