Drew Hubner

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

Just to be clear, I really wanted to be a big fan of this story/photography collaboration by Drew Hubner and Ted Barron, both halves taking a look at the hardscrabble lives found in lower Manhattan during its pre-gentrification years, which started life as a web project before being turned into a popular multimedia performance event at the Bowery Poetry Club a few years ago. But alas, apart from its legitimately great value as a historical document, I found the stories and photos themselves to be only so-so, nothing outright bad but certainly cliche-filled documents that feel interchangeable with the dozens of other writers and photographers who recorded this fascinating period in New York history as well. Absolutely worth your time if you have a specific interest in the subject, it can be easily skipped if you don't.

Out of 10: 7.7… (meer)