Vica Miller is a quintessential New York story all in herself. A Russian emigre and author, Miller began hosting literary salons as a way to showcase new talent. This past May, I attended Russia! salon, which was at the Mimi Ferzt Gallery. In a cool Soho setting, featuring the artwork of Nickolai Makarov on the walls, four authors read from their most debut works: Boris Fishman, A Replacement Life; Alina Simone, Note to Self; Lara Vapnyar, The Scent of Pine and Miller herself read from Inga's Zigzags.
The evening's readings were an interesting range of subjects and authors styles. I ended up purchasing and reading Alina Simone's Note to Self. Simone is a singer who was born in Kharkov, Ukraine. Her novel is wry look at today's Internet, fame-obsessed culture.
The protaganist, Anna Krestler, is a younger, less-charming Bridget Jones, trying to find a way to make herself relevant. Through the wonders of Craigslist, she connects with a "film" project after being dismissed from her menial job a law firm. Their are moments of pure hilarity and others that just make one grimace. Life remains tough for those on the fringes--growing up is always hard.
Upcoming salons can be found here: http://www.vicamillersalons.com/news2014
