Welcome to BSR Book Week 2024, running June 2-8
Here's everything you need to know to celebrate Book Week with us.
Do you love books? We do, too! Philly's literary scene is an important part of our cultural scene, and we spotlight it in our annual BSR Book Week. Learn more here!
Previews
2 minute read
Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg
Queering the classic American road trip
Philly writer Emma Copley Eisenberg’s debut novel, Housemates, begins in a West Philly group house and spreads across Pennsylvania as two young queer characters find art, love, and life on their own terms. Grace Kennedy reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Philadelphia Stories: People and Their Places in Early America, by C. Dallett Hemphill
A thriving metropolis that remains a small town
Everybody knows about the Founding Fathers, but historian C. Dallett Hemphill looks beyond, chasing the fascinating historical records of ordinary, little-known people who had a notable impact on Philly history. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read
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Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, by Kara Swisher
Still calling Silicon Valley as she sees it
Some writers have accused tech journalist, entrepreneur, and podcast star Kara Swisher of holding her fire until Burn Book, her own memoir, was published earlier this year. Is that criticism fair? Stephen Silver reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Early Sobrieties, by Michael Deagler
Explore the process
This debut novel from award-winning writer Michael Deagler follows a young man fighting for sobriety in South Philly, learning that it’s not transformation, but a daily process. Eileen L. Fay reviews.
Essays
3 minute read
Girls with Bad Reputations, by Xio Axelrod
A juicy love story that does Philly justice
The Lillys are back in Girls with Bad Reputations, the second installment of Xio Axelrod’s popular romance series about an all-women rock band chasing love and stardom from their Philadelphia home. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Sink: A Memoir, by Joseph Earl Thomas
A unique look at growing up in Frankford
Philly author Joseph Earl Thomas’s fierce and unusual memoir, Sink, follows his boyhood in 1990s Frankford, where fiction, fantasy, and reality collide. Krista Mar reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Mystic Orchards, By Jonathan Koven
Poems for the heart and mind, the way dreams can feel real
The second poetry collection from Philly-based poet Jonathan Koven mirrors the orchard of its title, as we wander the grounds, admire the trees, and sink our teeth into the fruit. Jordan Cameron reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
Work, Fight or Play Ball: How Bethlehem Steel Helped Baseball Stars Avoid World War I, by William Ecenbarger
America’s pastime sheds new light on our 20th-century history
What did Major League Baseball have to do with World War I? In this surprising history of baseball, American industry, and the US military, William Ecenbarger sheds new light on a little-known but fascinating piece of history. Kimberly Haas reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Homeless, by Stefan Żeromski; translated by Stephanie Kraft
A Polish classic appears in English for the first time
In this classic Polish novel, newly translated into English, a young working-class doctor argues that doctors should not just treat diseases but try to prevent them in poor factory workers’ cruel industrial landscape. Helen Walsh reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The Wilma’s Tony reminds us to keep fighting for Philly’s arts community
The future is collaborative
Philly’s theater community rejoiced at
hearing that the Wilma will receive the 2024 Regional Theatre Tony Award at
this year’s ceremony on Sunday, June 16. It’s a huge reason to keep fighting
for Philly arts, but certainly not the only one.
Editorials
5 minute read
The BSR June 2024 repertory film roundup
Pedro, Pride, Pacino, and Sestero
June offers plenty of chances to celebrate Pride at the cinema in Philly, plus seminars on The Godfather, Part II and Memento, and lots more picks, from Bee Movie to Pulp Fiction. Stephen Silver rounds up area film screenings.
Previews
4 minute read
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Also on BSR
The Philadelphia Museum of Art presents Rikers Quilt
Catching up with Jesse Krimes
Jesse Krimes, subject of the 2021 documentary Art & Krimes by Krimes and a sometime Philadelphia resident, has an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and continues to work for justice. He sits down with Stephen Silver.
Features
5 minute read
Joe González and Jo-Mé Dance Theatre present Unbroken
A PHILADANCO! star returns to Philly
Longtime PHILADANCO! company member Joe González recently returned to his hometown in Boston, but he visited Philly in late May with a thrilling performance from his own company, Jo-Mé Dance Theatre. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Lantern Theater Company presents Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors
Shakespeare’s lightest play
Lantern Theatre Company presents William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors as reliably airy and delightful as it’s ever been. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Arden Theatre Company presents Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’s Once on This Island
A special Island tale
A thoughtfully reimagined production of Once on This Island smartly overcomes elements of the 1990 musical that haven’t aged well. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 23-30, 2024
Antonio, or What I Would, Housemates, and the Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival
PHLAFF returns with an expanded vision, InLiquid opens its new exhibit, a book launch with Housemates, and a queer pirate takes the stage at Plays & Players. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
3 minute read
The BSR Podcast, season 8, episode 6: meet pro bono arts lawyers at the 2024 PVLA Arts Affair!
Great food, great networking, and great art at PVLA's annual gala
BSR Podcast host Darnelle Radford sits down with Gabrielle Sellei, Shekhinah B., and Chuck Schultz to find out all about the Arts Affair, and what makes this party special on the annual gala scene.
Podcast
1 minute read
Mural Arts and First Person Arts present Embracing the Light
Philly storytellers tackle suicide stigma
Mural Arts and First Person Arts teamed up for a show tackling stigma around mental illness and suicide—unusual topics for public storytelling. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Alaina Johns reviews.
Editorials
7 minute read
OperaDelaware presents Puccini’s Turandot
A new ending for a grand opera
Puccini’s legendary Turandot (unfinished when he died) is typically a rare treat for opera lovers, but OperaDelaware joins many companies marking the centennial of the composer’s death. This impressive production features a new ending by Derrick Wang. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read
Bristol Riverside Theatre presents The Second City: Comedian Rhapsody
Chicago improv in the Philly burbs
Famous Chicago improv troupe Second City didn’t have a good showing at its 2023 stop in Philly, but a better cast and a retooled setlist make for a worthy ticket at Bristol Riverside Theatre. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia presents Dinnerstein Plays Mozart
Music director Dirk Brossé ends his tenure among friends
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia’s season-ending concert welcomed star pianist Simone Dinnerstein and saw the end of Dirk Brossé’s tenure as music director. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read