Celebrating Ten Years Killing the Buddha tin anniversary spectacular Eileen Myles! Gangstagrass!
6-word spiritual Gabriel journeys! Eugene Kahane! Mirman!
Auction!
And more!
Danica Novgorodoff
2000-2010 ... and beyond! Spectacular Host Committee KtBniks Paul Morris and Quince Mountain, co-chairs Founding Editors Nicholas Boggs (Dixon Place) Peter Manseau Kira Brunner Don (Lapham’s Quarterly) Jeff Sharlet Melvin Bukiet (author, Sandman’s Dust and others) Cynthia Daignault (Last Exit) Senior Editors Timothy Don (Lapham’s Quarterly) Quince Mountain Michael W. Hudson (author, The Monster) Nathan Schneider Brigid Hughes (A Public Space) Meera Subramanian Kathryn Joyce (author, Quiverfull) Lewis Lapham (Harpers, Lapham’s Quarterly) Associate Editor Alane Mason (W. W. Norton) Ashley Makar Rick Moody (author, The Ice Storm and others) Ann Neumann (The Revealer) Special Projects Danica Novgorodoff (author,Slow Storm and others) Director Pat Oleszko (variously: nincompope, nun-of-that) Paul W. Morris Stephen Prothero (author, God is Not One and others) Circulation Manager Frank Schaeffer (author,Patience with God and others) Garrett Baer Larry Smith (SMITH) Rob Spillman (Tin House) Contributing Editors Darcy Steinke (author, Suicide Blonde and others) Mark Bergen Michael Vazquez (Bidoun) Patton Dodd Erik Hanson Alex Rose Cocktail Hour & Auction Preview Laurel Snyder Mary Valle Cupcakes by Jenny Bee’s Bakery Jeff Wilson Buddha-killing Mixologists Editorial Intern Jeannie O’Halloran (“The Bloody Buddha”) Jessica Miller Rarian Rakista (“Cloudy Day”) Amanda Schuster (“Blood & Sacrifice”) And Poster & Program Design Danica Novgorodoff www.danicanovgorodoff.com
Video Design David Olson
Stage Manager Saving the planet one dessert at a time! Kurt Bradley Life-Friendly Alternative Baking Event Support Always Vegan and Always Made With Love Ben Van Heuvelen 914.309.9532 Rachel Signer [email protected]
JennyI never Bee’s believed for Bakery a minute. —TheChrisValle What-ing the Who?
The idea of “killing the Buddha” comes from a famous Zen line, the context of which is easy to imagine. After years on his cushion, a monk has what he believes is a breakthrough: a glimpse of nirvana, the Buddhamind, the big pay-off. Reporting the experience to his master, however, he is informed that what has happened is par for the course, nothing special, maybe even damaging to his pursuit. And then the master gives the student dismaying advice: If you meet the Buddha, he says, kill him.
Why kill the Buddha? Because the Buddha you meet is not the true Buddha, but an expression of your longing. If this Buddha is not killed he will only stand in your way.
Why Killing the Buddha? For our purposes, killing the Buddha is a metaphor for moving past the complacency of belief or unbelief, for struggling honestly with the fact of religion. It’s everywhere around us, like it or not. For ten years, Killing the Buddha has been struggling with religion through essays, fiction, reportage, and photography. We preach no dogma other than the need to tell great stories.
A Note on the Six-Word Testimonies: In the spirit of SMITH Magazine‘s Six-Word Memoir® project, KtB invited readers to describe their spiritual journeys--in six words (or less). A selection of responses is included thoughout this program.
Catholicism like herpes: flaring or dormant. —Mary Valle The Decadent
Invocation by Reverend Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou 1 Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou is the Senior Minister of Lemuel Haynes Congrega- tional Church (UCC) in South Jamaica Queens, New York. He is a third-genera- tion ordained Elder in the Church of God in Christ. Rev. Sekou holds fellowships with the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, The Fellowship of Reconciliation, and the Institute for Policy Studies. His forthcoming book is Gods, Gays, and Guns: Religion and the Future of Democracy. Gabriel Kahane 2 Gabriel Kahane writes and performs music. Current projects include commissions for Kronos Quartet, Los Angeles Philharmonic, American Composers’ Orchestra, and a musical, February House, which will premiere at the Public Theater in the Fall of 2011. He is a 2010 MacDowell Colony Fellow. Eileen Myles 3 Eileen Myles’ Inferno (a poet’s novel) is out this fall from orbooks.com. She lives in New York. David Prince, Attempt at Perpetual Motion, video (2009) 4 David Prince is a sculptor, explorer, lumberjack, amateur scientist, community arts advocate, and inventor, whose artworks aim to offer creative and often fantastical solutions to both real and impossible situations. He received an MFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2006 and a BA from Colorado College in 2001 and currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Eugene Mirman 5 Eugene Mirman is a comedian, writer, and the world’s foremost Eugene-named entertainer. Sometimes, he acts. He played the landlord on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords and had his own half-hour special on Comedy Central. Currently, he’s a regular on Adult Swim’s Delocated and does the voice of Gene on Fox’s upcoming animated series Bob’s Burgers. In 2009 the Village Voice (with its dying breath) named Eugene the Best New York City comedian.
Official KtB Spectacular Cocktail Blood & Sacrifice Blended Scotch (Dewars will do) Orange Juice Italian Amaro (Nonino, Nardini, Mirto, or even an Italian vermouth like Carpano Antico) Dash of orange or Angustura bitters
Submitted by Amanda Schuster (www.peachesplums.blogspot.com)
Bumping into things in the dark. —Jay Decalogue
Gangstagrass featuring tomasia 6 Gangstagrass is a bluegrass/hip-hop hybrid famous for making the theme song to the hit FX Network series Justified. Tomasia is a Brooklyn- based hip-hop emcee and activist featured on several Gangstagrass tracks. 7 Larry Smith and six-word testimonies Larry Smith is the founder of SMITH Magazine (smithmag.net), an online community obsessed with personal storytelling, and home of the Six- Word Memoir® project and book series. A word from the KtBniks 8 Colonel Q’s Live Auction Col. Quince Mountain is a KtB senior editor 9 who graduated from Worldwide College of Auctioneering in 1996. Bitch and the lighting of the menorah 10 Bitch is a performance artist who has toured the world with her music, as Bitch, Bitch and Animal, and Bitch and The Exciting Conclusion. She has released records on Kill Rock Stars, Righteous Babe Records, and now her own label, Short Story Records. She is currently writing a play, and making a documentary about one of her idols, Ferron.
Six-Word Testifiers
Vivian Chum Ann Neumann Erik Hanson Josh Garrett-Davis Kathryn Joyce Lisa Qiu and more! Piper Kerman Mary Valle the Lumberjack Michael Vazquez Ashley Makar Brook Wilensky-Lanford Paul Morris Alexander Zaitchik Rench
I know nothing and am grateful. —Adam Svherr Killing the Buddha Timeline
November 13, 2000 September, 2001 Peter Manseau, Jeff Sharlet, and Jeremy 9/10: Jeff and Peter sell Killing the Buddha: A Heretic’s Bible to Brothers launch Killing the Buddha. Free Press. 9/11: Jeff moves from Washington to NYC as a new base of operations for the book. After 9/11: KtB publishes several pieces about the attacks that are republished across the country. write to road trip across the country Jeff and Peter set off on a Winter–Summer, 2002 January 9, 2008 June 1, 2008 A Heretic’s Bible KtB dies. KtB resurrects under plea for tech help. longtime KtB fan, responds to Brooklyn. Nathan Schneider, a reading at Pacific Standard in Resurrection celebrated with a August 5, 2008 leadership of Meera Songs
(2009). Subramanian, Ashley Makar, and Marissa Kantor-Dennis. The Buddhist . (2005) and Vows Sima’s Undergarments for Sima’s readers and their dogs. to invite both the first KtB launch party at the Nook & Cranny Backyard Box— Conklin’s KtB publishes its first pamphlet, Lydia April, 2010 The Living Cain quadrupled by the summer. KtB redesign launched. Traffic 16, 2009 January (2004), Peter Manseau’s (2004), Peter Manseau’s , with a party , with a party (2008), Ilana Stranger-Ross’s (2008), Ilana Stranger-Ross’s Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement The Family My Faith So Far Coverage” at the Farimont Hotel in San Francisco. Independent Spirit Award for “Best Online Cultural Jeff Sharlet and Paul Morris accept an 18, 2003 January (2006), Jeff Sharlet’s (2006), Jeff Sharlet’s (2008), and Kathryn Joyce’s (2008), and Kathryn Joyce’s (2002), Patton Dodd’s (2002), Patton Dodd’s December 7, 2010
Half/Life Tonight—the Tin 2009-2010 KtB hosts 17 free public events, including a writing contest with the Rubin Museum, a Medieval Iberian music performance in a Brooklyn church, panel discussion on the Prison-Spirituality hour a happy Chicago, and in Baltimore and Complex, readings in LA. The magazine publishes more and regularly than ever before. Anniversary Spectacular!
Splendored Thing
Poisson Rouge. Released by Beacon Press on July 1. July on Press Beacon by Released Rouge. Poisson Utne Reader
launch party in New York City at Le Le at City York New in party launch Faith of Margins
What Happened to Anna K. Believer, Beware: First-Person Dispatches from the the from Dispatches First-Person Beware: Believer, (2008), Laurel Snyder’s (2008), Laurel Snyder’s 2009 29, June
(2000), Bia Lowe’s (2000), Bia Lowe’s
(2008), Irina Reyn’s (2008), Irina Reyn’s
launched with a party at Amy Scheibe’s house. Scheibe’s Amy at party a with launched
is published and and published is Bible Heretic’s A Buddha: the Killing
2000–2009 A number of editors and contributors began publishing books their own that comprise the larger KtB canon, including Jeff Wilson’s Guide to New York Daughter for the Butcher’s Women January 13, 2004 13, January Onward and Upward...
With your support, we hope to continue what we’re doing and to take KtB to new heights, such as:
• enhancing KtB’s prison writing program and publishing more work from marginalized communities; • sponsoring retreats to support large-scale projects by KtB contributors; • hosting a broader variety of media (increased video/audio/visual art); • organizng more events, including readings, art exhibits, film screenings, and lectures around the country; • continuing to collaborate with major publishing houses to produce more original books and anthologies; • publishing new chapbooks and pamphlets.
Join us for the next decade of Buddha-killing!
Enough answers already; need more questions. —Cathy Griffith Judaism: Every bagel has its hole. —Trixie Sponsors Media Sponsors Auction Donors
Archbishop ($1,000+) Rita Beaber Anonymous Dixon Place Anonymous Joanna Ebenstein Mani & Ruth Subramanian Becky Garrison Steve Giovinco Imam ($500+) Jenny Bee’s Bakery Anonymous Molly Larkey Marc Pilaro Brahmin ($100+) Mary Quarterly Julie Byrne Susan Morningstar Micky Cooper Penguin Group Valerie Cortes Graham & Alyce Santoro Bryan Amren Graham Adam Shiverdecker Bill Mazza Margaret Valle Mary Valle James J. Williams III and more!
We are all made of stars. —D. McConeghy