April Lindner

After yesterday's book signing in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Andre and I set off a little adventure with our son Eli and his girlfriend Samantha.  Our first stop was Mullen Books, Inc ., in Columbia, Pennsylvania, a homey river town not far from Lancaster. Old freight elevator Mullen Books is owned by Kevin Mullen, the brother of an old college friend of ours, the brilliant representational painter James Mullen: Thomas Bay MDI , 2009, oil on canvas Though our visit was an impromptu one, Kevin welcomed us warmly and gave us a tour of his storefront and all that lies behind it.  Like Jim, Kevin is drawn to beautiful things.  His warehouse is full of surprises, like this antique safe: And this wax cylinder phonograph, which he demonstrated for us: But the main attraction at Mullen Books, Inc., is, of course, the books.  Kevin's stock is varied, but at its heart is the most enormous, enticing collection of art books imaginable. Just on...

On this, the last official day of spring break (weekends don't count), I thought I'd share a poem inspired by a piece of art that has fascinated me ever since I encountered it in Art History 101.  A couple of years ago, I tracked the sculpture down to its home, Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome, and everything that was mind boggling about it in photographs is even more so in person--the body language, the facial expressions, and especially the various textures of cloth, cloud, wing, and flesh. So I wrote this poem:  St. Theresa in Ecstasy after Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini The angel, when he comes at last in a trumpet blast of light glistens like a newborn, smooth of cheek and chest, his slender waist cinched in wind-washed gauze.   She’d willed this visit, prayed for days, refusing sleep and food.   Now he appears beside her, naked arm drawn back. His fingertips caress a spear, point it at her heart; his smile betrays amuseme...

Yesterday, I published part one of an interview with photographer Howard Dinin, on the occasion of the publication of his new book of photography, Sitting .  Today, I lead with the photo above, for how it captures the cafe experience--a community of solitary people, each wrapped up in his own thoughts.  Of all the many kinds of sitting, that one in is my personal favorite, so of course I love this photo and envy the people in it.  I also love the dappled sunlight, the cafe's weathered wood and cobblestones, and the way the picture manages to be both warm and cool at once. Now here is part two, for your reading enjoyment: *** AL: When we left off, yesterday, you were telling me about the organizing principle to  Sitting. HD: I’m an adherent of the school of thought that clings to the theory that there’s no such thing as logic.   Logic is backfill.   We know what to do, we know where we’re going to get, and we get ...

Howard Dinin (photograph by Melissa Goldthwaite) Howard Dinin wears many hats—photographer, college professor, creative director of ad agencies, editor of magazines, gourmet cook, and husband to my dear friend, the writer Melissa Goldthwaite.  Though I’ve been admiring Howard’s photography for a while now, I grew particularly intrigued when I learned that he had recently published a book of his photographs, called Sitting.   So I invited Howard to sit down for an interview, and he graciously complied.  *** AL: How did you come up with the idea for Sitting ? HD:   The book actually is serving a very practical ulterior purpose.   It has nothing to do with wanting to produce a book of art, though I suppose that’s always an intention.   It actually has to do with my strategy for marketing my magazine, which I’ve been working on for fifteen years.   I’m thinking very seriously of doing a crowd source effort for the magazine, which...

Kelly Hadden, Self Portrait Today I talk to photographer Kelly Hadden about her cityscapes, and the relationship between her love of literature and her photography. AL: Your cityscapes of New York are really distinctive. What do you look for when you’re shooting in the city? KH:  They are? Thank you. That's a huge compliment. Especially since I'm really trying to do more street photography and know how much more I have to learn. But I do what I tend to do in every aspect of any artwork I'm working on, which is to just go with my gut. I don't know if what I see is anything special to anyone else, but if I am excited by something, not so different than in shooting people, if what I see through my lens makes me feel something that excites me (whether it's beauty, fear, or my favorite, when I can catch it, juxtaposition), I take it without thinking.  I've always said that New York City separates itself from all other citie...

Kelly Hadden I’ll admit it: The first time I encountered Kelly Hadden, at a Del-Lords concert at Bowery Electric, I was jealous.   T all, cool, and confident, she slipped through the crowd, intently shooting the show from every angle.  I wanted to be her. The next day, Kelly’s dynamic black and white photographs of the show were all over Facebook, which was how I learned her name and became acquainted with her work.   A glimpse at her website  will give you a sense of her range.  In addition to her stunning concert photography and portraiture, she takes evocative landscapes of the American West and thrilling cityscapes of Manhattan.   I thought it would be fun to share some of Kelly’s photos, and, while I’m at it, to interview her.  Kelly has been very generous about answering my questions,   Today we'll discuss her concert photography; tomorrow we'll move on to her cityscapes. Grant Lee Phillips (formerly of Grant Lee Bu...