THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR SEP 14 - 20 

• Heather Smith

Utah Silent Film Celebration
The Utah Silent Film Celebration might be a great way to experience some of classics of early cinema, but it was born as a way to further a different art form, and its students. According to festival founder and director Heather Smith, who is a professional piano teacher, "I had a student several years ago who was completely terrified to perform in front of people," Smith says. "He could prepare for it, but he couldn't get up on that stage. And I sensed his love of music was diminishing because of that terror." Having heard of another instance of people using accompaniment to silent films as a way to showcase piano students, Smith gave it a try. "He was actually able to get up and accompany his scene; it made such a huge difference. I thought, 'This is something that's not just going to help my student, but maybe a bunch of students.'"

The now-annual event presents comedy classics like Harold Lloyd's Safety Last, Charlie Chaplin's The Rink and Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr., with more than 200 music students providing accompaniment based on authentic vintage scores Smith located in the Library of Congress. Veteran silent-film accompanist Blaine Gale will also participate for the screening of Safety Last.

The 2023 Utah Silent Film Celebration visits the Megaplex Theatres Legacy Crossing in Centerville (1075 Legacy Crossing Blvd.) on Friday, Sept. 15 and Saturday, Sept. 16, beginning with a welcome/introduction by Smith at 6 p.m. on Sept. 16. Tickets are $15 for individual screenings, and $40 for a full festival pass; visit utahsilentfilmcelebration.com for tickets, screening schedule and additional information. (Scott Renshaw)

• Courtesy Photo

Festa Italiana
Summer and fall is a time when multiple ethnic and cultural festivals fill the Utah events calendar, and it would be easy to highlight one nearly every week. Mid-September serves as a showcase for the local Italian and Italian-American community, as the Italian American Civic League and Italian Club of Salt Lake jointly host the 7th installment of Festa Italiana, expecting to host more than 50,000 guests for two days of food, music and fun.

Food is definitely a centerpiece of our popular conception of Italian culture, and Festa Italiana offers plenty of ways to dive in. La Cucina Galbani Cooking Stage hosts demonstrations throughout both days, with cooking demonstrations by local and celebrity chefs, building up an appetite for more than a dozen food vendors including Granato's, Pizzeria Nono, Sicilia Mia and Fratelli Ristorante, plus wine-tasting. And if you really want to get your munch on, you can sign up for the pizza and pasta-eating contests to see where your limits are with the most comforting of comfort food. Music performances include San Francisco's Anthony Nino Lane Band and Italy's own Musica da Ripostiglio. Arrive early on Saturday to participate in the 3rd annual Vintage Bike Ride, beginning at 10:30 a.m., or enjoy games, arts & crafts and historical displays all weekend.

The 2023 Festa Italiana takes place at The Gateway (400 W. 100 South) on Saturday, Sept. 16 (noon – 10 p.m.) and Sunday, Sept. 17 (noon – 7 p.m.). Admission is free and open to the public both days, including live entertainment. Visit festaitalianaslc.com for additional event information. (SR)

• Adam Levey

Chuck Palahniuk: Not Forever, But For Now
For an author, becoming a brand name with your first novel is something of a mixed blessing. Take the case of one Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk, whose 1996 debut work Fight Club—and the subsequent 1999 film directed by David Fincher—immediately turned him into a kind of poster boy for edgy, transgressive fiction. But that also means that the subsequent 25-plus years have made him forever "the author of Fight Club," through nearly 20 additional novels, short-story collections and coloring books. And to his credit, he has always embraced the legacy of his breakthrough work, including creating two follow-up Fight Club graphic novels with artist Cameron Stewart.

His latest novel, Not Forever, But For Now, continues the fine Chuck Palahniuk tradition of stories with premises likely to make you squirm just a little bit—or perhaps a lot. It's the story of brothers Otto and Cecil, who are living a privileged life on the family estate in the countryside of Wales. There are just a few oddities about the family, most notably that Otto and Cecil have a tendency to murder the estate's hired help. On a fairly consistent basis. And they're not the first family members to be so inclined. Imagine Succession, if the family business were literal serial-killing.

Meet Palahniuk when he comes to Salt Lake City during a meet-and-greet at The King's English Bookshop (1511 S. 1500 East) on Tuesday, Sept. 19 from 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.; the ticketed fundraiser event for The King's English at 7 p.m. is sold-out at press time. Visit kingsenglish.com to purchase books or for additional event information. (SR)