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Over the last three weeks it’s been my pleasure to introduce you to the line-up for the House of SpeakEasy’s opening gala: comedian and host Andy Borowitz; Hollywood superstar Uma Thurman, who will host literary quiz “The Tip of My Tongue”; writer Adam Gopnik; historian Simon Winchester; singer-songwriter Dar Williams; and finally, the author Susan […]
Read MoreWe’re thrilled at the House of SpeakEasy to be joined for our sold-out opening gala by the British-born historian Simon Winchester, whose work includes books on China, the Oxford English Dictionary, and, most recently, the United States of America… The United States. This unique national quality — of first becoming and then remaining so decidedly united — […]
Read MoreIn 1991 the New York Times marked the “earth-shattering news” that Pauline Kael was retiring by interviewing her. The great iconoclast of film criticism, whose put-downs made her unpopular with publicists but delighted readers of the New Yorker for more than twenty years, nevertheless found much to admire in the latest crop of Hollywood stars. She listed among her […]
Read MoreDar Williams, who is our special musical guest at the House of SpeakEasy’s opening gala at City Winery, has more than twenty years of recording and performing to her name. Described by the New Yorker‘s Hendrik Hertzberg as “one of America’s very best singer-songwriters“, Dar’s back catalogue includes nine studio albums, two live albums, a handful of […]
Read MoreAt the House of SpeakEasy, we are delighted to be partnering with The James New York in SoHo to ensure our special guests get the warmest welcome possible when they arrive in New York. The James is a luxury boutique hotel in lower Manhattan. For its clientele luxury means pooches are allowed, there’s access to a superb […]
Read MoreOne of the most exciting things about the launch of the House of SpeakEasy (on January 27 — get your tickets here) is where it’s happening. City Winery, for those of you who haven’t been, kinda requires a new word to describe it: it’s at once winery, restaurant and concert venue. Whatever you call it, though, those […]
Read MoreIf, like me, you tend to want to know more than you can possibly read about, a sudden urge to learn about, say, Abraham Lincoln or Charles Darwin can be an occasion for despair. The literature on such seminal figures is vast and expanding, like an Everest that’s getting bigger. Or the universe. In short: […]
Read MoreHappy new year, friends! Welcome to the first blog of 2014. Now the holidays are over, we’re all getting tremendously revved up ahead of the House of SpeakEasy’s opening gala at City Winery NYC on January 27! The theme for said gala is “Plays with Matches”, and we’re lucky enough to be joined by two […]
Read MoreIt was a eureka moment. I was walking down Irving Street in Manhattan at the time. Going through my mind was a well-worn train of thought that went like this: “I feel that I am a passive spectator to the huge structural changes taking place in the arts and media. I want to change the […]
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