Live Wire with Luke Burbank

Portland Book Festival Edition w/ Abbi Jacobson + Eileen Myles + Nicole Chung

Abbi Jacobson took a solo road trip that she might live to regret. No, that isn’t the logline for a new horror movie, but it IS the impetus for the comedian, writer, illustrator, and actor’s new essay collection I Might Regret This. Jacobson drove across the entire country alone in an effort to find solitude and time to reflect as her popular Comedy Central show Broad City draws to a close. Through writing, the New York Times-best-selling author of Carry This Book examines questions both big (where is she heading in her life and career?) and small (how has tucking in shirts affected her life?). Jacobson’s future regret is our present gain with this funny, insightful, and lovely book about journeying through different stages of life.

Eileen Myles cannot be contained by any one art form. A poet, novelist, performer, and art journalist, they’re also a college professor at NYU and Naropa University, whose huge body of work is widely acclaimed and awarded. The author of more than twenty publications, Myles has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, four Lambda book awards, and the Clark Prize for excellence in Art Writing. Their most recent book, Evolution, the first book of new poems since 2011, continues to push the limits of genre and play with our modern vernacular. At this point, we would truly expect nothing less from the exuberant, multi-faceted writing of Eileen Myles.

Nicole Chung’s compelling and poignant book about her journey to discover her roots will resonate with any reader who has ever struggled for belonging. The editor-in-chief of Catapult magazine and former managing editor of The Toast, Chung has written for The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and Shondaland. Her debut book, All You Can Ever Know, is about her search for her Korean birth parents and her evolving sense of identity growing up adopted in a primarily white Oregon town. It’s already an indie darling, a #1 Powell’s Bestseller for over half a year prior to its release, and one of 2018’s most hotly anticipated debuts. Chung’s personal story strikes on universal insights as she invites us along on her profound exploration of family.

Are you looking to get electrified? Then The Dip is just the charge you need. The seven-piece ensemble melds vintage rhythm and blues and modern pop with a burst of 60’s-steeped soul. The group creates a surge from the deep soul of decades past and powers their live shows with the energy from powerful vocals, a bursting horn rhythm section, and spirited melodies from the “The Honeynut Horns.” Known for their infectiously fun and wildly danceable shows, you’ll be jacked up and ready to shimmy when you hear the electric sound of The Dip.

[From the Event Page]