Author Archives: Amina Sanchez

About Amina Sanchez

Amina Sanchez is the Associate Director of Programs at the Skirball. Her home and office bookshelves are all overflowing with books (but she does not claim to have read all of them). Her favorite writers are David Foster Wallace, Alice Walker, and Walter Mosley, all of whom she has had the immense pleasure of introducing on stage at the Skirball. In addition to her love of books, Amina is a music fan. She and her husband have a large, eclectic collection of music and concert ticket stubs.

Be Still My Bleeding Heart

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Champagne and roses may be synonymous with Valentine's Day, but this year, we recommend celebrating with Say the Word!

There’s a bit of a lull after the flurry of celebrations and activities of the holiday season, until suddenly, thoughts of Valentine’s Day begin to come into mind (or loom ahead, as the case may be).

At the Skirball we’re excited to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a special edition of our popular Say the Word comedic reading series entitled Bleeding Hearts, a little twist on the typical hearts-and-flowers motif. Whether you love Valentine’s Day or dread it, there’s something for you in this show. Say the Word: Bleeding Hearts is February 8—about a week before Valentine’s Day—so you have time to find a date!

I asked our Say the Word host, resident comedy maven, and goddess of love, Beth Lapides, to share some of her insights into the holiday and the Bleeding Hearts program.

Valentine’s Day: fake holiday or important day dedicated to expressing love?
Totally fake. But also, a very important day for expressing love! So, both. And that’s what keeps us interested in Valentine’s Day or any of the other Hallmark holidays—the contradiction of the authentic urge and the repulsive fake commerciality. The trick is to find ways to satisfy the one part while making fun of the other. And Say the Word is all about combining the heartfelt and the ironic twist. So, speaking of Cupid, it’s a match made in heaven!

I have one theory about Valentine’s Day. It’s actually a manifestation of our desperate longing for red in the midst of winter bleakness. Continue reading →

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A Little (Late) Night Music… Into the Night Is Back, Featuring Sea Wolf and Geographer!

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See Alex Brown Church of Sea Wolf at Into the Night: Playtime—on Friday the 13th, no less!

See Alex Brown Church of Sea Wolf at Into the Night: Playtime—on Friday the 13th, no less! Photo by Mia Kirby.

Music, especially discovering new music, is one of my greatest passions. My husband and I are music fiends. We have extremely eclectic tastes and appreciate all kinds of musical genres and styles from all over the world. His 160 gigabyte iPod Classic is full. Our iTunes library contains 72 days, 10 hours, and 32 minutes’ worth of music. That’s 25,108 songs.

As much as we enjoy collecting music and listening to recordings, there’s nothing like being at a live show, whether it’s an intimate club gathering, a stadium show, or one of the myriad venue options in between. Aside from the Skirball, some of my favorite small venues are the Bootleg Bar/Theater and the Troubadour. For medium-sized to larger venues, I like the Wiltern, Gibson Amphitheatre, and Greek Theatre.

When I’m at a concert, I get swept up, allowing the emotion and power of the music and lyrics to envelop me. I love feeling the energy between the performers and the audience. My May 22 Facebook status update—which I posted during the Lianne LaHavas show at the Bootleg—said it all: “If there’s something better than music please enlighten me!”

I haven’t tallied up the live shows we’ve attended in the first half of 2012 yet, but we’re off to a pretty good start with acts like Lianne LaHavas, Bahamas, Quantic + Alice Russell, and Robert Glasper Experiment. My better half is especially adept at scouting new sounds for us to check out and will frequently insist that we go out to see a show even after a long workday. He’s got a great track record, and has led me to discover some of my favorite bands. In 2011, we attended more than 100 performances, ranging from solo singer/songwriters in bars and clubs to major productions like the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. (The 2012 PBJF took place just a few weeks ago and Sheila E. totally stole the show with her electrifying performance and beautiful samba dancers!) One weekend last November, we saw Noel Gallagher of Oasis fame at Royce Hall and powerful Pakistani singer Riffat Sultana at the Skirball. We loved both experiences, delighting in the contrast.

With all of the amazing live shows we enjoyed last year, one of the best nights of 2011 was the Skirball’s Into the Night: Music and Magic late-night party. (It was also the night that got me back on coffee!)

Around 1,000 people showed up for a great evening of music, magic, art, and film. The roaming magicians and signature cocktails were big hits, too! For more pictures of last year’s event, scroll down…

Around 1,000 people showed up for a great evening of music, magic, art, and film. The roaming magicians and signature cocktails were big hits, too! For more pictures of last year’s event, scroll down…Photo by Jared Steven.

Excited that DJ Anthony Valadez will be back this year! Here he is last year in a moody haze of lights.

Excited that DJ Anthony Valadez will be back this year! Here he is last year in a moody haze of lights. Photo by Jared Steven.

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Report from Secret Headquarters: Craig Thompson Loves Gloria Estefan

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Graphic novel and comic book retailer Secret Headquarters (SHQ) are not only big fans of Craig Thompson but seem to know a lot about him. In a blog post expressing excitement that Craig will be at the Skirball late next week, our SHQ friends shared this funny “little primer” on our illustrious speaker.

Born: 1975 in Traverse City, Michigan Continue reading →

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Shalom, We’ve Been Waiting for You… and We Have a Few Questions

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Hope: A Tragedy book coverFor the past few years, several colleagues have repeatedly asked me to schedule Shalom Auslander to speak at the Skirball, suggesting him for this program or that, and sending around his hilarious, irreverent Tablet Magazine articles and essays. So when his publicist called a few months ago to tell me about Auslander’s book tour in support of his debut novel, Hope: A Tragedy, I didn’t have to think twice. Yes, of course we would like to have him speak! Auslander is a prolific writer, known for his story collection, Beware of God; his memoir, Foreskin’s Lament; and his regular contributions to Tablet, This American Life, GQ, The Guardian, and The New York Times. But he had yet to publish a novel. The world has been waiting! So much so that I really couldn’t disagree with his publisher’s proclamation that the publication of Hope: A Tragedy is a “highly-anticipated literary event.” It is! For those who are familiar with Auslander’s work, the novel features his trademark edginess, dark humor, and outlandish characters and situations. There’s also a deep underlying insight. Janet Maslin does a great job of discussing the book’s themes in her New York Times review.

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