Between Thought and Expression:
Stories About Stories

Laurie Anderson In conversation with author Maggie Nelson
Thursday, Apr 19, 2018 | 7:30pm Mark Taper Auditorium-Central Library

An icon of performance art and the indie music world, Laurie Anderson is one of the most revered artists working today. As a musician, performance artist, composer, fiction writer, and filmmaker (her most recent foray, Heart of a Dog, was lauded as an “experimental marvel” by the Los Angeles Times), Anderson seamlessly moves between the fine art world and the music world, and her interest in new media has made her an early pioneer of harnessing technology for artistic purposes long before the technology boom. However, regardless of the medium, Anderson’s storytelling has always been driven by language. Now in the first book of her full career to date, All The Things I Lost in the Flood, Anderson curates a comprehensive collection of her artwork—from an opera inspired by Moby Dick to installations addressing Guantanamo and the bombing of Baghdad—and offers an intimate understanding of her creative process. Discussing this landmark volume with award-winning writer Maggie Nelson, Anderson traverses four decades of breaking ground in the art of storytelling.

Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson is one of America’s most renowned – and daring- creative pioneers. She is best known for her multimedia presentations and innovative use of technology.  As writer, director, visual artist and vocalist she has created groundbreaking works that span the worlds of art, theater, and experimental music.

Her recording career, launched by “O Superman” in 1981, includes the soundtrack to her feature film Home of the Brave and Life on a String. Anderson’s live shows range from simple spoken word to elaborate multi-media stage performances such as “Songs and Stories for Moby Dick.”

Anderson was appointed as the first artist-in-residence of NASA in 2002 which culminated in her 2004 touring solo performance “The End of the Moon”.  Other projects include a series of audio-visual installations and a high definition film, Hidden Inside Mountains, created for World Expo 2005 in Japan; the 2007-2008 worldwide tour of her performance piece, “Homeland”, which was released as an album on Nonesuch Records in 2010 and a retrospective the same year of her visual and installation work in Brazil. Her film Heart of a Dog was chosen as an official selection of the 2015 Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. In the same year, her exhibition “Habeas Corpus” opened at the Park Avenue Armory to wide critical acclaim.

Laurie Anderson’s many awards include the prestigious Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize; the Pratt Institute’s Honorary Legends Award; and the Yoko Ono’s Courage Award for the Arts  for her exhibition “Habeas Corpus.” Laurie Anderson lives in New York City. All the Things I Lost in the Flood is her seventh book.

Maggie Nelson

Maggie Nelson is the author of nine books of poetry and prose, including the National Book Critics Circle Award winner The Argonauts, The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning, Bluets, The Red Parts, Something Bright, Then Holes, and Jane: A Murder. She has been the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in Nonfiction, an NEA in Poetry, an Innovative Literature Fellowship from Creative Capital, and an Arts Writers Fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation. In 2016 she was awarded a MacArthur “genius” Fellowship. She lives in Los Angeles.

Reservation Policy for Free Programs:
As most ALOUD at Central Library programs are free of charge, it is our policy to overbook. In the case of a FULL program your free reservation may not guarantee admission. We recommend arriving early. Space permitting, unclaimed reservations will be released to standby patrons at approximately 7 PM.

Standby Policy:
Standby numbers are distributed in person only one hour before the program, on a first-come, first-served, basis. There is no advance wait list for full programs. Standby patrons will be admitted subject to availability. Most programs will be available via podcast.

Book Signing Policy:
ALOUD is one of many free programs at the Los Angeles Public Library made possible by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. Most ALOUD author programs are followed by book signings. At least one copy of the author’s book must be purchased from The Library Store in order to participate in any post-program book signing, and you will be asked to show proof of purchase. Please be prepared to show your proof of purchase when you enter the book signing line. Proceeds support the Los Angeles Public Library.

Main Image: Laurie Anderson rehearsing during the Homeland tour, 2008 (Courtesy Canal Street Studio)

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