Update: Click for the 2015 Acker Awards.
And read this captivating feature story by Nicole Disser: ‘Helen Keller Was an Asshole,’ and Other Things You’ll Learn at the Acker Awards
Now comes an award intended for nonconformist achievement in the arts: the Acker Awards, named for the experimental novelist Kathy Acker (1947-1997), “who in her life and work exemplified the risk-taking and uncompromising dedication that identifies the true avant garde artist.” So say Acker Awards providers Clayton Patterson and Alan Kaufman. And they’ve put together a very cool web site.
I’m told the award ceremonies will be held in New York and San Francisco, June 6, 2013, 7 p.m., local time (at the Angel Orensanz Foundation, 172 Norfolk Street in Manhattan, and at VIRACOCHA, 998 Valencia Street@21st in the Mission. Both ceremonies are free and open to the public.
NEW YORK CITY AWARD RECIPIENTS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Barney Rosset and Fred Jordan
EDITORIAL: Ron Kolm and Jim Feast
WRITERS: Richard Kostelanetz, Peter Lamborne Wilson, John Strausbaugh
POETRY: Bob Holman, Steve Dalachinsky, Eileen Myles, Jim Brodey, Patricia Smith, Harry Nudel, Lionel Ziprin (Posthumous), Dorothy Firedman, Konstantin K.Kosminsky
FICTION: Carl Watson, John Farris, Janus Eidus
NON-FICTION: Eddy Portnoy
THEATER: Judith Malina(The Living Theater), Crystal Field (Theater For The New City), Taylor Mead, Augusto Mecharize, Hapi Phace (Mark Rizzo), Tabboo Stephen Tashjian, Peter Kwaloff
BIOGRAPHY: C.Carr
ART: Boris Lurie (Posthumous), John Evans, Jose “Cochise” Quiles, Elsa Rensaa, Dash Snow (Posthumous), Jerry Pagane, Anthony Dominguez, Peter Missing, Joe Coleman, Spider Webb
PUBLISHERS: Dan Simon (SEVEN STORIES PRESS), Jim Fleming (AUTONOMEDIA)
PHOTOGRAPHY: Ira Cohen, Alice O’Malley, Paula Grimaldi-Reardon
PERFORMANCE: Tuli Kupferburg, Valery Oisteanu, Red Ed, Steve Ben Israel
VIDEO: Nelson Sullivan
FILM: Nick Zedd, Howard Guttenplan (Millenium Theater), MM Serra (FILMMAKERS COOP)
COMMUNITY SUPPORT: Patricia Parker (VISION FESTIVAL), Klara Palotai, Jody Weiner, Monica Ponomarev, Lia Gangitano,
Lucien Bahaj
BUILDING PRESERVATION AWARD: Angel Orensanz
MUSIC: Danny “Lord Ezec” Singer, James “Jimmy G.” Drescher, William Parker, LAch Anti-Folk, , Razbeez (Posthumous), Joey Semz (Joe McCarthy)
VENUES: Steve Cannon (TRIBES), Hilly Crystal (CBGB), Al Orensanz and Maria Neri (ANGEL ORENSANZ FOUNDATION)
HISTORIANS IN FILM: Jeremiah Newton, Eric Ferrara
SAN FRANCISCO AWARD RECIPIENTS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Hubert Selby Jr.
FICTION: William T. Vollmann, Peter Plate, Michelle Tea, Don Bajema, Rami Shamir, Joe Clifford, Daniel Handler, Zarina Zabrisky
POETRY: Diane DiPrima, Sam Sax, Kim Addonizio, John Lane, Ruth Weiss, Daphne Gottlieb, Jack Micheline (posthumous)
Harold Norse (posthumous), David Lerner (Posthumous), William Taylor, Ed Bowers
NON-FICTION: Gerald Nicosia, Jack Boulware and Silke Tudor, Annie Sprinkle, James Sullivan
JOURNALISM: Paul Krassner, Evan Karp, Silja J.A. Talvi, Annalee Newitz
EDITORIAL: Brenda Knight, Joe Donahue, Oscar Villalon, Amy Scholder
PUBLISHING: Felice Newman and Frederique Delacoste (CLEIS PRESS); Charles Getter and J.Brandon Loberg (7th TANGENT PRESS); V.Vale (RE/Search)
CULTURAL ADVOCACY: Jane Ganahl and Jack Boulware (LITQUAKE); Jon Siegel and Duo Von Dagrate (VIRACOCHA), Jerry Cimino (THE BEAT MUSEUM), Charles Getter and J. Brandon Loberg (16th AND MISSION), The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
BOOK CULTURE: Kristina Kearns (OURSHELVES), Eric Whittington (BIRD AND BECKETT BOOKS), Peter Maravalis (CITY LIGHTS BOOKS), Laura Sheppard (MECHANICS INSTITUTE LIBRARY)
VISUAL ART: Winston Smith, Chuck Sperry, Jon-Paul Bail, Sue Coe, Fran O’Neil, Thomas Nozkowski, Brett Amory, Matt Gonzalez
FILM: John Waters, Sidney Peterson, Michael Sladek (Plug Ugly Films), Chris Talbott (Silent Five Productions)
DRAMA AND PERFORMANCE: Mel Clay (Posthumous), Marina Abramovic (PAI), Daryl Henline and Peter Kodyk (Posthmous) (CONSPIRACY OF BEARDS), CUTTING BALL THEATER
DANCE: Joe Goode Performance Group
MUSIC: Daniel Higgs, Country Joe McDonald, Fox and Woman
PHOTOGRAPHY: Charles Gatewood
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Sammy Dwarfobia
GALLERISTS: Justin Giarla (WHITEWALLS), Daryl Smith and Laurie Lazer (THE LUGGAGE STORE),
Deborah Munk (RECOLOGY SAN FRANCISCO ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM)
COMIC ART: Spain Rodriguez, FLY, Mats Stromberg
