LYST 121
Chanting with Tina Turner, Cookbook Store Culture, Betye Saar at 100, Horny 80s television, and more.
OMNIVORE BOOKS
Some of the most interesting culture right now is being served up at cookbook stores. In LA, we have Now Serving, which has an excellent selection of books alongside kitchen tools and pantry staples (I love these). Their event calendar is always strong, and because of the LA–San Francisco food world overlap, it often mirrors the author gatherings at another store I am currently obsessed with: Omnivore Books. Founded by Celia Sack and inspired by her passion for antiquarian cookbooks, Omnivore goes far beyond the expected new-release shelves. Their online archive alone is a rabbit hole: a signed first edition from Wolfgang Puck, a charming 1898 guide for hosting “socials,” and vintage Italian cooking tomes by Ada Boni. I already know this will be one of my first stops the next time I’m in San Francisco. And if you happen to be there sooner, don’t miss their José Andrés conversation on May 21.
BETYE SAAR TURNS 100
Los Angeles artist Betye Saar turns 100 this year, and several institutions are marking the occasion with exhibitions and events that expand the conversation around her work. Roberts Projects opens Let’s Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar later this month, focusing on costume and design pieces from the late 1960s and early ’70s, many tied to Los Angeles’s Inner City Cultural Center. At the same time, The New York Historical unveiled an exhibition centered on Saar’s decades-long collection of Black dolls, objects that appear throughout her assemblage work and personal archive. Beyond the work most people immediately recognize, there are sketchbooks, prints, costumes, travel journals, and collections layered throughout her career. I look forward to learning more about this incredible artist and mother.
MORE WONDER BRINGERS (A FEW TO START…)
A LOOK Sean Bean hosts the UK’s top birdwatching podcast, and he also reads poetry about birds, like Emily Dickinson’s Hope is the Thing with Feathers • A LISTEN Last week, I shared a musing on field recordings. Here’s an opportunity to try it out at The Greystone Mansion on Saturday • A TASTE While we wait for Chainsaw to open their wine bar, they have a new drink that started as a joke, but sounds real serious
