O’s super-fan Ira Gewanter brings David Simon, Laura Lippman, Milton Kent, and Rafael Alvarez together to bask in the glow of the Orioles; a visit with Robert Marbury, author of Taxidermy Art; Elaine Eff talks about her book, The Painted Screens of Baltimore; and a preview of EMP Collective’s, The Potatoes of August.
If you write a fan letter to the Orioles, it’s not Buck Showalter who writes you back. But it is a guy who loves the O’s just as much as you do. If you’ve ever called the Orioles’ main line, you’ve probably spoken with him. And he probably remembers talking to you, too. Ira Gewanter is an Orioles sales and fan-services agent. He loves his job, he loves his team, and he loves to tell a good story. As the triumphant American League East Champions head into the post-season playoffs and a shot at the World Series, Ira brings together David Simon, Laura Lippman, Milton Kent, and Rafael Alvarez for a radio appreciation.
“So appalling, funny, grotesque, weirdly charming, and highly informative that even I was creeped out…” When John Waters says this about your book, you know you’ve really accomplished something. That is indeed the blurb on the back of a new book titled, Taxidermy Art: A Rogue’s Guide to the Work, the Culture, and How to Do it Yourself. Robert Marbury is the author of this bizarre compendium, and The Signal’s Aaron Henkin paid him a visit at his home workshop.
Painted screens were once as common as marble steps in parts of East Baltimore. Folklorist Elaine Eff has spent the past four decades researching and collecting examples the once ubiquitous art form, and she chronicles her findings in a new, beautifully illustrated book, The Painted Screens of Baltimore: An Urban Folk Art Revealed. She joined producer Lisa Morgan to share stories and examples of her beloved homegrown tradition.
Baltimore’s EMP Collective is getting ready to stage an experimental play by Sybil Kempson, and to call it ‘experimental’ is an understatement. When The Signal’s Aaron Henkin dropped in at a rehearsal, all he knew about the play is that it features a trio of sentient potatoes. After his visit, he understood even less. Here’s Aaron’s attempt at a preview of The Potatoes of August.
