Brooklyn Voices Presents Kristin Hersh

October 13, 2015

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – October 13, 2015 – SJC Brooklyn, in partnership with Greenlight Bookstore, is pleased to announce that it will welcome Kristin Hersh to discuss her latest book, Don’t Suck, Don’t Die: Giving Up Vic Chestnutt, in conversation with Amanda Petruisch as part of the fall Brooklyn Voices lecture series on Wednesday, October 21 at SJC Brooklyn.

“Part memoir, part biography, Don't Suck, Don't Die tells the story of Vic Chestnutt, one of the world's most acclaimed and unconventional songwriters,” said Dr. Jill Rehmann, vice president of academic affairs for SJC Brooklyn.  “Kristin Hersh's work sheds valuable insight on his work and his craft.”

Singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt, a quadriplegic who could play only simple chords on his guitar, recorded 17 critically acclaimed albums before his death in 2009. He was placed among the 10 best living songwriters by NPR, and his songs have been covered by artists Madonna and Neutral Milk Hotel. 

Kristin Hersh, founding member of the bands Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave and author of Rat Girl, toured with Chesnutt for nearly a decade. In her new book, Don’t Suck, Don’t Die, a memoir of their deep friendship and life on the road, Hersh plumbs the sources of Chesnutt’s pain and creativity more deeply than any conventional account of his life and recordings ever could. Hersh will discuss the book and Chesnutt with music critic and professor Amanda Petrusich, who wrote the book’s foreword.  The discussion is accompanied by an exclusive musical performance by Hersh. 

The event will take place in the Tuohy Hall Auditorium. Tickets are $23 and include a copy of the book and an opportunity to have it personally signed following the discussion. 

For more information, contact Michael Banach at 718.940.5584 or [email protected].

About Brooklyn Voices
Created in collaboration with Greenlight Bookstore, the aim of the Brooklyn Voices series is to promote and enhance the creative vitality of our home neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill by providing local writers, artists, and intellectuals with a forum in which to discuss and present their works to our neighbors, patrons, and students. Through lectures, forums, performances, and public discussion, Brooklyn Voices seeks to make a meaningful contribution to the thriving intellectual culture of the neighborhood and ensure that our community remains a stimulating place in which to live, learn, and do business.

About St. Joseph’s College
St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility and service. Through SJC Brooklyn, SJC Long Island and SJC Online, the College offers degrees in more than 45 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.