“Books and Burlesque” returns to the small cabaret theater Caveat on the Lower East Side this Saturday.
As with most book events, a writer will read an excerpt from their work. However, what comes next is not a book signing, but rather a burlesque performance interpreting the book.
“It’s just an amazing experience to see their words come to life in an actual person,” said the creator of the series, who performs as Fortune Cookie. She preferred to be identified by her stage name due to fears of professional blowback in her career.
Fortune Cookie hosting a previous “Books and Burlesque” event.
Photo by Rengim Mutevellioglu / Courtesy “Books and Burlesque”
The first “Books and Burlesque” event took place in 2022 and it has sold out every show since. Saturday’s event is almost sold out, but tickets to the livestream are available for $10.
Several local authors said that “Books and Burlesque” gives audiences a fun way to engage with books – an ever-increasing challenge as entertainment options expand and attention spans shrink.
“Whether it’s your phone or social media, TikTok, YouTube there’s so many things you could be doing with your attention,” said Katie Gee Salisbury, an author whose book “Not Your China Doll” will be showcased this weekend. “Books are not necessarily always the flashiest thing.”
Rosie Tulips interpreting Rachel Grossman’s book “Vagina Obscura.”
Photo by Rengim Mutevellioglu / Courtesy “Books and Burlesque”
The idea of pairing books with burlesque performers may seem unexpected, but for Fortune Cookie, they’re both ways of telling stories.
Fortune Cookie was born and raised in Chinatown, and said she was an avid reader while growing up. She added that she even worked at the publishing firm W. W. Norton & Company in the early 2010s after graduating from college. She took burlesque classes a few years ago to get over a bad breakup and was drawn to the narrative element.
Each “Books and Burlesque” event since the series’s…
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