Leonard Gontarek

Noted local poet and curator of the Green Line’s popular monthly free poetry series Leonard Gontarek launches his new book He Looked Beyond My Faults and Saw My Needs, published by Hanging Loose Press.

Join him to celebrate! Leonard will sign copies of the new volume, poet friends will read from Leonard’s work, DJ Afrodjiak will keep the music pumping. The fun happens at our Locust Street location, Saturday May 18, 6-8pm.

Gontarek is the author of four books of poems: St. Genevieve Watching Over Paris, Van Morrison Can’t Find His Feet, Zen For Beginners, and Déjà Vu Diner (Autumn House Press, 2006). His poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Fence, Field, Pool, Volt, The Quarterly, Exquisite Corpse, Hanging Loose, Poetry Northwest, Blackbird and The Best American Poetry (Paul Muldoon, editor). His poems also appear in the anthologies Joyful Noise! American Spiritual Poetry and The Working Poet. He has been nominated five times for the Pushcart Prize, and has twice received poetry fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

He conducts poetry workshops at The University City Arts League, Moonstone Art Center, The Kelly Writers House and in the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership.

We’re very excited about our current show at Powelton Village on view through May. Vicki Liantonio brings a superb group of square-format photographs, all made with her iPhone. Liantonio’s bold sense of color and composition immediately draw you in to the diary-like images.

Join us for an artist reception Friday May 10, 6-8pm.

Vicki Liantonio has a background in graphic design, but has been interested in photography ever since receiving her first pink and grey 110mm camera at 10-years-old. More recently, the freedom and flexibility afforded by the iPhone, has allowed her to explore the medium anew, sparking a desire to capture her surroundings, wherever she happens to be. Vicki has lived in Philly for 11 years, and currently resides in the Frankford neighborhood with her husband, Tim, their adopted dog, Moxie, and their rescued stray cat, Mr. Moo.

BrunchForDinner! (aka Ashley Kole).

Ashley created this very “Euro-looking” image of our Center City shop, just days before we (finally) re-painted the facade in preparation for a new awning and signage.

Our newest location on 15th Street between Walnut and Sansom. Click to enlarge.

Ashley was kind enough to tell us a bit about the photo, and her awesome-sounding self:

Regarding that image in particular, I figured it would be cool to get a shot of the Center City location. I really found it interesting how the Green Line sign allows the splash of graffiti that was there before it to peek out. Also, I have a thing for making stuff feel heavier and more important by throwing ‘em into black and white.

I hail from West Chester, PA, and now work and live in the city. I got a degree last May in Public Relations and Journalism, interned for a while at Philadelphia Weekly, and now figure out how to pretend I’m comfortable with being a working “adult.” Currently, I spend time completing yoga teacher training and work on a blog with my boyfriend at http://brunchisimportant.info – which, no lie, was named based on a statement I made to him while in line one morning at Green Line on Baltimore Avenue(!). We mainly write about vegan food we’ve eaten in West Philadelphia, but it’s really for any discussion we want to share.

There are a few days left for our April Instagram contest! You can win an $10 Green Line gift card. Read the contest details here.

We’re very pleased to be showing the work of Philadelphia native Gralin Hughes at Locust Street. Primarily a photographer, Hughes brings us a series of work that is unique within his practice–a suite of text/image based works drawn directly from his sketchbook. Titled “Wake Up,” the works describe a mysterious dream state.

Hughes says:

For this series I felt that the abstract nature of my dreams was better represented by use of ink and how it randomly interacted with the watercolor paper. These pieces on display are reproductions of my original mixed media work.

The “Wake Up” series will be on view through May.

Gralin Hughes is a graduate of The Art Institute of Philadelphia. Predominantly a photographer, his wider interests include abstract painting and art. His work has appeared in several exhibitions as well as musicians’ promotional material.

We’re very excited to present a dynamic group of drawings by Philadelphia artist Nilé Livingston at Baltimore Avenue. Nilé is a talented multidisciplinary artist whose passion for her craft and subjects is immediately evident in her energetic and vibrantly colored drawings.

Nilé’s work is on view at Baltimore Avenue through April 2013.

For more information, visit the artist’s website.

This month’s event features a reading by Donna Wolf-Palacio followed by a special performance of poems by Joanne Leva based on Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Joanne Leva will perform accompanied by John Mosemann on percussion

Donna Wolf-Palacio’s book of poetry, What I Don’t Know, was published by Finishing Line Press. She received an MFA in Poetry from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. She wrote a collection of versions of Chinese poems, “The Heart of the Dragon”. She has taught a poetry workshop at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and was editor/consultant for the UARTS Poetry Review.
She has done many readings and workshops in Philadelphia. She has received grants and fellowships from The Leeway Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, New York University, Bryn Mawr College, the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, the Postgraduate Institute of New York, and the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts.
She is a psychotherapist at Hall Mercer Community Mental Health Center of Pennsylvania Hospital.

An advocate for creative writing and community service, Joanne Leva is the founder and coordinator of the Montgomery County Poet Laureate Program (MCPL), which she has produced for the past fifteen years. The competition, its related readings, and poetry event (featuring a celebrity poet with a national reputation), comes to fruition in April, National Poetry Month. Visit www.montcopoet.com for more information.

An active poet herself, Joanne has been writing and performing her poetry since 1991. She has also organized poetry readings at Headhouse Square for Earth Day, the Seven Arts Fest on South Street, the Theater of Living Arts (TLA), Musehouse: A Center for the Literary Arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Joanne received her BFA from Arcadia University, a Marketing Certificate in Biomedical Writing from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP), and is a recipient of the Philadelphia Writer’s Conference (PWC) Community Service Award (2011).

John Mosemann graduated from the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts in 1984 with a Bachelor of Music degree. Upon graduating he began performing and teaching in Philadelphia. From 1987-1991 he performed in the casinos of Atlantic City and Las Vegas. From 1992-2002 John performed with the Mark Kramer Trio. This group performed extensively as a trio and also worked as a rhythm section with such jazz luminaries as George Coleman, Urbie Green, Lee Konitz, Lew Tabackin, Johnny Coles, Richie Cole, Arnie Lawrence, Jeremy Steig, Ralph Bowen, John Swana and Larry McKenna. During this time John also performed with legendary jazz musicians Eddie Gomez and Marian McPartland. In 2003, John joined the Steve Giordano Spacetet with whom he is currently performing. He has performed all over the United States.

Coming up April 16: James Arthur & Ethel Rackin

KNOWLEDGE SLAM is a fun new event which attempts to bring learning and socializing together…it’s like if TED Talks and speed dating had a baby. Ten Philadelphians are given five minutes each to teach participants something brilliant. The Knowledge Slam gurus bring their badass knowledge. You take it easy, enjoy a drink, and get your learnin’ on. The first KNOWLEDGE SLAM WAS A BIG HIT! Join the smarty-pants fun.

Jump to Knowledge Slam Facebook Event page –>

DJ Buttons! (aka Breanna Perry). Breanna ran circles around the competition. This image isn’t even Breanna’s best one, but we chose it because it features an oft-overlooked detail of The Green Line that we happen to cherish. Have you ever noticed the small circular stained glass window high on the west wall of Baltimore Avenue? Before we renovated the building, this wonderful little window was hidden above a dreadful drop ceiling. We commissioned neighborhood stained glass artist Gary Bronson to create a design featuring coffee blossoms and beans when they are still in their “cherry” state before picking. Gary also did the multi-color clerestory windows which we enjoy every day.

The March Instagram contest is ON! You can win an $10 Green Line gift card. Read the contest details here.