Happenings
The Bookworm’s library makes the perfect informal setting for our inspiring programme packed with readings, talks, discussions, debates, book launches and music gigs. Audiences are enlightened by well respected novelists, journalists and travel writers; enraptured by impromptu homespun musical soirees hatched round the piano; and transported to lands far away by lilting lines of live poetry. Whether your penchant is for the hottest new Chinese Writers, Asia’s most illustrious entrepreneurs, or the most risque documentaries, you’ll be able to indulge it at The Bookworm.
Tickets for all events are 40rmb for members of The Bookworm and 50 rmb for non-members unless otherwise specified. TICKETS ARE ON SALE AT THE BOOKWORM, TWO WEEKS AHEAD OF THE EVENT.
Upcoming Events
Poseidon: China’s Secret Salvage of Britain’s Lost Submarine – A book launch with Steven Schwankert
An American scuba diver. A lost British submarine. A secret Chinese history.
Poseidon: China’s Secret Salvage of Britain’s Lost Submarine is the story of a British submarine that sank off the coast of China in 1931, and the American explorer who spent six years looking for it. Beijing-based scuba instructor and editor Steven Schwankert was looking for interesting wrecks to dive in northern China when he found HMS Poseidon on a list of unexplored dive sites. His private obsession with bringing wreck diving to China became a public and personally high-risk mission to uncover a secret history of political intrigue that took him half way across the world in search of evidence. His search for the submarine revealed a story that was far more complicated than he had first expected, challenging official accounts of the escape, and uncovering the truth behind the forgotten wreck.
40/50 RMB
The Humor Section: Tom Rhodes (MC Des Bishop)
ADVANCE TICKETS 120 RMB/AT THE DOOR 150 RMB (STUDENTS 100 RMB)
The Bookworm’s monthly Comedy Club with MC Des Bishop, Turner Sparks and guests from the Beijing local comedy scene.
Tom Rhodes is a world-traveling comedian. The New York Times describes him as “A mostly natural intellect with a knack for reporting the harsh realities of life with a dark and absurdly optimistic cynicism.” An adventurer forging his own path, Rhodes has built a career that not only includes stand-up specials, a sitcom, a travel show, a late-night talk show, numerous live CD’s & DVD’s, his critically acclaimed podcast Tom Rhodes Radio, as well as being a travel writer for the Huffington Post.
MC Des Bishop says Tom Rhodes is “an incredible headliner … I have gigged from time to time with Tom over the last 12 years and he never fails to impress me and always absolutely kills on stage … Tom is by far the most accomplished act we will have had at the Humor Section to date. It is a show not to be missed.
The International Man of Comedy is currently on his Colossus of Me tour. Catch him while he is in town!
Pub Quiz
Friday Night is now Quiz Night! Weve revamped the format, added new and better prizes and have a few surprises in store. A great way to start your weekend shenanigans. Intellectually dominate all of your peers every Friday. Six rounds of terrific trivia, hosted by the living legend Tom Champagne. Drink prizes up for grabs all night.
The Humor Section: Tom Rhodes (MC Des Bishop)
ADVANCE TICKETS 120 RMB/AT THE DOOR 150 RMB (STUDENTS 100 RMB)
The Bookworm’s monthly Comedy Club with MC Des Bishop, Turner Sparks and guests from the Beijing local comedy scene.
Tom Rhodes is a world-traveling comedian. The New York Times describes him as “A mostly natural intellect with a knack for reporting the harsh realities of life with a dark and absurdly optimistic cynicism.” An adventurer forging his own path, Rhodes has built a career that not only includes stand-up specials, a sitcom, a travel show, a late-night talk show, numerous live CD’s & DVD’s, his critically acclaimed podcast Tom Rhodes Radio, as well as being a travel writer for the Huffington Post.
MC Des Bishop says Tom Rhodes is “an incredible headliner … I have gigged from time to time with Tom over the last 12 years and he never fails to impress me and always absolutely kills on stage … Tom is by far the most accomplished act we will have had at the Humor Section to date. It is a show not to be missed.
The International Man of Comedy is currently on his Colossus of Me tour. Catch him while he is in town!
Story Time with Hannah
50rmb Come along for our Sunday sessions of reading, games, music and activities for little readers. Each week teacher Hannah reads new and classic children’s books with the help of our storytellers. Ages 4 and up.
Sunday Salon: the China Cello Philharmonic
Beijing native Chu Yibing began playing at seven, studied in Paris at seventeen and later became the principal cellist of the Basel Symphony Orchestra, Europe’s second highest-paid cello position.
Today, as the Central Conservatory of Music’s Cello Department head, he leads China’s first and only permanent chamber ensemble, the China Cello Philharmonic.
50RMB; 40RMB(with this issue of Time Out Beijing)
Green Drinks
Join Beijing’s Green community for their informal drinks at their monthly meet and greet for those interested in environmental, social and development issues in China. Happy hour promotions apply. All welcome.
Free
String 139: An Evening with Classical Guitarist Jan Depreter
Jan Depreter (Belgian Classical Guitarist) 85rmb
Jan Depreter is well known as the most famous classical guitarist in Belgium, and one of the TOP 10 young classical guitarists in world.
Jan Depreter (1975, Belgium) discovered music at the age of 5. Santa Claus brought him his first guitar at the age of 8. He graduated three times Summa Cum Laude, from the Lemmens Institute in Leuven, the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where he studied with Zoran Dukic. After his studies he perfected his art with renowned artists as: Roberto Aussel, Odair Assad, Costas Cotsiolis, David Russell and Manuel Barrueco.
【Repertoire List】
Domenico SCARLATTI (1685-1757) *
-SONATA K.380, L.23 “Le cortège” in E major (andante comodo)
-SONATA K.208, L.238 in A major (andante cantabile)
-SONATA K.322, L.483 in A major (allegro)
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)*
-CIACONNA BWV1004 in d-minor (from violin partita nr.2)
Vicente AMIGO (°1967)*
-MORENTE (granaínas)
Quique SINESI (°1960)
-CIELO ABIERTO (candombe)
Giulio REGONDI (1822-1872)
-INTRODUCTION et CAPRICE (opus 23)
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)*
-ADIEU
Francisco TARREGA (1852-1909)
TRIO of TARREGAS
Capricho arabe
Pavana
Gran “Nokia” Vals
Jan DEPRETER (°1975)
MESSAGE of the SEA (a selection of celtic pieces)
Northern Lights
Eilean Donan
The Isle of Skye
(The repertoire is subjected to change)
Basically Beethoven
The Bookworm hosts Beijing’s only classical music open mic. Get involved or simply bask in the glory of some of Beijing’s best international classical musicians.
Free
THE FUTURE ANCIENTS – A book launch with LUKA LESSON
The Future Ancients is a collection of Luka Lesson’s best slam poetry pieces and rap verses. A record of 30 poems written from 2008-2013, it takes the reader from the Greek coastlines of his ancestors, through reflections of Australia’s dark history and into pockets of philosophy and love. Part poetry collection, part notebook, The Future Ancients includes blank spaces for the reader to pen their own lines and QR codes which link through an easy smart phone scan to audio or video recordings of Luka’s performances online, giving the reader a fully interactive experience. Luka Lesson is a spoken word and Hip-hop artist of Greek heritage from Australia. He is the Australian Poetry Slam champion of 2011 and Melbourne Overload Poetry Festival slam champion of 2010.
40/50 RMB
Jing Jam Worm Up! Old Time, Bluegrass and Country Music
Old time, bluegrass and folk workshops, sing-alongs, concerts, square dancing and free jams from noon to midnight.
Featuring local American roots music luminary Randy Abel and visiting fiddler and square dance caller Michael Ismerio. Bring your instruments, dancing shoes or smiles. Events include a family singalong and square dance (noon-2 pm), old time fiddle workshop (noon), mandolin workshop (1 pm), ukulele workshop (2 pm), old time music workshop (2 pm), open music jam (bring your own instrument or sing along) (3.30 pm), singalong and ukulele jam circle (3.30 pm), songwriting workshop and performance by Randy Abel and his band (4.30 pm), song circle led by Randy Abel, Michael Ismerio and the Hutong Yellow Weasels (5.30 pm), fiddle performance and conversation with Michael Ismerio (7.30 pm), square dance (9 pm) and jam with Ismerio, Abel, and local musicians.
All-Day Pass 130 RMB (includes two drink tickets). Tickets to single events are 50 RMB (includes one drink ticket). The sing-alongs and jams are free. Tickets available in advance at the Bookworm.
| 12-1 | Old Time Family Singalong and introduction to fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and bass. Bring your instruments and jam along! — FREE
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Old time fiddle workshop – Michael Ismerio (50 yuan) |
| 1-2 | Square dance for kids and families with live music (50 yuan)
|
Mandolin workshop (Free) |
| 2-3:30 | Old time music workshop with Kirk Kenney of the Hutong Yellow Weasels and Liu Yusi of the Randy Abel Stable (50 yuan) | Ukulele workshop (50 yuan)
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| 3:30-4:30 | Open old time music jam! Bring an instrument. FREE | |
| 4:30-5:30 | Songwriting workshop by Randy Abel (50 yuan) | Open Ukulele circle and singalong FREE |
| 5:30-6:30 | ||
| 6:30-7:30 | Song circle led by Michael Ismerio, Randy Abel Stable and Hutong Yellow Weasels FREE | |
| 7:30-9 | Old time fiddle performance and talk: From punk to old timer by Michael Ismerio (50 yuan) | |
| 9-10:30 | Square dance with Michael Ismerio and local musicians (50 yuan) | |
| 10:30 – late | Jam with Ismerio, Randy Abel and Hutong Yellow Weasels FREE |
INN Coffee Morning
Join new friends and old at INN’s monthly coffee morning meet and greet. Exchange tips on being a newbie to the city and get the best advice from Beijing old hands.
FREE
On The Noodle Road – A book talk with Jen Lin-Liu
A food writer travels the Silk Road, immersing herself in a moveable feast of foods and cultures and discovering some surprising truths about commitment, independence, and love.
Feasting her way through an Italian honeymoon, Jen Lin-Liu was struck by culinary echoes of the delicacies she ate and cooked back in China, where she’d lived for more than a decade. Who really invented the noodle? she wondered, like many before her. But also: How had food and culture moved along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route linking Asia to Europe—and what could still be felt of those long-ago migrations? With her new husband’s blessing, she set out to discover the connections, both historical and personal, eating a path through western China and on into Central Asia, Iran, Turkey, and across the Mediterranean.
The journey takes Lin-Liu into the private kitchens where the headscarves come off and women not only knead and simmer but also confess and confide. The thin rounds of dough stuffed with meat that are dumplings in Beijing evolve into manti in Turkey—their tiny size the measure of a bride’s worth—and end as tortellini in Italy. And as she stirs and samples, listening to the women talk about their lives and longings, Lin-Liu gains a new appreciation of her own marriage, learning to savor the sweetness of love freely chosen.
40/50rmb
The Unknown Prokofiev: A Musical Talk with Author and Academic Simon Morrison
Simon Morrison is an authority on Russian composer, pianist and conductor Sergei Prokofiev, a talent who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century. In this accessible lecture, Dr Morrison will speak about “The Unknown Prokofiev”, focusing on those works that, for various reasons, have not been published or performed. He will also present some clips of Prokofiev talking about his music and playing it.
Simon Morrison is Professor of Music at Princeton University, where he specializes on Russian and French modernist music. He is the author of The People’s Artist: Prokofiev’s Soviet Years (2008) and The Love and Wars of Lina Prokofiev (2013), which has just been featured as “Book of the Week” on BBC Radio 4 and in the “hot ink” section of Vanity Fair. Besides academic publications, he has written for The New York Times, New York Review of Books and London Review of Books. He is the President of the Sergei Prokofiev Foundation.
40/50 RMB
The Bookworm Wine Club
The Bookworm’s wine club is back with a very nice selection of wines from a unique vineyard in South of France… Domaine de la Rouviole: Located on a hillside with clayey and chalky soil, the vineyard benefits from more than 300 days of sunshine per year. Moreover, the vines are immersed in the scents of the surrounding garrigue: thyme, wild asparagus, rosemary, maritime pines, and evergreen oaks. The selected grape varieties are typical of great red Languedoc wines: Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault.
– La Rouviole Herault 2010
– Domaine de la Rouviole AOP Menervois Baroque
– Domaine Rouviole AOP Minervois La Liviniere
Don’t miss this great chance to try very special wines for just 150rmb per person
For bookings: [email protected]
