Join us for a talk with David Cowles, in conversation with Jeff Spevak. This event is organized in association with the exhibition David Cowles: ROC Stars

This talk will take place at RoCo.

About the Speakers

Jeff Spevak spent a decade as a sports writer and editor around the country, before settling down to three decades as an arts writer in Rochester, primarily with the Democrat and Chronicle. Before retiring from WXXI and CITY Magazine in November, over the years Spevak conducted more than 2,000 interviews with the likes of Mickey Mantle, B.B. King, Patti Smith, Tony Bennett and many Rochester musicians. He also drank beers with Oliver Stone, and whiskey with Bo Diddley. He’s had one book published: “22 Minutes” is the story of a Lake Ontario sailor who, during World War II, survived the sinking of his ship in the Battle of Savo Island, the worst naval defeat in the history of the United States Navy. Grammy winning singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams, in an email sent to her agent after being interviewed by Spevak, wrote, “He’s very intelligent, and funny too!” He makes no such promises for this evening’s talk.

David Cowles was born in Rochester, N.Y. in 1961, the last of six children. His father, Hobart, was a Professor of Ceramics at Rochester Institute of Technology, and his mother, Barbara, was manager of Shop One, a Rochester gift shop heavy on the crafts. Cowles landed a job at the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester in 1983, and began his freelance career two years later, leaving the paper to work freelance full-time in 1991. Cowles' work has appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Vibe, Time, Newsweek, Playboy, People, The Village Voice, Money, Worth, Fortune, Fast Company, Los Angeles Magazine, New York Magazine, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The New Republic and Vanity Fair, among others. Cowles has worked as a creator, writer, designer, storyboard artists and director on animated projects for Disney, Sesame Street, They Might Be Giants and Frederator Studios, among others.