The accidental writer

 By Meredith Deliso

Songwriter Alina Simone’s landed the best gig of her life — and it has nothing to do with music.

The South Slope songstress, who previously hadn’t written anything seriously beyond a blog post, celebrates the release of her new memoir, “You Must Go and Win,” this month.

The collection of essays are owed, in part, to Eric Chinski, the editor-in-chief at Farrar, Straus & Giroux who discovered the singer while listening to his PJ Harvey station on Pandora a few years back.

“I was struck by her voice and fell in love with her music,” said Chinski. “Her voice is just so overwhelmingly good.”

Chinski soon realized there was potential in her written voice. After reaching out to Simone to say what a big fan he is, they became friends and he heard more about her life — her father’s exile by the KGB in the Ukraine, revisiting her homeland with her philosopher husband decades later, the ups and downs of striving to make it as a musician in New York.

Soon, a book deal followed, and Simone set aside the next year-and-a-half of her life to writing.

“It’s probably one of the weirdest thing if not the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to me,” said Simone. “I was not even on the cusp of writing a book, or an article or a short story or anything.”

The resulting book is a collection of funny, cynical essays on meeting sketchy producers off of Craigslist, her obsession with Skopsy, a Russian castrati set, and battling fleas in her Williamsburg apartment.

Simone concurrently celebrates the release of a new album, “Make Your Own Danger,” but it appears she has caught the writing bug — bad. She recently finished a screenplay about a home organizer in New York City, and is deep into a novel about a woman searching for a passion in New York City and decides to become a DIY filmmaker.

“I don’t know if I have enough life material to do [autobiographical essays] again, so I’m trying different styles,” said Simone. “I feel like I put my best adventures in this book for now.”

Yes, for now.

Alina Simone at WORD [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383-0096], tonight at 7:30 pm. Free. For info, visit www.alinasimone.com.

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Greek to us

By Daniel Ng

Get yourself to the Greek — the Greek Festival, that is.

Yes, it’s that time of the year when Schermerhorn Street becomes New York’s Little Athens, thanks to the minions at the St. Constantine and Helen Cathedral.

“We’re trying to capture that spirit of the Greek social life,” said Michelle Tampakis, chairwoman of the festival, which runs from tonight until June 12. “It brings together families to eat, to be outside, to enjoy music, to dance, and just to socialize.”

As always, there’ll be rides for the kids, plenty of Greek music and, most important, Greek delicacies. Remember, they invented the edible complex, so you know this is great stuff.

“All the food is made by us,” said Tampakis. “We make it in our own kitchens, you know, Greek ladies with their traditional recipes that have been done over and over again.”

Greek Festival at Saints Constantine and Helen Cathedral [64 Schermerhorn St. between Court Street and Boerum Place in Downtown, (718) 634-0595], June 6-12 from 11 am-1 am.

 

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Calling all filmmakers

We may be in the midst of the Brooklyn Film Festival, but here's the word about the Brooklyn Girl Film Festival.

The new film festival focuses, naturally, on films by women, and is seeking entries for a premiere in March of next year.

According to the release we got, the goal of the new event is to "showcase the work of [female] filmmakers around the globe. From serious documentaries to light-hearted comedies, Brooklyn Girl Film Festival seeks to empower women and their unique and relevant interpretation of the world around them and strengthen the community of [female] filmmakers."

So if you might be the next Sophia Coppola, send your feature, documentary, short, animation or experimental film — which much feature a woman as director, writer, producer or lead animator — by Aug. 1 through Withoutabox. Entry fees are $55 for feature films and $30 for shorts.

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The Weekend: 6.3-6.5

Friday, June 3

Fort Greene: Watch Hitchcock's "Vertigo" on the big screen at BAM screens his masterpiece.

Marine Park: "Gateway to Nations" returns to Floyd Bennett Field for more Native American dance, food and crafts. Also Saturday and Sunday.

Williamsburg: The Brick continues to channel its inner geek with the Comic Book Theater Festival. All month long.

Saturday, June 4

Flatbush: Sycamore hosts its crawfish boil, which is quickly becoming a summer tradition.

Bay Ridge: Get out and explore the neighborhood with a tour of some its historic spots.

Around town: Art invades Brooklyn this weekend with festivals and events in Bushwick, Coney Island, Boerum Hill and Red Hook.

Sunday, June 5

Red Hook: Showboat Shazzam is back at the Waterfront Museum and Barge for more front-seat circus action.

Prospect Lefferts Gardens/East Flatbush: House tour season continues with two tours in these neighborhoods.

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House tour season continues

By Meredith Deliso

Prospect Lefferts Gardens and East Flatbush are getting their turn at apartment envy.

On June 5, the neighborhoods will host concurrent house tours, granting you entry into century-old brick homes and private gardens.

Now in its 41st year, the Prospect Lefferts Gardens House and Garden Tour features eight turn-of-the-century residences, including a 1910 neo-Renaissance limestone stocked with contemporary art; a 1909 free-standing Colonial Revival with a charming wraparound porch; and a late Romanesque Revival four-story townhouse that retains much of its original woodwork, 113 years later. And there’s complimentary wine.

The two-year-old Clarendon Meadows House Tour is the new kid on the block, but its offerings are just as awe-inspiring, including Italianate limestone and brownstone homes, pristine Victorians, and gorgeous pre-war buildings and churches. And, at no cost, it’s the cheapest house tour around.

Prospect Lefferts Gardens House and Garden Tour, tickets available at K-Dog & Dunebuggy Café [43 Lincoln Rd. between Flatbush and Ocean avenues in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, (718) 284-6210 or (718) 462-0024], June 5 from noon to 5 pm. Tickets $25, $20 in advance. For info, visit www.leffertsmanor.org; Clarendon Meadows House Tour, starts at Eureka Educational Center [2501 Clarendon Rd. at E. 25th Street in East Flatbush, (718) 856-3836], June 5 from 1 to 5 pm. Free.

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Your favorite new read — picked by your favorite bookstore

Who can you always count on when you’re in a bind and need a good book? Your neighborhood bookstore, of course, whose employees read all the newest books before you do. That’s why we’re running this semi-regular column featuring must-reads, handpicked and written about by the staff at some of our favorite independent bookstores in Brooklyn.

The BookMark Shoppe’s pick: “The Postmistress”

This novel by Sarah Blake follows the lives of three women during World War II. Two women in the sleepy town of Franklin, Mass., listen to the news being delivered by Frankie Bard in London. Filled with personal heartache and hope and devastation that comes with war; this is a must read.

— Bina Valenzano, co-owner, The BookMark Shoppe [8415 Third Ave. between 84th and 85th streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 833-5115].

Greenlight’s pick: “When God Was a Rabbit”

The main character in Sarah Winman’s novel is sacrilegious in the way that only a child can be (case in point, she names her pet rabbit “God” because she hasn’t yet learned that it’s uncommon to do so). This is a book about a family told through the young daughter’s voice. She has a brother whom she’s crazy about, in the slightly oppressive way that only a little sister can adore a big brother. Set in England, spanning childhood to adulthood, the voice of Elly sticks in your head long after reading it. She’s a singular, precocious narrator with an unconventional family that feels real upon reading about them.

— Rebecca Fitting, co-owner, Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246-0200].

WORD’s pick: “Vaclav & Lena”

I had to pry myself away from this one. Haley Tanner captures the voices of these characters so aptly, their evolution from children to teenagers is perfectly handled, and the plot tugs your heartstrings without ever descending into sentimentality. It reminded me of “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” in both its ability to tackle difficult issues and its young adult crossover potential. It’s a gorgeous debut that captures the spirit of the immigrant experience in New York, as well as the joys and pains of first loves and first revelations. 

— Jenn Northington, events manager, WORD [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383-0096].

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Hitchcock classic screens at BAM

By Meredith Deliso

“Vertigo” may be considered Alfred Hitchcock’s finest work, but it didn’t always get the respect it now commands.

When the auteur’s suspenseful tale of obsession came out in 1958, audiences and critics were unenthusiastic.

But the world eventually came around, thanks to commanding performances by James Stewart as an acrophobic San Francisco detective and Kim Novak as the woman he’s hired to track; a swirling score by Bernard Herrmann; and, of course, groundbreaking shots by the master director.

“ ‘Vertigo’ is one, if not the most, beautiful and complex films ever produced in Hollywood,” said Jake Perlin, program associate for the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s film curation program.

If no other reason but for that, BAM will screen the masterpiece for six days starting tonight, in 35 MM, just how it was screened in the theaters more than 50 years ago, before we knew any better.

“Vertigo” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music [30 Lafayette Ave. between Rockwell and Ashland places in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100], June 3-8. For info, visit www.bam.org.

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