The Woman's Salon's first reading for the new season will be from a new novel by Susan Yankowitz just published by Knopf. The reading will be:
SILENT WITNESS By Susan Yankowitz
Friday, September 10, at 8:OO P.M.
463 West Street (Westbeth), New York
Apt. 933B, Duncan. Between Bank & Bethune Sts.
Susan's SILENT WITNESS is a cry to see on many levels. Written through the consciousness of a deaf mute, vision becomes the force through which the arbitrary configurations of our world which cause emotional numbness and brutality are first dissected and then transcended. Born out of Susan's work with the Open Theatre, this book is a call to "witness" in the full sense of the word. It is a call to experience life deeply. It is only through actual imprisonment that Anna, the central character, begins to experience her own passionate nature, only through total immersion in extremity that she comes to know love and hope.
Susan has worked closely with the Open Theatre. She is the author of eleven plays which have been seen variously in New York, London, and Paris, and on tour in the United States, Europe, Algeria, Israel, and Iran. She has been the recipient of numerous honors and grants, among them a Guggenheim Fellowship in Playwriting, a Rockefeller Foundation Grant in Playwriting, and a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship. SILENT WITNESS is her first novel.
Her work will be introduced by May Swenson whose most recent book of poems is ICONOGRAPHS. Her work has been widely anthologized. Among May Swenson' other books are POEMS TO SOLVE, MORE P0EMS TO SOLVE, and HALF SUN HALF SLEEP. Karen Malpede, a feminist playwright and co-founder of The Woman's Salon, will speak briefly about Susan's work in the theater.
Since the Woman's Salon has always focused upon the effect of women working together, in the spirit of sisterhood, we have decided to feature the art work of Susan's sister, Nina Yankowitz at this salon. Gloria Orenstein, Contributing Editor of The Feminist Art Journal and co-founder of The Waman's Salon, will speak briefly about Nlna's visual work in relation to Susan's writing.
As usual, women only are invited to the salon. Guests are welcome. Although we urge you to subscribe to the year's programs as described in the enclosed brochure, if you are unable to do so, please bring a contribution of $1 or so to help us cover the cost of mailing, or contribute some wine or food. There will be an opportunity to talk, have wine and cheese, and meet the author from 8:OO to 9:OO P.M. The reading, itself, will begin promptly at 9:OO.
BOOK TABLE: If you have a book or magazine or other publication that you would like to show or offer for sale at the September Salon, please bring a few copies to display on our book table. Since we plan to have announcements of events of interest to women in the arts again in our monthiy NEWSLETTER, please send any such information to the address given in the brochure.
Marilyn Coffey/Erika Duncan/Karen Malpede/Gloria Orenstein/Carole Rosenthal