bookstore with that lost independent feel -- a relaxed, inviting environment conducive to discovery, where quality takes precedence over quantity, where the books marginalized by commercial concerns have a home. If you come in looking for something specific, we will have it or we will find it for you. If you come in looking for nothing in particular, you can lose yourself in a world of new ideas.
CNN Interview Party
February 9, 2012 | 2-4
CNN is coming in to interview the staff at VV about hosting the country's first Cash Mob. Come show your support for your local bookstore, listen to Michael Bay play some tunes, and be on national TV. Let's show everyone how awesome and stylish Cleveland is!
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Regina Brett : Discussion + Book Signing : "BE THE MIRACLE"
February 10, 2012 | 7-9 pm
+ Sip to Support The Gathering Place touchedbycancer.org
Guests can opt to partake in a $15 wine tasting to benefit The Gathering Place.
Regina Brett has been a newspaper columnist for 16 years, 11 of them for Cleveland’s Plain Dealer, where she was a finalist in 2008 and 2009 for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. Her last book, God Never Blinks, was a New York Times bestseller and has been published in 18 different countries. Regina hosts a call-in radio show, The Regina Brett Show, on WCPN, the Cleveland NPR affiliate. She speaks regularly to companies and not-for-profit organizations.
Regina Brett will be reading and signing at Pilgrim Church located at 2592 West 14th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113, not at the bookstore. After the presentation, come back to the store for the wine tasting benefit and some great art.
ArtWalk
February 10, 2012 | 6-10pm
Native Clevelander Grace Elisabeth Frank started her artistic endeavors at a young age. Her creative older sisters, Frida Kahlo, awkward situtations, and people stumbling over their words have inspired her. Her art tends to have a cartoonish, comic book feel, and she prefers painting with acrylics. Grace usually leaves her art for strangers to enjoy, or gives it away to her pals… so this is her first public showing! Excitement!
Winter Music Series: Mike Uva
February 11, 2012 | 7-9pm
Mike Uva writes inventive, highly melodic, classic pop songs about loneliness, travel, and strange visions. His subtle, restrained style has been compared to that of Paul Simon and Ray Davies and he once had someone call his music "a plush carpeted dream." Mike has performed with such artists as Cat Power, The Decemberists, Nina Nastasia, and Clem Snide. On this date, Uva will be backed by his jazzy trio, which featues pianist Mike Lyford, bassist Matthew Charboneau, and drummer Tony Cross. “Every couple of years, Cleveland songwriter Mike Uva tosses off an album of sublime jangle pop, tangled with wry, self-observant lyrics, melancholy chord progressions and encased in warmly lo-fi production values.” --PopMatters.com
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Classic Movie Night: LadyKillers
February 15, 2012 | 6-7:45pm
Continuing the theme of great British Comedies from the 1950s, this month's movie is the 1955 Classic LadyKillers, starring Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers. No 13 on the British Film Institutes Best British Films list, it defines the term "Black Comedy".
Winter Music Series: Jody Getz, John Lucic, George Lee
February 17, 2012 | 7-9pm
Jody Getz is a talented guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She and her husband, noted bluesman Wallace Coleman, are long time Kamm’s Corners neighborhood residents. Jody is an International Songwriting Competition (ISC) Finalist (amid 15,000 song entries) who has found her place in performing the styles of music she loves most.
John Lucic (guitar/vocals) is one-half of Cleveland’s legendary Hollywood Slim Band duo, appearing with brother Greg (vocals/harp) featuring Blues, Standards, Jazz and Swing.John is a natural guitarist with a fine ear and unmatched style.
George Lee is an accomplished electric and upright bass player and vocalist. He is a primary member of the Wallace Coleman Band and other Cleveland area bands and is accomplished in many genres including Jazz, Standards, Rock/Pop, Gospel, Reggae, Country. He has a versatile, fluid, and playful style.
Charles Cassady Jr: Paranormal Mississippi River: Discussion and Signing
February 18, 2012 | 7-9 pm
Before everyone celebrates Mardi Gras in New Orlean Tuesday, Cleveland-area author and “ghost historian” Charles Cassady Jr. reminds us why everyone in that fair Louisiana city must remain inebriated; the free-flowing absinthe and les bon temps soften the dire fact that they are prey to bayou werewolves, Anne Rice vampires, immortal sorceress Marie Laveau, undead Confederates, accursed pirates, plantation plat-eyes, the Honey Island swamp monster and, of course, the Devil Baby of Bourbon Street – all of whom and more appear in Cassady’s latest and largest book of bizarre nonfiction reference, “Paranormal Mississippi River.” Come and learn the difference between hoodoo and Voodoo, where to find the big annual loup-garou convention, and the murderous history of a haunted French Quarter mansion infamously purchased by actor Nicolas Cage. BYOGG (Bring Your Own Gris Gris).
Charles Cassady Jr. is a longtime area writer-author, critic, blogger, photographer, illustrator, videomaker and colorful racetrack character. He does not do exorcisms or aura readings. His other books, “Cleveland Ghosts” and “Paranormal Great Lakes” will also be on tap.
Winter Music Series: Brian Straw
February 24, 2012 | 7-9pm
Brian Straw seemed to pop up from nowhere around the time that the late Nineties made their last stand against the encroachment of the then-new millenium. Given his musical choices, this Indiana native found himself in a unique musical place: a singer-songwriter placed squarely in the middle of the experimental and often noisy underground Cleveland scene of that era. So what happened was that Straw combined his somber songs -- sometimes compared to Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters) and Richard Buckner -- with layers of effects that ranged from percussive to abrasive. With this combination of avant-garde and traditional, Brian Straw’s released a wide array of music, whether as a solo artist, or with the bands Six Parts Seven and Buried Wires. In addition to performing, he currently helps to curate events at West Side art / performance space, Survival Kit.
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Old Husher's Urban Farm Manifesto Fuel Fillup Pickup Party
February 25, 2012 | 7-9pm
Coming right off of what should be a successful Rockethub campaign, we are proud to host Old Husher's Urban Farm Manifesto Fuel Fillup Pickup Party on Saturday, February 25th. All fuelers in NE Ohio and beyond are invited! Fuelers' libations include complimentary Manifesto Strong Ale from Origins Brewery (while supplies last) and Old Husher's hot vegan raised sweet potato donuts with Ohio Maple Syrup Glaze and/or Cleveland Honey Glaze. We will also have vino for sale. However, if Old Hush hits his secondary sub-goal of $2,100, vino will be on him.
To help fuel the Manifesto through the crowdfunding method, click on Artist Bio.
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Sunday Sip and Swap
February 26, 2012 | 2-4
Bring those books that you've already loved and swap them with whatever gems everyone else brings to the shop. What could be better than sorting through strangers' treasures? Being able to take them home and... mimosas for four bucks.
Winter Music Series: Brandon & the Luckey Ones
March 3, 2012 | 7:30-9:30
A beloved feature of The Flying Monkey in Tremont, Brandon and the Luckey Ones plays a woozy, boozy and fun kind of old-timey folk full of banjo and fiddle. They’ll play a whole slew of original tunes, as well as traditional tunes and classic rock numbers. It’ll be like sitting in front of a campfire, but only within the confines of our cozy bookstore. Just be careful with those embers.
Winter Music Series: Wallace Coleman
March 10, 2012 | 7-9pm
If you want blues, look no further. Harp player Wallace Coleman has been a fixture in Cleveland’s blues scene for decades. And he’s got the cred to back it up. He moved here from his native Tennessee in the 50s, and immediately immersed himself in the vibrant African-American musical scene of that time. Great blues artists like Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson performed regularly, much to the amazement of young Wallace. This budding young musician in turn made a name for himself, playing in local watering holes while supplementing his day job’s earnings. His dilligence paid off, and eventually Coleman was hired by Cleveland blues great Robert Jr. Lockwood to join his band as harmonica player. The rest was history. Wallace Coleman is still going strong, touring with the energy of a much younger man. Come see and hear this tireless member of our city’s blues heritage.
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Winter Music Series: Brian Strazek
March 16, 2012 | 7-9pm
If you’re a fan of Neil Young, My Morning Jacket, or Built To Spill, don’t miss Brian Strazek. Even though he played in hardcore band Grain and the heavy melody machine known as Viva Caramel, Strazek’s always had a fondness for rustic & rural songs full of lopsided twang and seemingly stream-of-consciousness lyrics. But there’s no phony aw-shucks country pose here: Strazek’s folk is strictly gritty Cleveland. He currently plays in the band Tinko, a band that fuses classic rock to the scattershot riffage of bands like Archers of Loaf. Strazek’s music defies easy categories -- you’ll just have to come down and hear him play!
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Jim Toman & Alan Dutka : Cleveland Landmarks Press : Book Event
March 23, 2012 | 7-8 pm
About The Peter Witt Streetcars of Cleveland by James A. Toman and James R. Spangler...
Cleveland was a dynamic leader in many areas at the start of the 20th Century. One such pacesetting sector was its street railway system whose lines crisscrossed the city. Perhaps its most significant contribution to public transportation came in 1915 with the invention of the Car Rider’s Car, designed by Cleveland Street Railway Commissioner Peter Witt. Witt’s design, to which his name became permanently attached, was widely copied in systems across the United States and abroad as well. Through text and photographs, this book details the seven different series of Peter Witt streetcars that operated in their home city of Cleveland.
About East Fourth Street: The Rise, Decline, and Rebirth of an Urban Cleveland Street by Alan F. Dutka...
Short in distance but long in memories, East Fourth Street's story has mirrored downtown Cleveland's dynamic rise, decline, and rebirth. Once the home to Cleveland's opera house, central markets, and five and dime stores, Fourth Street fell into disrepair in the second half of the 20th Century. Yet, the historic alleyway found new life with help of visionary leaders, and now East Fourth Street serves as the center of a chic entertainment and residential district – perhaps the coolest place in Cleveland. Relive the stories and follow the renaissance of an urban Cleveland hotspot.
Winter Music Series: Anthony Doran
March 24, 2012 | 7-9pm
Anthony Doran is a local singer/songwriter. After fifteen years of playing his songs with bands (You're Among Friends for the past five years and Mojometer for ten years before that), Anthony decided it was time to focus on being a solo artist. He has been playing solo acoustic shows lately, and he plans to start working on a new album in the near future. Come spend an intimate evening with Anthony right here at Visible Voice. He will play all of his best songs while you sip wine and check out our great selection of books and magazines!
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Alex Shakar: Luminarium: Book Reading
March 29, 2012 | 6:30-8pm
Alex Shakar, whose first book City of Love: the New York Metamorphoses was the winner of the FC2 National Fiction Competition, and whose second book was a New York Times notable book of 2001, has written a highly acclaimed third book, Luminarium. It was named a notable book of the year by the Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, and NPR’s Kojo Nnamdi Show, among others.
Luminarium considers how our perceptions of the world are manipulated and controlled, exploring the nature of reality and the interplay of technology and perception. Shakar has set his story against the background of personal and national grief, and the result is a strikingly metaphysical novel that never dematerializes into misty cliches, a book to challenge the mystic and the doubter alike. The great pleasure of Shakar’s writing, besides his luxuriously cool style, is his ability to weave old metaphysical issues through a plot electrified with contemporary details.
Moving between the research hospitals of Manhattan, the streets of a meticulously planned Florida city, the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and the uncanny, immersive worlds of urban disaster simulation; threading through military listserv geek-speak, Hindu cosmology, the maxims of outmoded self-help books and the latest neuro-scientific breakthroughs, Luminarium is an exploration of the way we live now, a novel that’s as much about the role technology and spirituality play in shaping our reality as it is about the undying bond between brothers, and the redemptive possibilities of love.
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Winter Music Series: Cassie & Genevieve from How to Breathe Underwater and Erin from Noon
March 30, 2012 | 7-9pm
The ethereal voices of Cassie & Genevieve from indie band How To Breathe Underwater will be featured tonight, along with the sweet pop of Noon, aka piano player/singer Erin Kapferer. How To Breathe Underwater’s garnered attention in Cleveland with their mellow pop in the vein of influential bands like The Blake Babies; tonight, we’ll have their guitarist and keyboard player regale us with tunes stripped down to their core, sans bass and drums. Noon’s been busy gigging at various farmer’s markets in town, and occasionally is a featured performer at the various singer/songwriter nights held by Cleveland musical catalyst Brent Kirby.
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Rev. Stephen Rosenberger: In Jesus
March 31, 2012 | 7-8 pm
Scripture provides a blueprint for mankind to follow while living on this earth. "In Jesus' Briefcase" was written purely to find those principles that pertain directly to our understanding of how the Bible, Business and the Body of Christ can act in harmony with one another to change a hurting world. Author Stephen Rosenberger will be sharing from the book, signing copies and offering copies of the text for sale.
Leslie Anne Mcilroy :
June 2, 2012 | 7-8 pm
Leslie Anne Mcilroy won the 2001 Word Press Poetry Prize for her full-length collection Rare Space and the 1997 Slipstream Poetry Chapbook Prize for her chapbook Gravel. She also took first place in the 1997 Chicago Literary Awards Competition judged by Gerald Stern. Her second full-length book, Liquid Like This, was published by Word Press in 2008. Leslie's work appears in numerous publications including American Poetry: The Next Generation, Dogwood, The Emily Dickinson Award Anthology, The Ledge, The Mississippi Review, and the Nimrod International Journal of Prose & Poetry and Pearl. Leslie works as a copywriter in Pittsburgh, PA, where she lives with her daughter Silas, and writer/guitarist, Don Bertschman, with whom she also performs poetry.
"Leslie Anne Mcilroy’s Rare Space is a stunning collection of poems, daring, taut, sexually alive, and politically astute. A myriad of familiar themes becomes incandescent under her unflinching gaze. We’re invited to look closely at family, sex, race, physical disability, psychic pain and what it is to be a young American woman at the beginning of a new century facing down old ills like racism, classism, and misogyny armed with little more than a laptop and an indomitable will. Rare Space is a new American poetry at its absolute best." — Sapphire
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