Steinman's book really stands alone among performance art books. While there are many that document what particular artists are doing, this one offers a way in for a person who wants to perform (or know more about how performance artists work). Must reading for anyone interested in performance art, it will also be fascinating to those in theatre, playwriting, visual arts and performance of any sort.
Louise Steinman is a writer and literary curator. Her work frequently deals with memory, history and reconciliation. Her book, The Souvenir: A Daughter Discovers Her Father's War, was cited as 'A graceful, understated memoir' that draws its strength from the complexities it explores.' (New York Times Book Review) 'an intimate and powerful story of the effects of war.' James Bradley, author, Flags of Our Fathers). The book won the 2002 Gold Medal in Autobiography/Memoir from ForeWord Magazine and has been the selection of all-city and all-freshman reading programs. The book chronicles her quest to return a war 'souvenir' to its owner and-- in the process-- illuminates how war changed one generation and shaped another.
She has curated the award-winning ALOUD at Central Library series for the Los Angeles Public Library (www.aloudla.org) for the past fifteen years and is also co-director of the Los Angeles Institute of the Humanities at USC.
