Extra Lives: Why Videogames Matter: I send Erik Henriksen to interview local author Tom Bissell about his book on videogames, and Erik comes back four hours later after having played Dead Space all afternoon. Bissell's book is by all accounts amazing—I know I really enjoyed the excerpt I read in a recent issue of Tin House (hit that link for an excerpt of the excerpt)—and Erik's profile is a great read. Stay tuned for a full transcript of their conversation.
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: New Aimee Bender! It's foodie fiction, kind of, but written by Aimee Bender so it does not make you want to rip your tongue out. Here's a decent interview with Bender, talking about food.
THEATER!
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: I loved this show. It's delightful. And don't forget the real National Spelling Bee, tomorrow at 8 pm on ABC. (Are any bars showing that, BTW? I realize how lame that sounds, but... seriously, anywhere?)
Face Façade: Our regular visual arts writer is on vacation, so we tried out a new guy this week. Sam Korman reviews Natascha Snellman's show at Fourteen30 Contemporary.
And a few of our art picks: An exhibit of Farel Dalrymple's work opens at Floating World tonight; also tonight, comedian Yoram Bauman, AKA the "Stand Up Ecomist," does a benefit for the Oregon Center for Public Policy (tickets here) and Richard Russo reads at the Cedar Hills Powell's. On Saturday, Disjecta opens an exhibit showcasing work from 2010 graduates of PSU's MFA in Contemporary Art Practice program, Grown Ups. There's also "Live Erotic Bodypainting" at my new favorite venue tonight.
