The legendary “rolling wine bar” at Ralph’s market downtown has been reactivated from time to time in 2010 by its superlative host Mike Berger, like a rock star dropping in unexpectedly to play a stunning set of live music unbilled. This week Mr. Berger is announcing two winery-themed tastings: tonight, Wednesday the 14th, and Friday [...]
Author Archives: Alec Silverman
The Extraordinary Case Of Mike Berger
December 25, 2009 – 12:05 pm
FOREWORD BY STAN LERNER: downtownster does not celebrate its first birthday until February, but I still feel compelled to post the TEN BEST downtownster blogs of 2009. And while I think all of our blogs have been great, these are the ones that readers read the most and gave us the highest level of props [...]
Scenes From The DFFLA
September 9, 2009 – 8:38 pm
Foreword by Stan Lerner: before I embarked on the “Road To Nowhere” I left the trusty Alec Silverman to record for all of us the last half of the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival. Upon my recent return to Los Angeles he proffered the following account. Well, I got in on the tail-end at the [...]
More Short Short Fiction of Catherine Coan
August 31, 2009 – 11:30 pm
One thing I found surprising about Catherine Coan’s short short stories was the variety of voices and writing styles therein. I, on the other hand, seem to write “…all one, ever the same and keep invention in a noted weed…”, if I may quote the English language’s most famous sonneteer. The next surprise came in [...]
Poets on the Corner of 5th and Main
August 26, 2009 – 12:56 pm
On Thursday, August 27th, at eight- o’clock, The Third Area presents the last poetry reading of the summer at Pharmaka gallery on the corner of 5th and Main. This is an extraordinary opportunity for readers to get a dose of vital and utterly current poetry read by the top notch poets themselves, in a setting [...]
Goodbye, Wine Lovers
August 25, 2009 – 8:33 am
The last days of great wine tasting are this week at Ralphs downtown. Don’t miss it or you’ll never be able to say to your grandchildren that you were there. That you had Mike Berger personally pour your wine; that you met the “whole sick crew” of regulars who later became legendary for their association [...]
Grade School Memories ─ Dogbite
August 24, 2009 – 10:01 am
For Diane Schneider McArdle At Colfax Avenue Elementary School in North Hollywood I had Mrs. Grover as my fifth-grade teacher. Mrs. Grover was the most elderly, in appearance, of anyone who taught me before college with her fully grey head of thick hair and her leathery pruned face and old fashioned eyeglasses. She was [...]
The Flash Fiction of Catherine Coan
August 23, 2009 – 5:51 pm
“This is really short short fiction”, I remarked to myself as I read the stories below by artist, poet, author and educator, Catherine Coan. I was immediately inspired to compose short introductions à la Rod Serling. “Imagine if you will…” The first of the three featured stories speaks to the collapse of the real estate [...]
Got More Poetry
August 17, 2009 – 12:15 pm
A reminder to poetry lovers, Pharmaka has “The Third Area” poetry reading featuring four poets with wine and noshes on Thursday, August 27th. Below the info are two poems new to downtownster by famous Persian poets. Pharmaka Gallery 101 West 5th Street (corner of 5th and main) Los Angeles (213) 689-7999 “The Third Area” poetry [...]
Artwalkin’ with Stan ’n’ Al
August 14, 2009 – 6:23 pm
This morning I am writing in pain. That’s better than writhing in pain, but in this case, they are not far apart. I was involved in a single-pedestrian accident on the sidewalk in front of Arty gallery last night. The official report states that alcohol was not a contributing factor. The victim had a blood-alcohol [...]
