Grace Paley, New York's official state author from 1986-88, died at the age of 84 yesterday. She had been battling breast cancer for quite some time. The author, born in the Bronx on December 11th, 1922, still kept an apartment in Manhattan -- but was at her home in Vermont at the time of death. The NY Times recaps her life in literature:Ms. Paley’s output was modest, about four-dozen stories in three volumes: “The Little......

EVENT: Bluestockings is a great little place on Allen St, if you haven't already checked it out. Tonight the UnCoolKids tell us this bookstore (and more) is having an event called "Where Have You Been? Conversations on Travel": ”New Yorkers go all over the world, but the city has a way of swallowing their homecomings. At “Where Have You Been,” three intrepids share stories with other travelers as well as those of us who don’t......

THEATER: The talented Michael Gladis, who theatergoers may recall from the hit 2000 revival of Brecht’s Baal, is currently appearing in ‘nami at The Kirk Theater. This darkly humorous drama is about a suburban woman’s belief that she has uncovered a plot to sell a child of Tsunami-ravaged Indonesia into sex slavery by her neighbors. Sounds heavy, but Martin Denton at nytheatre.com hails ‘nami as “indie theatre at its very best” and the “most exciting......

Todd Zuniga, Opium Magazine...

An editorial in today’s Times reminds us that prison isn’t just a plot twist in the stories of powerful people like Martha Stewart and Judith Miller; a lot of people spend a lot of time there, and we could do a better job of making that time about rehabilitation. Thanks to Lauren Cerand at Maud Newton, we see that this Sunday at Pier 63 (Hudson River at West 23rd Street) Books Through Bars is having......

Gawker walked away as the Reader's Choice for Best New York Blog, while Gothamist was runner-up. Since our second-best company includes Best Not-Runners-Up: Pastis and Nobu (Best Not-New-Scene; Winner: Balthazar) and Il Mulino (Best Italian; Winner: Babbo), Piano's (Best New Nightclub; Winner Crobar), and Jean-Louis David (Best Haircut Under $50; Winner: Astor Place), we're chuffed (adjective meaning only...usually). Thanks to everyone for their support. Read more Readers' Picks and see who and what New York......

The Daily News tries to explain what blogs are to their audience by introducing a number of New York area female bloggers (you know, 'cause are more approachable and if they can do it...). There's a cute picture of Lindsay Robertson online that quickly refutes the any ideas that girl bloggers are shut-ins and confirms their fondness for bars. Besides this site's XX factor, female bloggers featured are (in first name alphabetical) Amy Langfield, Blaise......

Gothamist loves the smell of nominations in the morning. Granted, the nominations for various Best of New York areas went up two days ago, but Gothamist is definitely walking with a spring in our step today. Why? We have been nominated for the Best New York Blog (number 25), in great company alongside 601am, Buzzmachine, Gawker, greg.org, LockhartSteele, low culture, Maud Newton, Memefirst, and TMFML. Yet that doesn't mean we don't want to win:......

New York magazine threatens to go into Internet overload. Not only does Simon Dumenco mention six of the "most compelling" bloggers (Choire Sicha for Gawker, Maud Newton, Anil Dash, Nick Denton as blog impressario of the Gawker/Gizmodo/Fleshbot/Kinja empire, Jeff Jarvis, and Elizabeth Spiers for The Kicker; Dumenco says he expects "to be blogged to death" for his choices and the first shot comes from Gawker, which Gawker calls the piece a slobbery blowjob, though it......