Author: Kelsey Radomski
The season is cooling off and with it the Silo City Reading Series comes to an end. The third and final event will take place this Saturday, August 12 at 7pm at 100 Silo City Row. Performing artists will include Maggie Smith, Annette Daniels Taylor, Bean Friend, and Nancy Hughes.
Maggie Smith, author of The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison, is a poet and a mother. The title poem of her most recent release, Good Bones (Tupelo Press), was named “The Official Poem of 2016” (Public Radio International) and intertwines the role of being a poet and a mother in a fascinating way. Smith’s work is maternal, yet with an edge of menace. Her dark undertones create what Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Linda Gregerson calls “poems of transformation: haunting, gorgeous, [and] intimately unsettling.”
Annette Daniels Taylor has many talents both on and off the stage as a playwright, poet, actor, teacher, and singer. Previously a part of HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, she is well-known in Buffalo for her work with the Albright Knox Art Gallery and Buffalo Ensemble Theatre.
Bean Friend is a multi-instrumentalist and composer who has recently focused his efforts on producing piano-based albums. Past visitors can agree that the resounding echoes that the silos provide will create a unique sound when blended with a refurbished piano this artist found on Craigslist. He explains, “It’s been a great experience and I’m really excited about the sounds that I’ve been capturing. The space of the silos is just as important of an instrument as the piano.” For a preview of what to expect, listeners can find his most recent project, Sound-On-Film, on iTunes and Spotify.
Contemporary dancer Nancy Hughes and Center Dance will also be performing a routine that reflects the styles of Graham, Limon and Cunningham. Hughes graduated magna cum laude from Texas Woman’s University and primarily studies modern dance and contact improvisation.
Although we are sad to see the series draw to a close, fans of Just Buffalo are happy to welcome such exemplary artists to the stage and anxiously await Saturday night. This event is free and open to the public. For more information and a list of other upcoming events, visit www.justbuffalo.org. Also see Facebook event.
And in case you missed it… here’s the Silo City Reading Series from June 3, 2017 – featuring Mathias Svalina, Mary Helena Clark, Cages, Aidan Ryan:
Silo City Reading Series // June 3, 2017 featuring Mathias Svalina, Mary Helena Clark, Cages, Aidan Ryan from Just Buffalo Literary Center on Vimeo.