Past Events

Reading Group #3: Olga Tokarczuk’s

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

Join Emily Nola, Independent Curator & Director of Collar Works, as we discuss this “satisfying thriller cum fairy tale” about a woman unraveling events connected to the disappearance of her two dogs from a celebrated Nobel and Man Booker prize winning author.

Wednesday 10/23 6—7:30pm

Hosted by Collar Works

Troy Open Studios

We’re thrilled to be hosted by Collar Works for Troy Open Studios Day. See you in the lobby of their expansive temporary location c/o ChaShaMa. 50 4th Street, Troy NY, 12180

Saturday 10/12 2—5pm

Brown Girl Book Lover Presents:

In Full Color

Guest Curator, Leslie-Ann Murray of Brown Girl Book Lover, is jumping in the pool and you’re invited! Join us as luminous creatives from throughout the diasporic spectrum convene in Albany to share their award-winning work.

Saturday 9/7 4—7pm

Reading Group #2: Eva Baltasar’s

Boulder

Join Emily Nola, Independent Curator & Director of Collar Works, for a discussion of Eva Baltasar’s Boulder. Join us as we co-navigate “prose as brittle and beautiful as an ancient saga” with this compact, queer story of love vs the pursuit of freedom. Shortlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize.

Thursday 08/15 6-9 pm

I’M BAD

Artist talk

Join artist Judith Braun and curator Karley Sullivan for a chat & walk-thru of the show.

Thursday, 7/11, 6—7:30pm

I’M BAD

Artworks by Judith Braun

We’re debuting Judith’s larger-than-life portraits of badass femmes being their bad selves alongside selections from her formidable archive of artworks. Come and touch base with the bad in you to the sounds of live jazz singing by Julia Donnaruma and a reading of Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy by Kelly Loveless — both accompanied by bassist Mike Bisio,

Opening Friday 6/28 | By appt 7/6—7/25

Reading Group #1: Olga Ravn’s

The Employees

A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century

Join Emily Nola, Independent Curator & Director of Collar Works, for a discussion of Olga Ravn’s The Employees. Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize, The Employees reshuffles a sci-fi voyage into a riotous existential nightmare. Let’s dive in!

Thursday 05/23 6—9 pm

Phenomena

Seeing is more than physiological.

We’re looking into the light on the other side of the Great American Eclipse and you’re invited. Join us for a screening of Haig Aivazian’s Prometheus, a hands-on viewing of The Order of Things by Karley Sullivan, new poetry by Citron Kelly, a reading of the day’s Dudley Observatory Skywatch Report by Conrad and Margot Beardsley, plus an opportunity to listen to Alexis Bhagat’s Meditation on the Possibility of Life Without the Sun.

Thursday 4/18 6—9pm

Cuffing Season

Baby, it’s cold outside.

The air may be frigid but it’s getting hot in here. Join us for an evening of texts from our mortal coils in love and desire. Featuring readings by Sam Axelrod, Judith Braun with guest Inju of Farenheit, Karley Sullivan, and Anya Ulinich.

Thursday 02/15 6—9pm

St. Rocco’s Poetry Collective presents

Generative Texts

Writing beyond the human, together.

Everyone is talking about AI, but it’s not the first or only way to write inter-generatively. Join us for an evening of literature written with ChatGPT, Python scripts, the Cut-Up Method, and games of chance. Featuring readings by Kite, Brian McCorkle, Amy Griffin, Chris Funkhouser and Alexis Bhagat.

Thursday 11/30/23 6—9 pm

Never a Dull Moment on Grand Street

Artworks by Stephanie Loveless & Victoria van der Laan

Under the influence of proximity, the first visual exhibition at Kiddie Pool features two artists with very different practices who both call Grand Street home.

Stephanie Loveless a media artist and Director of the Center for Deep Listening at Rensselaer. Her work centers on sound and vocal embodiment, and has been presented globally.

Victoria van der Laan is a self-taught textile artist taking her familial heritage of quilt-making to new levels. Her innovative pay-what-you-can weekly offering on social media subverts the dominant art economy and wholly supports her work and family.

11/3/23 - 11/6/23

St. Rocco’s Poetry Collective presents

My Life in Art

Writers writing about art. Artists writing about life.

A one night, deep dive into the twisty, attentive minds of writers experiencing art and life. Join the Kiddie Pool party with a reading of creative texts and stories featuring Michael Oatman, Rebecca Schiff, and more!

Thursday 9/28/23 7—9 pm