Now that I’m millimeters away from putting Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington to bed, the time has come to face the public. On Tuesday night I’ll give the first public reading anywhere–yes, anywhere–of an excerpt from the prologue to Duke.
The occasion is a program called “Music to Your Ears” that’s being presented by Big Umbrella Nonfiction, a Manhattan-based reading series that takes place each month at the impeccably cool 2A. I’ll be sharing the bill with Touré, author of I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon, and Brendan Jay Sullivan, author of Rivington Was Ours: Lady Gaga, the Lower East Side, and the Prime of Our Lives. While I’m not entirely sure that I’m hip enough to share a stage with these gentlemen, I’ll don the black outfit and give it my very best shot.
Quoth the press release:
There will be $4 whiskey deals, there will be books for sale courtesy of McNally Jackson, there will be giant video projection, as usual. There will be a great time had.
I regret to say that Duke is not yet on sale, but you can pre-order a copy by going here.
2A is at 25 Avenue A. The proceedings start at eight p.m. For more information, go here.