Housing Works Bookstore Cafe Announces Safe Space Series

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe announces "Safe Space", a new series for classical musicians and authors to benefit Housing Works. 

The inaugural event will be held January 9, 2012, with pianist Jonathan Biss and author Adam Haslett.

Monday, January 9, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street between Houston and Prince streets, 212-334-3324

$12 tickets guarantee admission but not seating, which will be on a first-come first-served basis. All ticket sales benefit Housing Works in their mission to fight AIDS and homelessness.

To purchase tickets in advance, please click here.

Join classical pianist Jonathan Biss and novelist Adam Haslett (Union Atlantic, You Are Not a Stranger Here, a finalist for the National Book Award and for the Pulitzer Prize) for the debut of a new Housing Works Bookstore Cafe series, Safe Space: a chance for classical music and literature fans to get a taste of each others' worlds. There will be a musical performance, a reading, and an open conversation about the intersection of music and literature.

New York City is a playground of culture, but we often end up stuck in the familiar; hopping from reading to reading, going to shows at one venue. There’s whole other worlds out there of inspiring art, but how does one know where to begin? Opera and concert ticket prices can be prohibitively high for a rookie, and there’s dozens of readings every night throughout the city. Safe Space aims to provide an answer: an intimate, personal evening with a classical musician in conversation with a hand-picked author, on music, literature, influence, and the artistic life. It's a chance for classical fans to see musicians in a new setting and perhaps become acquainted with a new favorite writer; and for literary types to sample classical music in a familiar, low-impact setting and to see writers in a unique context.

In addition to the inaugural event on January 9, there will be two more Safe Space events this spring; we are finalizing details for an event February 13, 2012, with pianist Jeremy Denk, as well as a third in March.

Adam Haslett is the author of the national best-selling novel Union Atlantic and the short story collection You Are Not a Stranger Here, which was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award. In 2011 he was a Berlin Prize Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Fine Arts Work Center and is the recipient of a PEN/Malamud Award. His work has been translated into eighteen languages. He lives in New York City.

Jonathan Biss is widely regarded for his artistry and deeply felt interpretations, winning international recognition for his orchestral, recital, and chamber music performances and for his award-winning recordings. This year, he began a nine-year project of recording all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas. The first CD of the project will be released by Onyx Classics on January 9, the day of this event. Music and writing have also recently intersected in his own life with the release of a "Kindle Single" he authored called Beethoven's Shadow now available at Amazon.

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe is one of downtown New York’s most vital cultural institutions, presenting an eclectic mix of events -- from readings and concerts to comedy nights and storytelling competitions – featuring many of today’s most exciting artists. The bookstore is staffed almost entirely by volunteers and 100 percent of its profits go to Housing Works, Inc., which provides housing, healthcare, job training, and advocacy for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. As an independent cultural center, it offers patrons a unique opportunity to join the fight against AIDS and homelessness simply by buying or donating books; eating at our cafe; coming to concerts, readings, and special events; or volunteering on our staff.