FREE! THE DEVIL AND DAISY DIRT: A Garden State Gothic, Alt-Folk Event

Don’t miss the event Weird NJ calls “the most original, Jersey-centric and downright weird presentation in our state’s theatrical history!” As heard on WNYC!, and as seen in Weird New Jersey! Written and directed by RU’s own Alex Dawson, who teaches creative writing with a focus on folklore, weird fiction, and the dark fantastic, hosts Inside the Writers House, a video chat with acclaimed authors from all over world, and leads fable-fueled Study Abroad programs to some of the planet’s most mythical places.

The Rutgers University English Department, the American Studies Department, and Scarlet Arts RX present: THE DEVIL AND DAISY DIRT: A Garden State Gothic, Alt-Folk Event

Featuring Alex Dawson, Dan Diana, Arlan Feiles, and Jackie Fogel. With a special intro by NY Times bestselling author/leading NJ flolkorist Angus Gillispie, Phd, a Fullbright professor in the American Studies Dept at Rutgers.

7:30 PM, Tues. April 15 @ Kirkpatrick Chapel. Free (of course).

For info and pics, visit TheDevilandDaisyDirt.blogspot.com.

Wait. What is this? It’s a bluegrass tall tale about the Jersey Devil with live music and an 8′ wearable puppet. Think Pine Barrens E.T., with a shoulder-shot cryptid instead of a stranded extraterrestrial, deer hunters instead of federal agents, and a portal that opens above the Apple Pie Hill fire tower after a midnight lightning strike instead of an alien mothership shaped like a Christmas tree ornament. All backed by a high lonesome sound.

What’s a Jersey Devil? The Jersey Devil, also known as the Leeds Devil, is a legendary creature or cryptid said to inhabit the forests of the Pine Barrens in South Jersey. The creature is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations. The most common description is that of a bipedal kangaroo with a horse-like head, bat wings, horns or antlers, small clawed arms, cloven hooves, and a forked or pointed tail.

Here’s what a few fine folks have said:

“There is no one remotely like Alex Dawson in Gothic New Jersey or anywhere else. A riveting, one-of-a-kind storyteller.” Joyce Carol Oates, The Gravedigger’s Daughter

“Stunning! Jim Henson meets Johnny Cash!” (Lev Grossman, The Magicians, The Bright Sword)

“Amazing! It will absolutely blow your mind!” (Jersey Is the World)

“Very weird and very Jersey! See it to believe it!” (Weird New Jersey)

“Fantastic! See this play if you can!” (Brian and Wendy “Mother of Yoda” Froud, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth)

“Mesmerizing. Wildly inventive and totally unmissable.” (Sophie White, Where I End)

“Beautiful. Incredible.” (Adrien Beau, The Vourdalak)

“The hero we need. Very cool and all kinds of fun!” (Stephen Graham Jones, The Only Good Indians)

“A wild ride! Dawson is the Chuck Norris of storytelling.” (Clay McLeod Chapman, Ghost Eaters, Wendell & Wild)

“Brilliant! Half creature feature, half country song!” (Lee Pfeifer, Cinema Retro)

“Incredible! Amazing! Chucky would be jealous.” (Tom Holland, Fright Night, Child’s Play)

“Dawson is the OG Jersey Devil. A twisted yarn that could only happen in my home state.” (Mike Edison, Raunch Hands, I Have Fun Everywhere I Go)

“Gripping. Captivating. Reminiscent of Shel Silverstein’s epic poems.” (Fears Mag), “Powerful, poetic, and really strange!” (Will Rogers, Blackwood, Guide to the Unknown).