Take a literary stroll on the wild side.
On Friday, the powerHouse Arena in Brooklyn will host T. C. Boyle’s reading and discussion of his recently published short story collection “Wild Child” and the new paperback edition of his bestselling novel “The Women.” Located in the DUMBO neighborhood, the powerHouse Arena is an appropriate creative space for Boyle to entertain audiences of up to 500. A hybrid gallery, boutique, and performance space, the powerHouse Arena hosts a variety of artistic festivities under its spacious 24-foot ceiling.
The night will include readings from “The Women,” an account of architect Frank Lloyd Wright through the voices of his three wives and mistress. Living in the first California house designed by Wright inspired Boyle to research Wright’s “tumultuous relationships.” Of the four women, Boyle favors Wright’s second wife Miriam, who he describes as “a force from another planet … she was pretty hellacious.”
Boyle portrays the rocky lives of Wright’s four women from the unique point of view of Tadashi Sato, Wright’s Japanese apprentice, who relays the story in a reverse chronological order. “The reason is art. I don’t know what the reason is—I just do it,” Boyle said of the first person perspective.
Boyle will also read from his latest short story collection, “Wild Child.” “This speaks to the themes that I often write about, which is our place in nature and the environment,” Boyle said. Indeed, the title story “Wild Child” chronicles the life of Victor of Aveyron, a feral child found in the wilderness of Napoleonic France.
“I want to remind everyone that literature is an entertainment,” Boyle said. Refusing to refer to the upcoming event as a reading—a word he notes as having “the connotation of a drowsy classroom”—Boyle strives to entertain audience members. “I’m trying to be an actor to perform the work like you’re going to the theater.”
Susanne Konig, Arena Director of the powerHouse Arena, said that the literary reading program is a “new initiative.” The powerHouse Arena strikes a balance between “younger, urban, and hip authors” and more well-established ones. Konig said that the Arena aims to attract a young Brooklynite crowd and promises that the atmosphere at literary events is “intimate and personal.”
“If you come, I will blow you away,” Boyle said in summation. “I wouldn’t want to wear my brand new red suit for nothing.”
powerHouse Arena, 37 Main St., Brooklyn. Friday, January 29, 7-9 p.m.
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