Event Date
Monday, April 4 2011 : 6:30pm – 8:00pmLocation
The CenterDescription
Monday, April 4, 2011
Program 6:30PM
Center Working Authors presents Ivan and Misha by Michael Alenyikov
Join us for a reading and book signing by author Michael Alenyikov.
The linked stories in this powerful debut by Michael Alenyikov swirl around the titular fraternal twins and their father, Louie, as they make their way from the oppressive world of Soviet-era Kiev to the frenetic world of New York City in the late nineties.
About Ivan and Misha
Ivan, like his father, is a natural seducer and gambler who always has a scheme afoot between fares in his cab and stints in Bellevue for his bipolar disorder. Misha, more haunted than his brother by the death of their mother after their birth, is ostensibly the voice of reason. Socially adrift, father and sons search for meaning in their divergent romantic relationships. Louie embarks on a traditional heterosexual dating relationship while Ivan is sexually opportunistic and omnivorous, and Misha, a young gay man, is torn between his familyand the prospect of a committed relationship. An evocative and frank exploration of identity, loss, dislocation, and sexuality, Ivan and Misha marks the arrival of a unique, authentic voice.
About the Author Michael Alenyikov
Michael Alenyikov stories have appeared in Canada's Descant, The Georgia Review, New York Stories, and the James White Review. He's been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was a MacDowell Fellow. He's a native New Yorker, who grew up in the outer reaches of the three outer boroughs. Ivan and Misha, his first book, has been nominated for the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and the Northern California Book Award for Fiction.
From Booklist's review: "Word madness is a hallmark of the writing; lyrical descriptions of place, time, and events, touches of the bizarre; everyday humor; and a love of New York from Brighton Beach to the East Village delight with their clarity and detail. Written with sweetness, compassion, and great beauty."
For more information about the author visit: www.michaelalenyikov.com
Price
$10Register
For More Information
Yojani Hernandez, yhernandez@gaycenter.org, 212-620-7310
