March 13 – April 6, 2024 @ Various Venues
Local author Glenn Laszlo ‘Bob’ Weiss, reads selections from three books Wednesday, March 13, at the Bristol Library at 6 p.m. and at Barnes and Noble, Johnson City Saturday, April 6, at 2 p.m. A resident of Southwest Virginia since 2020, Weiss has been writing and performing his stories and plays for several decades throughout New York City, upstate New York, and Southwestern Virginia.
The upcoming readings in both Bristol and Johnson City include selections from "Memoirs? They Don't Want No Stinkin' Memoirs," (Stories from the Theater, Social Services and Jail.) These stories are taken from Weiss’ life and experiences working in social services and the theater, sharing the humor and sadness of the workplace.
Also on the agenda at the upcoming readings will be selections from "Three Plays," featuring portions of "Credo," a story exploring the demons of addiction and recovery, "In Walks Bud," which is a cosmic meeting between two jazz giants, Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk."Tales of a Jewish American Prince" follows the son of Holocaust survivors and the impact on his daughter. All three plays were written to music.
Though Weiss cut his literary chops as a playwright, he is no stranger to writing fictional stories that grab readers by the heart, too. His most recent book, "The Ghost of Gerstenhabers and Other Stories" is a fictional work revolving around two main stories. One takes place in 1969, Jackson Heights, Queens, where an ominous threat roams the neighborhood. Instead of relying on the thrill of terror, Weiss juxtaposed the evil undercurrent with a love story that plays out in real time. In response to Camus' "The Stranger," an elderly man looks back on an unsettled world and tries to make sense of it all.
A theater director and producer with over 100 productions on both coasts, Weiss has directed over 25 Sam Shepard plays. Since relocating to the Abingdon area just a few years ago, Weiss has read and performed his stories, produced a Sam Shepard Tribute Show at the Abingdon Arts Depot, Meadowview Arts Center, Wytheville Library, and provided readings at various bookstores in area. He is also teaching storytelling at The College for Older Adults at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.
Both the Bristol Library and Barnes and Noble events are free and open to the public. For information on either performance, contact the venues directly.
Category: Literature