215 Festival | 2006

215 Festival Kickoff:
Amy Sedaris WITH John Hodgman, John Coulton and David Rees

7 pm, Free Library of Philadelphia, 19th & Vine Streets, FREE

Multi-talented actress and writer Amy Sedaris will present her new book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, with John Hodgman, host and curator of "The Little Gray Book Lectures," and author of The Areas of My Expertise. Also appearing: David Rees, creator of the political comic strip, Get Your War On, and John Coulton, musician, composer, and musical director of "The Little Gray Book Lectures."

The Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret at L'Etage

9pm, L'Etage, 2nd floor of Beau Monde, 6th & Bainbridge Streets, $10

Kick back at the official Kickoff after-party with the Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret, a bizarre monthly assemblage of Philadelphia's finest musicians, actors, chanteuses, and one-legged chickens, all led by Pig Iron Theatre Company's 6'4" (6'8" in heels) Dito van Reigersberg. This month's cabaret will welcome special guests The Walking Hellos, whose four Brooklyn musicians include Myla Goldberg, author of the bestselling Bee Season, and Val Opielski, whom Philly musicheads will remember from Krakatoa and the Lost Art of Puppet Orchestra. The cabaret will also feature a performance by those strange Philly kids, the Absinthe Drinkers, who spawn catchy, original songs from works of literature ancient and modern.

Bambi Gallery: Blush

5:30-9:30 pm, Bambi Gallery, 1817 Frankford Ave. (Fishtown), Philadelphia, FREE

Blush is... a sudden reddening of the face, a glance or look, a rosy wine, pink lady's rouge and so much more. At Bambi Gallery's opening for the art exhibition, Blush, artists explore language and show us all the things that one word can be.

Face Gut: Honeymilk Gallery

5-9 pm, Honeymilk Gallery, 37 N. 3rd St., Old City, FREE

It's First Friday, time for Face Gut - a collaboration between artists A.J. Purdy and Jason Hsu, combining their individual obsessions: stylized intestinal forms, and totemic face drawings. Often aiming toward an anti-aesthetic, Purdy and Hsu's drawings range from meticulous to crude and combine base of humor with subversive morbidity that is intricate, graphic and psychedelic. In conjunction with the 215 Festival, Honeymilk celebrates the bound book with a little library of zines by various artists including Face Gut visionaries Hsu and Purdy.

It With Flowers: Big Jar Gallery Opening

6-9 pm, Big Jar Books, 55 N. 2nd St., Old City, FREE

Curator Damian Weinkrantz presents an exhibition of visual storytellers featuring Jim Houser, Martha Rich, Mat Brinkman, Keith Shore, Andrew J. Wright, Keith Greiman, Joel Holland and Kyle Field.

David Ezra Stein Reads a Bedtime Story

7 pm, Molly's Bookstore, 1010 S. 9th St., South Philadelphia, FREE

Hey Kids! Come hear a bedtime story just like an old-fashioned radio show. Children's book author and illustrator, David Ezra Stein, will be present his new picture book, Cowboy Ned and Andy, as a live performance complete with music and sound effects. Come in your pajamas if you'd like, and join us for cookies and milk before going home to bed.

Volunteer with Books Through Bars

11am-3pm, Books Through Bars, 4722 Baltimore Ave., West Philadelphia, FREE

Start the day with a good deed! Help Books Through Bars sort and pack books to send to incarcerated people.

Taller Puertorriqueno's 20th Annual Book and Craft Fair

1-5 pm, Taller Puertorriqueno, 2721 N. 5th Street, North Philadelphia, FREE

Nuyorican poet, Victor Hernandez Cruz, will present his most recent poetry collection, The Mountain in the Sea, which incorporates Spanish and English as well as Arabic and North African traditions. Plus, storytelling, stilt-walking, local and Puerto Rican artisans, and workshops for the whole family. Also, the region's only fully bilingual bookshop will be open to explore.

Plan B. Press Showcase at Robin's Bookstore

2-4 pm, Robin's Bookstore, 108 S. 13th St., Center City, Philadelphia, FREE

Plan B Press peels back and inspects the layers of language as writers Jim Mancinelli, Sandy Crimmins, Ryan Eckes, and stevenallenmay read new work. Experimental synths, tapes, mixer, and horn from West Philadelphia's Rain of Belle Isle. Plan B Press is dedicated to publishing, promoting, and presenting the work of authors at the beginning of their careers.

Hobart Release Party

3-5 pm, Big Jar Books, 55 N. 2nd St., Old City, Philadelphia, FREE

Release party for the winner of Hobart's Short Flight/Long Drive Books minibook contest: Michelle Orange's The Sicily Papers, as well as the new issue of Hobart: Another Literary Journal. Michelle will read from the series of letters, written while traveling alone through Sicily. Readers will also include Hobart #6 contributors Douglas Light, Curtis Smith, Catherine Zeidler, and Hobart editor, Aaron Burch. There will also be a raffle and boombox!

Art Talk with Artblog and Friends

6 pm, Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine Street, South Philadelphia, FREE

Artblog creators, Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof, talk with other Philadelphia artists and independent organizations about the relationship between blogging and their projects. Also contemporary artists, Zoe Strauss and Mark Shetabi, discuss what it's like to be the subject of critical writing.

Comics! Comics! Comics!

4:30-6:30pm, Rocket Cat Cafe, 2001 Frankford Ave., Fishtown, Philadelphia, FREE

The editors of the comics journal, Comics Comics, present a conversation with Pshaw, David Heatley and Lauren Weinstein. Pshaw is the author of Strings Heatley is the author of Deadpan and Weinstein is the author of Inside Vineyland. Plus, a performance by artist Matthew Thurber and a guide to Comics Comics by Dan Nadel, Timothy Hodler and Frank Santoro. On exhibit at Rocket Cat: comics art by Alina Josan and Aaron Modavis.

Readings From the Abyss

7:00pm, Germ Books + Gallery, 308 E. Girard Ave., Fishtown, Philadelphia, FREE

Local talents will read selected literature (ancient to modern) about sinister things. From De Sade to Snodgrass, from Nietzsche to Crowley, the "banality" of evil will be thoroughly disproved. "When you look into the abyss, the abyss looks into you," but frankly we don't care.

Polly Wants a Murder: NYC Writers Mimic the Masters

9:00pm, Fiume (above Abyssinia), 229 S. 46th St., West Philadelphia, FREE

Writers are shape-shifters, changelings, chameleons. Philadelphia's own Kate Clifford along with NYC writers John Wray, Owen Kendall, Phil Kreniske and Adrian Van Young take this principle to a whole new level as they inhabit forebears from Stephen King to Jane Austen to explore the dark side of the human heart. Skullduggery, double-crossings and murder most foul will be the order of the day. No P.I.'s, no Homicide Squad and absolutely no children, unless, that is, they've read their Brothers Grimm.

Lovingly Bound: Small Press Book Fair and Reading from Soft Skull Press

1-5pm, Rosenbach Museum and Library, 2008-2010 DeLancey Place (between Pine and Spruce), Center City, Philadelphia, FREE

Shop for books, each one independently published and lovingly bound, at the 215 Festival's Small Press Book Fair. Browse tables from indie publishers, including Soft Skull Press and Philly's own Active Bladder, and stock up on bags, buttons, bookmarks and other literary-themed goods from local crafters. At 4pm, catch a reading by three Soft Skull authors, Jen Benka, CAConrad, and Mark Swartz.

Word On Sound: Readings from Robert Christgau and Francis Davis, with music by Jack Rose

3-5:30 pm, A.K.A. Music, 27 N. 2nd St., Old City, Philadelphia, FREE

"The Dean of American Rock Critics", Robert Christgau and jazz critic, Francis Davis will share from their careers in music writing. Plus a special performance by Fishtown's own Jack Rose, who blends American blues and folk styles with Eastern and Western elements. Catch these genre-defining voices in American pop culture and leading figure in the Weird American folk-blues scene on stage at A.K.A. Music for an afternoon of wit, constructive criticism, and of course -- music.

Amateur Spelling Bee and Festival Wrap Party, Hosted by April DeGideo

8pm-midnight, Tritone, 1508 South Street, FREE to get in, $5 to compete

A-P-P-O-G-G-I-A-T-U-R-A. We promise not to make it that difficult. Come celebrate the closing of the 215 Festival. Compete in the amateur spelling bee, hit the dance floor, or just sit back, have a drink and root for your favorite bookworm. The spelling bee will be hosted by word wiz and Ambler, PA native, April DeGideo, who was featured in the documentary Spellbound. The winner takes home a bundle of books and CDs from our performers.

Jen Benka

Jen Benka, author of the award-winning indy comic book Manya, combines poetry and politics in her work. She has worked for the National Abortion Rights League and co-organized a major reading in protest of the Occupation of Iraq during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. She has published poems in The Progressive, Ms. Magazine, La Petite Zine, Failbetter, Unpleasant Events Schedule, Tarapulin Sky (forthcoming), So to Speak, and Off Our Backs, and was the recipient of a poetry fellowship from the Wisconsin Arts Board.

Mat Brinkman

Mat Brinkman was born in Texas; lives in Providence, Rhode Island. He outputs various arts: printmaking, sculpture, film, music and became a comic artist who depicts lots of monsters, as can be seen in his comic MultiForce, a few of which are collected in Teratoid Heights, published by Highwater Books. Mat Brinkman is a founding member of the artist group Fort Thunder, a member of Forcefield (which showed at the Whitney 2002), publisher of the influential, (and free!) comic paper Paper Rodeo, and soundmaker with the band Mindflayer.

Aaron Burch

Aaron Burch is the editor of the literary journal Hobart ("Another Literary Journal") and has stories upcoming in Quick Fiction and Monkey Bicycle. He would like to hang out with you.

Robert Christgau

Robert Christgau, the architect of The Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll, book author, and self-proclaimed Dean of American Rock Critics, is as much an originator of the often-hysterical form as he is a practitioner.

photo credit: Julie Xanthos/The Village Voice

Kate Clifford

Kate Clifford grew up in Hell's Kitchen when it was still seedy. She has chased that elusive seediness to South Philadelphia, where she enjoys riding bikes, drinking coffee and talking to her neighbors.

C.A. Conrad

C.A. Conrad's childhood included selling cut flowers along the highway for his mother and helping her shoplift. He escaped to Philadelphia the first chance he got, where he lives and writes today with the PhillySound poets. His books Advanced Elvis Course and The Frank Poems are forthcoming. He recently co-authored The B. Franklin Basement Tapes with Frank Sherlock for NEXUS Gallery in Philadelphia. C.A. Conrad will read from Deviant Propulsion.

photo credit: Greg Fuchs

Jonathan Coulton

Jonathan Coulton's songs about pedantic zombies, lovelorn evil geniuses, and depressed software engineers have made him a real life internet superstar. For the past year he has written a new song every week and released it for free as a podcast called "Thing a Week." In his spare time he is musical director for "The Little Gray Book Lectures" and Contributing Troubadour for Popular Science magazine.

Sandy Crimmins

Sandy Crimmins is a poet who has peformed with musicians, dancers and fire-eaters at bars, bookstores and festivals like the 215 and the Fringe. She has published poems in print, literary web zines, and anthologies including String Theory with Plan B Press in winter 2005.

Francis Davis

Francis Davis, contributing editor and writer for The Atlantic Monthly, and jazz critic for The Village Voice has written for a variety of publications on subjects ranging from Hoagy Carmichael to the Velvet Underground. He is quite possibly the unflashiest journalist working - a rare honor right about now.

Ryan Eckes

Ryan Eckes is a poet, born and raised in Philadelphia. He currently studies and teaches at Temple University. He has a chapbook of poems that take place in the city forthcoming from Plan B Press.

Roberta Fallon

Roberta Fallon has been art critic for Philadelphia Weekly for the last seven years and Philadelphia correspondent for artnet magazine since 2000. She has written for Art on Paper, Art Review, Art and Antiques and Azure magazines, and for the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday magazine. Fallon has written numerous catalog and book essays. In 2003 she co-founded roberta fallon and libby rosof's artblog. She and Rosof have been collaborating artists for 17 years.

Kyle Field

Kyle Field lives the nomadic life, traveling throughout the west coast performing music under the moniker 'Little Wings'. He has been drawing for his whole life. He intends to keep drawing, making forts or costumes or dolls.

Jim Houser

Jim Houser's paintings are the system by which he actively catalogs the images and noises which command his attention. His interests include: listening to the cadence of speech. science and science fiction. sickness and disease. plants and animals. sport. time travel. ghosts. the art of children. secrets. radio. codes and code breaking. words that sound beautiful and mean something terrible, words that sound horrible but mean something wonderful. codes and code breaking. He is a founding member of Space 1026, a Philadelphia-based artist collective. Gingko Press has published a book cataloging his life in the arts, called Babel, was published in 2005.

David Heatley

David Heatley is the author of My Brain is Hanging Upside Down, a collection of dream, portrait, and diary comics to be published by St. Martin's Press in the fall of 2007 and Overpeck, a short, dream-like graphic novella to be published by Fantagraphics Books. His comics and drawings have appeared in The New York Times, McSweeney's, Kramer's Ergot, Nickelodeon Magazine, The Drama, Bette Noire, Denver Quarterly and MOME. His comic book series, Deadpan, was recently nominated for an Ignatz award.

John Hodgman

A frequent guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and public radio's This American Life, John Hodgman is the author of The Areas of My Expertise, an astounding compendium of faux truths. Dave Eggers comments, "His world is similar to our world, but better in that its geography is crossed by magic and hoboes and lies so odd and bold and true that they may even qualify as fiction." The host and curator of the eclectic literature and music series, "The Little Gray Book Lectures," Hodgman performs on stages nationwide and his writing appears in McSweeney’s, The New York Times and The Believer.

Jason Hsu

Jason Hsu achieved full-grown height in the suburbs of Boston. One time, when he was 10 years old, he overheard a conversation between his older brother and cousin about condoms and thought they were having a discussion about conjoined houses. When he is not performing the monumental task of maintaining his composure he is making art. Currently Jason resides in Philadelphia.

Alina Josan

Alina Josan draws in Philadelphia, where she's lived for a long time, although people are always reminding her she has a Romanian accent.

Owen Kendall

Owen Kendall, a 24 year-old Canadian-American brought up in Pullman, Washington, is a man who hopes to one day be known as someone who could write and teach. He recently completed a bad first novel, a decent collection of short stories, and is at work on a novel length novella.

Phil Kreniske

Fabulously obsessed with purple howler monkeys, belgian dark chocolate and the color blue, Phil Kreniske grew up in NYC. He composed a collection of short stories titled Choice Works, A Chrestomathy. Kreniske continues to write and publish online. Once or twice he went to the moon, rode an elephant and raced a cobra on a scooter. Only two of the last three statements are true.

Douglas Light

Douglas Light is the author of the novel East Fifth Bliss. His writing has appeared in Hobart, The Morning News, the Alaska Quarterly Review, failbetter, and Pindeldyboz. His fiction won an O. Henry Prize, and was selected for the Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003.

Jim Mancinelli

Jim Mancinelli, reborn at fifty, is a jazz-hound with Baroque ears, Beat eyes, and a touch of Zeppelin for color. He is the author of Primer (Squirrel Baby Press) as well as In Deep published by Plan B Press in 2004. Jim also published two poetic political broadsides, A Bundle of Sticks, and A Proud Son Writes Home, both are indictments of the Bush administration's policies and the oppression of the GLBT community. Jim has two-ongoing series of poems: one informed by the work of a true trip-master, Salvador Dali, and the other a series on aging, which continue to grow in number. Jim lives in Philadelphia.

Steven Allen May

Steven Allen May is a poet and performance artist. Creator of Bardfest in Berks County, PA and founder of Berks Bards, he also co-founded Plan B Press in 1998. May is the author of Plastic Sunrise (2003) and the assembler of Spontaneous Chili (2001). His next book, Sleeping Alone with Someone Else, will be released this year.

Aaron MoDavis

Aaron MoDavis was born in Bethlehem, PA in 1980. He has always drawn pictures of himself. He does free lance illustration and comics from time to time. He will be dead by 2070, easy. Probably buried in some crappy cemetery.

Michelle Orange

Michelle Orange is a frequent contributor to McSweeney's and is the editor of "From the Notebook: The Unwritten Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald", a story collection appearing in Issue 22. Her essays have appeared in Salon and Best Sex Writing 2006, and her criticism appears regularly in The Globe and Mail and The San Francisco Chronicle. She lives in Brooklyn.

Pshaw

Pshaw is a Boston-based cartoonist and the author of books including Strings.

A.J. Purdy

A.J. Purdy grew up in beautiful Delaware. He enjoys making absurd drawings and zines, is a former member of the art collective Space 1026 and presently is living in Treviso Italy for a yearlong Graphics Program at the Fabrica Institute. It is believed in A.J. Purdy's past life he was no one important, so he really needs to make up for it in this one.

Rain of Belle Isle

Rain of Belle Isle is the layered sounds of Dominic on synths and Sebastian Petsu on a mixer, cassette decks, and French horn. Through close listening to one another they create a variety of improvised ambient soundscapes ranging from haunting minimalism to dense chaos and ugliness; often within the same performance. Their influences include German techno, Italian horror soundtracks, black metal, and the peripheral sound within the rooms where they perform.

David Rees

David Rees’s profane and irreverent political comic strip, Get Your War On, is seen by millions of readers online, in Rolling Stone, and other publications weekly. Biting satire coupled with a keen news sense are the hallmarks of Rees’s clip-art comics, which skewer both politicians and the media with dead aim.

Martha Rich

Originally from Philadelphia, Martha Rich lived the typical, suburban life - until she followed her husband to Los Angeles where, just short of a picket fence and 2.5 children her average American life unraveled. To cope with divorce, fate lead her to an illustration class taught by the Clayton Brothers. They persuaded her to ditch the pantyhose world, quit her human resources job at Universal Studios and join the world of art. She graduated with honors from Art Center College of Design and is currently based in Pasadena obsessively painting undergarments, wigs, lobsters, and Loretta Lynn. Murphy Books has published a book featuring her inspired sketchbooks and paintings.

Jack Rose

Jack Rose is a leading figure in the New Weird America folk-blues scene, and member of acclaimed psych-drone group, Pelt. His incomparable guitar style conjures ecstatic bursts of Robbie Basho, Henry Flynt, and John Fahey. Like Francis Davis, he is one of Philadelphia's living treasures.

Libby Rosof

Libby Rosof and Roberta Fallon created artblog in 2003. The now influential blog grew out of a 17-year collaboration as artists, which earned the pair commissions for public, temporary installations as well as a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts SOS grant. Rosof was founding editor of the Penn Current, the award-winning UPenn campus newspaper, and she has been a free-lance writer since 1972. Publications include the Pennsylvania Gazette, Ms. Magazine, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Frank Santoro

Frank Santoro was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His publications include Chimera, Incanto, Storeyville and Cold Heat. He lives and works in New York City.

Amy Sedaris

The multi-talented Amy Sedaris is many things: actress (Comedy Central’s Strangers with Candy, Sex and the City), film star (Bewitched, Maid in Manhattan), and yes, David Sedaris’s sister. The movie version of Strangers with Candy, in which she stars alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Philip Seymour Hoffman, recently played at your local theater. In I Like You, Sedaris serves up hospitality with a twist and includes the recipes for her popular cheese balls and cupcakes, sold at Joe Coffee in Manhattan.

Mark Shetabi

Mark Shetabi creates installations and paintings that investigate the boundary between public and private space. The work contains multiple layers of representation, and a confusion of the model and reality is a desired end result.

image: Emergency Exit Staircase, MDF, plywood, acrylic, styrene, fluorescent lights and peephole lens, dimensions variable, 2004

Curtis Smith

Curtis Smith's stories and essays have appeared in over forty literary reviews. He is the author of a novel and two collections of short-short stories. His next novel, Between Sound and Noise, should be out in early 2007. His new story collection will be released by Press 53 in late spring, 2007.

David Ezra Stein

At age three or so, David Ezra Stein would grab any available adult by the hand and say "Wanna go to my room . . . read books?!"

26 years of doodling and daydreaming later, he works as an author/illustrator in his native New York, and has five original picture books on the way: the Cowboy Ned & Andy trilogy with Simon & Schuster, and two books with Penguin Putnam.

Zoe Strauss

Zoe Strauss is a Philadelphia photographer and installation artist.

photo credit: Roberta Fallon

Mark Swartz

Mark Swartz is the author of Instant Karma (City Lights, 2002). His writing has appeared in The Village Voice, The Believer, Bomb, Bookforum, the Chicago Reader, and other publications. Originally from Chicago, he lives in Forest Hills, Queens, with his wife and daughter.

Matthew Thurber

Matthew Thurber is an artist and musician living in Brooklyn. His comics have appeared in such publications as The Ganzfeld, Kramers Ergot, and The Drama, as well as numerous self published editions.

Adrian Van Young

Adrian Van Young was born in Texas, which he often puts forth to explain his height. He has taught and developed two fiction workshops at the Brooklyn non-profit 826 NYC, crime and horror, respectively. He is midway through an epistolary novel entitled, The Immaculate Birth of Concepta Obregon, a magical realist exploration of the Dirty War in Argentina, and finds his hope and inspiration from the works of Cormac McCarthy and Edgar Allen Poe.

The Walking Hellos

The Walking Hellos are four Brooklyn musicians with eight instruments between them and a taste for mixing things up. A swirling vortex of guitar loops, plucky banjo, sweet vocals with a short temper and an accordion with a private dreamlife combine with vibrant bass, driving drums, and hip-shaking baritone guitar grooves to create a raucous blend of gorgeous, brainy music. The Walking Hellos are: Myla Goldberg (author of Bee Season), Val Opielski (Krakatoa, The Lost Art of Puppet Orchestra), Rose Thomson (Babe the Blue Ox, M Shanghai Band), and Heather Wagner (American Pistil, John Watts, Megababe, The Big Sleep).

Damian Weinkrantz

Damian Weinkrantz is an artist/curator residing in Philadelphia. His own work is heavily influenced by literature, science, history, comic books, sexual desires and general stomach churning anxiety. His work as a curator has been to provide new/younger collectors with affordable art from higher profile artists; artists both local and from around the world.

Lauren R. Weinstein

Lauren R. Weinstein is the author of Inside Vineyland. In 2004, she received an Ignatz award and began work on a graphic novel with etchings called The Goddess of War. The story involves the title character quitting her job because wars are so confusing these days. Her comics and illustrations have appeared in Glamour, McSweeney's, The New York Times, LA Weekly, The Chicago Reader, The Stranger, Kramer's Ergot, Hotwire, Legal Action Comics, Scheherazade, and The Ganzfeld. Lauren has started work on a sequel to Girl Stories, tentatively titled Calamity. Her interests in music have led her to become the front woman in the band Flaming Fire.

John Wray

John Wray's first novel, The Right Hand of Sleep, was a New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year, and the winner of a Whiting Writer's Award. Canaan's Tongue, his second novel, has just been published by Vintage Contemporaries. He currently lives in Brooklyn.

Catherine Zeidler

Catherine Zeidler's fiction has appeared in Hobart and often appears scattered all over her bedroom floor. She has an MFA from the University of Michigan, works for the United Nations and lives in Brooklyn.

More Background On 215Festival.com

215Festival.com is a historical website documenting one of Philadelphia's most distinctive literary and cultural events, the 215 Festival. Established in 2001, the festival developed a reputation for bringing literature beyond traditional bookstores, libraries, and academic institutions and transforming it into an entertaining, accessible, and frequently unconventional public experience. Combining author readings, poetry, live music, independent publishing, visual art, comedy, theatrical performances, and community gatherings, the 215 Festival helped redefine what a literary festival could be.

The website preserves information about the festival's formative years, particularly its 2006 edition, when Philadelphia hosted a diverse collection of writers, artists, musicians, publishers, and cultural commentators. Rather than concentrating exclusively on established literary celebrities, the festival created opportunities for emerging writers and experimental artists to share stages and audiences with nationally recognized figures. Its programming reflected Philadelphia's independent creative culture while establishing connections with literary communities in New York City and elsewhere.

Although 215Festival.com is primarily a historical resource covering the organization's early activities, the festival's story extends well beyond 2006. Its later development, changing leadership, temporary interruption, revival, and continued cultural mission demonstrate the lasting appeal of an event built around the relationship between literature and everyday urban life. The festival's newer website, 215Festival.org, documents subsequent activities, including its twentieth-anniversary celebration in 2021.

Origins and Early History of the 215 Festival

The 215 Festival originated in 2001 as an experimental literary gathering known as the McSweeney's Festival. Writer and humorist Neal Pollack, associated with McSweeney's Books, helped organize the original event in cooperation with the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Rosenbach Museum & Library. The initial festival took place over two nights at the Free Library and combined contemporary literary readings with musical performances and unusual literary activities. The organizers hoped to demonstrate that literary events could attract audiences interested in the energy and spontaneity ordinarily associated with concerts, comedy shows, and alternative cultural gatherings.

The inaugural event reportedly attracted more than 1,000 visitors, an encouraging response that inspired participants to develop a recurring festival. The name 215 Festival referenced Philadelphia's familiar 215 telephone area code, reinforcing the organization's identification with the city. Although the festival welcomed nationally prominent writers, its identity remained closely connected to Philadelphia's neighborhoods, independent bookstores, small publishers, and experimental arts organizations. The emphasis was not simply on bringing famous authors to town but on establishing a setting where local and visiting creative communities could interact.

During the following years, the festival expanded from its original two-night format into a multiday celebration, generally scheduled during the autumn. By the middle of the decade, programs could extend over three to five days, with events distributed throughout Philadelphia. Historical festival materials reported attendance reaching approximately 2,500 people in some years. This was a meaningful audience for an independently organized literary event, particularly one that frequently presented experimental work and operated across numerous relatively small venues.

The festival's early reputation benefited from its association with the influential McSweeney's literary community, but its organizers gradually developed a broader identity. Its programs featured writers such as Dave Eggers, David Foster Wallace, Sarah Vowell, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jonathan Lethem, Harvey Pekar, and Patti Smith. These appearances helped position Philadelphia as a destination for innovative contemporary literature while giving local audiences opportunities to encounter important literary figures in relatively informal environments.

Ownership, Organization, and Leadership

The 215 Festival was historically organized as a nonprofit cultural organization rather than a commercial entertainment company. Its early website identified the festival as a 501(c)(3) organization and explained that contributions were tax-deductible. This nonprofit structure reflected its educational and cultural objectives, which included supporting writers, encouraging literary participation, and strengthening Philadelphia's creative community. The organization relied on a combination of volunteer involvement, institutional cooperation, sponsorships, and philanthropic support to deliver programming that was often available without admission charges.

The 2006 leadership information identified Mike Barsanti, Mary Richardson Graham, Elisa Ludwig, Erin Mooney, and former president Sara Goddard among the board members. Neal Pollack was recognized as Founder Emeritus, while Arij Faruqi appeared in an advisory capacity. Festival programmers included Jamie Bowers, Pearce Combest, Brendan Keegan, Laura Neuman, and Sharon Thompsonowak. The Samuel S. Fels Fund was acknowledged as a grant supporter, demonstrating the role of local philanthropy in sustaining the festival's activities. Historical media materials also identify Celeste DiNucci as a managing director during the preceding period.

The festival subsequently experienced several leadership transitions, illustrating both the opportunities and difficulties associated with maintaining an independent cultural organization. A 2015 Philadelphia Inquirer article described the festival's interruption around 2010–2012 and credited Philadelphia writer and musician Joey Sweeney with helping revive the event in 2012. Later programming continued to draw upon the enthusiasm of local writers, publishers, librarians, and arts organizers. The available historical records establish the festival's nonprofit identity and early leadership, but they do not independently establish the current legal ownership of the 215Festival.com domain or provide a complete contemporary board roster.

Location and Philadelphia's Neighborhood Connections

Unlike a conventional festival organized around one exhibition hall or performance center, the 215 Festival operated throughout Philadelphia. Its decentralized structure was an important part of its appeal. Events took place in public libraries, museums, independent bookstores, neighborhood bars, art galleries, cafés, and alternative performance spaces. This approach allowed the festival to reach different audiences while encouraging participants to explore neighborhoods they might not ordinarily associate with literary activity.

The Free Library of Philadelphia, located along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway near Logan Square, served as an important early venue and hosted major festival presentations. The Rosenbach Museum & Library, situated on Delancey Place in the Rittenhouse Square area, provided a historically significant literary setting for book fairs and readings. Other locations included Old City, Fishtown, South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and Center City. Each neighborhood contributed a different atmosphere, from Old City's galleries and independent cultural businesses to Fishtown's experimental art spaces and West Philadelphia's community-oriented bookstores and performance venues.

The festival's geography also encouraged connections between literary culture and Philadelphia's broader urban identity. Visitors attending several events might travel between established cultural institutions and small neighborhood establishments, experiencing the city as an interconnected network of creative spaces. This arrangement was particularly valuable to independent businesses, which benefited from increased exposure to audiences interested in books, music, art, and cultural experimentation.

The 2006 program illustrates the breadth of this geographic approach. Events were scheduled at the Free Library, L'Etage, Bambi Gallery, Honeymilk Gallery, Big Jar Books, Molly's Bookstore, Robin's Bookstore, Fleisher Art Memorial, Rocket Cat Café, Germ Books + Gallery, the Rosenbach Museum, and other locations. The festival was therefore both a literary event and an informal exploration of Philadelphia's independent cultural landscape. Historical venue addresses should not be interpreted as evidence that every establishment remains open or operates at the same location today.

The Festival's Mission and Creative Philosophy

The central philosophy of the 215 Festival was that literature should be experienced as a living, participatory art form rather than exclusively as printed material. Organizers sought to create events that combined intellectual engagement with the excitement of live performance. Readings could incorporate music, theatrical interpretation, humor, visual art, or audience participation. Writers were encouraged to experiment with presentation, while performers from other disciplines were invited to explore the expressive possibilities of language.

This philosophy distinguished the festival from more conventional book fairs and author-signing events. Rather than treating literature as an isolated discipline, the 215 Festival explored relationships among poetry, fiction, journalism, comics, music, theater, film, and emerging digital media. Its programs frequently highlighted the ways in which storytelling crossed artistic boundaries, creating opportunities for collaborations that might not occur within traditional literary institutions.

The organization's later mission statement continued this approach, emphasizing the importance of bringing storytelling into unexpected public spaces. Its published values also placed greater explicit emphasis on inclusive programming, particularly the work of Philadelphia-based writers, writers of color, LGBTQ writers, writers with disabilities, women, and working-class writers. This commitment reflected an understanding that a city's literary identity is shaped by many communities and that meaningful cultural participation requires more than the presentation of nationally recognized authors.

The festival's creative philosophy also challenged assumptions about literary audiences. Its organizers recognized that people who might hesitate to attend a formal author lecture could be attracted by a performance in a neighborhood bar, an unusual theatrical reading, a comics exhibition, or a book-themed dance party. By presenting literature in approachable settings, the festival sought to expand the audience for writing while preserving opportunities for serious discussion and artistic experimentation.

The 2006 Festival: Four Days of Literature, Music, and Art

The 2006 edition, held October 5–8, offers one of the clearest examples of the festival's distinctive programming. The four-day schedule combined nationally recognized personalities with independent artists, local publishers, experimental musicians, and community organizations. Most events were free, making the festival accessible to people who might otherwise have limited opportunities to attend literary performances. The organizers also included family-friendly activities, community service, and exhibitions, demonstrating that their interpretation of literature extended beyond conventional readings.

The opening event at the Free Library of Philadelphia featured actress and author Amy Sedaris, who presented her entertaining hospitality book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. She was joined by humorist John Hodgman, political cartoonist David Rees, and musician Jonathan Coulton. Their participation demonstrated the festival's interest in humor, popular culture, political commentary, and musical performance. The evening continued with the Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret at L'Etage, featuring performer Dito van Reigersberg and musical guests including the Walking Hellos, a Brooklyn group whose members included novelist Myla Goldberg.

Friday's events highlighted visual art and family entertainment. At Honeymilk Gallery in Old City, artists A.J. Purdy and Jason Hsu presented Face Gut, an exhibition combining unconventional drawing styles with dark humor and experimental imagery. Big Jar Books hosted an exhibition featuring visual storytellers such as Jim Houser, Martha Rich, and Mat Brinkman. Meanwhile, children's author David Ezra Stein presented a theatrical reading of Cowboy Ned & Andy at Molly's Bookstore in South Philadelphia, incorporating music and sound effects to create an engaging experience for younger audiences.

Saturday's programming demonstrated the festival's social and cultural range. Participants could volunteer with Books Through Bars, an organization that distributes reading materials to incarcerated people. Taller Puertorriqueño hosted its twentieth annual Book and Craft Fair, featuring poet Victor Hernández Cruz and activities celebrating bilingual literature and Puerto Rican cultural traditions. Independent publisher Plan B Press presented emerging poets and experimental music at Robin's Bookstore, while the literary journal Hobart organized a release celebration at Big Jar Books.

Other Saturday events explored comics, visual criticism, and darker literary traditions. The Comics Comics presentation at Rocket Cat Café featured cartoonists David Heatley, Lauren Weinstein, and Pshaw, alongside performances and exhibitions. Fleisher Art Memorial hosted a discussion involving artblog founders Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof, who examined the growing influence of online art criticism. At Germ Books + Gallery, Readings From the Abyss presented selections from disturbing and unconventional literature, while a late-night program at Fiume featured writers interpreting literary predecessors through performances involving crime, horror, and psychological suspense.

The festival concluded Sunday with a small-press book fair at the Rosenbach Museum & Library, featuring independent publishers and readings by Jen Benka, CAConrad, and Mark Swartz. Music critics Robert Christgau and Francis Davis appeared at A.K.A. Music alongside guitarist Jack Rose, demonstrating the close relationship between music journalism and literary expression. An amateur spelling bee and closing celebration at Tritone completed the festivities. Together, these events illustrate how the festival combined serious literary interests with humor, entertainment, community participation, and unconventional performance.

Notable Writers, Artists, and Performers

The 215 Festival became known for assembling an unusually broad selection of creative personalities. Its historical programs featured novelists, poets, graphic artists, journalists, comedians, musicians, and performers whose work crossed traditional disciplinary boundaries. Among the prominent literary participants were Zadie Smith, George Saunders, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jonathan Lethem, Sarah Vowell, Harvey Pekar, and Patti Smith. Their involvement gave the festival national visibility and demonstrated its ability to attract influential writers despite its relatively modest size.

The festival also provided an important platform for Philadelphia's independent literary community. Poets and writers such as CAConrad, Ryan Eckes, Sandy Crimmins, and Steven Allen May represented local traditions of experimental poetry and performance. Organizations including Plan B Press, Painted Bride Quarterly, and independent literary magazines helped connect emerging writers with audiences and publishing opportunities. This emphasis on local talent distinguished the festival from events that relied primarily on touring authors and commercial publishing promotions.

Visual artists and cartoonists were equally important to the festival's identity. Jim Houser, associated with Philadelphia's Space 1026 collective, represented the city's experimental visual arts community. Cartoonists such as Lauren Weinstein, David Heatley, Frank Santoro, and Mat Brinkman brought alternative comics into the festival's programming, illustrating the literary possibilities of sequential art and graphic storytelling. Musicians including Jack Rose, One Ring Zero, and They Might Be Giants contributed to the festival's interdisciplinary atmosphere, demonstrating how storytelling and language could function within musical performance.

The festival's later history continued this combination of established and emerging talent. Its official historical account identifies participants including Jon Ronson, J. Robert Lennon, Legs McNeil, Ben Greenman, Annie Liontas, Asali Solomon, and Ken Kalfus. The variety of these contributors reflects the festival's continuing interest in literary experimentation, cultural commentary, and creative work that challenges conventional distinctions between artistic genres.

Independent Publishing and Literary Community Development

One of the festival's most important contributions was its support for independent publishing. Small presses and literary magazines frequently struggle to reach audiences outside specialized bookstores, academic communities, and established literary networks. By incorporating book fairs, release celebrations, and publisher showcases into its programming, the 215 Festival helped introduce readers to publications that might otherwise receive limited attention.

The 2006 small-press book fair at the Rosenbach Museum & Library exemplified this commitment. Participating publishers included Soft Skull Press and Philadelphia's Active Bladder, while related events featured Plan B Press and the literary journal Hobart. These gatherings allowed writers, editors, publishers, and readers to interact directly, creating opportunities for discussion and collaboration that extended beyond individual book sales.

The festival also recognized the growing influence of digital publishing and online criticism. Programs involving artblog and other emerging online publications examined how blogs and independent websites were changing the ways writers and artists communicated with audiences. Such discussions were particularly relevant during the mid-2000s, when traditional print publishing was beginning to confront significant changes in digital distribution, online readership, and independent cultural commentary.

This support for literary infrastructure continued in later years. The festival became a founding sponsor of LiteraryPhilly.org, a community-based resource designed to publicize literary events and connect readers with bookstores, publishers, writing organizations, and other cultural resources throughout the Philadelphia area. That initiative extended the festival's community-building mission beyond its annual programming.

Popularity, Attendance, and Audience Appeal

The 215 Festival developed a loyal audience among Philadelphia residents, writers, students, publishers, artists, and visitors interested in alternative cultural experiences. Its early growth from approximately 1,000 attendees at the inaugural event to reported attendance as high as 2,500 demonstrated the appeal of its interdisciplinary format. Although these figures were modest compared with major commercial festivals, they represented substantial participation for an independent literary event operating across numerous small venues.

The festival's audience was not limited to traditional literary enthusiasts. Its programs attracted people interested in music, comedy, comics, visual art, political commentary, and nightlife. The inclusion of family activities, bilingual programming, and free community events further broadened its appeal. By distributing activities throughout Philadelphia, organizers also reached audiences who might not regularly visit established literary institutions.

The festival's popularity should be understood primarily through its documented attendance, press coverage, and sustained community participation rather than through unverified claims about website traffic. Reliable public statistics establishing the historical or current visitor numbers of 215Festival.com are not readily available. Likewise, there is insufficient evidence to assign the festival a definitive national ranking among literary events. Its reputation is better demonstrated by the caliber of its participants, the breadth of its programming, and the attention it received from regional and national cultural publications.

Press Coverage, Reviews, and Critical Reception

The 215 Festival attracted substantial media attention during its early years. Historical coverage included articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Weekly, and Philadelphia City Paper, along with appearances on WHYY and WXPN. The festival's archived media materials identify coverage extending from at least 2002 through 2005, including features examining its unconventional literary programming, participating writers, and contributions to Philadelphia's cultural landscape.

A November 2015 article by Claire Sasko in the Philadelphia Inquirer described the festival as an energetic combination of literary performances, nightlife, and social gatherings. The article emphasized the organizers' determination to remove literature from overly formal settings and present it in environments where audiences could interact comfortably with writers. It also documented the festival's revival following its temporary interruption and highlighted the contributions of local poets and organizers.

National literary coverage provided additional recognition. In November 2015, Literary Hub published Jess Bergman's account of the festival's opening night at Ortlieb's Lounge. The article described performances by Philadelphia writers Sarah Blake and Annie Liontas, along with a poetry showcase organized by the independent literary magazine Apiary. It also examined the relationship between literary culture, neighborhood change, and Philadelphia's evolving urban identity. The coverage illustrated how the festival could combine artistic celebration with conversations about the social and economic conditions affecting creative communities.

The festival's critical reception was generally characterized by appreciation for its originality, accessibility, and lively atmosphere. Rather than attempting to reproduce the formal conventions of prestigious literary conferences, it cultivated an identity associated with experimentation and community engagement. Its combination of serious literary work and informal social activity became one of its most recognizable characteristics.

Awards, Recognition, and Cultural Achievements

The festival's significance is more clearly documented through its cultural achievements and media recognition than through a formal collection of competitive awards. Available historical materials do not establish a comprehensive record of major festival-specific awards, and it would be misleading to attribute particular honors to the organization without supporting documentation.

Nevertheless, the festival's association with highly accomplished writers and artists contributed substantially to its reputation. Participants included authors whose work had received major literary honors, influential critics, award-winning cartoonists, and internationally recognized performers. Their involvement reflected the festival's ability to attract established talent while maintaining its commitment to independent and emerging creative voices.

Another important achievement was the festival's longevity. Founded in 2001, it survived changes in leadership, shifts in literary culture, and a temporary interruption before returning with renewed programming. Its twentieth-anniversary celebration in 2021 demonstrated the continued relevance of its founding ideas. The festival's enduring cultural recognition, together with its contribution to Philadelphia's independent publishing and performance communities, represents an important measure of its success.

The Festival's Revival and Later Development

The 215 Festival experienced a period of inactivity around 2010–2012, but its underlying concept remained attractive to Philadelphia's creative community. Writer and musician Joey Sweeney played an important role in reviving the festival in 2012, helping restore its emphasis on accessible literary programming and unconventional performance spaces. The revived festival retained the original organization's interest in connecting local talent with nationally recognized writers while incorporating contemporary forms of cultural expression.

A November 2012 WHYY entertainment report documented the festival's return, identifying participants such as John Hodgman, Jon Ronson, and J. Robert Lennon. The programming included literary performances and other creative activities in Philadelphia's Callowhill neighborhood. By 2013, regional publications were again promoting the festival's annual schedule, demonstrating that the revived organization had regained a place within the city's cultural calendar.

The 2015 festival further illustrated its renewed identity. Events took place in neighborhood bars and alternative performance spaces, with programs combining poetry, fiction, music, and dance. Organizers Joey Sweeney and Elizabeth Scanlon emphasized the importance of creating welcoming environments where literature could reach people outside traditional academic and publishing circles. Their approach reinforced the festival's original philosophy while adapting it to Philadelphia's changing cultural landscape.

The twentieth-anniversary festival, held May 10–15, 2021, represented another significant milestone. Its programming included a conversation between novelist Diane McKinney-Whetstone and James Rahn celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of Tumbling. Other sessions explored queer writing, contemporary teenage experiences, labor literature, mysticism, independent publishing, and community organizing. The anniversary demonstrated how the festival's programming had evolved to address contemporary literary and social concerns while retaining its commitment to artistic diversity.

The currently accessible official website prominently documents the 2021 anniversary and the festival's broader mission. However, that material does not independently establish a confirmed schedule for 2026, so historical activity should not be confused with an announced upcoming edition.

Cultural and Social Significance

The 215 Festival occupies an important place in Philadelphia's independent cultural history because it challenged conventional ideas about where literature belongs and who should participate in it. Its organizers treated writing as an activity connected to music, visual art, politics, neighborhood life, and public conversation. This approach encouraged audiences to recognize storytelling as a fundamental component of urban culture rather than a specialized activity reserved for literary institutions.

The festival also helped strengthen connections among Philadelphia's creative communities. By bringing together independent publishers, established authors, emerging poets, visual artists, musicians, and community organizations, it created opportunities for collaboration and mutual support. Its programming reflected the city's longstanding traditions of independent publishing, political expression, experimental art, and neighborhood-based cultural activity.

The relationship between literature and urban development became particularly visible in later festival coverage. Events held in neighborhoods experiencing rapid economic and demographic change raised questions about the place of artists, independent businesses, and cultural organizations within evolving urban environments. The festival's presence in these neighborhoods demonstrated how literary gatherings could contribute to discussions about community identity, accessibility, and the preservation of creative spaces.

The festival's inclusive programming also carried broader social significance. Its support for writers from historically underrepresented communities reflected an understanding that literature becomes more meaningful when audiences encounter diverse experiences and perspectives. By combining established literary voices with local and emerging talent, the festival encouraged participation across differences in age, background, professional experience, and artistic discipline.

Website Content, Navigation, and Historical Value

215Festival.com is particularly useful as a historical reference because it preserves detailed information about the festival's early organization and programming. Its principal sections include an introduction to the festival, an organizational overview, a historical schedule, performer biographies, and a media archive. Together, these materials provide a detailed picture of the event's activities during the mid-2000s.

The archived schedule is especially valuable because it identifies individual events, performers, venues, admission prices, and presentation times. Researchers examining Philadelphia's cultural history can use this information to understand how independent bookstores, galleries, and performance spaces participated in the city's literary community. The performer biographies also preserve information about artists and writers at particular stages of their careers, providing historical context for their later achievements.

The media section offers another useful perspective by identifying contemporary newspaper and radio coverage. These references help establish how the festival was perceived during its formative years and demonstrate the attention it received from Philadelphia's cultural press. The combination of organizational information, event schedules, and media references makes the website more than a simple promotional archive.

Visitors should distinguish the historical domain from the festival's newer official website, 215Festival.org. The former documents the organization's early years, while the latter provides information about its subsequent mission, history, and anniversary programming. The distinction is important because outdated schedules, contact information, and venue details should not be interpreted as current event announcements.

Lasting Legacy of the 215 Festival

The 215 Festival's lasting contribution lies in its demonstration that literary culture can flourish outside traditional institutional settings. From its beginnings as the McSweeney's Festival in 2001 to its twentieth-anniversary programming in 2021, the organization consistently explored ways to make writing more visible, entertaining, and accessible. Its combination of nationally recognized authors, independent publishers, experimental performers, and neighborhood venues helped establish a distinctive model for community-oriented literary programming.

215Festival.com preserves an especially revealing chapter of that history. Its documentation of the 2006 festival illustrates the ambition and creativity of an organization that could bring together Amy Sedaris, John Hodgman, independent cartoonists, local poets, experimental musicians, and community service organizations within a single four-day program. The variety of those activities demonstrates that the festival's identity was never confined to conventional author readings or book promotions.

For readers interested in Philadelphia's literary history, independent publishing, experimental art, or the relationship between cultural events and urban communities, the website remains a valuable resource. It documents a period when writers and artists were actively exploring new relationships among print, performance, and digital media, while showing how a relatively small nonprofit festival could contribute to a city's broader cultural identity.

The 215 Festival ultimately represents an enduring idea: literature becomes more powerful when it is shared, performed, discussed, and integrated into everyday community life. Its historical website preserves that philosophy through the people, places, and creative activities that helped make the festival a distinctive part of Philadelphia's cultural landscape.