The Uptown Collective – The Recap 6-16 to 6-21
By Led Black
June 16 – June 21
The wait is finally over. Our film, The Incredibly Spectacular Dyckman Fireworks Co., is now available online. Filmed entirely on the 4th of July 2013, the short film is an inside look at the Independence Day celebrations Uptown. We enlisted a great group of local cinematographers such as Emmanuel “DJ Boy” Abreu, Emil Baez, Jose “Lozer Films” Alfonseca, Gabriel Dominguez and Edgar Pena to capture the night as it transpired. Directed by Jon Ullman, of Trouble In The Heights fame, Dyckman Fireworks is an ultra-sensory foray into the little known world of Uptown style Americana. Magic, moxie and mayhem – All in just under 18 minutes. You can catch it on our site or at www.vimeo.com/dyckmanfireworks.
Please check out the film, share it widely and with abandon. The Hashtag for the film is #DyckmanFireworks. Our full-length documentary film, Nutcracker Inc., about the infamous street cocktail, is in the pipeline, so please stay tuned for that.
Stealing A Summer’s Afternoon is the second novel from author AJ Sidransky and it is nothing like his debut opus, Forgiving Maximo Rothman. While the former was an epic, sweeping and much more serious affair, the latter is a hoot. You will find yourself laughing out loud to the missteps, musings and shenanigans of Elliot and company. Stealing A Summer’s Afternoonis an excellent and accessible sophomore offering from an author that knows how to spin a yarn and entrance a reader. Please support local authors and get this novel pronto.
Speaking of great reads, I had the privilege of reading a pre-release copy of Crossing Broadway: Washington Heights and the Promise of New York City by historian Robert W. Snyder. Crossing Broadwaytells the story of our much-maligned neighborhood with erudition, élan and the soft touch of personal attachment. Robert W. Snyder’s book is a testament to the tenacity, dynamism and vitality of the people that have made Washington Heights their home. If you want to truly understand Washington Heights, then Crossing Broadwayis an absolute must-read. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released later this year.
Uptown Hip-Hop heavyweight, Dark, has a new video for Hustle directed by the good folks at Pocket Denim. Our Time Travel Tuesdays post took us back to July 31th, 2009 for a vigorous jog through Fort Tryon Park with NY Times writer Brian Fidelman.
Keep checking us out at www.uptowncollective.com.
Led Black
Editor-in-Chief
The Uptown Collective
The UC’s mission is to become “the” definitive, transformative and community-based force impacting the arts, culture, business and New York City’s overall perception of Upper Manhattan. Its objective is to reset, reboot and positively redefine Uptown’s artistic, political, cultural and business spheres via the online space as well the collective’s initiatives and functions.
