Bettina – The Brooklyn Train

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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November 2, 2022

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Yto Barrada, Gregor Huber, ed.
Bettina
(Aperture and Editions Xavier Barrall, 2022)

In 1966, New York-based interdisciplinary artist Bettina began creating photographic portfolios of her works, including her sculptures, abstract photographs, and serial geometric designs. Bettina pasted her carefully composed photo materials onto black paper and labeled each page in white pencil with neatly blocked letters. After a studio fire destroyed all of her work and killed her cat, these photo album portfolios became a way for Bettina to preserve her work and ease her anxiety of losing it again. The desire to archive his own work, which underpinned the philosophy of much of his photographic practice, became a necessity and a means of surviving as an artist after the tragedy of the fire. A selection of these portfolios is reproduced in Bettina and their sleek, simple design style informs the zine-like feel of this expansive book.

Bettina is the first monograph dedicated to the artist who died in 2021 at the age of 94 while this publication was in progress. Like many female artists of her generation, Bettina’s work remained largely unknown during her lifetime. Her first solo exhibition was in 1980 at the OK Harris Gallery in New York and she didn’t have another until this year, when Les Rencontres de la Photographie, an annual photography festival in Arles, France, went up Betina. A poem of perpetual renewal. The exhibition in Arles is a companion to the book and was organized by the publishers – artist Yto Barrada and Gregor Huber – after the book won the Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award in 2020 (which financially enabled its publication) . In the career of an artist, a gap of forty years is long, and the story of what happened or did not happen during those years for Bettina is certainly the subtext of this publication. What becomes clear as she sifts through nearly 250 images of the artist’s work is that Bettina believed in the merit of her designs, preserving them for a future audience waiting for her.

Since meeting Bettina in 2015, Barrada has been the shepherd of her rediscovery. In her text in the book, she describes the evolution of their relationship. When they first met, Barrada found Bettina overshadowed by the boxes and books that filled the artist’s studio at the Chelsea Hotel. “We see Bettina and understand that a disaster happened a long time ago,” Barrada writes. This sense of doom had been the focus of two documentaries – Sam Bassett’s ‘Bettina’ (2007) and Corinne van der Borch’s ‘Girl With Black Balloons’ (2010) – and it was to Barrada’s credit that she rebuffed the artist’s initial claim that all of his works had been destroyed. Over time, Bettina started unpacking her archives, and in 2019 the two started working on the book. Bringing in Gregor Huber as designer, the three set out to create a monograph with “a punk energy [that would] reflect the raw elegance of Bettina.

Bettina opens with a section on his Xerox works, another method of duplication that propelled his creative output. In the first Xerox, a large line-drawn circle sits in the center of the page with the text “SANCTUARY protect the magic” at the top. The edges of the Xerox are visible in its reproduction, which preserves a sense of the work as an object that exists beyond the page. This untitled Xerox, like much of Bettina’s work, is concept driven and demonstrates her kinship with other artists of the 1960s and 1970s who similarly worked with image and text to catalog information. . But this work also evokes the spiritual registers that Bettina sought to evoke in her works.

The overlap between rigorous conceptualism and an interest in mystical phenomenon is best exemplified by a series that Bettina began in 1977. The fifth point of the compass / New York from A to Z, studies in constant random, fixed focus-Time Lapse, Bettina photographed random events on the sidewalk under her balcony. “I looked over the balcony and saw these people walking below me,” the artist recalls. “And I thought…I’d like to capture that.” You find mystical coincidences when you focus on something hard enough. The artist would continue the series for eight years, creating photographic typologies of pedestrian activities, organized from A to Z. A selection of the photographs from this series are reproduced in the photography section, where editors successfully use the format of the book to create a sequence of linked images that unfold around each page. In the ‘READER’ group, photographs of people walking and reading are printed in various sizes, creating a rhythm that brings out the magical synchronicity of New York, always there if you take the time to look.

Like many of Bettina’s other projects, this series spans from one medium – photography – to others including film, Xerox and concept texts. As artist Robert Blackburn observed in 1986, “[Bettina’s] photography, film, sculpture are one, because the photographic medium is used not only for documentation, but as an inexhaustible source of inspiration from which other disciplines emerge and merge.¹ Despite the fact that Bettina often moved from one medium to another, the sections of the book are separated by medium, which makes each section feel like an unsuitable container for what it contains. Works derived from The fifth point of the compass, for example, are displayed in the Xerox, Photography, and Film sections. A chronological structure might have been a more effective approach to clearly presenting the evolution of Bettina’s hybrid practice.

Sometime in 2020, when it looked like the book would never be finished, Bettina wrote to Barrada, “I NEED MY FIRST BOOK TO BE LESS COMPLETE, CHEAPER AND MORE AVAILABLE TO MORE PEOPLE. ” With this mandate, the publishers have produced a book that privileges access to a wide range of Bettina’s works. This democratic selection invites us to explore Bettina’s radical faith in attention.

Robert Blackburn, “Critical Examination”, 1986, Bettina archives. Quoted in Bettina.

Thomas Cahill, successful explorer of the Western past, dies at 82

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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November 1, 2022

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Thomas Cahill, who combined a fascination with the ancient world with a gift for exuberantly funny storytelling in bestselling books such as “How the Irish Saved Civilization”, which claimed that Ireland was a haven for Western thought during the tumultuous period after the fall of Rome, died October 18 at his home in Manhattan. He was 82 years old.

The cause was a heart attack, said his wife, author Susan Cahill. Mr Cahill suffered from heart disease and suffered a stroke in 2017, she said, but had continued to work in recent years.

A dedicated student of ancient Greek and Latin, the Jesuit-educated Mr. Cahill worked in journalism and publishing before becoming a full-time author. Capitalizing on the phenomenal success of “How the Irish Saved Civilization” (1995), which spent nearly two years on the New York Times bestseller list, he wrote five more books on key moments in development. of Western Civilization, drawing on academic research and primary sources while crafting books that are as entertaining as they are scholarly.

Mr. Cahill was not a professional historian and was at times criticized for making sweeping claims without sufficient evidence. Yet his work has been hailed for transporting readers to the distant past and for bringing history to life without getting bogged down in crummy details.

Academics, he once told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “tend to be extremely cerebral and to look for ‘what is the philosophical structure here, or what is the ideological structure?’ They miss the tears and the laughter, the blood, the sweat, all those things that bring us in contact with those people of the past.

Mr Cahill was working as Doubleday’s director of religious publishing when he wrote ‘How the Irish Saved Civilization’, inspired in part by a trip to Ireland 20 years earlier. The book told the vivid – but relatively unknown – story of how 5th-century Irish monks copied classical texts onto sheepskin, rescuing literary and philosophical works destroyed by Germanic invaders after the Collapse of the Roman Empire. It was, Mr Cahill wrote, “a moment of unsullied glory” for Ireland.

The book sold around 2 million copies and was a jubilant affirmation of Irish culture and history after years in which the country’s role in world affairs was often derided or ignored. As Mr Cahill put it, the Irish would generally be seen as ‘a very uncivilized people to save civilisation’.

His book offered a corrective to this view while introducing characters like Augustine of Hippo (“almost the last classical great man”), Saint Patrick (“the first human being in the history of the world to speak unequivocally against slavery”) and the warrior queen Queen Medb of Connacht.

“His writing is in the great Irish tradition he describes: lyrical, playful, penetrating and serious, but never too serious,” wrote New York Times literary critic Richard Bernstein. “And even when his conclusions aren’t entirely convincing — they cling in places to rather thin reeds of evidence — they’re still plausible and certainly interesting.”

Mr. Cahill went on to write a total of six volumes in what he called his “Hinges of History” series, an idiosyncratic study of Western civilization in which he aimed to offer “a narrative of how we became the people that we are”. Its sequel, “The Gifts of the Jews” (1998), was a light-hearted retelling of biblical history that credited the Jewish people – “a nomad tribe of the desert” – with pioneering the concept of individuality, not to mention the idea of the weekend. To research the book, he spent a summer learning Hebrew, studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, and traveled to the Middle East to visit Old Testament monuments.

“I tried for several years to live with the people of the Bible,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Finally I got to see Abraham’s tent in the desert heat.”

Later, Mr. Cahill explored the life and legacy of Jesus (“Desire for the Eternal Hills”), the role of art and warfare in ancient Greece (“Sailing Wine and the Black Sea” ), the cultural and political advances that occurred in the so-called Middle Ages (“Mysteries of the Middle Ages”) and the rise of modern individualism during the Renaissance and Reformation (“Heretics and Heroes” ).

His books were filled with long quotations from primary sources as well as familiar asides and comparisons to modern life. A letter from the Middle Ages was “as full of cruel innuendo as the dialogue of an episode of ‘Desperate Housewives'”, while the Greek city-state of Sparta was “the North Korea of its day”. In ancient Greece, he wrote, “the harder the pecs and the tighter the buns, the more spiritual you were.”

“What academic writers forget is that everyone on Earth buys books to be entertained or entertained,” he told The Associated Press in 2006. “Yeah, they want to learn things , but they also don’t want to be bored to death while they learn these things.

Thomas Quinn Cahill was born in the Bronx on March 29, 1940. His parents were the children of Irish immigrants and he grew up hearing songs and stories about life in Ireland from his mother, a housewife. His father was an insurance executive.

Mr. Cahill won a scholarship to Regis High School, the elite Jesuit private school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he was introduced to the work of Plato and Augustine at age 14. He then studied classical literature and medieval philosophy at Fordham. University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1964, and studied for the priesthood before deciding against it.

At Columbia University, he studied film and earned a master’s degree in 1968. It was also a dead end: filmmakers, he decided, “either starve or have rich fathers and relationships”.

Turning to journalism and publishing, he worked as an advertising director at the New York Review of Books and as an education correspondent at the Times of London. He has also written book reviews for the Los Angeles Times and taught at schools including Seton Hall University, Queens College and Fordham.

With the former Susan Neunzig, whom he married in 1966, he published his first book, the anthology “Big City Stories by Modern American Writers”, in 1971. They then launched a catalog of mail-order books and spent a year in Ireland researching their second book, “A Literary Guide to Ireland” (1973).

For decades Mr Cahill kept his idea for an Irish history book in his back pocket, pitching it unsuccessfully to five major publishers before meeting publisher Nan Talese, who signed on to the project after they met at of a sales conference in 1990.

At that time, Mr. Cahill was director of religious publishing at Doubleday, publishing titles that included the six-volume “Anchor Bible Dictionary,” which became a crucial resource for his later history books. He has also published an English translation of “Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven”, by German theologian Uta Ranke-Heinemann, on women, sexuality and the Catholic Church.

Mr Cahill told the Irish Times that when he saw the austere cover that had been planned for the book, he went to the art department at Doubleday and said: “Give me something that will give the apoplexy to a bishop at breakfast. The resulting book was published with a sultry illustration showing a woman in silhouette and was attacked by influential Cardinal John J. O’Connor, who said Doubleday was a “purveyor of hatred, scandal, wickedness, defamation and slander”. (Mr. Cahill said he and other publishers felt “vilified” by O’Connor, but noted that the Cardinal’s comments seemed to have the opposite effect of the intended effect, boosting sales of the book.)

After the success of ‘How the Irish Saved Civilization’, Mr Cahill quit his day job, aiming to write a new book every two years. His later works include “Pope John XXIII” (2002), a short biography for the Penguin Lives series, and “A Saint on Death Row” (2009), about Dominique Green, a Texan who was wrongfully convicted in the case of Mr. Cahill. eyes – of fatally shooting a man during a robbery outside a convenience store. Green was executed in 2004, after Mr Cahill unsuccessfully sought to clear his name.

Besides his wife, Mr. Cahill’s survivors include their two children, Kristin Cahill Iñiguez and Joseph Cahill; three sisters; and four grandchildren.

Mr Cahill was skeptical of institutional religion, saying he had found that “churches often get in the way” of faith. But for many years he led a prayer group in New York, taking time out of his writing to read bedtime stories to HIV-positive children.

“We’re just a bunch of middle-class people,” he told the New York Times in 1998. “None of this is earth-shattering or monumental. It sounds extremely minor, but everything is minor in a way.

“You know Mother Teresa’s famous response when someone asked her how she did it? ‘One by one.’ I think that’s always the answer.

County Characters: Newcastle Master of Horror Glenn Chadbourne Makes His Own Chance

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 31, 2022

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Famous illustrator Glenn Chadbourne in his Newcastle studio. (Photo Sherwood Olin)

After 40 years of work, Newcastle illustrator Glenn Chadbourne has achieved something of a stardom. As anonymous as the private citizen of the world, in the niche world of horror illustrators, Chadbourne has developed a devoted following.

Chadbourne’s status has undoubtedly been aided by his long association with Maine icon Stephen King. Chadbourne has been King’s illustrator of choice since Chadbourne turned King’s “Secretary of Dreams” into a graphic novel, which was published in 2006.

“I achieved a lifelong dream,” Chadbourne said. “I could konk tomorrow, luckily. I pretty much did what I wanted to do. I don’t make a fortune. I earn an average salary, but I can sit here on my tuffet and do what I love.

Although he’s now firmly established among the roughly two dozen illustrators and artists who make a living specializing in the horror genre, Chadbourne says it’s a matter of luck that he’s there. where he is professionally.

“I had no plan,” he said. ” I do not have a choice. I just drew. If I was homeless and living in a box, I would open a vein and draw on cardboard. It’s just in me. It’s like breathing, honestly.

As with his art, Chadbourne said his predilection for horror was something that came naturally to him. As an only child and withdrawn, he took up reading and art at an early age. Once a month, local stores carried a selection of Warren Publishing magazines with titles like “Creepy”, “Vampirella”, and “Famous Monsters of Filmland”.

“I just devoured them with the comics,” Chadbourne said. “Probably at a very young age, probably 9 or 10… I started drawing all the little creatures. I was an only child. This street was completely different back then, so I drew.

From the start, Chadbourne knew what he wanted to do, but he didn’t have a convincing plan to get there. He produced and sent illustrations by the dozens and collected his share of rejection slips. He wrote, illustrated, and published a few comics, which sold just enough to break even.

“I sent stuff for years and years and years when I was young,” Chadbourne said. “I have barrels of rejection slips. You just sit in a pile of slush and often people are overwhelmed. They don’t have time to look at an unknown Schmo.

Chadbourne’s break, such as it was, was courtesy of close friend, “Maine’s other horror writer,” Rick Hautala. After Hautala and Chadbourne met and became good friends, Hautala saw a sample of Chadbourne’s work and became a fan. At the time, Cemetery Dance was set to release a collection of Hautala’s work, “Bed Bugs”.

A tweet from Stephen King praising Glenn Chadbourne's work on

A Stephen King tweet praising Glenn Chadbourne’s work on ‘Cujo’ is printed, framed and wall mounted in the artist’s studio in Newcastle. “I’m going to take this in the oven with me when I go,” Chadbourne said. (Photo Sherwood Olin)

“It’s like the movie industry,” Chadbourne said. “You have to know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone. So I made some samples for the book and (Hautala) sent them over and he said “look, I want this guy to illustrate my book”, and that got me in the door with them.

A small publisher specializing in horror and dark genres, Cemetery Dance Publications became one of Chadbourne’s best and biggest clients, connecting him with other authors and raising his profile. It was Cemetery Dance owner and founder Rich Chizmar who connected Chadbourne and King.

“Rich Chizmar suggested that he and I send letters to Steve and ask if he would ever be interested in letting me tackle a graphic novel for ‘Secretary of Dreams,'” Chadbourne said. “It turned out to be two huge volumes and he said ‘sho-ah.’ You could knock me down with a feather on that, and then it led to more King gigs… Once you do something for him, it really opens the floodgates for you for the job.

Chadbourne’s creative process begins with the source materials. One of the perks of his profession, he said, is that he often receives pre-publication manuscripts. Chadbourne used to read hard copies of everything, and he always likes to refer to a physical copy, but these days he listens to an audio version frequently.

“What I’m going to do is read the book, or listen to them, but I also get the paperback,” he said. “He says ‘Johnny strangles his sister,’ on page 498, ‘with hideous, bulging eyes’ and so on, and I’ll say that would be a good picture to put in this book, and then I write it. I I’m going to read the book; find 10, 12 ideas on a legal pad. Then I talk to the author.

From start to finish, a typical book project can involve a month or more of Chadbourne’s production time. The time required varies from project to project depending on the specifics involved. A typical book project might involve a dozen illustrations; a number that may or may not include coverage.

“On average, most book illustrations are 6 by 9 inches, and I draw exactly,” Chadbourne said. “A lot of people draw on a big piece of plywood and shrink it. So a 6 by 9 pen and ink drawing, if I turn on all the super details, takes me a day; about 10 hours.

Chadbourne sees reliability as a major factor in its success. In a profession where reputation can open doors or close them, he makes it a point to be reliable.

“One of the other reasons I think I’ve done pretty well in this area, I think, is time,” he said. “If I tell them it’s going to be done in a month, it’s going to be done in a month if I have to stay up 48 hours to finish the last picture. I’ve always stuck to that and people have appreciated it, because they’re on a deadline.

In Glenn Chadbourne’s world, Stephen King’s fictional Maine town of Castle Rock looks like this. (Photo Sherwood Olin)

Much of the mass-market paperback of the type that motivated Chadbourne to grow is now produced via computer. Luckily for Chadbourne, it is particularly well established in the niche world of high-end limited editions and boxed sets of the genre prized by collectors.

“There’s a whole new group of kids coming in who are extremely talented,” Chadbourne said. “Some of them, they put me to shame, but I’m entrenched. I’ve made my bones so to speak.

As you’d expect from a renowned figure in the genre, Chadbourne has some thoughts on what makes horror effective. He prefers subtlety and history, he said. “I can relate to a story with a bit of a crane, if it’s a good story with character development and so on,” he said. “Hitchcock, you know, he was insinuating things… While the ‘Saw’ movies, I watched the first one and said ‘well, that’s a bit of a novel, but that’s overkill.'”

Chadbourne gives all the credit to his wife of 22 years, Sheila. “La Hon,” he calls her with obvious affection.

“He saved my life,” he said. “No doubt in my mind. I walked in kicking and screaming when my best angel spoke. My inner child said ‘you know, that’s probably a good thing’. Yeah, no doubt. I love it.”

These days, in addition to balancing multiple contracts and commitments, Chadbourne is trying to find time to squeeze in what he calls pro bono work.

“I’m coming to a point in my life where I’d like to be well regarded,” he said. “I try to give back. Benefits, photos for people who have lost dogs. I don’t mean to sound soft, but that’s how I feel these days. I don’t have kids and I want to be remembered for something. It’s very important to me. The things I do live on. It’s important to me. To find out, I get fan mail from a kid in Czechoslovakia. , and it makes me shine. It tickles me. I made someone halfway around the world smile.

(Do you have a suggestion for a “County Characters” subject? Email [email protected] with “County Characters” in the subject line.)

Around the World in 50 Tracks by Patrick Thorne

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 30, 2022

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The new book by veteran snow travel writer Patrick Thorne – Around the world in 50 tracks – takes skiers on a journey between ski slopes located in 30 countries on six continents. Available for purchase in bookstores and online, each of the 50 tracks featured includes an information box and a hand-drawn map that marks each track’s location.

Thorne’s latest book – Powder: the most beautiful ski slopes on the planet – topping Amazon’s best-selling ski book list for over six years. For his new title, he took a different approach in choosing his 50 runs. “There are plenty of listings online covering the steepest and most difficult runs in the world and these are normally the usual suspects, but I’m more interested in runs that have a story, an added dimension beyond the great runs “, did he declare. “In short, I wanted to compile all the amazing stories I’ve collected over the past four decades.”

The book will take readers to the most northern and southern ski areas in the world, on skiable slopes 365 days a year, or on the single track for thousands of miles in southern Africa, on a volcano in the Andes or under phenomenal aurora borealis. There are tracks related to James Bond, Franz Klammer, St Patrick, The Beatles, Santa Claus, Jesus Christ, Emperor Hadrian, Kim Jong-un, Count Dracula, and even the Greek god Zeus. One track follows the line under a witch’s flight and another a route once popular with smugglers.

Although having famous runs is not a priority, the book contains the steepest and longest runs, as well as several legendary World Cup and Olympic downhill runs. Some of the runs are significant in snow sports history, marking key points in the evolution of many of the world’s great ski areas, including Mammoth Mountain, St Moritz and the Colorado run where (arguably) the first ski competition snowboarding took place.

Among the more serious topics discussed are the development of ski areas to reverse the rural exodus, the struggle of indigenous tribes to retain control of their ancestral lands (many opt to manage their own ski areas), the links between the different religions and ski resorts, the old mining communities reinvented themselves thanks to “white gold”, the fight for gay rights, a ski area recovered from the Taliban, how some ski areas have developed thanks to the growth of railroad networks, and even ski areas that grew through mountain warfare training.

The climate emergency is another topic that Thorne, who also runs SaveOurSnow.com, and other skiers have witnessed first hand. A famous race graphically illustrates the impact of melting glaciers. But many of the races are just plain fun with themes like cheese, love, and Christmas.

“The late great ski filmmaker Warren Miller got it when he said his favorite ski hill was his next ski hill,” Thorne said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the longest or the steepest, if you’re a great skier or a beginner, as long as you enjoy your life in the snow.”

Around The World in 50 Slopes is a 246-page hardcover book published by Wildfire Books for £16.99 and available now in bookstores and online. The To light up the edition is £8.99.

airbus: Tata-Airbus C295 aircraft manufacturing plant will be a “big boost” for the development of a defense industrial complex

Commercial book

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 29, 2022

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As Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays the foundation stone for the Tata-Airbus factory to manufacture C295 military transport planes in Gujarat on Sunday, India will enter an illustrious league of a dozen nations with the capacity to manufacture such planes, officials said. They said the project would also be a big boost for the government’s “Make In India” push.

As the government envisions the transformation of the defense sector through its ambitious indigenous programs, several projects for domestic manufacturing of defense platforms and equipment such as missiles, field guns, tanks, carriers planes, drones, fighter jets and helicopters are underway, fulfilling the modernization needs of the armed forces, they noted.

However, military transport aircraft were one of the critical missing links in the entire chain of the defense industrial complex, officials added, saying the joint venture between Tata and Airbus has filled this missing piece and will significantly strengthen the “Make in India” program.

India’s armed forces will no longer have to rely on older 1960-generation Avro jets for their transportation needs, officials said.

The Tata-Airbus combination had said that the manufacturing of the C295 is the first Make in India aerospace program in the private sector involving the comprehensive development of a comprehensive industrial ecosystem.

This involves manufacturing through assembly, testing and qualification, delivery and maintenance of the aircraft’s full life cycle, they said.

Under the terms of the agreement, 16 C295 aircraft are expected to be delivered between September 2023 and August 2025 in airworthy condition, while the remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured at the Vadodara plant, they noted.

In another first, indigenous content in planes will be the highest ever in India, and 96% of work done by Airbus in Spain will now be done at the new factory, they added.

The Ministry of Defense said that this project provides a unique opportunity for the Indian private sector to enter the technology-intensive and highly competitive aviation industry.

It will increase domestic aviation manufacturing, which will reduce import dependency and an expected increase in exports, the ministry said.

In addition, 13,400 parts, 4,600 sub-assemblies and all major component assemblies will be manufactured by 25 domestic MSME suppliers across seven states, officials said.

All of these 56 aircraft will be equipped with an indigenous electronic warfare suite developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Limited.

With the launch of the C295 aircraft manufacturing facility, they said, India will become the 12th country with the capability to manufacture such aircraft.

Currently, the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Russia, France, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Brazil, China and Japan have this capability, they added.

According to a report by Allied Market Research, the military transport aircraft industry is expected to reach $45 billion by 2030. The Tata-Airbus facility is expected to complete its IAF engagement by 2031 and may also begin exporting its products to other countries, they said. .

Noting that the military transport aircraft industry is much more robust and technologically advanced than that of commercial airliners, they said that C295 manufacturing will also open up growth prospects for domestic commercial aircraft manufacturing.

Indian airlines are one of the biggest buyers of commercial jets with a steadily expanding order book of 1,100 planes since 2011.

The demand for commercial aircraft associated with the C295 aircraft manufacturing plant and associated supply chain will create the necessary ecosystem to support the development of the commercial aircraft manufacturing industry in India, said the responsibles.

The Vadodara plant will initially be designed to manufacture eight aircraft each year, but it has been designed in such a way that it can also meet the additional needs of the Indian Armed Forces or exports, they said.

According to the Ministry of Defence, after the delivery of 56 aircraft to the IAF, the combine will be allowed to sell Indian-built C295 aircraft to civilian operators and government authorized countries.

The Vadodara facility is believed to replicate Brahmos’ success in missile exports, officials added.

Pickleball books extol the wonders of the fashionable sport

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 29, 2022

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Comment

I was enjoying a delightfully quiet tennis rally with my son a few summers ago when suddenly I heard him, from the court next to us: Snap. Snap. Snap.

Wiffle balls hitting a hard court, then – clap, clap — ricocheting off wooden paddles. “It’s like, ‘Honey, I blew up the ping-pong table,'” I thought. I did not know.

If you haven’t heard that pickleball is the new “it” sport, you haven’t listened. Across the country, wiffle balls pass tennis balls, paddles pass racquets, and everyone’s talking about “dinking,” “the kitchen” (not for cooking), and “dillball” (not even close to that). What do you think).

There are 4.8 million pickleball players in the United States (“picklers”), according to UNITED STATES Pickleball. This is a pittance considering the number of people who play tennis (21 million), play golf on a golf course (25 million) and go bowling every year (67 million). But strippers are a loud bunch. A California woman even filed a lawsuit claiming the noises of pickleball near her home caused her “severe mental suffering, frustration and anxiety,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Like a weed, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. Courts 44 feet by 20 feet are cutting tennis courts to pieces, taking over warehouses and thriving where big box stores have died. There are $300 paddles, shoes, bags and t-shirts emblazoned with slogans like “Dink Responsibly.” There’s even a PickleUpper to help clean up after a game. (What’s the dill with all this pun?) The Tennis Channel airs matches regularly, and next month CBS will air a celebrity charity pickleball tournament with Stephen Colbert as host.

They’re not the first celebrities to get into the game. Bill Gates, Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams and the Clooneys are all strippers. Even Larry David would be a fan. (Is it part of his spite crusade?) And some even buy into it: Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, Kim Clijsters and Drew Brees are among several high-profile athletes who have invested in Major League Pickleball teams. League.

Pickleball explodes, and it gets messy

What explains this pickleball boom? To find an answer, I looked where I always do: books. And while there is no Roger Angell of pickleball yet, there are a few books that attempt to trace the history of pickleball and celebrate – if not quite explain – its popularity. In August, “Pickleball for All” (Dey Street) was released, and “Pickleball Is Life” (Harvest) will be released. released on November 1. This last title is wishful thinking, I hope.

These new titles are both what people politely call gift books. They are not works that you sit down and read like you would a novel, or even the official pickleball rule book, which is 68 pages and includes disconcerting profundities like: “All points played are treated as the same way, whatever their importance; the first point of the match is as important as a match point.

“Pickleball for All” began, unsurprisingly, as one of those trend-spotting articles in The New York Times (see also his discovery of butter boards and “naked dressing”). Its author, Rachel Simon, started playing pickleball during the pandemic. Sport was “a safe, accessible, and endlessly enjoyable way for people of all ages, body types, and fitness levels to come together,” she explains. Simon then delves into the history of the sport, from its beginnings on Bainbridge Island, Washington, in 1965, when three fathers – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum – struggled to entertain their bored children. Today, they might have stuck the kids in front of an iPad or a PlayStation console; instead, they made a game out of what they had on hand – an old badminton net, ping pong paddles and a pile of hollow balls. Thus was born pickleball.

Meet the Teenage Queen of Professional Pickleball

The game caught on, albeit very slowly. In its early days, there were few famous fanatics beyond Bill Gates, whose father was friends with Pritchard. It may have helped that Pritchard is a state senator, soon to be a Republican congressman, and entertains guests with pickleball at political fundraisers.

Simon traces the sport’s rise, pointing to 2018 as a turning point, when “the best players in the game started calling themselves professional athletes. Then came the sponsors and the lobbyists and the pandemic, when people were bored even more than the kids on vacation in the 60s. “As countless people adapted to their difficulties new reality,” notes Simon, “many of them – like me – viewed sport as a way to stay active and entertained, often from the comfort of their own homes.

Simon fills his book with uplifting profiles of pickleball converts, like 8-year-old Jack Loughridge, who gave up his tennis and football pursuits to become a rising star on the pickleball circuit. Beautifully designed and packed with tips and advice, “Pickleball for All” would make a nice gift for your favorite pickler – or a gag gift for your favorite hater.

Review: “The Master”, by Roger Federer

‘Pickleball Is Life’ features a martini on its cover – specifically a pickle martini. Sure! The book, by Erin McHugh, a former publishing executive, shows that she was indeed very good at her job. From its eye-catching cover image to its bright illustrations by Jackie Bestemen, the book makes for a tempting impulse buy, when you’re at the checkout waiting for your latte (or pickle martini?). The slim book has recipes – for Dill Pickle Dip and Cream Cheese Pickles and other concoctions so intuitive they don’t seem to require instructions. The book skims through the history and rules and, in its final chapter, offers advice on how to be a pickleball ambassador, a job McHugh appears to have already taken on.

McHugh’s and Simon’s books are great fun – harmless, if a bit opportunistic. But they didn’t change my mind about the sport.

I played pickleball. It was almost inevitable now that my local YMCA’s tennis courts were pretty much taken over by mini courts. I get the call. The game is social and inclusive and requires strategy and coordination. In a recent lesson, I learned to shorten my stroke, to honor the “double bounce”, to understand that when someone said “2-6-2” it was not the start of a phone number but the score. At the end of the session, I felt smarter. I was enjoying myself enough to join a band playing on a nearby field. During my pickup game, some people were playing in jeans, some in dress shoes. We laughed a lot. They invited me to join their group dating text, which has been binging a lot ever since.

I’m sorry to say, however, I don’t think I see myself returning to the pickleball court anytime soon. Gambling is fun, yes, but I just can’t engage in a sport that takes terms like “dingles” and “flapjack” seriously and where falafel doesn’t refer to a food I love. Pickleball feels like a summer camp game, like tetherball or gaga ball – and if the latter becomes a big deal (dill?), I can promise you I won’t be gaga. What can I say ? I prefer tennis.

Nora Krug is an editor and writer at Book World.

Everything except the kitchen faucet

Dey Street. 196 pages. $17.99

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ReggieCon with Guests Marvel Artist David Mack and Dr. Lee Francis IV, November 16 – News

Graphic novel

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 28, 2022

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ReggieCon will honor Native American History Month from 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16 via Zoom. The panel will host New York Times best-selling artist David Mack, Native American Marvel character creator Echoand returning special guest Dr. Lee Francis IV, author of the graphic novel Ghost River: The Rise and Fall of Conestoga.

The conversation will focus on Mack’s graphic novel, Daredevil Vol. 8: Echo-vision quest. To create and build the character of Echo (Maya Lopez), Mack said he was inspired by the tales his uncle (Cherokee) told him when he was a child.

There is no cost to attend. Those interested can join the Zoom webinar at ReggieCon website.

Mack earned an Emmy Award nomination for the Jessica Jones Netflix opening titles. His graphic novel COVER, co-created with Brian Michael Bendis, was nominated for three Eisner Awards for Best Graphic Novel, Best Cover Artist and Best Painter. In 2018, Mack received the prestigious Inkpot Award for Achievement in Comics.

Francis IV (Pueblo de Laguna) is an award-winning poet, writer and author. He is the CEO and Founder of Native Realities LLC, a Native Imagination Company, which has published the largest assortment of Native-centric comics in the world.

Also on hand for ReggieCon’s Native American Heritage Month celebration are ReggieCon crew members: Dr. Scott Jordan, chair of the department of psychology at Illinois State University; Mr. Victor Dandridge, Jr., founder of Vantage InHouse Productions; Dr. Vanessa Hintz, licensed clinical psychologist and diversity, equity and inclusion professional; and Dr. Eric Wesselmann, associate professor of psychology at Illinois State.

ReggieCon is sponsored by the Office of Enrollment Management and Academic Services, the Sage Trust Fund and the Department of Psychology. ReggieCon is its third year as a series of virtual panels that will be held throughout the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters. Each panel is comprised of a panel of comedic and popular media experts and focuses on the issues of equity, diversity and inclusion. Panel topics align with national recognition months such as Latinx Heritage, LGBTQ History, Black History, and Asia-Pacific Heritage Months.

Upcoming panels include:

Uncanny X-Men Chapter 161: The Gold Rush
December 7
Universal Human Rights Month

After the rain
February 16
black history month

Jessica Jones: Return of the Purple Man
March 15
women’s history month

Habibti Pada
April 12
Arab American Heritage Month

The wind picks up
May 3
Asia Pacific Heritage Month

The Bookseller – Bestsellers – Digital Bestseller Lists: Hoover and Rankin Clean Up

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 28, 2022

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Hernan Diaz and Tanaïs among winners of $50,000 Kirkus Prize

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 28, 2022

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NEW YORK (AP) — Hernan Diaz’s novel “Trust,” a postmodern take on wealth, power and reality set in the 1920s and 1930s, has won the Kirkus Prize for Fiction.

The awards, presented by trade publication Kirkus Reviews, include $50,000 cash prizes for winners in fiction, nonfiction and young reader literature.

On Thursday, award judges cited Diaz for how “he uses multiple perspectives and forms to push the boundaries of what a novel can do.”

“What seems to begin as a homage to Roaring Twenties novels unfolds with each successive layer in a complex story of power, love and the nature of truth,” the judges said.

The memoir by writer and perfumer Tanaïs “In Sensorium” won the non-fiction prize. The book was praised by the judges for its “boldness, inventiveness, vision and lyrical eloquence”. The Young Readers Award went to Harmony Becker for the graphic novel “Himawari House,” which the judges honored for “its insightful exploration of emotionally resonant and enduring themes related to family, friendship and identity. “.

political cartoons

Among the finalists were Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk’s ‘The Books of Jacob’ in fiction and The New York Times book edition ‘The 1619 Project’ in non-fiction.

Book review: Hungry Beat, by Douglas MacIntyre and Grant McPhee, with Neil Cooper

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 27, 2022

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Every music fan will have their own idea of what constitutes the golden years of rock and pop. Writer Simon Reynolds has already heralded the extraordinarily fertile post-punk period in Rip It Up and Start Again, named after an Orange Juice lyric. Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins, meanwhile, is one of many eyewitnesses who contributed to Hungry Beat, an oral history covering the same period that focuses on Scotland’s post-punk history.

In practice, it’s a tale of two cities and, more specifically, two independent record labels and their flawed figureheads – Fast Product founded in Edinburgh by Bob Last and Glasgow’s Postcard Records run by Alan Horne. Co-writer Grant McPhee previously covered this territory in his 2015 rock documentary Big Gold Dream – the interviews he conducted for the film form the foundation of the Hungry Beat narrative, fleshed out with additional interviews from arts journalist Neil Cooper and by musician Douglas McIntyre, whose debut tape Article 58 was right where the naïve action was. Despite the existing source material, Hungry Beat “aims to tell a different story to the one regularly regurgitated” – in particular, to acknowledge the key roles of Hilary Morrison and Fast Product’s Edwyn Collins on opposite ends of the M8.

Neither Fast Product nor Postcard Records lasted long – just long enough to change everything in their respective cities. “It was about being fast, it was about being intense, and we were done,” says Last. Both labels were inspired by the DIY philosophy but not so much by the music or aesthetics of punk. There were clear stylistic lines – Glasgow’s sound was influenced by the lightness and brightness of the US West Coast (Byrds, Beach Boys), while Edinburgh danced to a darker, less melodic beat typical of New York’s no wave scene. Postcard portraying the image of Scottish tartan and shortbread, Fast Product was influenced by Dada and Situationism. Both labels were inspired by Andy Warhol’s Factory.

Douglas MacIntyre, Neil Cooper and Grant McPhee PIC: Gavin Fraser

There is little rock ‘n’ roll excess documented in Please Kill Me, the famous oral history of the New York punk scene. But, appropriately for a scene that was as much about ideas and attitude as it was music, there’s a lot of conceptual and creative fumbling en route to the 1983 gold rush when the main movers started. achieve commercial success, sometimes in reconfigured formations. Writers could go on, but by 1983/4 the center of gravity had shifted – Orange Juice and Aztec Camera moved to London, Josef K frontman Paul Haig in Brussels and Alan Rankine of The Associates played a guitar in chocolate made by Harrods on Top Pops. The underground had become the most flamboyant.

Hungry Beat, by Douglas MacIntyre and Grant McPhee, with Neil Cooper, White Rabbit, £20. There will be a launch event at La Belle Angèle, Edinburgh, on November 19, with interviews, readings and a live performance by The Hungry Beat Group (featuring members of Aztec Camera, The Bluebells, Article 58, Josef K/Orange Juice), https://undergroundsolushn.com/hungrybeat.html

hungry beat

Review of My People: Five Decades of Writing about Black Lives by Charlayne Hunter-Gault

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 27, 2022

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Comment

“My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives Matter” by Charlayne Hunter-Gault is a response to the classic problem that scholar and activist WEB Du Bois identified over a century ago. How do you see through the color line? When she started her career in the 1960s, there was no one quite like Hunter-Gault. She had been one of two black students to endure the dangerous and violent experience of entering the University of Georgia to earn her journalism degree, and then became almost the only black journalist able to write regularly. for a national white audience. When urban rebellions broke out in the mid-1960s, she notes, “the riots came as a surprise because there was no one in the American newsrooms of those communities who could have written about the simmering rage.” who triggered them. She set out to write about “black people in a way they were rarely portrayed in the media — in their full humanity.” She wrote a 12-page memo that persuaded The New York Times to stop using the term “nigger” in favor of “black.” She also opened a Harlem bureau for the newspaper.

Among his most striking reports is a long chronicle of Resurrection City, the tent city built by thousands of people who came to Washington as part of the campaign for the poor after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and crime proliferate, Hunter-Gault spends weeks chronicling the experiences of residents. They were young organizers known only by names like Leon and JT, or black people from the North and South who brought different cultures to the encampment, or Mexican American and black protesters who had different but related agendas.

In Jon Meacham’s biography, Lincoln is a beacon for our times

“My people” brings together decades of reporting, typically about race and black life, ranging from Hunter-Gault’s time as a reporter for the Times to her career at the PBS “NewsHour,” which she joined in 1978 when she first started out. it was called “The MacNeil/Lehrer Report”, to its first-hand reporting on post-apartheid South Africa, its engagement with hot topics such as Donald Trump, the murder of George Floyd and the pandemic of coronavirus.

Hunter-Gault’s career took shape in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement, and her early reporting is a chronicle of the world the movement created and the lives of African Americans that few white people saw or understood. There are stories of debates about community diversion projects for criminal offenders and whether black police officers could make a difference, as well as an early critique of the lawyer’s stop and frisk civil rights activist Vernon Jordan. She travels to Brooklyn to chronicle a Black Panther Party liberation school for young people. A chance trip to Martha’s Vineyard inspires him to remember the story of a Georgian man who regularly traveled hundreds of miles to reach this Massachusetts island, passing beach after beach he could not use, to find one he could call home. Other pieces capture the sights and smells of Harlem, food trucks bringing that “local soul food” to the black nationalist bookstore of Lewis Michaux, who claimed 105,000 volumes.

Sometimes we see history begin to be made. A 1973 story features civil rights activist John Lewis as he patiently registers Southern blacks to vote in hopes of sending their own representatives to Congress. A story about the women’s movement and black America captures the seeds of black women’s criticisms of the feminist movement that would later come to prominence. A little-known MP by the name of Shirley Chisholm declares that “I am not a politician, I am a stateswoman”, shortly before she made her pioneering run for the presidency.

“My people” also collects extensive reporting on Hunter-Gault’s later career, including reporting on the TV show “Black-ish” and others that span Africa, chronicling corruption, LGBTQ life and terrorism. If there’s anything the modern reader will find a little alien, it’s the tendency of early stories to focus, but not exclusively, on the lives of middle-class African Americans. His career as a journalist took shape in a more optimistic era than ours, when the economic and social progress of the few seemed to presage that of the many.

Oscar Isaac’s Graphic Novel Head Injuries: Sparrow Review

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 25, 2022

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Image for article titled Oscar Isaac's head wounds give a biblical shock to a broken system — Image: Legendary Comics

When we first meet Leo Guidrythe main character of Head injuries: Sparrow—a new graphic novel developed by Oscar Isaac, written by Brian Buccellato, illustrated by Christian Ward and created by Robert Johnson and John Alvey, it’s hardly a hero. He’s a rogue New Orleans cop who seems more interested in getting drunk and having sex with his married girlfriend than helping people. This changes when he is shot in the head.

Except he’s not shot. Another cop has been shot, and he’s just been cursed to bear the wounds of those injured under his watch. As Leo comes to terms with the fact that he’s bleeding from a head wound that only he can see, mystical forces — both angelic, demonic, and all those lost souls in between — are gathering in New Orleans. .

The book treads on well-worn ground; a bad cop with a chip on his shoulder, and a dead wife and child, who are forced to face the consequences of his actions. Although a relatively common formula, the deep and rich world-building tied to this world’s lore, alongside the absolutely stellar art of Christian Ward (who is well known for his bright graphic designs and poppy and its bold use of vibrant colors) elevates Head injuries: Sparrow from what might have been standard fare to a dizzying, harrowing, and wonderfully esoteric graphic novel worth picking up.

As Leo struggles with his first instinct, which is to simply not get involved, he must come to terms with the fact that he’s let down the people he should have wanted to protect. It’s not that he tried and failed, it’s that he didn’t really try at all. It takes divine intervention before he wakes up and begins to realize the kind of pain he caused…literally. Next, the perfect punch of physical damage and psychic trauma; only he can have his wounds inflicted by proxy. He constantly feels their pain, but there is no cure for his wounds because, in an ironic moment of divine retribution, they do not exist.

I always appreciate a comic that can be violent and gruesome without necessarily relying on constant graphic representations of gore to get the point across. A good example is when Leo first tries to stitch up his bleeding head wound, and a few panels of the needle go in and out of his skin before the bullet hole reopens with a pop. The rest of the time the wound is covered with a bloody bandage, but we are haunted by the three sections of this wound stitched together. We know what is.

This is the biblical reckoning of Leo. Between two attempts to solve a murder, he also has his hands full trying to find a pair of abduction victims, finds himself caught in a war between souls trapped in the bardo of endless half-life on Earth. and is chained in a cult that tries to sacrifice people to win elections. The way the book combines occultism and the real consequences of human behavior is one of its strengths, making it a story that demands Leo recognize not only the harm he does, but the inherent humanity of those whom society prefers to ignore or pass off as undesirable.

The artwork does a lot to convey the state of Leo’s headspace, alternating between aquamarine and citrine backgrounds, creating a frame that isn’t so much grainy as it is graphic. And that’s the point – this book has to make you feel frantic, overwhelmed, like the world is too bright, like it’s a migraine in disguise, or else we’re just watching another bad detective get his reward… and his redemption .

The thing that I really appreciate Head injuries: Sparrow is that Leo is being dragged, kicking and screaming, towards redemption. WhereasI do ultimately get justice he can’t help everyone he was supposed to help. He ends up finding a way to survive, but it’s at the cost of who he is, who he has been for years. His redemption comes from a force greater than himself, an angelic force, the literal fear of God put into him by the apocryphal archangel Uriel. Don’t be afraid, Leo Guidry, but remember to do the work… if not.

Head injuries: Sparrow is available now. The graphic novel was developed by Oscar Isaac through his production company, Mad Gene Media and published by Legendary Comics. It was written by Brian Buccellato, illustrated by Christian Ward, and created by Robert Johnson and John Alvey.

Want more io9 news? Find out when to wait for the last wonder and star wars versions, what’s next for the DC Universe in Film and TVand everything you need to know about Dragon House and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

World Focus: A Spy Story

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 25, 2022

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Robert Landori in his new book, “Whitewash”, devotes a good part of a chapter describing the main character’s training at Camp Peary, the CIA’s main training facility for clandestine agents near Williamsburg.

In this spy thriller, Tom Karas is a contract operative with the National Security Agency.

Is the young Karas a reincarnation of the young Robert Landori, the Canadian writer of Hungarian origin?

Landori, on the back cover of his book states, “This novel is based on a true story. In an interview with the Gazette, however, he proclaimed, “Let’s be clear about ‘Whitewash.’ It’s a novel, not a biography. It’s a thriller, a collection of real events that I’ve incorporated into a story to entertain my readers. I started writing it after writing eight novels, four of which had been published.

Comparing the biographical details of Landori’s life with Karas, as a character of the dramatic events depicted in this book, the reader would find it hard to believe that the two are not identical.

“I became restless as heaps and heaps of unreleased, exciting, confidential information came to me while working as an M&A specialist,” Landori recalls. “To ease my tension, I returned to my unfinished manuscript and resurrected in writing the memories of my youth.”

In the first part of the book, Landori describes his survival in war-torn Hungary during and after World War II. It presents the war from a fish-eye point of view, with a historical perspective.

Landori arrived with his parents in Canada as a refugee from Communist Hungary.

“I was a young man in need of money while at McGill University in Montreal,” he said. “I got a part-time job at the Royal Victoria Hospital, where I was responsible for the accounts of that institution’s Behavior Lab, where the CIA-sponsored mind-bending experiments were taking place.”

It was Dr. Cameron who was conducting the experiments, and Landori had seen the monthly checks arrive in Dr. Cameron’s account through the Bank of Virginia. He assumed it was from the CIA.

It was the introduction of Landori – aka Tom Karas – to the world of espionage.

“As an accountant, while assisting the Security and Intelligence Division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, I acquired a client who traded rare books by barter with the Mezdunarodniya Kniga in Moscow. An outfit that was later identified as involved in the Gouzenko case, the Soviet spy case,” Landori said.

It turned out that the Landori/Karas bookseller was the payer for a Soviet spy ring, based in Canada. Karas managed to sneak in the professional vault cracker hired by the NSA to open the bookseller’s vault in the basement, where Karas copied all the secret documents. The Soviet spy network was broken.

The bookseller sent Landori/Karas to Fidel Castro’s Cuba. There, he became, as a Canadian citizen, the “king of used tires”. Landori/Karas was arrested, charged with espionage in 1968 and imprisoned. After 66 days in solitary confinement, he was released.

Back in Montreal, Landori became a trustee in bankruptcy in the Cayman Islands. During his eight years of service there, he became an expert in the murky world of offshore banking and secret bank accounts.

“Alejandro Samos, the Panamanian offshore banker in my book, is the creation of my imagination, inspired by my activities in Grand Cayman,” Landori said.

“Whitewash” may be a novel, a fictional page-turner, but there’s no doubt it’s also an NSA playbook. The events described are real.

Disda, the Cuban revolutionary woman – Landori/Karas’ great love – was a real person who fled Cuba for the United States and died of cancer 20 years ago. “The little boy who was beaten by the Brownshirts in Budapest at the start of the book is still alive,” Landori said.

Shatz is a resident of Williamsburg. He is the author of “Reports from a Distant Place”, the compilation of his selected chronicles. The book is available on Bruton Parish Shop and Amazon.com.

Marco Rubio solicitor violently attacked in the Dem neighborhood

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 24, 2022

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A Florida Republican canvasser wearing a Marco Rubio t-shirt and Ron DeSantis hat was brutally attacked in a Hialeah, Fla., neighborhood by Democratic residents, Rubio tweeted Monday morning.

“Last night one of our canvassers wearing my DeSantis T-shirt and hat was brutally attacked by 4 animals who told him Republicans weren’t allowed in their neighborhood in #Hialeah #Florida,” Rubio wrote. “He has suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw and will need reconstructive facial surgery.”

Hialeah is in Miami-Dade County, which narrowly voted for President Joe Biden in 2020. The Miami Herald press release Monday afternoon:

Hialeah police confirmed Monday afternoon that a man distributing leaflets was beaten and an arrest was made. But they made no mention of the solicitor’s party affiliation or possible ties to the senator’s or governor’s campaigns, and provided an account of the incident that involved only one assailant.

In an email response to the Miami Herald, Hialeah Sgt. Jose Torres said the 27-year-old victim was punched “several times in the face and head, causing the injuries”.

Torres said the victim, who has not been named, crossed the street at 140 E. 60th St. after being told he couldn’t hand out flyers there and was followed. Torres said Javier Lopez, 25, punched him repeatedly, leaving him with bruises and lacerations. Lopez was arrested, Torres said. He did not say what crime Lopez was charged with.

The report comes as 68% of American voters consider crime a “very important” issue in the midterm elections, according to a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll released last week. Rubio leads his Democratic Senate challenger Val Demings by 6.4 points, and Governor Ron DeSantis beats Democrat Charlie Crist by 10 points, according to the latest polls.

Welsh councils announce book recycling scheme

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 24, 2022

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REW provides a service for Welsh local authorities to work collaboratively to achieve environmental and economic efficiency.

He leads a group of fourteen local authorities under the name of The Collaborating Local Authorities in Resource Efficiency (CLAIRE) Wales.

The group chose Goldstone Books as the framework’s winning vendor. Under the agreement, books, CDs and DVDs collected from member council sites are transported to Goldstone Books’ head office in Llandybie for processing.

Nine local authorities have signed the appeal contract so far, including Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (MTCBC), Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Cardiff City Council, Carmarthenshire County Council, Monmouthshire County Council, Newport Town Council, Powys County Council and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.

Treat

The group said that typically eight tonnes of material is collected each week. He added that items are first roughly sorted as economically viable for reuse (around 70%) or sent directly for recycling (around 30%).

Books destined for recycling may be worn, damaged, wet, or an extremely popular title that is not unique enough for commercial resale. CDs and DVDs must be in “excellent quality order” complete with plastic case, branding and all supporting documentation, the group explained.

A “fine sorting” follows, registering and classifying the titles in Goldstone Books’ software system. The repurposed books were sold to the public at the company’s retail store in Carmarthen, with 2,000 books returned to the economy.

Frame

Led by MTCBC, the framework agreement allows for the formation of contract appeals by group members serving from April 1 this year until February 28, 2025. It also includes the option of a one-year extension. additional year.

Cllr David Hughes, Portfolio Member for Neighborhood Services at MTCBC, said that “as the framework has been adopted by other councils in Wales, there is an efficient and standardized contract which benefits from economies of scale. “.

James Kay, Regional Waste Coordinator at Resource Efficiency Wales, said: “Collectively we are implementing the waste hierarchy, keeping greater value in Wales as we move beyond recycling. We are all excited about the opportunities to work as a consulting group with Goldstone to increase circular economy opportunities within this framework.

“Circular economy”

Ashley Stamford-Plows, Founder of Goldstone Books, said: “Circular economy, reuse and recycling have never been more important. We are therefore delighted to have been chosen as the supplier of choice to continue to collect, reuse and recycle waste from over fifty local authority recycling centers across Wales, ensuring that everything we collect between in the circular economy or be recycled responsibly without anything being recycled. dump.”

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A new Stephen King book promises a lot – and it delivers

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 23, 2022

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It’s been almost 50 years since Stephen King published “Carrie” and turned mainstream publishing upside down. Never before has a “horror writer” achieved the kind of gigantic sales that King has enjoyed, nor achieved the widespread popularity that the prolific author enjoys.

Just after King’s 75th birthday, Bev Vincent, King’s longtime scholar, friend and collaborator, took the opportunity to update his “Stephen King Companion” with “Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences”. The subtitle promises a lot, and King’s loyal “constant readers” will be delighted with the results.

Similar books have been published before, but this one strikes a happy balance between the heaviness of an encyclopedia and the narrowness of some semi-professional undertaking.

Vincent is the author of “The Dark Tower Companion”, “The Road to the Dark Tower”, the Bram Stoker Award nominated companion to Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and “The Stephen King Illustrated Companion”, which was nominated for a 2010 Edgar award and a 2009 Bram Stoker award. In 2018, Vincent and King co-edited the “Flight or Fright” anthology.

When it comes to exhibiting King’s work, Vincent knows his stuff, inside out. Whether he’s writing about King’s radio station or his time with the Rock-Bottom Remainders, Vincent is curious in his approach and thorough in his results.

Many King fans will have read tales of how his wife Tabitha King saved “Carrie” from the trash when her husband gave up on the idea of writing convincingly about young teenage women. Some readers are under the impression that she saved her career that night, but the reality is more nuanced.

As Vincent recounts, King began writing — and submitting for publication — stories at an early age. His first professional sale, “The Glass Floor”, was published by Startling Mystery Stories for $30.

By the time he graduated from the University of Maine at Orono, King was working on the novel “Getting It On,” which would become “Rage,” and on “The Long Walk,” which intrigued the editor. from Doubleday, Bill Thompson, just shy. from the point of actually buying the book.

There is a chapter on “The Poetry of Stephen King”, including “The Dark Man”, one of the earliest references to the mutable villain from “The Stand” and the “Dark Tower” sequence. King probably won’t be celebrated for his verse, but his early influences are worth noting.

“Stephen King” features a generous helping of illustrations, from family snapshots to correspondence with Thompson of Doubleday, who essentially “discovered” King, to a photo of him accepting a medal from President Obama.

Fans of the “Dark Tower” sequence will be delighted to find information that connects hundreds of characters, settings, and concepts. Vincent writes, “A dominant theme in King’s fiction is that reality is thin and that there are countless, possibly infinite, parallel universes adjacent to each other with only thin curtains separating the parallel realities.”

Vincent’s clear and lively writing style suits the Compagnon. He is learned without being pedantic and unearths intriguing anecdotes.

Interested in visiting King’s version of his original state? There’s a generous section on the geographical and historical attractions of Derry, referred to in “IT” as an alternate version of Bangor, listing dozens of mysterious deaths. Other examples of prime real estate in Stephen King’s universe include Castle Rock, home of Cujo and the boys from “The Body,” and Haven, a coastal community with its share of strange happenings.

According to Vincent, tour operators are offering a king-themed excursion to Bangor, taking care not to disturb the locals who these days rarely reside in the mansion behind a wrought-iron fence infested with giant spiders. The house is to be converted into a scholarly library and writers retreat accessible only by invitation.

The book includes a particularly interesting section on King’s many collaborators. It makes sense that the author would want to work with his pseudonymous son Joe Hill on a tribute to legendary fantasy Richard Matheson. But who had the idea to pair John Mellencamp with King for a musical project such as “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County”?

Vincent offers details about King’s only non-fiction partner, Stewart O’Nan. The two followed the Boston Red Sox during the team’s unlikely championship season in 2004, resulting in “Faithful.” This relationship inspired another baseball-related project with O’Nan, the short story “A Face in the Crowd”.

“Stephen King” is as up-to-date as it gets, with short entries on last year’s “Billy Summers,” this spring’s “Gwendy’s Final Task,” and the recently released (and particularly well-received) “Fairy Tale.” Fans of the Bill Hodges trilogy will be happy to know that King is working on another book starring idiosyncratic detective Holly Gibney.

Readers will find plenty of details about the car accident that nearly killed King in 1999. Knocked down during his daily walk, King was told he might never walk again and endured months of therapy excruciating and addictive to painkillers. After all that agony, King insisted on attending the National Medal of Arts presentation, which resulted in a two-month bout of pneumonia that nearly killed him.

Vincent includes a useful set of appendices, which include lists of short stories, novels, and adaptations.

It’s been a long time since anyone compared King’s literary output to a Big Mac. Vincent’s “Stephen King” convincingly shows how experimental King was, willing to tackle a serialized novel like “The Green Mile” or write from the perspective of a middle-aged woman. He wrote an e-book, “Ur”, exclusively for the Amazon Kindle and still allows fans to get the rights to some of his stories and film them as “Dollar Babies”.

King is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, but what could his literary legacy be? Vincent quotes him as saying, “I have never been wrong that I am going to have a lot of popularity beyond my lifetime. . . . There may be one or two books that people will read later. “The Stand” and “The Shining” are likely contenders.

King has repeatedly threatened to retire, and despite hiatuses, near-tragedies and fallow periods, he maintains an impressive output for someone who has been around for three-quarters of a century.

As Vincent demonstrates, King still occupies the throne of horror. May he reign long!

Berkeley writer Michael Berry is from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and has contributed to Salon, the San Francisco Chronicle, New Hampshire Magazine, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and many other publications. He can be contacted at: [email protected]
Twitter: @mlberry

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As Halloween Approaches, October’s Cobb Library Virtual Graphic Novel Book Club Goes Ghostly and Retro With a Collection from EC’s Vault of Horror

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

October 22, 2022

0

This Monday, October 24, the Cobb Public LibraryThe virtual Graphic Novel Book Club will get into the Halloween spirit by discussing selections from the pioneering horror comic book, EC’s Vault of Horror.

The collection we are going to talk about is Vault of Horror: Volume 1. It can be found on Overdrive at https://cobbcounty.overdrive.com/media/5883877.

Don’t worry if you don’t have time to read the entire collection before the meeting. They’re short, self-contained stories, and reading one or two will give you enough to join in the discussion.

The book club meets on the fourth Monday of each month via Google Meet from 6-7 p.m.

Registration is not required, but if you register at https://forms.gle/7G5zMx9rtwkj2fQd6, you will receive reminders before each meeting. Anyone can come to the virtual meeting by clicking on the link here.

About EC Comics and the Vault of Horror

Vault of Horror, which began publication in 1950, was one of EC Comics’ titles, whose most enduring and well-known work was Mad Magazine.

Besides Vault of Horror, EC’s other well-known horror comic was Tales from the Crypt. Anthology films and an HBO series have been made based on selected stories from each of these comics.

EC also released a third lesser-known horror series, titled Haunt of Fear.

The stories of the three series were introduced by the Crypt-Keeper, the Vault-Keeper and the Old Witch.

The stories featured gruesome illustrations and clever twists.

EC’s significant work in horror and science fiction comics spanned the years from when William Gaines took over the company in 1947 after his father’s death, to 1956, after censorship by the Comics Code Authority prevented EC from necessary distribution channels. to make his line of horror comics profitable. At that time, EC focused its efforts on Mad Magazine.

EC comics were notable for being at the forefront of 1950s political subject matter, including anti-racist and anti-war themes, more than a decade before mainstream comic book publishers Marvel and DC were ready to step in. attack social justice and political intrigue.

About Cobb County Public Library

According to Cobb County Public Library website:

“The Cobb County Public Library is a 15-branch system headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, where its staff members serve a diverse population of more than 750,000 people.

“Cobb is one of the fastest growing counties in Georgia, and the Cobb County Public Library is dedicated to being a resource center in the community by providing equal access to information, materials, and services.”

History of the Cobb Library System

Cobb County’s first public library was opened at the home of Sarah Freeman Clarke in Marietta. The first free-standing library building, opened on Church Street in 1893 and is named after Clarke.

Libraries were opened in Acworth and Austell in subsequent years, and in 1959 the town of Marietta and several other libraries in Cobb County combined to form a countywide system that launched the County Public Library of Cobb as we know it today.

You can learn more about the history of the Cobb County Public Library by following this link.

FRAZIER: The challenge of becoming a book addict – The Vicksburg Post

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 22, 2022

0

FRAZIER: The Challenge of Getting Addicted to a Book

Published at 04:00 on Saturday, October 22, 2022

The selection of books I’ve chosen to read recently have been hit or miss.

The last book I finished, “Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens, turned out to be a page-turner, keeping me awake after midnight.

However, the book I finished before him, “The Romanov Sisters”, was tedious.

I generally like historical fiction, but this book was difficult. Admittedly, I know very little about Russian history and found myself googling. All the Russian names with their barrage of consonants also made reading the book a chore. And then there was the fact that I knew how it was going to end. All the princesses have been murdered.

I’m currently reading “The Bookseller’s Secret” by Michelle Gable. It hasn’t really caught my eye yet and I’m almost halfway there. I hope it will resume soon.

When do you think I should decide to keep reading a book or throw it away? I’ve always had this self-imposed rule that if you start a book, you have to finish it.

But I’m at a point where I’m questioning my decree. I remember somewhere along the way, someone said, “Don’t waste your time reading a book if you don’t like it.

It really makes sense, but there were times when I hung on and was pleasantly surprised at how the story turned out.

Years ago, I attended a book club. I really enjoyed listening to my friends’ comments on the books we were to read. There were times when I shared when I wasn’t below their pace.

My reading time is when I crawl into bed at night and while there are times when I can read several chapters, there are also times when I can only read a page or two before I go. fall asleep.

Bookstores and libraries are full of books of all genres and for all types of readers. And like I said earlier, I seem to gravitate toward historical fiction. For some reason, that’s what I enjoy the most. And I seem to have read several of them with reference to WWII and the Holocaust.

A few of my favorite reads are “The Nightingale”, by Kristin Hannah, and “The Paris Apartment”, by Kelly Bowen.

If you love historical fiction, be sure to check these two out.

Obviously there are a lot more “good reads” I could recommend, but I think I’ll leave that to Evangeline at the library. She always has lots of suggestions. Just check it out in The Post.

I’m sure this current dilemma I’ve found myself in will be short-lived and I’ll soon find myself buried in a good book.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Soon after, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter for the Vicksburg Post and editor of Vicksburg Living Magazine, which was awarded first place by the Mississippi Press Association. She was also the recipient of a first place award in the editorial division of the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest for “Best Feature Article”.

Terri is a graduate of Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a major in public relations.

Before coming to work at the Post just over 10 years ago, she freelanced at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay-at-home mom.

Terri is a member of Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a life member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and was a member of the Sampler Antique Club and the Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“Whether it’s staying informed about local government issues or hearing the stories of local residents, a local newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at the Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I can continue to grow and hone my skills while helping to share the stories in Vicksburg. When people ask me what I love most about my job, my answer is always “the people”.

Kathleen received news of the book’s publication and her cancer-free status at her home in Bantry

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

October 21, 2022

0

A sometimes Bantry resident, mother of model Emily Ratajkowski, followed in
in her daughter’s footsteps this year – publishing her own very important and personal book

ALL three members of the talented Ratajkowski family have achieved an editorial hat-trick.

My bodythe book written by model, actress and author Emily Ratajkowski was a New York Times bestseller, while his father, John Ratajkowski, an artist and teacher at San Dieguito Academy, gave the world something he didn’t know he needed – a fabulous book of bovine illustrations called cow tuesday.

Now it’s the turn of Emily’s mother, Kathleen Balgley, a retired literature professor, who wrote a memoir titled Letters to my father – Excavating a Jewish identity in Poland and Belarus.

It begins with Kathleen’s childhood discovery of her father’s hidden Jewish identity and then goes on to explain how she discovered her own repressed Jewishness when she accepted a Fulbright to teach in communist Poland, just before the fall of the wall. from Berlin.

With three million Jews living in Poland at the start of the war – the largest concentration of Jews in Europe – it became the epicenter of suffering.

Kathleen’s trip there was not just a visit all those years later, but a full immersion that took her away from her Catholic upbringing towards the Jewish faith.

The trip also forever changed her relationship with her father, Ely.

Kathleen, as her name suggests, has Irish roots. His mother – Margaret O’Hara – loved all things Irish and that played a big role in his formative years.

But in the shadow of this light, this scholarly child questioned the English accent and the samovars in her grandparents’ apartment in Brooklyn.

Later in life, Kathleen’s career took her to different places, including teaching drama in London, where she says Emily fell in love with acting. But it was in 1987 – after teaching writing and literature at UCLA – that she accepted a Fulbright in Poland to explore the place where her father was born in 1912.

She stayed there for two years to teach, but in 2012, with the help of a guide, Kathleen set out to find her family’s archives in present-day Belarus.

What she found was documentation containing the names of hundreds of people who shared her last name. The name was there on ‘page after page after page’ and they all had a ‘ghetto passport’, which Kathleen described as ‘a ticket to hell’.

“It was shocking, she said, to see everything written down.” To someone else, the documents might sound like a historical account, but she found herself metaphorically “burying the dead.”

“It was very emotional for me,” said the author, who found herself in the “killing fields” of her own family. There was only a reprieve from the emotional onslaught and that’s when she found her father’s birth certificate.

Kathleen has described her teaching experience in Poland up to the time of their first free elections, and research in Belarus, as “bashert”.

It’s a Yiddish term for soul mate or fate, but Kathleen refers to it as “unsettling coincidence or serendipity.” The word has since become a part of her, burnished into her being. She even chose the name of Bashert Press as the name of her publishing house.

After nearly a lifetime of concealing her identity, Kathleen’s journey and letters home over a two-year period sparked her father’s desire to set foot on the ground he had previously abandoned – this one. having abandoned him first.

Together, Ely, a renowned pianist, and her mother Margaret toured the country and Kathleen remembers seeing a revival in him as places – real from memory – brought him back to consciousness.

Reviewers of the book call it a “soul-renewing epic.” It does, after all, deal with some of the most pressing issues of our time – identity, the need to belong, war and the persecution of an entire people. But it also does something else. He offers a lie to the truism, ‘You can never go home again.’

“He saw my investment, my emotional connection to Jewish history in Poland, and it opened the door for us to talk about this unspoken family secret, and I finally understood why he did what he did. , and I’ve come to respect it,” Kathleen said.

Ely had identified himself as “a boy from the city of Brooklyn.” He was a virtuoso pianist who graduated early – at the age of 15 – from the Juilliard School of Music in New York.

It was while working a summer job at a seaside resort – Eddy’s Farm – that he met his beautiful cailín. She was 16 and he was 21, but they were in love and together they raised Michael, Jane, Kathleen and Elise as Catholics.

Kathleen met John Ratajkowski while teaching at San Dieguito Academy as a graduate student working on her Ph.D.

“I’ve always been interested in art and had written about it as well,” she said. But there were other pairings like the fact that John’s father was Polish, a Gentile, and his mother was of Celtic, Scots-Irish descent. It didn’t hurt that he was handsome and also had a sense of humor.

As a couple, they first visited Poland in 1984, three years after John was invited to exhibit his art in Warsaw.

Kathleen’s recent return to their Bantry home has proven to be a good omen.

Just 24 hours after landing on Irish soil, she learned her book had been published. And 24 hours later, she learned she had been given the green light for cancer.

Four years ago, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and told there was no cure for blood cancer which affects the white blood cells made in the bone marrow. But Kathleen is now in remission.

Kathleen first arrived in West Cork with John 40 years ago, but it was the area’s natural beauty – and the friendships she was able to make – that ensured her return.

“I fell in love with Ireland before I came to Ireland – it comes from my mum who had a reverence for Ireland,” she said.

Kathleen was also ‘thrilled’ by her love of Irish literature and it was her paper on James Joyce that got her into her PhD programme.

“I’ve come back enough to have established a community here,” she said, although strict travel restrictions in the United States during the Covid pandemic have prevented them from visiting for the past two years.

Organized by Inanna Rare Books, the subsequent reading and book signing proved to be the perfect platform for Kathleen to tell her story.

The subject is complex and the book is heavy. The same goes for Kathleen’s almost forensic research and attention to detail. The subject demands it and nothing less would not satisfy the reader.

At the end of a long conversation about religion, war, communism, literature and cancer, at home in Bantry, there seems to be a misstep.

This happens when Kathleen is asked about beauty – her own in particular – because at 70 she still has the fresh, angular good looks of a young Liz Taylor.

There is an almost imperceptible hair, but it disappears as quickly as it appears, and is followed by a sincere little smile and the initial bet of an entirely new topic.

“I’m a feminist,” she said. “I never wanted my goals and work to be usurped by physical appearance.”

A subject for another day perhaps….

STANLY THE MAGAZINE: Ruth and Talmadge Moose – a love story between two designers – The Stanly News & Press

Commercial book

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

October 20, 2022

0

They met at a picnic in 1952. He had graduated from Albemarle High School the previous year.

She still had four years ahead of her. He waited for her.
Talmadge and Ruth Moose were born and raised in Stanly County. She grew up in West Albemarle, the eldest child of Ardie and Vera Morris. He was the son of Cecil and Flora Moose and lived south of town towards Norwood where his uncles owned dairy farms – Mooseville he called it.

Ruth says her mother took her to Montaldo’s in Charlotte to buy her wedding dress – a bargain $25. She and Talmadge married at Second Street Presbyterian Church in 1956 after graduating from AHS.

“Talmadge had more ambition than anyone I know,” Ruth said. “He was the first in his family to go to university. UNC-Chapel Hill School of Pharmacy was the plan.

Instead, a last-minute turnaround — more like an admission of his heart’s true desire — landed him at the Richmond Professional Institute at the College of William and Mary where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Although fine art jobs after college proved elusive, Talmadge gained hands-on experience working in commercial art as a technical illustrator and art director and spent his evenings and weekends to do independent design work.

Talmadge and Ruth Moose met at a picnic in 1952 and were married a few years later. (Contributed)

The couple lived for a time in Winston-Salem, then Charlotte, and then by 1972 they were back home in Stanly County, building a house on Stony Mountain designed by Talmadge.

Stanly Technical Institute (now Stanly Community College) hired him to develop and teach the first commercial art courses there. He told an interviewer that some of his students had never seen an original painting, so his teaching plan was to “throw fine art aside because art is art is art.” A student must learn painting before they can learn commercial design.

Ruth says it only took one art book at the Stanly County Library to fuel a child’s appetite for the visual arts. Her husband’s first artistic hero was Norman Rockwell, the 20th-century American painter and illustrator known for his covers of the “Saturday Evening Post.”

Talmadge also developed a fascination with the work of Andrew Wyeth whose favorite subjects were the land and the people around it.

Although Talmadge worked in acrylics, oils and watercolours, Ruth says her favorite medium was carbon pencil. With Eckerd’s No. 2 pencils, he traced meticulous pencil strokes, capturing, as he put it, “the universal in the particular.” Each subject relates to a part of my life, but at the same time it will relate to a part of the life of each viewer. There’s a Stanly County in everyone’s past.

“Eight Apiece” was a portrait of Talmadge Moose’s grandparents. (Contributed)

One of Talmadge’s large, award-winning pencil portraits first appeared in a 1970s exhibit at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Details of coat buttons, worn spots and wrinkled faces are simpler than the photographs he often worked from. It was a portrait of his grandparents, named “Eight Apiece” and dubbed “Southern Gothic” by an Atlanta art critic who compared it to Grant Wood’s famous “American Gothic” painting.

While Talmadge’s college education and dreams seemed like “air castles” to her parents, Ruth’s high school courses kept her grounded.

At Albemarle High School, she was placed on the vocational track which involved lessons until noon and then a short walk to City Hall where she worked five afternoons a week and half a day on Saturdays.

Diverse education students weren’t supposed to go to college, but after her marriage she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing from Pfeiffer College (now Pfeiffer University), then in 1989 a master’s degree. in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. .

Talmadge Moose works in his studio. (Contributed)

Ruth appreciates the skills she has learned through the Diversified Education program.

“Shorthand teaches you how to listen,” she says, and her typing skills served her well for 12 years as she hauled her Smith-Corona typewriter around the Carolinas one week a month for teach poetry and creative writing in schools at all levels. . She says she eventually wore it out typing three columns a week for the Charlotte News.

Years ago in Charlotte, Ruth began writing stories in a short time between caring for two young sons, serving as Talmadge’s “office helper”, attending PTA events and taking music lessons. writing. She turned listening into a tool for writing, using snippets of everyday conversation for her short stories and poetry. She found story ideas in newspapers, headlines and classifieds, and collected character names from obituaries.

Ruth also met other writers through the Charlotte Writers Club, such as Dannye Romine Powell before becoming a Charlotte Observer columnist. And before news of Ruth found its way into glossy magazines. The women gathered in Dannye’s kitchen to share their work in progress and learn to see their own words through someone else’s eyes.

“When we built our Uwharrie home, we included side-by-side studio apartments on the lower level of the house with equal square footage and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the woods and a small stream,” Ruth said. “When we were working, we left each other alone most of the time. Our only rule was that we couldn’t comment on each other’s work in progress.

But they worked together on behalf of the arts in Stanly County through the Stanly County Arts Council. They were co-chairs of the Artist Writer’s Dialogue.

“Rain”, a pencil drawing by Talmadge Moose. (Contributed)

Talmadge has given art exhibits at the Stanly County Public Library, Pfeiffer, and Stanly Community College. Ruth led poetry workshops in six elementary schools, formed writers’ groups and book clubs. She was editor of the Uwharrie Review for several years. She undertook the collection of writings on poverty by NC authors which were published in a small book entitled “I walked”.

Talmadge provided the cover artwork. Ruth’s poems have appeared in various literary journals and her stories in magazines, such as Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, The State (now Our State), and Atlantic Monthly. Her short fictional pieces focused mostly on Southern women, and were full of realism and something that one book reviewer called “Everyday Southern…beauty and dignity amidst life’s nastier details.”

In 1987, Ruth was working as a reference librarian at Pfeiffer while traveling to Greensboro on Monday evenings for her master’s studies at UNCG. She also gave a children’s literature course and worked one morning a week on her first novel.

In 1988, Ruth and Talmadge made a pilgrimage to England on a Writer’s Fellowship from the NC Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. They visited the Dickens House, the homes of Beatrix Potter, John Keats and Jane Austen’s House Museum.

“When the docent turned away, I put my hand on Jane Austen’s desk,” Ruth said.

Ruth’s tenure at Pfeiffer lasted until 1996, when her work caught the attention of the creative writing department at UNC-Chapel Hill. They were looking for a short story writer – Ruth’s first love and a natural candidate. She also taught children’s literature classes and various workshops during her 15 years at the faculty.

She says she always gets wedding invitations from alumni and loves hearing from them.

“A former student started a Netflix series from two of her novels in my class,” Ruth said.

Bridget Huckabee is a writer friend who has known Ruth for many years and praises her ability to criticize without being critical.

“She is a natural teacher, an excellent listener and a generous helper in all aspects of writing. She was the leader of our writer’s group, although she doesn’t admit it. We fell apart when she moved to Chapel Hill.

Talmadge and Ruth were married for 47 years and spent seven years together in Pittsboro before his death in 2003. They raised their sons, Lyle and Barry, and shared a passion for books, art, learning and make a difference. They have won awards too numerous to list and have produced important work to share.

Ruth cried deeply, but she overcame her grief by doing what came naturally to her.

She wrote.

And writes.

“I was in a writer’s studio in Raleigh and I had to come up with something,” she said.

She gathered the stories around a theme, and with the help of her publisher at St. Andrews University Press, another book came off the presses.

“The Goings on at Glen Arbor Acres” was released in May 2022.

Ruth moved back to Albemarle two years ago to be near her family. She donated 996 Talmadge art books to North Carolina art institutions and the shelves are still overflowing.

Talmadge’s paintings and drawings remind him of his work and his words: “There is beauty in the red clay benches and the people who live there.

Letter to the editor: Building housing in empty parking lots

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

October 20, 2022

0

A new trend is coming to a car park near you: housing. For generations, we’ve overbuilt our malls and malls with oceans of unused parking spaces – part of an overly cautious policy to ensure every station wagon has its place on Black Friday. For most of the year, a significant proportion of this land remains unused. Just look at a Google satellite view of a big box parking lot anywhere in America.

Final rendering of The Downs Town Center in Scarborough, the site of the former Scarborough Downs Racecourse off Highway 1. The mixed-use development of The Downs and Freeport Town Center will be a free Greater Portland Council of Governments event on Tuesday at Freeport Town Hall. The photo of the stockings

While online shopping traffic has increased, retailer traffic is down. Cities are beginning to turn to these wastelands for another desperate demand: housing. Introducing new housing into shopping districts is not a new idea – we’ve been doing it for centuries before the advent of the strip mall.

It turns out that housing next to retail businesses leads to increased foot traffic from customers, greater demand for a greater variety of goods and services, and higher tax returns for the city. Additionally, this concentration of density makes the numbers work for transit, allowing more frequent travel options for residents and customers (reducing the need for more parking spaces).

This is the new, the old trend of urban development. Come see how Freeport is reinventing its downtown core by converting excess parking into a livable neighborhood. We will also discover why the developers of Scarborough Downs sought the same balance between businesses and residences to make their project work. Coffee is offered next Tuesday, October 25, at Freeport City Hall beginning at 9 a.m. Free and open to the public.

Robert O’Brien
Senior Director of Economic Development, Greater Portland Council of Governments
Portland

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Saratoga Fall Festival returns, complete with face painting, sidewalk parade, trick-or-treating

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

October 19, 2022

0

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Downtown Saratoga can expect to see children and families hitting the streets this Saturday as the fall festival makes its long-awaited return.

“We can’t wait to have people back in town – to see people’s faces, to come together, to smile,” said Christine O’Donnell, administrative coordinator for festival organizer the Saratoga Downtown Business Association. .

The day will include activities like face painting, a sidewalk parade and, of course, trick-or-treating at participating businesses. There will also be a read-aloud session at the Saratoga Public Library patio, a graphic novel workshop at the Northshire Bookstore, and a Halloween movie in the downtown parking lot to end the night.

“I think this festival is something where families come here with their kids — or even if they don’t have kids — and they just make memories with their community,” O’Donnell said. “There’s going to be a lot of laughs.”

This will be the first fall festival to be held in Saratoga since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the Saratoga DBA held a scaled-down version called Fall Festivities, but according to Saratoga DBA President Deann Devitt, this Saturday’s event will mark a return to normal.

“We’re really excited to get back to normal and see everyone downtown having fun,” Devitt said. “The Fall Festival has traditionally been a fun day.”

Plus, with the return of the Fall Festival, it’s the return of a favorite family activity: the pumpkin roll.
Beginning at noon, children and their families will walk up Caroline Street and roll a pumpkin to the corner of Maple Avenue and Putnam Street. This year, hay bales will be placed all over the street to make the descent even more exciting. At the bottom of the hill, rollers will be greeted with a coupon for Ben & Jerry’s or Saratoga Strike Zone.

“Seeing the joy on children’s faces as they hunt their pumpkins are moments every parent should try to capture,” said Daniel Klein, a Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs organizer who has run the pumpkin roll since 2018. “We are very excited to once again offer the most fun activity of Fall Fest.

The fall festival will take place on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Starting at 6 p.m. at the City Parking Garage, organizers will screen “Hocus Pocus.” Attendees can enter at 37 High Rock ave, ground level parking lot. They are advised to dress warmly and bring chairs and blankets. For more information, visit saratogaspringsdowntown.com/fallfest2022.

Here is an overview of the organizations participating in the trick-or-treat:

Celtic treasures
byJonghe
BurgerFi
Menges and Curtis
Salty Pantry
Black Horse
prints
Tailgate and Party
Pink Enclosure
Saratoga Candy Co.
Saratoga Springs Visitor Center
Saratoga Arts
The local – Pub and tea room
Berkshire Hathaway – Blake Estate Agents
G. Willikers
Green onions
The Broadway grind

More from The Daily Gazette:

Categories: Entertainment, Life and Arts, Life and Arts, Saratoga Springs

The Washington Post’s Best Paperback Sellers – The Washington Post

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

October 19, 2022

0

Comment

1 EVERYTHING ENDS WITH US (Atria, $16.99). By Colleen Hoover. A woman questions her relationship with a commitment-phobic partner when her former flame shows up.

2 CLOUD CUCKOO EARTH (Scribner, $20). By Anthony Doerr. An ancient story survives millennia, managed by young people in the past, present and future.

3 TRUTH (Grand Central, $16.99). By Colleen Hoover. A writer hired to complete the manuscript of an unfit bestselling author learns disturbing secrets.

4 THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO (Washington Square Press, $17). By Taylor Jenkins Reid. A Hollywood icon tells the story of her glamorous life to a young journalist, and they both discover the price of fame.

5 THE PHRASE (Perennial Harper, $18). By Louise Erdrich. As the pandemic rages on, a bookseller is haunted by the ghost of her store’s most annoying customer.

6 PROJECT Hail Mary (Ballantine, $20). By Andy Weir. The sole survivor of a spaceship must figure out how to save the earth from destruction.

seven WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING (Putnam, $18). By Delia Owens. A young outcast finds herself at the center of a local murder trial.

8 MURDER CLUB THURSDAY (Penguin, $17). By Richard Osman. Four septuagenarians join forces to catch a killer.

9 THE SILENT PATIENT (Celadon, $17.99). By Alex Michaelides. A psychotherapist sets out to find out why a woman killed her husband.

ten CIRCE (Back Bay, $16.99).By Madeline Miller. This continuation of the “Song of Achilles” speaks of the goddess who transforms the men of Odysseus into pigs.

1 BRAIDING THE SCENT GRASS: INDIGENOUS WISDOM, SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND PLANT TEACHINGS (Milkweed Publishing, $18). By Robin Wall Kimmerer. Indigenous scientist’s essays offer lessons in reciprocal awareness between people and plants.

2 ALL ABOUT LOVE (Morrow, $15.99).By bell hooks. The first volume of the feminist’s “Love Song to the Nation” trilogy considers compassion as a form of love.

3 BODY KEEPS SCORE (Penguin, $19). By Bessel van der Kolk. A scientific look at how trauma can reshape a person’s body and brain.

4 DOWN (Norton, $16.95). By Mary Roach. The quirky science writer delves into encounters between animals and humans and understands the possibility of compassionate coexistence.

5 FIND THE MOTHER TREE (Former, $17). By Suzanne Simard. An ecologist sheds light on the connections between trees and people.

6 TO GET LOST (Seven Stories Press, $18.95). By Annie Ernaux, Alison L. Strayer (Trans.). The Nobel laureate writes about her affair with a married man in the 1980s.

seven OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC 2023 (Old Farmer’s Almanac, $8.95). The classic reference guide predicts culture, weather and trends.

8 A CARNIVAL OF SNACKERS (Back Bay, $18.99). By David Sedaris. The popular comedian shares diary entries from the past two decades.

9 VANDERBILT (Harper, $18.99). By Anderson Cooper, Katherine Howe. The story of one of America’s wealthiest family dynasties is explored by its patriarch’s great-great-great-grandson.

ten HOW TO CONCENTRATE (Parallax Press, $9.95). By Thich Nhat Hanh, with illustrations by Jason DeAntonis. Mindfulness meditations to improve the power of concentration.

Rankings reflect sales for the week ending October 16. Graphics may not be reproduced without permission from the American Booksellers Association, the trade association for independent bookstores in the United States, and indiebound.org. Copyright 2022 American Booksellers Association. (Bestseller lists alternate between hardcover and paperback each week.)

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Historic Limu Highlights, Recipes Celebrated Through Beloved Book Reprint

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 18, 2022

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The Limu Eatera book first published in 1978 by the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program (Hawaii Sea Grant) to highlight the historical importance of the Limu in Hawaii as well as unique and delicious recipes, is once again available to the public.

To celebrate the launch of The Limu Eater as well as the Year of Limu and Hawaii 50th anniversary of Sea Grant, more than 150 people gathered at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Hoʻokupu Kewalo Basin Center on October 13 to share limu stories, memories and delicious limu dishes, and to honor the importance of limu to Hawaiicultural identity and ecosystem health.

speaking panel — Panel with Malia Heimuli, Aunty Pam Fujii, Uncle Wally Ito, Ryan Okano and Celia Smith

Additionally, experts from uh Manoa and Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA) showcased cutting-edge research and ongoing efforts to conserve, restore, raise awareness and promote the sustainable regeneration of lime.

Darren LernerDirector of Hawaii Sea Grant, said: “The event celebrating the reprint of this much-loved book was particularly meaningful as we not only celebrated the release of a publication in print for the first time in 1978 by our program, but also the unfortunate passing of its author, Heather Fortner. Although she was unable to join us in person as we originally planned, her passion for limu and Hawaii’s history and culture will live on in the pages of his book for many years to come.

The reprint is the result of a year-long collaboration with KUA and its Limu Hui Network, which is dedicated to restoring the knowledge, practice, and abundance of limu, and capturing the knowledge of elders (kūpuna) who gather and care for native Hawaiian limu around the islands.

Along with fish and poi, limu was once an integral part of the traditional Hawaiian diet and was used for food, medicine, religious ceremonies and par lapaʻau healing practitioners. Although urban development, overexploitation, climate change and other pressures have caused the availability of native limu to decline, the knowledge and practices endure. The reprint of The Limu Eater honors centuries-old cultural practices and will be part of the living, evolving and growing practice of limu hana in Hawaii.

Kevin Chang, Managing Director of KUAsaid, “We are delighted to partner with Hawaii Sea Grant to see Heather Fortner The Limu Eater once again become accessible to the public as part of a larger celebration of the Year of Limu. This effort is a testament to a generation gone by, in the 1970s, when the Limu was once again at the top of minds and hearts as part of a Hawaiian civic and cultural renaissance. This effort was also sparked within our Limu Hui by its member and elder HAE President Colette Machado for whom this book was a favorite. It was his dream that it be republished for the community to have access to.

–By Cindy Knapman

Beyond Hellraiser: Why There’s So Much More To Clive Barker Than Pinhead And Candyman | Movies

Commercial book

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 18, 2022

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candy man turned 30 this weekend. Under almost any other circumstance, you’d call Bernard Rose’s horror masterpiece…but another name is more important. Rose may have written and directed the film – but it was based on a short story titled The forbiddenpublished in 1985 and written by creative force Clive Barker.

Barker had started out in experimental theater in Liverpool in the 1970s, working with a company of reps that included his school friend Doug Bradley. Barker also made short films during this period, then caused a stir with books of bloodpublished in six volumes between 1984 and 1985 (The forbidden launches volume five). He wrote screenplays adapting two of these stories – raw headed rex and Underworldboth run by George Pavlou – and was so unhappy with the results that he decided to do hellraiser himself, adapting his own short story, the infernal heart. The million dollars he needed eventually came from Roger Corman’s New World production company. The result was a strange sort of Faustian, Chekhovian, adult domestic drama about sexual obsession – albeit with supernatural underpinnings, monsters and lots of blood. hellraiser has been very different from the popular Freddys and Jasons at the time. And yet, somehow, it became another one of those extended horror sequel factories.

A small confined film (taking place in and around a single house in Cricklewood, although perhaps it’s supposed to be America, since everyone is oddly dubbed) it nonetheless nodded towards a fascinating extended mythology. Bradley played a demon with pins in his head: a minor role on paper, but thanks to the actor’s ironic gravity and startling makeup, a role that audiences took notice of. hellraiser had a fascinating pair of villains in Julia (Clare Higgins) and Frank – a character who, thanks to prosthetic FX makeup and story-swapping bodies, ends up being played by three actors; mainly Oliver Smith, but also Andrew Robinson and Sean Chapman. But “Pinhead” got away with all the dubious “frankness”.

“I think it’s something Clive does,” Bradley said. Empire, back in the September 2012 issue. “He’s good at dropping these amazing characters that make you go ‘Woah! Who are they?’, and then at the end of the movie, you’re still none the wiser “We are Cenobites. Okay, and a Cenobite is…? ‘We are explorers in the farther regions of experience.’ Yes, but who the fuck are you?!” Films of, shall we say, variable Quality immediately followed to explore this question, written and directed by others who seemed more interested in expanding the Barker mythology than Barker himself. He had already moved on.

Barker’s fantasies were accessible from our own world, his mad Narnias approached by the threads of a mysterious tapestry.

What Barker was able to get hellraiser fact speaks of the name he had made for himself so quickly. Stephen King called Barker “the future of horror”, although that endorsement quickly soured for an artist who didn’t. want to to be the future of horror at all; same books of blood themselves are often more witty than their reputation as purely macabre and terrifying. He followed hellraiser with the failure Nightblood in 1990, and the least seen lord of illusions in 1995, but has never directed since. Movies didn’t seem to really work for him. His imagination was too big for the frame. Budgets, technology and studios got in the way of what he was trying to achieve.

Roses candy man arrived in 1992, the same year as Anthony Hickox’s Hellraiser III turned Pinhead into a complete slasher, complete with manic cackle, kill lines, and nightclub bloodbath. candy man was altogether fancier, transposing Barker’s story from an abandoned housing estate in Liverpool to the destitute projects of Cabrini Green in Chicago. In the process, he ran with Barker’s theme of class inequality, but added a thread of racial politics and a whole mythology – rooted in 19th century American plantations – for his iconic and tragic “monster”. . An instant classic and a critical and commercial success, Rose had achieved what even Barker had never achieved: an uncompromising creative adaptation of Clive Barker that won universal acclaim.

Barker, meanwhile, was enjoying the creative and commercial peak of his career in print. Next to the court books of blood came his first full novel, the hardcore horror The game of damnation. But then he swerved into a sequence of huge books that were as much fantasy as horror. There were still monsters, and scary things were still happening, but, starting with Weaveworld (1987) and continuing until The Big Secret Show (1989), Imajica(1991), Everville (1994), Sacrament (1996) and the raging family saga Galileo (1998), there was also unrivaled scope and breathtaking vision: a sense of wonder to counterbalance the darkness; a torrent of subversive and free-flowing eroticism; a collection of extraordinary spheres of existence and the liminal spaces between them. As in works by authors like CS Lewis, L. Frank Baum or Stephen R. Donaldson, Barker’s fantasies were accessible from our own world, his wacky Narnias tackled by the threads of a mysterious tapestry, the ocean of Quiddity or the space-chaos of the “In-Ovo”. A recurring theme is the return and preservation of forgotten magic or exotic creatures hidden among us. Imajicathe greatest of all, is a road trip through four Earth-parallel “Dominions” (the fifth), by a human and his alien lover “Mystif”, to confront God.

It is frankly an injustice that, 30 years and more later, we still only really talk about hellraiser and candy manas if Barker were a two-hit wonder.

Between the big books, there were smaller works like Cabal (1988, became Nightblood) and The forever thief (1989 – you know, for kids!), and surprisingly Barker’s career as a great novelist lasted just over a decade, with Galileo marking the end of this era. There were subsequent novels, but it often felt like Barker’s heart wasn’t in it. Coldheart Canyon (2001) was a short story that spiraled out of control and ended at 700 rambling pages. Tortured Souls (2001) was cobbled together from short pieces he wrote for a Todd McFarlane action figure set. The Scarlet Gospels (2015) felt like hellraiser a related fiction rather than a true work of Barker. Notably, there is also the Young Adult Abarat sequence (2002-2011… until now), where the story feels at the service of the hundreds of sumptuous oil paintings that accompany the text. It seems like these days Barker would rather be at his easel than at a desk.

Many of his great projects remain unfinished. Despite his occasional protestations that they will eventually happen, it seems likely to remain the case. There probably won’t be a third art book (to complete the promised trilogy started with The Great Secret Show and Everville) or a fourth Abarat. If you’ve been tapping since 2011 waiting for George RR Martin to write The Winds of Winterimagine what it’s like to wait 25 years for the second half of Galileo.

But Barker was never extremely enthusiastic to review even positive experiences. Perhaps he was burned each time by the manic attention he gave to his projects. Imajica, he claimed, was written in 16 hours a day, seven days a week, for 14 months. It doesn’t even seem possible, but if there’s even a shred of truth to it, it exemplifies young Barker’s energy and obsession. Fourteen months of laser development, but then it’s done, done and we move on to the next one. “His mind moves [so] quickly,” Bradley said. Empire. “Even while he was writing Cabal and lead Nightblood, he would have planned eight more novels and films. Everything he did was always the first in a cycle of 36. He was always like that.

So Barker was an imagination that other people ran with, in comics, spin-offs, video games, and sequels; Roses candy man unquestionably the culmination of Clive Barker’s work in which Clive Barker was not actually involved. Barker remains a presence, a name, a brand. The days of the thousand-page novel every two years are over, but he paints, he draws, he advises, he supervises and comes back from time to time to talk about a television series or a film project – or sometimes to report one. . He said of Hellraiser: Revelations“If they claim it’s from the mind of Clive Barker, that’s a lie. It’s not even from my asshole.

As this exasperation perhaps testifies, it is frankly an injustice that, 30 years and more later, we still really only talk about hellraiser and candy man, as if Barker were a two-hit wonder (with one of those hits largely by someone else). Regardless of the low profile he kept this century, the books he wrote in the 80s and 90s are still incredible work. And yet, although imports and second-hand copies are readily available through the internet, not all of these books are even currently in print in the UK. It’s due to a huge revival; the kind of attention and adulation that Neil Gaiman enjoys.

The titles with which he is most associated keep coming back. Nia Da Costa 2021 candy man – co-written and produced by Jordan Peele – returned to Cabrini Green to address the politics of urban gentrification, as well as decipher some aspects of Rose’s film that now play as racial issues. David Bruckner’s recent hellraiser ‘requel’ (use Scream language), remixed elements of Hellraisers 1 and 2 through a story about the casting of Friends run around the whole Thirteen ghosts. And that’s all very well, but where’s the massive Netflix series of Weaveworldor the mega-budget Prime adaptation of Imajica? When these novels were written, translating them to screen would have been impractical, but we are now in an age where anything is possible with digital effects, and ten-hour runtimes are the norm. Let’s stop talking about hellraiser and candy box – great as they are– and start defending others. They have such sites to show you.

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Grolier Poetry Book Shop celebrates its 95th anniversary | Arts

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 18, 2022

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The Grolier Poetry Book Shop celebrated its 95th anniversary on Sunday, October 9. Just down the street from the Harvard Crimson, the Grolier stood between the Harvard Book Store and Hampden Hall for the 95 years of its existence. On Sunday, more than 20 poets and friends of the Grolier gathered on Brattle Street for poetry readings and live music.

Boston-area poet and educator Porsha RJ Olayiwola performed several original poems that covered themes ranging from water to the black diaspora. Several poets, including herself, have presented new unpublished poems from ongoing manuscripts. One of the poems Olayiwola performed was a “Eavesdropping Cento”, a collection of quotes inspired by his time in Provincetown, MA last summer.

“As someone who specifically writes poetry, I think it’s imperative to have poetry-specific venues,” Olayiwola said. “Poetry needs to institutionalize itself as an art form, as a literary form, because it is embedded in our daily lived experiences and in the way we perceive the world.”

For Anna VQ Ross, a poet and poetry editor who also performed at the Sunday Street Festival, the Grolier community has been central to her life and work since she moved to Boston more than 20 years ago. . She read pieces from her new collection, which comes out next month – poems that deal with motherhood and school shootings.

“Early on in my teaching career, I had a student, mid-semester, raise his hand and ask, ‘Do people still write poetry? “, Ross said. “I realized that for poetry to be a living art, we have to make sure that our students know that it is present in the world right now. That’s what the Grolier does.

James G. Fraser, who has served as manager of the Grolier since February 2022, said he first came to the store after being asked to help run the store’s poetry festival. He stayed, however, for the poems. “I love books, so naturally it was a great place to be,” he said.

Le Grolier was founded in 1927 by Adrian Gambet and Gordon Cairnie, whose portraits adorn the walls of 6 Plympton St. along with photos of other patrons. According to Fraser, Cairnie ran the Grolier as a bookshop for first editions and rare books and poetry. He established it as a place where local literati would hang out.

“Gordon was friends with Ezra Pound and James Laughlin, and many other Harvard students,” Fraser said. “For example, Frank O’Hara used to come here back then.”

But Fraser noted that the Cairnie shop was not always inclusive: “In Gordon’s time it was known as a boys’ club. There was a couch where the ledger is currently and people were just coming in here and hanging out; Gordon wasn’t really concerned with selling books, he was just giving them away.

It was in the 1970s, when Louisa Solano became the owner of the shop after Cairnie’s death, that the Grolier became the poetry emporium it is today and took on a more inclusive atmosphere.

In 2006, the Grolier was sold to Ifeanyi Menkiti, a poet and professor of philosophy at Wellesley College, who ran the store until his death in 2019. The store is still owned and operated by his family, whose mission is to continue to advance his poetry. to concentrate.

Andrea L. Fry and John M. Fry, two attendees of the 95th anniversary celebration, said they come to the Grolier all the time. The late Ifeanyi Menkiti was Andrea’s uncle.

“Ifeanyi not only kept [the Grolier] alive but made him grow, and he continues to grow under the guidance of his family, his wife, Carol, and their daughter, Ndidi. We grew up with it and it became very important to us,” said Andrea, nurse practitioner and published poet.

Independent poetry shops mean the world to people like John and Andrea. “It is people who organize the thoughts of others; they manage the expectations of others in terms of poetry,” John said. “It’s true in New York as it is in Boston with the Grolier.”

—Editor Karen Z. Song can be reached at [email protected]

Talented author Stephanie Mack publishes her first book The Original Narcissist: The Old Southern Legend Of Jezebel

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 17, 2022

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Author and founder of Stephanie Mack Productions, Stephanie Mack, announces the release of “The Original Narcissist: The Old Southern Legend Of Jezebel”, the first in a trilogy of a graphic novel series

Stephanie Mack of Stephanie Mack Productions looks set to share a generational story of why some dogs sniff, growl and bark ferociously, as her grandmother tells the rest of the world when she comes out The Original Narcissist: The Ancient Southern Legend of Jezebel. The graphic novel is her first outing and the first in a Biblical Facts Trilogy (NIV), a risque and cleverly imagined account of Jezebel’s reign in Samaria, Israel, in 874 – 843 BCE.

“The purpose of this piece is simple. It’s to arouse curiosity and make everyone stop and ask, “Who the hell is Jezebel?!” Immediately it will inspire them (non-believers) to read the Bible and learn more about GOD, and the behavior of the murderous tyrant queen.” – Stephanie Mack.

The launch of The Original Narcissist: The Ancient Southern Legend of Jezebel October 30, 2022, is especially timely, as Stephanie Mack is looking to cash in on the Halloween season with the release of the spooky but interesting book. Chronicling the biblical story of the wicked and wicked Queen Jezebel from 874 BCE to the present day, Stephanie uses deductive reasoning to expose a remarkably plausible correlation between Jezebel and her disembodied evil spirit, comparing her attributes to those of present-day narcissists.

Jezebel’s comparison with the characteristics of narcissists led to the title “The Original Narcissist”, with Stephanie Mac sharing her grandmother’s stories with the world using graphic violence, some “not-so-good” language and creative sci-fi to provide an incredible experience for readers and explain “why dogs bark FOR NO REASON” .

For more information on The Original Narcissist: The Ancient Southern Legend of Jezebel and the rest of the trilogy, visit – https://originalnarcissist.com/.

About Stephanie Mack Productions

Stephanie Mack Productions is an award-winning production and marketing company that seeks to bring a unique perspective to any conversation, with 30 years of multi-faceted experience in all areas of the entertainment industry. The independent film company founded by Stephanie Mack premiered its first documentary titled “The Life of Dancer” in 2017, featuring the life and times of Dr. Prince C. Spencer. The Black History project was submitted to numerous film festivals and received the award for best narration, best editing and best music. In 2019, the company was again selected to screen the 25-minute film at the BHERC Short Film 25th Annual African American Film Marketplace Showcase.

Media Contact
Company Name: Stephanie Mack Productions
Contact person: Stephanie Mac
E-mail: Send an email
Call: (323) 781-9196
Country: United States
Website: https://linktr.ee/stephmack

Bigger, better, more diverse than ever

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 17, 2022

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As the Heartland Fall Forum wrapped up Friday afternoon, Sarah High, Senior Partnerships Manager at Bookshop.org, who exhibited at five of the six shows this fall, said that while she enjoyed them all, “the warmth and “The energy of this show is palpable. I think it’s because of all the new booksellers here. To meet so many people who are opening bookstores or have opened bookstores in the last year is so encouraging.” Ruth Liebmann, PRH vice president, account marketing, added, “New bookstores I’ve spoken to have a clear vision of how they want to connect with their communities. Their enthusiasm for the bookstore is infectious.”

Midwest Independent Booksellers and Great Lakes Independent Bookseller Associations jointly present 209 booksellers and 144 exhibitors in St. Louis; More than half of the booksellers present were newcomers.

The innovative young entrepreneurs who have created such a buzz among seasoned booksellers and exhibitors have also made this region the most diverse gathering of booksellers in the Midwest this reporter has seen in 25 years. They included Ymani Wince, the owner of The Noir Bookshop in a racially mixed neighborhood on the south side of St. Louis. Spurred on by the 2016 police shooting of an 18-year-old black man in Ferguson, Mo. and her own “obsession” with black authors and books she discovered as a young adult, Wince opened the store four months ago to “create a community space that supports St. Louis. She is committed, she said, “to getting the black books out into the community in any way possible.”

Sisters Barbara Cerda and Valeria Cerda started La Revo Books in Milwaukee last year “to elevate Latinx literature.” Their “traveling bookstore” inventory focuses on books in Spanish, “not Huckleberry Finn in Spanish: Nobody wants to read that,” Barbara said, explaining that their business model is inspired by their Mexican heritage and puts l focus on family, community and collaboration. Their ultimate goal, they said PT, is to convince publishers to publish and promote more Latinx books. “We stand up for our customers and our community,” Barbara said; Valeria added, “We’re asking publishers here directly for Latinx books. They’ll remember us and they know we’ll be asking for it again next year.

Ren Dean, who has a background in urban planning and whose interests include environmental justice, plans to open Skunk Cabbage Books in northwest Chicago in early spring 2023. She decided during the pandemic, says- her, “to no longer stay in the background: I want to be on the front line”, creating a community hub in which she can also welcome people from the neighborhood to share their skills with others. Heartland, she said noted, “is a different experience from conferences I’ve done in the past. It’s a new world for me: daunting, but really exciting.”

Programming Highlights

With panels on alternative bookstore models, mission-driven indie presses, manga, and TikTok, Heartland’s themed programming contributed to the show’s energy. Thursday morning, three booksellers from Saint-Louis – Wince; Jeffrey Blair, co-owner of the African-American children’s bookstore EyeSeeMe; and Grace Hagen, Director of Operations and Inclusion at Novel Neighbor – with Lecia Michelle, author of the White Allies Handbookwere part of a panel titled “Belonging: Bringing Anti-Racism to Your Bookstore,” which was moderated by fellow local bookseller, Left Bank Books event coordinator Shane Mullen.

Wince and Blair both explained that each launched their bookstore so that BIPOC readers would have access to literature reflecting their lives and experiences as people of color. Wince said she wasn’t exposed to books by black authors until she was in college, while Blair and his wife opened EyeSeeMe in 2015 because they had so much difficulty finding books for their four children that had characters that looked like them. EyeSeeMe, Blair noted, is committed to broad inventory “that is inclusive in all respects – not just racial.”

[[[[

Expressing cautious optimism that “we will change this country if we start having honest discussions,” Michelle urged a zero-tolerance policy for employees and customers when it comes to racist comments or actions. In addition to having “honest conversations” with employees about the store environment for them and working with them to “deal with microaggressions and all the things that people don’t want to come to work,” she has advised bookstore owners/managers to call micro-attacks when they see or hear about them and “have an immediate conversation with the person who did it” – whether that be an employee or a customer. Michelle also suggested that owners/managers hire a professional to “start things off” by providing anti-racism training to employees.

Hagen urged white booksellers to “practice anti-racism with humility and curiosity.” Like Michelle, she urged honest discussions with BIPOC employees about bookstore culture, as “silence sends a very strong message” and “happy staff will result in the store making more money.”

Three-day Lovefest for Authors

Of course, bookseller gatherings are about authors and their books, and Heartland was no different. There were 61 authors in attendance and the show kicked off Wednesday night with the Heartland Awards ceremony, followed by the signings of 20 authors. It ended with the Fête des Auteurs where 38 authors showed up and presented their books at the booksellers’ tables. While Friday morning’s multi-author breakfast featured book heavyweights such as Roshani Chokshi, Veronica Roth and Timothy Egan, it was Ross Gay who got booksellers most excited. Booksellers put him through his paces before and after the event started, lined up to meet him, and had him personalize pre-signed copies of his recent release, Encourage joy. When Gay walked the fair later, exhibitors and booksellers thanked him for the books he wrote, and some asked to take selfies with him.

“I’m thrilled to sell every one of these books from this morning’s authors,” said Friday breakfast host Javier Ramirez, co-owner of Exile in Bookville in Chicago, “But I’ve never seen a author have such an impact on booksellers like Ross Gay.Mary O’Malley, bookseller at Skylark Bookshop in Columbia, Mo. agrees, explaining, “Ross Gay reminds us that without heartache, grief and struggle, there is no impossible to know joy. I told him that his writing had healed parts of me. I didn’t even know they were broken. He reminds us that there is light, even in the darkest days. dark. Just look for it.

Heartland Fall Forum next fall will be held in Detroit, October 18-20, 2023.

“Starstruck by Journal Prestige and Citation Counts? On Student Bias and Perceptions of Reliability According to Clues in Publication References »

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 16, 2022

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Research is becoming increasingly accessible to the public through open access publications, researcher social media posts, outreach and popular broadcasts. Healthy research discourse is characterized by debates, disagreements, and differing viewpoints. Therefore, readers can rely on available information, such as publication reference attributes and bibliometric markers, to resolve conflicts. Yet critical voices have cautioned against uncritical and one-sided use of this information to assess research. In this study, we wanted to gain insight into how individuals without research training trust research based on cues present in publication references. A questionnaire was designed to probe respondents’ perceptions of six publication attributes. A total of 148 students responded to the questionnaire, including 118 undergraduate students (with limited research experience and knowledge) and 27 graduate students (with some research knowledge and experience).

A divergent stacked bar graph showing the percentage distribution of respondents’ perceived confidence in six publication benchmark attributes on a 5-item Likert scale. Source: 10.1007/s11192-022-04521-4

The results showed that respondents were mainly influenced by the number of citations and the recency of the publication, while the author names, the type of publication and the origin of the publication were less influential. There were few differences between undergraduate and graduate students, except that undergraduate students favored multiple-author publications more strongly than single-author publications. We discuss possible implications for teachers who incorporate research articles into their curriculum.

“It is not fair !” : how Stephen Sondheim got angry after a bad review | Stephen Sondheim

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 15, 2022

0

Stephen Sondheim may have written some memorable songs that lifted people’s hearts, but the composer-lyricist had a quick temper when it came to criticizing his work, according to the author of a new book.

Paul Salsini, former editor-in-chief of Sondheim reviewan American quarterly magazine dedicated to the composer, recalled how the author of I Feel Pretty and Everything’s Coming Up Roses became angry in 1996 after reading criticism in the publication.

This particular edition covered his lesser-known musical Passion, staged at the Queen’s Theater in London after its success on Broadway. The article acknowledged that although British critics generally praised Sondheim’s musicals, their mixed responses to Passion had varied from describing it as a “piece of the heart” to giving it the new title of “Songs to Cut Your Throat By”. The newspaper’s own reviewer thought it was “a little embarrassed, frequently seeking your approval and acceptance”.

Enough was enough for Sondheim, who took out his anger on the newspaper’s editor.

“To my surprise, Sondheim didn’t wait to write,” Salsini said. “He called. He was furious and he started right away. I tried to answer, but he kept interrupting me, ‘How could you print that? You didn’t quote the other reviews accurately. This review wasn’t fair. Did the reviewer even see the show in New York? [Your writer] has no reference for writing about musical theatre.

When Passion opened in London in 1996, two years after Broadway, it was a big deal, Salsini said. London critics had always loved Sondheim’s shows and this show was expected to be unanimously acclaimed. To the surprise of many – including Sondheim – that was not the case.

“So when the Sondheim review ran an account that had reservations, he was, in a word, furious. We had spoken on the phone before, but it had always been pleasant. I don’t think anyone has ever reported Sondheim’s anger before. I don’t mean it was frequent, but it shows that artists can be deeply protective of their work.

The magazine bore the composer’s name but Sondheim was not formally linked to the publication. Salsini remembers trying in vain to soothe him: “I couldn’t believe he was fuming – and that’s the only word for it. He later wrote to apologize for his behavior on the phone, but not for what he said.

Playwright Stephen Sondheim in 1997. Photo: New York Daily News Archive/NY Daily News/Getty Images

Salsini thought it was a “balanced” article on a musical adapted from Ettore Scola’s Italian film Keen of love, with a London production featuring Michael Ball. Audiences clearly enjoyed it, as it ran for 232 performances. He tried to point out to Sondheim that the review was citing both positive and negative responses, that the reviewer had seen the New York staging twice – even while being moved to tears – and that they were certainly qualified. to review musicals, having been a theater manager for a time. national theater and deputy director of an opera company.

Sondheim, who died last November at the age of 91, made a name for himself in 1957 as a lyricist for Leonard Bernstein for West Side Story. He became the most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history and was crowned with awards including an Oscar and a Pulitzer. Salsini recalls the dispute in his forthcoming book Sondheim & Me: Revelation of a musical genius, published by Bancroft Press. It chronicles Salsini’s relationship with Sondheim during his 10 years as editor of the Sondheim reviewwhich he founded in 1994.

Salsini shares his experiences interviewing and corresponding with the American composer, including dozens of notes from him on articles: “Sondheim read the magazine from cover to cover, perhaps circling or underlining words or sentences, correcting or clarifying something that others might overlook. Every word had to be clear and correct. He obviously considered the Sondheim review important as this would provide a permanent record.

Sondheim was surprised by the magazine’s creation, writing to Salsini: “I am flattered, embarrassed and delighted by your interest. I can only hope there will be enough news to warrant posting.

Ironically, the Queen’s Theater was renamed the Sondheim Theater by its owner, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who acknowledged its influence on musical theater as having “no equal”. It is among historic theaters that Michael Coveney, former theater critic of the Observerincludes in his new book on Mackintosh theatres, Master of the house.

List of librariesAnniversary | local | dnews.com

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 15, 2022

0

LATAH COUNTY LIBRARY DISTRICT

“Dark Music” by David Lagercrantz

Hans Rekke is a teacher with a brilliant and logical mind, but he crumbles under the pressure. Meanwhile, Micaela Varvas is a tenacious and resourceful police officer eager to prove herself. From the author of ‘The Girl in the Spider’s Web,’ this new thriller follows two unlikely allies as they fight to uncover the truth behind an international conspiracy.

The Bookseller – News – Halls Wins Women’s Award and Good Housekeeping Vote

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By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 14, 2022

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Novelist Stacey Halls has won the most public votes for the Women’s Prize and Good Housekeeping Futures program after a year-long campaign by the partnership.

coinciding with Good household Celebrating the 100th anniversary, Futures was launched in January 2022 to spotlight the talent of the next generation of female writers, introduce them to a wider audience and support their careers. It was open to female writers aged 35 and under, living in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, who had published at least one novel.

Ten authors were named Futures 10 out of 100 that the editors had put forward. They included Jessica Andrews, Natasha Brown, Candice Carty-Williams, Eliza Clark, Abigail Dean, Naoise Dolan, Sairish Hussain, Daisy Johnson and Chibundu Onuzo.

Futures 10 were featured in Good Housekeepingit is February 2022 magazine and branded digital channels, with each author receiving an additional full-page interview in the monthly magazine, as well as social media and website support from both partners and Bookshop.org.

The jury was chaired by novelist and founding director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Kate Mosse. The judges included Good Housekeeping editor-in-chief Gaby Huddart, Good Housekeeping book editor Joanne Finney, television and radio presenter Naga Munchetty and novelist Sara Collins.

Halls is the author of three novels. Born in Lancashire, she worked as a journalist before her debut, Familiars, was published in 2019 by Zaffre. It was the best-selling debut hardback novel of that year, it won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards’ Debut Book of the Year.

The foundling (Zaffre), his second novel, was also a Sunday time top ten bestsellers. Mrs England (Manilla Press), her most recent novel, is A Portrait of an Edwardian Wedding, and was a Waterstones Best Book of the Year, and was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize and the Portico Prize.

Halls said, “It’s a huge privilege to win anything reader-voted because readers are the reason we write in the first place, but to receive an award of this prestige is a dream come true. I have long been a fan of the Women’s Prize and Good Housekeeping, and being named a writer of the future – especially when I’m writing about the past – is a real thrill. As brands, they have tremendous respect and authority, and I can only hope some of their staying power rubs off on me.

“Stacey Halls is a writer of great originality, great imagination, and a great sense of place,” Mosse said. “Atmospheric, intelligent, accessible, each novel is worth reading, then reading again and again.”

Huddart added: “In Good Housekeepingit is 100th year, we felt it was important to celebrate our past, but also to look to the future with enthusiasm and encourage the next generation of women to excel in their respective fields. That’s why I was so thrilled to partner with the Women’s Prize for Fiction with the Futures initiative. The shortlist is full of brilliant writers, who have engaged and entertained the Good Housekeeping audience this year – all 10 of them deserve recognition for what they have achieved so far and it will be so exciting to see what they write next.

“To Stacey, Good Housekeeping readers have chosen a very worthy winner of this award and I have no doubt that she will be one of the UK’s greatest writers.

Review of the AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, DC by G. Martin Moeller Jr.

Commercial book

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 13, 2022

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October 13, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. EDT

The Washington Monument is reflected in a window of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, one of the additions to the American Institute of Architects' updated DC guide. — The Washington Monument is reflected in a window of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, one of the additions to the American Institute of Architects’ updated DC guide. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

In most of the world, including the United States, Washington, DC is just a symbol. It is the capital and home of the Capitol, and a symbol of democracy. It appears frozen in static form, represented by a handful of buildings, including the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. Rarely does Washington manifest as an actual city, home to more than 700,000 people, except in the (usually exaggerated) reports of its urban dysfunction, which only reinforce it as a symbol of bad governance.

But he is a dynamic city, and more and more it is a city of significant architectural interest. The just-published sixth edition of the American Institute of Architects’ “Guide to the Architecture of Washington, DC” documents its urban and architectural vitality, especially when read side-by-side with previous editions.

Since 2006, when the AIA published the fourth edition, the author of the book has been G. Martin Moeller Jr., a brilliant and knowledgeable guide. In his introduction, Moeller notes that the new edition, the first update since 2012, includes 80 new entries, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (Freelon Adjaye Bond’s team) and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial (by Frank Gehry), both of which have had a major impact on the symbolic core of the city.

It also includes lists of chapters that would have raised eyebrows in 2006. Gentrification and rapid development have created a new map shortcut for the city, defining new neighborhoods such as the Near Southwest, Capitol Riverfront, and NoMa/Union Market. These places existed, sure, but they weren’t considered nightlife hubs and they weren’t bristling with cookie-cutter modernist condo buildings. Now the guide includes them on his walking tours, which not only include newly built structures, but also the chance to rediscover forgotten or neglected sites such as the 1907 DC Waterline Pumping Station along the Capitol Riverfront and the 1923 cold store now converted into the Museum of the Bible in the Near Southwest.

Moeller’s inputs go far beyond design, engineering and materials. He is interested in the larger story of Washington – its social, symbolic and political history. He has opinions although his opinions are eminently reasonable and often entertaining. The Library of Congress’ historic 1897 home, known as the Thomas Jefferson Building, had a long gestation after it was authorized by Congress in 1873, during which “architects continued to tinker with the design like teenagers trying on different outfits before a date. .” I was happy to see that a favorite detail from the 2006 edition has been carried over to the current edition: in the former Franklin Square neighborhood, now home to The Washington Post, one of many porn long closed and now forgotten. have a sign saying “Fine Coal Purveyors”.

Moeller’s 20-page introduction to the city’s development and architecture is as deft a sketch as it gets. All the central tensions are there, between an ambitious and founding city plan and the demands of organic development, between governmental grandeur and the commercial and residential domesticity of the city, and between the different architectural styles deemed appropriate to the dignity of the capital. (classic or northern European, marble or brick, traditional or modern). He concludes his essay with a response to Charles Dickens’ famous indictment that Washington was a “city of magnificent intentions.” Perhaps it was, but as Moeller writes, “What the city perhaps lacks in truly avant-garde works of architecture, it makes up for in prosperous neighborhoods, landscapes cohesive streets and an overriding civic order.”

Visitors to Washington can experience some of it, especially if they learn to ride the subway (stand to the right, please). But there’s something about Washington’s symbol that makes it hard for people to recognize the reality of its city life, even as they experience it, enjoy it, and Instagram it to all their friends at home.

Like other cities across the country that participated in the great urban regeneration of the 21st century, Washington better exemplifies the American ideals of living and thriving together than most of what is commonly referred to as the Heartland. It has invested in its public domain, in libraries and parks; its public transport infrastructure may need improvement, especially since the pandemic, but it is far superior to what is available in most small towns, villages and suburbs; and he controlled and moderated rapid development to ensure habitability and emphasize beauty (again, imperfectly, but still well enough to be exemplary for much of this country). He is also diverse and, for the most part, happy and vibrant.

None of this can be easily reconciled with the common symbolic sense of Washington, especially if that symbolism is rooted in idolatry of a mythical 19th and early 20th century Washington, a timeless Founding Fathers theme park, marble columns and all the usual epiphenomena of patriotism. The real city, as Moeller’s guide makes clear, is in a constant state of change, tension, conflict, and sometimes (thankfully) resolution and compromise.

The former P Street NW house of the Carnegie Institution for Science, designed by Carrère and Hastings, was sold to Qatar to become an embassy, which is deeply regrettable given Qatar’s human rights record. Again, one of the sleekest recent buildings on North Capitol Street, a 2016 mixed-income residential building that appears as a set of staggered boxes (designed by Sorg Architects), is aimed at low-income veterans prone to housing insecurity. . Some of the city’s most intriguing cutting-edge structures – two libraries designed by star architect David Adjaye – are located so far from the tourist hub of Washington that tourists rarely visit them, making them all the more possessed of those who need it most.

The symbolic truth of a city like Washington is much richer and more complex than the latticework of avenues, squares and streets designed by Pierre L’Enfant and monumentalized in the first decades of the last century. The first city was built with slave labor, and in 1863, when Thomas Crawford’s 19-foot “Freedom” statue was raised atop the Capitol dome, the nation’s preeminent symbol of democracy was crowned of works of art made by slaves (“incredibly enough,” notes Moeller).

It remains a city of deep inequality and entrenched neighborhoods of poverty, remote from both symbolic Washington and the Washington of wealth and privilege. Yet when snow shuts the city down, or people flock to its parks for impromptu Fourth of July fireworks, or the setting sun catches the top of the Jefferson Memorial as you cross the Potomac River, it illustrates both the beautiful city (the movement that influenced its design so much) and the beauty of the city (that rudimentary quality that makes you glad you don’t live anywhere else).

Moeller pays attention to all of these infuriating complexities. Visitors (and residents) who want to experience a much richer history than the usual double-decker tour bus pieties will benefit from spending time with this guide. Put it in your bag, take the metro to a stop you’ve never gotten off from, and start walking. The lessons learned will be much richer than a walk on the Mall or on Pennsylvania Avenue.

AIA Guide to Washington, DC Architecture

By G. Martin Moeller Jr., Johns Hopkins. 383 pages. $59.95

Life of Queen Elizabeth features in new comic

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 12, 2022

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NEW YORK (Reuters) – The life of Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, is celebrated in a new comic strip from TidalWave Comics, covering her public and private life, big events, family scandals and seizures.

The Queen died on September 8 aged 96 and was laid to rest alongside her beloved husband Prince Philip on September 19 after a day in which Britain and the world left her bid a final farewell, in a dazzling spectacle of pomp and ceremony.

The 30-page glossy paper, part of the publisher’s “Tribute” series, begins with the royal beekeeper informing the palace hive of the queen’s death, an age-old tradition rooted in superstition about the production of Honey.

“I wanted to start small – the legend of the bees – and end big – the funeral seen by millions around the world,” co-writer Michael Frizell said in a statement. “It was an apt way to describe his 70-year reign.”

Political cartoons about world leaders

Among the 2,000 congregations in Westminster Abbey, where monarchs have been married, buried and crowned for the past 1,000 years, were some 500 presidents, prime ministers, foreign royals and dignitaries.

The book, released Wednesday, is available digitally and in hard and soft covers.

(Reporting by Alicia Powell; Editing by Richard Chang)

Casper school board asks police to intervene after teacher called ‘paedophile’ and ‘groomer’ during book debate

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 12, 2022

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Explicit Content: The following story and photos illustrate mature subject matter. Cowboy State Daily slightly blurred the nude images, but in the original books, both available at Kelly Walsh High School, the nude images are generally uncensored. Read at your own discretion.

By Clair McFarland, Cowboy State Daily
[email protected]

A contentious crowd at Monday’s Natrona County School Board meeting traded barbs, with one community member calling a substitute teacher a “pedophile” and others calling out book banners of worried parents.

The controversy stems from a district review of the board’s decision last month to keep the books “Gender Queer” and “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves” in the library at Kelly Walsh High School in Casper. Cowboy State Daily reviewed and roughly summarized both books on September 29.

The school board may have to review the books and decide their fate if an appeal is filed against them, but no appeal had been filed as of Tuesday, according to the district spokeswoman. Critics of the books told the board on Monday that the appeals policy was unclear.

^{Images from “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves”.}

“Pedophilia” allegations

Stephen Delger, a substitute teacher for the school district and a self-described conservative, addressed the council, saying he had read “Gender Queer” and didn’t know why people called it pornographic.

“I saw pornography, I’m ashamed to say, when I was young. I know what it is and it’s not,” he said, adding that those trying to take the books down are “questioning marginalized students.”

Delger warned against “book banning”, asking “where does it stop?”

Casper City Council candidate Eric Paulson spoke after Delger and accused him of child molestation.

“That’s who makes the case for (bookkeeping),” Paulson said. “People who think they’re 13, 12 and other underage kids are ‘finding themselves out.’ You literally just brought in a pedophile to talk to you who told us he was a substitute teacher.

Delger responded, challenging Paulson.

“He told you openly that he wanted young kids to find out who they are right now,” Paulson said.

The council asked their police officer present to intervene and remove Paulson’s microphone.

As he lost his microphone, Paulson directed a parting shot at Delger: “OK, groomer.”

^{Pages from “Gender Queer,” a book from the Kelly Walsh High School library.}

Rimming, Fisting, Sounding

The rest of the meeting’s public comment segment was more civil, but just as impassioned. The council heard from members of the LGBTQ community, victims of childhood sexual abuse, parents, counselors and political candidates.

Kara Hopkins, a 19-year-old Casper resident, held up a copy of “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves” and read it.

“Hopefully (this) should be appropriate, if we have 14-year-olds reading it,” Hopkins said.

“There are many ways we use our mouths to lick, suck or penetrate someone,” she said as she read aloud. “Depending on our partner’s anatomy, there can be a lot of parts to suck on. Anything that points or hangs from the body can enter our mouth. Rimming, also known as analingus, involves performing oral sex on the anus. Lots of people enjoy it. Fisting is when the whole hand is inserted into the body; this can provide a very pleasant sensation of fullness and pressure either in the anus or in a front hole.

Hopkins continued, “Penetrative anal sex can be very pleasurable and comes with the added bonus that we all have this part on our bodies. Probing or inserting objects into the urethra is most often performed by those of us whose urethral opening is located at the end of our external genitalia.

“Many of us have had fantasies that involve power, dominance, submission, or role dynamics, such as teacher/student, boss, and employee. Many people think these are just fantasies and never realize that such scenarios can be safely and responsibly enacted in real life.

Hopkins also read a part about working as a sex worker: “For some of us, it might be something we feel good about or enjoy.”

Better than Google

Erica Vander, a mother of two in the school district and a recent graduate, said it was “ignorant to judge the content of these books without all the context,” and noted that “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves” contains hundreds of pages of detailed research, including an accurate description of the “legal and mental health implications of transgender health and relationships.”

“If one Googled the information, much more graphic and less specific information would be presented,” she said, calling the images in the book “similar to a sex education textbook on biology.”

Vander speculated that the community outrage was not about the books’ sexual depictions, but was actually about “the LGBTQ community”.

She challenged the community to adapt to new and uncomfortable ideas as, she said, she once had to do to embed LGBTQ acceptance into her childhood religious beliefs.

Manure in the pie

Erin Westminster, a nurse at Casper, countered Vander, saying “pornographic” books cannot be redeemed by their other content when it comes to minors. She said that as a nurse she could lecture the council on the effects of ‘pornography’ on children and their dopamine receptors, but did not have time in the three minutes allotted to each commentator .

“If I baked you a pie and put two teaspoons of manure in it, would you really want to eat that pie?” she asked. “Even though you took the majority of this book and it wasn’t (pornographic), the parts that are, are still there, and they affect a child.”

Another speaker, Darcie Gudger, said the issue was not about LGBTQ representation.

“Why the push for explicit sexual content?” she asked. “If it’s really about representation, why don’t we have stories of members of the LGBTQ community or other minority groups acting heroically (instead)?”

Gudger said “representation” is possible in a “healthy” way.

“I don’t care if a kid identifies as a penguin — make it the best educated penguin in America,” she said.

Low traffic

Kelby Eisenman, an 18-year-old high school student from Natrona County using pronouns, testified to being “worn out by the mundane conversation about books; two novels that haven’t been verified more than 30 times in the recorded past.

“Gender Queer” is a graphic novel; “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves” is not a novel, but a manual-style compilation.

When the review panel reviewed the books in mid-August, “Gender Queer” had been extracted 16 times since its acquisition in 2019. “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves” had been extracted twice since its acquisition in February 2017.

Members of the review panel are not named in their Sept. 30 report on the books, except for the panel’s chair, Dr. Charlotte Gilbar.

Gilbar is also the executive director of curriculum and instruction for the school district.

Eisenman said reading the books made no difference to a person’s sexual orientation.

“I’ve never read ‘Gender Queer,'” Eisenman said. “I’m still gay.”

Eisenman explained what it was like to attend the former high school of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was tortured and murdered in 1998.

“This (attempt to remove books is ongoing) by this organization to erase my identity,” Eisenman said, adding, “The end goal of this extreme group is to completely ban the existence of minorities in our schools. and, ultimately, in our society.”

“Scary New Concepts”

Archie Pettry, an adviser to Casper, said critics of the book were afraid of the “frightening new concepts available to their children”.

“There have been many scary new concepts introduced to children over the years that have been proclaimed as moral degradations of society, including interracial marriage, women’s suffrage,” he said. “Anytime a group makes progress on civil liberties, there are people who see it as, ‘this must mean something is being taken away from me.'”

Pettry said that as a counselor he had seen “far more children hurt” by not being exposed to sexual explainers than by being exposed to them.

Sexual content

Natrona County School Board candidate Renea Redding said critics of the books weren’t trying to erase anyone’s identity or spread fear of alternative lifestyles.

“Fear? Afraid of what?” she asked. “I wouldn’t want any child – LGBTQ+ or heterosexual – to be exposed to sexual content. So I don’t know where you’re from.

Redding also said that since “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves” has been borrowed so few times, it should not yet be in the library under the library’s policy of throwing out unpopular books.

Nightmares

A woman who identified herself only as Marlene, 66, said she was a retired law enforcement officer of 20 years and a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Her husband, who is nearly 70, is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, she said.

“What these books do is make our children vulnerable to being trafficked, to being abused by things they should never have to encounter,” Marlene said. “And I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that those scars never go away. … (My husband) still has nightmares. I still have nightmares.

Marlene addressed the board, saying she would be “devastated if any (of her grandchildren) or any of your children or grandchildren had to endure any of this victimization because ‘they were made vulnerable’.

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What was this eBay seller thinking?

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 11, 2022

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It just seems odd to me that an experienced seller doesn’t realize that their packaging was inadequate.

I think eBay has gone down, at least from the buyer’s experience.

Over the past year or two, I’ve been through a similar situation, wondering how experienced sellers with a rating of 100% or close can do some of the things they do.

I usually don’t (maybe never?) leave negative feedback as long as I get a refund if that’s a problem, but I’ve come close to it a few times.

For example, I ordered a three-pipe GPU heatsink for the late 2011 iMac overseas. It took a while to be delivered, which I expected, but I didn’t expect it to come in a plastic bag. There was a lot of damage to the heatsink fins and worst of all the pipes, which could be at right angles, were bent almost 45 degrees. This turn caused more damage to the ailerons.

The seller offered a refund, which I took, and didn’t ask for the damaged part to be returned, which was fine, but I waited almost two months for that. Why wouldn’t the seller put it in a box?

About six months ago I bought a milk frother on eBay, it’s a discontinued model that I love, but no longer sold in stores. It was listed as “new in box”, I got it and it was clearly used, dirty and dried milk inside.

It seems to be becoming a more common occurrence. Not sure why.

YA novelist Kelly Jacobson on reinventing writing and teaching – Lynchburg University

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 11, 2022

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Dr. Kelly Ann Jacobson considers herself “one of those people who always knew they loved to write.” She was 5 years old when she wrote, illustrated and published her first book in her elementary school library. The second book, about a teddy bear, followed in third grade.

“I just wanted to tell stories,” she said in a recent interview.

Today, Jacobson writes young adult novels about dragons, mermaids, and aliens. Her process, she admits, is “a mess.” Fueled by lots of coffee, she writes in two hours, early in the morning. It takes him about three months to finish a book.

“I’m the kind of person [who will] write 30 books and only three of them will be published, and I’m more comfortable doing that than reviewing the same book 30 times,” she said.

“I learn by writing the whole book and then trying again. It’s a bit like that that I write because I have lots of ideas and I quickly get bored of everything.

Novelist and Assistant Professor of English Kelly Ann Jacobson

While writing her award-winning novel “Tink and Wendy,” which came out last year, Jacobson said she “knew the ending and the very first scene.” She also knew it would be “a kind of love triangle.”

The rest kind of happened.

“It’s like watching a movie and I’m writing it down,” she said. “And the movie is playing right in front of me so it’s weird for me to think about altering it in any way because that’s just what it is. I just hear a voice and then watch the whole movie and I write it for three months, then it’s the book.

Her own creative process is “very different” from the way she teaches her Nature Writing, Intro to Creative Writing and Fiction classes, says Jacobson, but there is one thing the novelist and her students have in common.

“I keep my journal of ideas and I make sure that my students [keep one] too,” she said. “I definitely write down all my ideas. Sometimes, because I’m a parent of two, I can’t come back to the idea for six months, and then I look back and I’m like, ‘What is it- he ?’ And then I find something.

There are no lectures when you take a creative writing course with Jacobson. Nor are there many books or articles. “I don’t use much reading in my class,” she says. “If I couldn’t use any of them, I probably would.”

She doesn’t want her students to feel suffocated by established — or perceived — notions of what constitutes a good story.

“Our idea of a really good story is not representative of everyone,” Jacobson explained. “I’d rather hear the students’ voices than feel like their voices are drowned out by an idea of what a story should be.”

This approach resonates with his students. Many of them attended a mock class she taught during her job interview last spring and were immediately sold.

Westover Honors Fellow Mac White ’25, a history major with minors in English and Medieval and Renaissance Studies, is even considering adding a minor in creative writing because of Jacobson’s class.

“She’s quickly becoming one of my favorite and most helpful teachers, and has been a huge help in revitalizing my love for writing,” said White, of Madison Heights, Va.

“She is always ready to help us and give us extra time. Plus, she never pressures us to share our work with the class, which fosters a more confident and calm environment. »

Alison Morrison ’23, an English major and creative writing minor from Luray, Va., agrees.

“I love how she’s so positive and open,” she said. “She really fosters a community in the classroom.”

Novelist Wiley Cash speaks with Kelly Jacobson’s fiction class in October.

Jacobson, who has won numerous awards for his work and teaching, especially enjoys teaching students who don’t like to write. She wants the experience to be fun, and she encourages her students to try new things, like writing in multiple genres or collaborating on a silly story to practice their skills.

It’s going to be bad, and it’s okay, she said. “I just want to create a safe space.”

She also wants her students to have a say in what and how they learn.

“I try to find ways for students to have more agency in their own learning in the classroom,” she says. She calls this “co-creation”: students have a say in the scoring rubric and the skills they acquire.

“I want them to do whatever they want to do. I’m here to help them do whatever it is,” she said. part camp counselor, because I’m kind of there to be a cheerleader and just to help them stop being so anxious about writing.”

This fear, Jacobson added, is quite common and she encounters it all the time in introductory classes or when talking to high school students.

That’s why her classes include lots of activities and games, and they always start with a prompt that “shows the students that they already know what we’re talking about, because everyone in my class has been a storyteller all their lives. , ” she says.

Major in English and Minor in Creative Writing Luis Echeverria ’25, a transfer student from Woodbridge, Va., appreciates the guests.

“The course helped my writing skills primarily by giving me a small window of time – 5-10 minutes – at the start of the course to really laser focus on a prompt Dr. Jacobson gave us,” he said. he declares.

It was surprising, he added, “how quickly I can fill a page in this window with decent material, which I can reuse for my main missions.

“Having this routine in every class helps people who are becoming writers, or those who are experimenting with writing, create a great habit of practicing regularly. I also had the chance to experience a lot of non-fiction, fiction and poetry through these prompts.

Zeke Maddox ’23, an English major with a criminology minor from Moneta, Va., is still looking forward to his fiction class with Jacobson.

“[She] approaches everything with a lot of energy and care,” the transfer student said. “I spoke to him once about how to deal with writing certain typefaces, and it was such an amazing conversation!

“She’s an incredibly energetic person, and…that energy keeps me engaged and makes me really excited to have her class.”

Jacobson, who grew up in Pennsylvania, held several jobs throughout his undergraduate career at George Washington University. She was a full-time event coordinator at a women’s country club while earning her evening master’s degree through Johns Hopkins University’s part-time program.

Later, she completed her doctorate at Florida State University between the birth of her two daughters.

The young family then moved to a small town in Alabama, where Jacobson spent a year as a visiting assistant professor and director of the writing center at the University of West Alabama. This summer they arrived in Lynchburg for his first gig as an assistant professor – a dream job.

“I can give the best classes,” said Jacobson, who also oversees student literary publication The Prism and is active in the on-campus queer affinity group. “I’m so lucky to be able to teach in multiple genres. I didn’t want to find a job somewhere teaching three fiction sections each semester. It would be really boring for me.

“I always say I don’t understand how I get paid to do this job because I love it so much!”

Jacobson began as a literary writer, publishing novels such as “Cairo en blanc” (2014), the collection of poems “I have conversations with you in my dreams” (2016) and the collection “An Inventory of Abandoned Things “, which won the Split/Lip Press Fiction Chapbook 2020 competition.

She stumbled into young adult fiction by chance when talking about her first novel, “Cairo en blanc”, with a group of gay young adults. They asked her if she also writes young adult fiction. The answer was no.

“And they were like, ‘We feel like there are no books that represent us,'” Jacobson recalled. “And I was like, ‘I’m an author. I can fix this.’ And then I changed my whole career.

She now writes the kind of books she would have loved when she was younger – sci-fi fantasy adventures with characters she can relate to. “Tink and Wendy” is an odd retelling of the classic “Peter Pan,” but it’s more than that.

“I do complete reimaginings, like I’m basically stealing the characters from your version of the story and doing whatever I want with them,” she said. “I don’t feel indebted to the original.”

In his version, there’s a love triangle between Wendy, Tinker Bell, and Peter Pan, and there are mermaids dragging people to the bottom of the ocean to die. There are questions about gender roles, love and masculinity.

“The toxic elements of masculinity that I think are very present in the original story, I amplify them 100 percent in the book,” said Jacobson, who as an undergrad rose from environmental sciences to English to women’s studies.

She admits that many of the gender studies theories she encountered in college made their way into her books.

A new novel coming out in the spring, “Robin and Her Misfits,” is a queer young adult retelling of the classic Robin Hood story. “It’s not speculative, it’s more action-adventure,” she said. “I sort of see it as a ‘Fast and Furious’ queer young adult girl gang edition.”

Another spring release is his thesis, the sci-fi novel “Weaver,” which is about aliens who lose their homes and are abused by humans. The story is told in the form of historical documents collected after the court decided who will receive the land, Jacobson said.

She is also working on a proposal she was asked to write for a textbook on young adult fiction. She’s still “in the thinking phase,” on that one, trying to decide what to do with it.

“I do a lot of research and try to figure out what I think about textbooks, because it’s a mix,” she said. “I’m inside mainstream academia and trying to change a lot of things within mainstream academia as well, and that can be an interesting thing to understand.

“But I think Lynchburg University is very welcoming to that. I feel very welcome here with all my ideas.

The Doors of Stone Speculation: Author Reveals Patrick Rothfuss’ Book Is Being Edited

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 10, 2022

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Numerous honors have been bestowed upon American author Patrick Rothfuss for his contributions to the fantasy genre. The third part of this trilogy, Les Portes de la pierre, has been eagerly awaited for ten years after the publication of its predecessor. This time, another author left a huge clue regarding the book.

Is the book complete?

Popular fantasy writer Mercedes Lackey answered fan questions earlier this month on the Quora Q&A website. She revealed a crucial plot point when discussing Patrick Rothfuss’ future book in the trilogy:

As someone who shares a publisher, I can tell you with confidence that it’s with the publisher and has a release date.

Both Lackey and Rothfuss’s books are published by DAW Books, and both authors share the same publisher (Betsy Wollheim), however, Wollheim had nothing to do with the production of this particular book.

Unfortunately, it has since been determined that Lackey was not referring to The Doors of Stone. In response to readers’ requests for more information, Lackey directed them to Rothfuss’ short story The Slow Regard of Silent Things, which was published in 2014 and followed Auri as she explores the Underthing, the mysterious realm under the enchanted university where Kvothe is a student.

Rothfuss Updates

Patrick expressed his frustration with The Doors of Stone’s beat in a recent interview. That means he has a long way to go before he can call the book complete.

In December 2021, Patrick surprised his readers by releasing the prologue to his highly anticipated book. In January, Rothfuss told readers that by the end of February they could listen to the next episode of The Doors of Stone. As we are already in August, it is safe to assume that this target date has been missed. It’s a bit trickier than just delaying the book’s release date, because it’s a real lofty goal that many people contributed to but ultimately didn’t achieve. Readers were promised an entire chapter of the third book once the author’s popularity increased, but nothing new or significant has happened in this regard in recent months.

The reason why the complete Maus became a forbidden book

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 9, 2022

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If you’re unfamiliar, “Maus” is a two-part graphic novel by Art Spiegelman that depicts the author’s tumultuous relationship with his father, intertwined with his father’s experiences as a Polish Jew during the Holocaust (via Barnes & Nobles). Released entirely as “The Complete Maus”, the non-fiction work won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 and continues to be the first and only graphic novel to do so, per Tower.

Marked as a book for ages 12+ on BookTrustthe work depicts Jews as mice and Nazis as cats, hence the novel’s German title “Maus” (via Amazon). Although the novel’s content is dark because it depicts a genocidal historical event, it is arguably written and viewed in an digestible way for middle schoolers, allowing them to learn and empathize with a first-person narrative of the Holocaust.

Despite the merit of the work, a school district in Tennessee voted to ban “Maus” in January 2022, citing inappropriate language, violence, and the presence of a naked mouse as their reasoning (via PBS).

At the McMinn County School Board meeting, a member said, “It shows people hanging. It shows them killing children. Why is the education system promoting this stuff? It’s not neither wise nor healthy.”

Although the book accurately describes a momentous historical event, the school board found it inappropriate for their college curriculum.

These 2 mortgage REITs have yields above 15% and are trading below book value – AG Mortgage Investment (NYSE:MITT), Two Harbors Investment (NYSE:TWO)

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 9, 2022

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When investing in mortgage real estate investment trusts, one advantage investors should be aware of is that they generally have higher yields than equity REITs and should never trade at a premium to their book value. higher than the dividend yield. Mortgage REITs generally earn income from interest on their mortgages and may be exposed to greater credit risk depending on the investment.

Over the past three years, mortgage REITs have posted annualized returns of 10.3% and tend to outperform equity REITs during periods of rising interest rates. This is because in times of rising interest rates, the cost of capital rises, which may incentivize REITs to dilute shareholders by issuing more equity through common stock.

Additionally, mortgage REITs have the ability to issue new debt through senior secured notes without having to issue new equity.

Here are two mortgage REITs with high yields that are trading below book value.

AG Mortgage Investment Trust Inc. GLOVE offers a dividend yield of 21.59% or 84 cents per share per year, using quarterly payments, with an inconsistent history of increasing its dividends. AG Mortgage Investment is a mortgage REIT focused on investing, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of residential mortgage assets, other real estate-related securities and financial assets, which the company refers to as its target assets.

As of June 30, 2022, AG Mortgage had a carrying value of $11.48 compared to a carrying value of $13.37 as of March 31, 2022.

“The negative impact on our book value this quarter is due to unrealized mark-to-market losses on our warehouse loan portfolio due to historically wide spreads. However, this challenging market environment also presents us with an opportunity to improved investment that we are well positioned to take advantage of it,” said David RobertChief executive officer.

Jump to: Is McCormick stock benefiting from ‘burnt out sellers’ after third quarter earnings? Pre-market readiness breaks it down

Two Harbors Investment Corp. OF THEM offers a dividend yield of 21.35% or 68 cents per share per year, making quarterly payments, with a history of increasing its dividend once in the past year. Two Harbors Investment is a real estate investment trust primarily focused on investing, financing and managing residential mortgage-backed securities, residential mortgages, mortgage servicing rights and commercial real estate.

“As mortgage spreads continued to widen to historically attractive levels, we deployed capital into residential mortgage-backed securities and took advantage of relative value opportunities across the stack,” said Bill GreenbergPresident, CEO and Chief Information Officer of Two Harbors.

On Sept. 21, Two Harbors’ board of directors approved a 1-for-4 reverse stock split of the company’s common stock, which essentially means merging four existing shares into one.
In the second quarter, Two Harbors had a book value of $5.10 per common share, representing a 4.7% quarterly return on book value.

Comedian Jimmy Carr’s dad sues him after pinging tell-all memoir before and laughs

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 8, 2022

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Comedian Jimmy Carr’s estranged father is reportedly suing him for defamation over the publication of his scathing and revealing memoir. The mirror reports that Jimmy Carr Sr., who has not seen his son in over 21 years, believes he was defamed in his son’s book. Carr Sr, 77, has long been unhappy with his son’s jokes about him at his stand-up gigs, but has now called on lawyers after the comic’s memoir was published, forward and laugh. The couple have had an acrimonious relationship since the death of Carr’s mother, Nora, in 2001. In 2004, Carr attempted to sue her father for harassment, but the claims were dismissed by the courts. “I haven’t seen my father for 21 years and you know the line that my mother died for me? My father died for me,” he said last year on the parent hill podcast. “Which sounds very cold, until you meet the guy.” Carr Sr told the Leader of Limerick that her son should be stripped of an honor awarded by the local council after he called Limerick a ‘shitty town’ in his memoirs. “He’s a sick comedian, literally and metaphorically,” Mr Carr Sr told the newspaper. “It still looks like it. Put all that aside, I don’t want anyone writing that about Limerick in a book. Carr, who is known for his stand-up and live performances, including 8 out of 10 catslives in North London with his girlfriend and two children.

Read it on The mirror

Homeyer: Growing Good Apples

Commercial book

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 8, 2022

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I like the saying that something is “as American as apple pie”. I love apple pie and would have it for breakfast every day if I could. But curiously, apples are not native to the United States. They came from Kazakhstan, in Central Asia east of the Caspian Sea. According to a Google search, the capital of Kazakhstan, Alma Ata, means “full of apples” and in 1500 BC. AD, apple seeds had been transported all over Europe, and eventually here. Apple breeders have been selecting and propagating apples ever since.

I recently received a critical copy of a great book on apples, Hardy Apples: Growing Apples in Cold Climates, by Bob Osborne with many fabulous photos by Beth Powning and published by Firefly Books (hardcover, $35). It not only covers how to grow apples, but also contains 140 pages of photos and descriptions of the best apples we can grow.

I spoke to Bob Osborne by phone at his home in New Brunswick, Canada. Bob has been planting apple trees in his orchard for over 40 years, primarily for scions (sprouts) used for grafting by other arborists. This forced him to grow many, many cultivars (varieties) of apples.

Bob is an organic grower and has paid attention to his soil as the key to healthy growth. In his book, he finely explains the soils that best support healthy apple trees. He recommends doing a soil test before planting apples.

A soil pH below 6.3, he notes, will not allow a tree to access the nutrients needed for optimal growth and fruit quality. Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus can be bound and unavailable even though they are present in the soil. He writes that in areas with naturally acidic soils, it’s a good idea to add lime every six years to keep the soil pH in the correct range.

Chemical fertilizers, he writes, provide nitrogen which, when dissolved in water, is very acidic and can destroy much of the soil life that naturally provides nitrogen. Instead, he recommends adding compost, blood meal, feather meal, fish meal, or bone meal. He explains that fresh manures should not be used even though they are good sources of nitrogen. They can carry disease-carrying bacteria that can make you sick if you pick up fallen apples.

Potassium is important for good quality fruit. Low potassium “can lead to small fruit size, low sugar content and poor keeping quality. A soil test from your local extension service or commercial lab will tell you if you have enough potassium, but if your fruit size is small, you may need to add more. Wood ash, he writes, is a good source of potassium, containing about 6% potassium. I have read elsewhere that ashes from charcoal barbecues should not be used in the garden.

Choosing a good site for your apple trees is important. For the home orchard, apples will grow almost anywhere, but full sun is best. Late spring frosts can damage flowers and reduce fruit yields, so planting on a hillside is best. Cold air sinks down and settles in low spots, which should be avoided. A hill generally drains water better, which promotes healthy roots that can rot in areas with soggy soils year-round.

As a commercial grower, Osborne planted most of his trees from bare root. Prices are much lower than buying larger trees in pots or bales and burlap. For the home gardener who only buys a few trees, potted trees are often the most practical. Bare root trees are usually not sold until early spring when the stems are dormant, but potted trees are available in three seasons. In contrast, there is a much wider variety of trees available for bare root planting.

In most cases, apple seeds do not grow in trees identical to the parent tree. As Bob explains in the book, McIntosh apples are all genetic clones created by taking scions and grafting them onto rootstock. The original “Mac” was discovered in the early 1800s by John McIntosh in Ontario as a plant grown from seed which he then used for grafting.

The size of the apple tree is determined by the rootstock on which a scion is grafted. There are four basic sizes: dwarf, semi-dwarf, semi-standard, and standard. A few apples come on their own roots and tend to be full-sized trees. Bob recommends semi-dwarf or semi-standard for the home gardener. Dwarf trees, he told me, need lifelong support because the root systems aren’t strong enough to sustain them in a storm.

I asked Bob for his recommendations on the best apples to grow in a vegetable garden. The best, he says, is Liberty. It is resistant to many common diseases, tastes good and stores well. But he warned, you must pick it when it’s ready, not too early or too late. He picks his on October 6, but further south, the picking would be earlier.

Then he recommended Novamac. It is resistant to scab, fire blight and cedar apple rust; it does not attract codling moths. It is tasty, keeps well and its habit is open and easy to cut. It can be picked early if you like a tart apple. Other apples he likes include Sandow, Greensleeves and Pristine. See his book for more details on them, and many more.

It’s not too late to plant an apple tree this year if you find a potted one you like. Or you can start planting next spring. Either way, having Osborne’s book will guide you through the process.

Henry has authored four gardening books and is a lifelong organic gardener. It is available for talks with your local library or gardening group. Contact him at [email protected]

Justin Fields could become a better QB if it goes his way, says sportsbook publisher

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 7, 2022

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Justin Fields hasn’t had the best start to the season. Teddy Greenstein, PointsBetUSA editor, explained how Fields can become a better QB.

Greenstein believes Fields’ lack of success is not his fault, but rather the result of poor production from the offensive lines. He sees no obvious fault with Fields as a quarterback and thinks he has all the tools he needs.

“I think he has all the tools,” Greenstein said. “I think he has a strong arm, he’s smart. I think he’s working on it, he’s a good leader. There’s no reason he can’t be a successful quarterback in the NFL. With Justin Fields, I don’t see any obvious flaws.

It is always an honor and a pleasure to welcome @TeddyGreenstein in the program !

Sports betting in the land of the Big Ten

Ohio sports betting officially launched on January 1, 2023.

Pre-registration is now available at FanDuel Ohio for an additional $100 bonus. Go pre-register now.

We talked #DaBears and the development of Justin Fields, #ChangeTheGamethe tough season, quarterback dads and more!

📺: @vpodtvcentral

🎙: @WCKGChicago & @WJOB_JEDtv

🎥: https://t.co/zDy2TlrF8a pic.twitter.com/HZFS49htJE

— Jon Zaghloul (@JonZSports) October 7, 2022

So far this season, Fields has thrown for 471 yards and 2 touchdowns while throwing 4 interceptions. The Bears are 2-3 with a game up against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Fields spent two seasons with Ohio State in 2019 and 2020 after being traded from Georgia. He recorded 5,373 yards at Ohio State and threw for 63 touchdowns.

5 celebrities who support protests in Iran

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 7, 2022

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For three weeks now, protests have raged across Iran, spurred by anger over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the country’s vice squad for breaking the country’s dress code. ‘State and who later died in their care. The demonstrations and protests garnered an unprecedented level of public support from a number of prominent figures in the cultural, media and sports spheres.

Oscar-winning actors Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche filmed themselves cutting strands of hair in support of protesters in Iran. The video of Cotillard, Binoche and dozens of other women cutting locks of hair was posted on an Instagram account, “soutienfemmesiran” – which translates to “supporting women in Iran”.

The video ends with an image of French-Iranian artist and director Marjane Satrapi, who addressed the issue of women’s rights in Iran in her award-winning graphic novel and feature film adaptation. Persepolis.

Celebrities who support protests in Iran

Golshifteh Farahani

“How can you call yourself a feminist? How can you demand equal rights for men and women, support #MeToo and be out for the #MahsaAmini movement? », Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani tweeted earlier this week. The actress, who has acted in numerous French films, has lived in exile since 2008 for appearing in foreign films without a headscarf.

Asgar Farhadi

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, twice Oscar winner (A separation) released a statement and video call urging artists around the world to proclaim their solidarity with Iranian women.

“I saw them up close those nights,” Farhadi said in his call. “Most of them are very young – 17, 20. I saw outrage and hope on their faces and in the way they marched through the streets,” the director noted.

“I deeply respect their struggle for freedom and the right to choose their own destiny despite all the brutality they are subjected to. I am proud of the powerful women of my country, and I sincerely hope that through their efforts, they will achieve their goals,” he added.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Chopra threw her support behind the protesters and took to social media to share her statement. She added that she was “intimidated” by the “courage” and “purpose” of Iranian women. She wrote, “It’s not easy to risk your life, literally, to challenge the patriarchal establishment and fight for your rights.”

The actor stressed the importance of ensuring the move would have a lasting effect. She implored people to “hear their call, understand the issues, and then join in our collective voices”.

Bella Hadid

Hadid Publish drew comparisons between the struggle for women’s rights in Iran and places like the United States and India. She used a caption written by writer Céline Semaan, calling for an internet blackout in Iran and the country’s patriarchy.

Angelina Jolie

“Respect to the courageous, provocative and fearless Iranian women,” Jolie wrote on instagramadding that women “don’t need their morals checked, their minds re-educated or their bodies checked”.

Suggested reading: Iranian women teach us to regain autonomy over our bodies

The Antiquarian Book Fair returns to downtown Seattle this weekend

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 6, 2022

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The 2022 edition of a popular local event is back this weekend after a two-year pandemic hiatus.

The Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Seattle Center, which means it’s time to get a sneak peek at the sights — and the smells — of one of the nation’s best-known book sales.

A tradition since 1978

The first edition of this event took place one weekend in May 1978 in the former Georgian Room of the current Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Its original title was the Northwest Antiquarian Book Fair.

In 1980, the fair started a new chapter by moving to a venue with more storage space – the Seattle Center. That’s where it’s been since. It is considered one of the best antiquarian book events in the United States, featuring big names in the book industry in New York and California.

Local bookseller Bill Wolfe is the producer of the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair. He owns Collins Booksthat he succeeded fire Louis Collins — a beloved figure in the Seattle book retail scene who passed away in 2018.

Collins had produced the book fair for a long time, but the event turned a corner after his passing, and Wolfe is now the author of the annual gathering. Like so many in-person events, organizers have suspended the book fair in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID.

Seattle Center: October 8 and 9

So the late fair returns this Saturday and Sunday, October 8 and 9, to Exhibition Hall along Mercer Street at the Seattle Center. Wolfe estimates that 40,000 books will be offered for sale by nearly 100 exhibitors from the United States, England and Canada.

Wolfe says there will be expensive collectibles available, but the wide variety of printed materials from multiple genres and eras – ranging from the 14^e century to the present day – means something to everyone.

“I’ve personally been involved in selling six-figure items to people wearing UW apparel,” Wolfe told KIRO Newsradio. “So if anything, the word ‘antique’, I think, can be a bit tricky. I don’t want that to scare anyone off [or] scare anyone [into not coming]. There is something for all tastes, all budgets. And it’s not a fancy party. There are fancy items, that’s for sure. But we see walkers down the aisle every year, and a lot of young, kind of “new collector” energy that’s there.

At this point, you might be looking up from your eReader and wondering why somebody buy real books in 2022. It’s been a debate that’s been raging for years: do we still need physically printed books?

Nothing like a real book

Wolfe says nothing replaces the tactile experience of holding and feeling the weight of an actual book. There is also the investment appeal of first editions, or books once owned by a well-known figure, or the aesthetics and craftsmanship of unique hand-illustrated manuscripts, or even mass-produced vintage volumes. with ornate bindings.

“All of that is lost when you look at a screen,” Wolfe said. “So I think that’s why everyone comes back. And the printed word [has] has existed for thousands of years; it’s not going anywhere. We see all kinds of threats all the time and we always come out of it better than before.

Ahh… that old book smell

Along with all the tactile, investment and visual cues, experts now say the smell of old books has proven to be scientifically appealing – something many people know just by visiting certain parts of their home and taking a puff.

It turns out that this pleasant smell, say the scientists of McGill university, is “due to organic materials in books (such as cellulose from wood pulp) reacting with light, heat and water, and over time releasing volatile organic compounds or VOCs”, including ” toluene or ethylbenzene, which smell good; benzaldehyde or furfural, which smell like almonds; or vanillin” which smells like vanilla.

And there is also a word for this phenomenon: “bibliosmy– pronounced “bib-lee-OZ-mee-uh” – meaning “the smell and aroma of a good book”.

Feel old books? What smell of old books?

“I think I’m so immersed in it in general, that I don’t notice it,” Wolfe said with a laugh. “I come home and they tell me, ‘what’s wrong with you do today?'”

Wolfe says that since vendors only set up a few days in advance, they won’t be there long enough to permanently alter the aroma inside the exhibit hall this weekend.

“Maybe we won’t infect it too hard and heavy, but it’ll be there for sure,” Wolfe said.

Admission to the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair is $10, payable at the door, cash only. Wolfe also says vendors have decided to require masks out of respect for COVID and their older vendors and customers – not to prevent people from participating in any bibliosmy.

You can hear Feliks every Wednesday and Friday morning on Seattle’s Morning News, learn more about himhereand subscribe to The Resident Historian podcast here. If you have a story idea or question about Northwest history, please email Felikshere.

Follow @https://twitter.com/feliksbanel

Kentucky University Press: Q&A with Ashley Runyon

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 6, 2022

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LEXINGTON, Kentucky (October 6, 2022) — You may have a book published by University Press of Kentucky on your shelf or on your Kindle. But what exactly is a university press? And why are they important?

The University Press of Kentucky is the scientific publisher of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Since 1969, the press has represented a consortium that now includes all of Kentucky’s state universities, seven of its private colleges, and two historical societies.

UKNow spoke to Ashley Runyon, Director of University Press of Kentucky, to find out more about their mission, purpose and all they offer to everyone in the Commonwealth and beyond.

UKNow: What is a university press, and why is it important?

Meeting: A university press is a non-profit scientific publisher. University presses typically publish titles that the big business houses don’t because we’re not driven by profit, but by excellence.

The University Press of Kentucky was established in 1943 to serve Kentucky and the Appalachian region and publishes approximately 55 books a year. The University Press of Kentucky has a dual mission – the publication of scholarly works of high scientific value in various fields and the publication of important works on the history and culture of Kentucky, the valley region of Ohio, Upper South and Appalachia.

You know: What genres or areas do you currently publish?

Meeting: Although we publish extensively in Kentucky and Appalachian Studies, most people are surprised to learn that we have award-winning listings in Film Studies, Military History, Poetry, Public Health, and Civil Rights. Not to mention our incredible books on three of Kentucky’s favorite pastimes: basketball, bourbon and horses!

UKNow: The press is technically located on the UK campus, but doesn’t it serve the whole of the Commonwealth?

Meeting: While the University Press of Kentucky is housed at the University of Kentucky, the press serves all of Kentucky’s state-sponsored institutions of higher education as well as seven private colleges and Kentucky’s two major historical societies.

UKNow: Tell me a bit about your NAACP Image Award and your American Book Award. What is the significance of the two and what does this mean about the impactful work the press does?

Meeting: Over the past year, University Press of Kentucky has won many prestigious awards. Two that stand out are the NAACP Image Award for “Perfect Black” by Crystal Wilkinson and the American Book Award for “{#289-128}” by Randall Horton. These awards are exceptional accolades and a testament to the great work that the press and authors publish nationwide.

UKNow: What can you offer UK students that they may not be able to find elsewhere?

Meeting: The University Press of Kentucky is the largest publisher in the state and has a strong internship program. The Press provides students with hands-on training in publishing, marketing, and book production at a respected national press in their own city – not New York or any other major city.

UKNow: You’ve been director for about two years now. What are your goals for the press?

Meeting: The University Press of Kentucky has a heritage and culture of excellence, both in the books we publish and in the way we give back to the Commonwealth. Despite decades of success, many Kentucky residents are unfamiliar with the press. I want to change that and make the press a household name in the Bluegrass State by celebrating the Kentucky voices that aren’t always heard.

UKNow: What do you want people to know about the press?

Meeting: In addition to publishing award-winning titles, the press also gives back to the Kentucky community. More than 1,300 titles are available free at schools and public libraries in Kentucky.

UKNow: How can people stay in touch with your sales, events and news?

Meeting: Follow us on social media @kentuckypress or our website at www.kentuckypress.com. You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter at http://kentuckypress.com/newsletter.

Remembering Fashion Editor Long Nguyen

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 5, 2022

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Long Nguyen, in fact, was a walking tome of fashion history, much of which he had lived through and the rest he had studied. It made him impatient when he felt a designer failed to live up to his expectations on the catwalk. “He definitely thought the track was an important opportunity for people to perpetuate ideas,” Church said. Last February, as he left a New York fashion show of beautifully tailored suits and dresses, Long exclaimed impatiently that he had seen it all before on other catwalks. For Long, nice clothes didn’t justify a show. He was looking to be inspired and recognize something new on those catwalks.

Beyond his remarkable career in fashion, anyone lucky enough to visit the Long family’s abandoned apartment on Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris, or to grab the Vietnamese food where he made all the orders, knew that he had led a colorful and somewhat mysterious life. Long was a Vietnamese immigrant who casually remembered being airlifted out of Saigon when the city fell in 1975. He and his sprawling family, heirs, he said, to a pharmaceutical empire that was soon to be nationalized , landed all over the world, living in Paris. and in Boston. Long later, he graduated from Princeton University, which led him to wear Princeton t-shirts and hoodies to fashion shows, as well as his collection of college lettered jackets.

Hearing Long talk about his family was often a source of wonder. He has spoken of being the youngest son of the youngest – and therefore least powerful – of his late father’s many wives, despite Vietnam officially outlawing polygamy in the 1950s. Several years ago, he returned with his family to Vietnam for the first time since 1975. He described returning to one of their ancestral homes and finding it, far from decrepit or occupied by foreigners, well maintained awaiting return from his family. It was the first of several visits.

Shortly before that, Long had invited two friends and me to join him in an apartment on Boulevard Saint-Germain that had been owned by his family for many years. Long had recently started staying there during Paris fashion weeks. The sprawling apartment had an elevator that opened into its lobby and encompassed, as far as I remember, four bedrooms. We sat down on the parquet floor of the vast, almost empty living room, whose columns of French windows majestically overlooked the leafy boulevard.

Northern Ontario film industry receives $6 million from province

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 4, 2022

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$6 million is flowing into Northern Ontario from the province to support the local film industry.

Officials say the investment, which is being made through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, will help create jobs, attract talent and spur economic growth.

Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing, says the film and TV industry in Ontario has grown from $2 billion a year to nearly $3 billion and they want to see further growth.

“The prime minister wants $5 billion a year. He said when we saw Georgia do it, we can do it here too,” Fedeli said. “I think Northern Ontario was a big part of it, and North Bay was certainly the center of it as well. »

The following projects are receiving funding:

$2,000,000 for Essex Season 1 (FGM) Inc. to produce the five-part Essex County miniseries
$2,000,000 to Sinking Ship Productions Inc. to produce Beyond Black Beauty family television series
$500,000 to Bloody Hell Productions Inc. to produce feature film Bloody Hell
$500,000 to HP Catering Christmas Productions Inc. to produce the feature film Catering for Christmas
$500,000 to HP Winter Palace Productions Inc to produce the Winter Palace TV movie
$500,000 to HP Homestead Christmas Productions Inc. to produce the holiday-themed film Homestead for Christmas.

Christina Piovesan, one of Essex County’s executive producers, says she was surprised to find places of this quality here, noting that the scenery is unique to our region.

“The farmland was beautiful and for us the locations are a character on the show, so it was really important that we find the right ones,” she says. “Much of which resembles the graphic novel, it was almost like we found it in the graphic novel. It was very exciting and will be featured very heavily on the show.

Piovesan says areas of opportunity for filming in the region include building capacity to be more competitive with Southern Ontario.

It highlights the growth of the pool of jobs and resources such as hotels and restaurants.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation promotes economic prosperity throughout Northern Ontario by providing financial assistance to projects large and small, rural and urban, that spur growth, creation jobs and skills development. Since June 2018, the NOHFC has invested over $559 million in 4,748 projects across Northern Ontario, leveraging over $1.82 billion in investments and creating or maintaining over 7,500 jobs.

**With files by Richard Coffin

Old Orchard Barnes & Noble to reopen 2-story store in temporary space

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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October 3, 2022

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SKOKIE, IL – Bookseller Barnes & Noble is set to open a new location next month at the Westfield Old Orchard mall – nearly a year after its former store ended a 27-year run at the mall amid redevelopment of his building.

A grand opening of the new two-story, 20,000-square-foot store is scheduled for Nov. 16, according to representatives for the New York-based bookstore chain. The company’s former location was approximately 45,000 square feet.

“Old Orchard was one of Barnes & Noble’s busiest bookstores and it was very sad to close the store last year,” CEO James Daunt said in a statement. tearing it down gives us the opportunity to build a new store.”

The new location, across from the Cheesecake Factory and close to Zara, will also include a Paper Source store on the first floor, company officials said. According to its website, the Chicago-based stationer operates about 130 stores in 25 states.

“Paper Source is such a great Chicago brand and will complement the bookstore beautifully,” Daunt said.

Unlike the old Barnes & Noble, the new location will include a Starbucks as it is an interim space that will operate until permanent space becomes available amid mall renovations and development.

“Our history at Old Orchard was rich, shaped by the people we serve and the stories we shared,” said Amy Fitzgerald, Vice President of Barnes & Noble Stores. “Our booksellers, led by Store Manager Mary Mateer, look forward to celebrating this holiday season in our new location with friends and book lovers new and old.”

The reopened Skokie location is one of 16 Barnes & Nobles stores scheduled to open in 2022, with another 30 locations in development for next year, company officials said.

Meanwhile, retailers have redeveloped the old location has been taken over by Bloomingdale’s, which has closed its anchor location of around 200,000 square feet as it opens a smaller 50,000 square foot location called “Bloomie’s “. The Old Orchard location is the brand’s second location in the United States and first in the Midwest.

Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen said in a statement that news of Barnes & Noble’s return and Bloomie’s opening was great news for the village and the entire region.

“I applaud the efforts of the Westfield team to adapt and find creative solutions to the changing retail environment and their commitment to the continued growth of Westfield Old Orchard as a retail hub. retail, dining and entertainment industry,” said Van Dusen.

Mall officials said several other businesses were scheduled to open ahead of the holiday, including new food options from The Capitol Grille, Molly’s Cupcakes, and clothing brands Levi’s and Psycho Bunny. Recently opened companies include Tory Burch and Alo Yoga.

“Holiday shopping is a booming time for customers and retailers, and we look forward to welcoming North Shore shoppers downtown with our new retailer and restaurants,” said Senior General Manager of Westfield Old Orchard,

Serge Khalimsky, the mall’s general manager, said he was eager to provide more information on the mall’s retail offerings as the holiday shopping season begins.

“Barnes & Noble has been a downtown staple for many years, so we’re thrilled to have it back in time for holiday shopping,” Khalimsky said, “and we’re honored to be home to the Midwest’s first Bloomie location. . “

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

October 3, 2022

0

Thanks,

Adam

I sent the email late one afternoon while working at my family’s antique store. An hour later, a response arrived in my inbox:

You just have to ask for help and give people a way out.

Jeb Bush

I staggered. My diary, depository of my deepest shames, had answered me. The track lighting hanging in the gallery of the store was blinding. I answered automatically, without thinking.

I’ll try that, thank you very much for your advice!

better,

Adam

Only then did a wave of thoughts, doubts and fears crash into my brain. Had Jeb read my other emails? Romantic confessions? Had I sent her a description of that weird Technicolor sex dream I’d had?

I was also thinking about what he had written. The tips were really helpful. And that clarified, in my mind, why I had written to him in the first place. Jeb Bush had an easier way out than anyone I could have contacted. Friends feel obligated; therapists are paid; priests have a divine vocation. Jeb Bush doesn’t need to answer my emails.

But now he had. Oh, my God, I thought. I will never write to Jeb again.

Recently, I started writing a new novel. I didn’t experience a great epiphany – just a flicker of the same spark that I remembered years ago, the fun of making art. I started getting up early to write. And, for the first time, I felt able to admit to people that a few years ago, on my first attempt, I had written a novel that no one wanted. I started writing an essay about it, this one.

As the draft took shape, I realized I had to figure out if I had actually corresponded with Jeb Bush all this time. I wrote to the usual email address and this time asked for an interview. He replied the next day.

I don’t know how I can help you with your essay since I didn’t do anything!!! Happy to talk or email, but not sure what value I can add.

Jeb Bush

I told him that I would still like to talk and that we could do it on Zoom. He was more flexible and accommodating than my immediate family members: less than a week later, just over six years after sitting in a Vermont laundromat with an egg on my sneakers, I slipped into a tasteful sweater and sat down at my kitchen table. My laptop screen flickered, and there he was, calling from “Jeb’s iPad (2)”. The iPad’s camera was low angled and there was a map of the world behind it on the wall. Her curtains were mostly closed against the sun. He wore a black polo shirt. “Hello,” he said.

I did my best to tell my side of the story. Jeb explained that he started giving out his email address in 1999 – in fact, he wrote a book collecting the emails he received as governor of Florida. He self-published it, an approach I had never considered for my own work. When he shared the email address during the presidential campaign, he continued, something changed in the messages he received. “I remember a lot of stupid people – or people with stupid thoughts, let’s put it that way, trying to be cool with their friends, probably.” He seemed to have become a minor cult figure among internet nerds. “For a while there were a lot of kids with Cheeto stains on their T-shirts, basically.”

I glanced down at my sweater with momentary concern. He noticed it and we both laughed. “I don’t get as many now,” he said, with what struck me as a hint of melancholy. I asked, a little shyly, if he remembered responding to my email asking for help.

“No, I don’t remember saying it, but it’s really good advice,” he said. He had no memory of me, it turned out. I told him that his email had been helpful. I also told him that I generally found it easier to contact him when I was in crisis, rather than talking to my friends.

“I’m not sure that’s particularly helpful,” he replied firmly. “I think you should ask your best friends for advice.”

“Is there anyone you ask for advice?” I asked.

“I go to my wife, of course. And I go to my older brother for certain things – my much older brother, George W.” He thinks about it a little more. “I usually find out things on my own,” he said. not. It’s a bit weird. I didn’t think of that. He looked away. “I’ll have to start thinking about it now.”

I tried to describe how, while my novel didn’t sell, my public self became separated from my private identity. He said he didn’t have that experience, that his private and public selves remained unified when he ran for office. He added that this “could explain why I was not a good candidate”.

Then he flipped the interview and asked me a question. “So you tried,” he said. “If you hadn’t tried, how would you feel?”

“Worse,” I said, instantly.

“Yeah – or maybe not,” he replied, surprising me. “You tried, and a lot of people don’t, and you should feel good about it. And look, man, life goes on. It’s a journey, man. It didn’t happen,” he said, apparently reverting to his election failure without my being prompted. “What am I supposed to do? Go into the fetal position and suck my thumb and hold my little blanket and say, “Woe to me!

I retrieved the first email I wrote to him, from the laundromat, and read it aloud. I asked him what he would have written to me if he had noticed.

“I’m glad I didn’t say that at the time,” he said, “because you seem to be in a deeply pessimistic state. I would have said, “Put on your big boy pants, dust them off and get back to the game, man.” ”

“It’s good you didn’t say that,” I agreed. Far more useful to my life, it turned out, was Jeb’s silence. This left room for me to gradually overcome my failure.

Our chat on Zoom ended pleasantly. The next day, a package arrived at my apartment in a Priority Mail envelope, with a Florida return address. Inside was Jeb’s self-published email book. He was out, I saw him, in October 2015, shortly before I wrote to him the first time. It’s a strange, dryly recursive book, with an introduction by Jeb’s wife, Columba.

There was also a note:

Dear Adam:

Nice to talk to you today. Here is the answer to everything I mentioned during our conversation.

Sincerely,

Jeb.

I never answered. ♦

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group: Embedded Negative Prices, Offering Attractive Yield (SMFG)

Commercial book

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

October 2, 2022

0

Andrii Dodonov

Investment thesis

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (NYSE: SMFG) has faced significant headwinds over the past 12 months with exposure to Russia and market manipulation within its investment banking arm Nikko Securities. However, with its core business performing stably, we believe that the the prospective dividend yield of 6.2% is attractive. We reiterate our buy rating on equities.

quick primer

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group is a Japanese commercial and retail bank with a predominantly conservative domestic orientation. Its “megabank” counterparts are Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and Mizuho Financial Group (MFG). Its investment banking division is called SMBC Nikko Securities.

On September 28, 2022, Japan’s FSA issued its fourth administrative action against SMBC Nikko Securities, following the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission’s announcement of its recommendation for administrative action against the company. The FSA is considering a partial business suspension order and is also considering administrative action against parent company Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. Negative issues cited include a “sales-oriented corporate culture” and “low awareness of legal compliance.”

The watchdog slammed the company for “undermining market fairness” and filed criminal charges against SMBC Nikko Securities for allegedly manipulating the stock prices of Koito Manufacturing (OTCPK:KOTMY), Mos Food Service (8153) and other companies in connection with block trading. The Tokyo District Procuratorate charged the company’s former vice president and other executives with violating the Financial Instruments and Exchanges (Market Manipulation) Law by illegally buying shares.

We would like to update our view from our August 2021 Buy rating, which was based on expectations of improved shareholder returns given SMFG’s well-capitalized balance sheet.

Key financial data, including consensus estimates

Breakdown of net corporate profits by business unit (FY3/2022)

Our goals

We would like to update our view from our August 2021 Buy rating, which was based on expectations of improved shareholder returns given SMFG’s well-capitalized balance sheet. Stocks corrected 20% – time to add or sell?

The photo (ignoring Nikko Securities)

Japanese banks have outperformed their global counterparts since the beginning of 2022, the main reasons being 1) the limited contribution of global market activities (such as investment banking) 2) their relatively overcapitalized balance sheets and 3) a prudent management which resulted in predictable credit costs. Essentially, Japanese banks are stable, sluggish businesses, and even when they’re in a cloud with negative reputational issues according to SMFG, equities don’t significantly underperform their peers (chart below, relative performance of shares since the beginning of the year).

SMFG’s FY3/2023 first quarter results showed surprisingly strong performance, albeit from a low year-on-year base, with ordinary earnings growth of 64% year-on-year ( slide 5). Growth was driven by the following factors.

Retail businesses saw the strongest growth in capturing payment fees, driven by the late but materializing cashless market in Japan, for both acquirers and issuers. As consumers and merchants embrace credit and debit cards, e-money and QR code payment, this has become a new revenue driver in what was a predominantly cash-based market.

Wholesale operations have seen steady year-over-year improvements, but with fluctuating foreign exchange markets, money transfer fees have been particularly high. The loan book grew 14% year-on-year as credit appetite resumed, and asset quality saw continued improvement with lower credit costs and non-performing loans falling to 0.92 % quarter-on-quarter vs. 1.08% in FY3/2022.

SMFG suffered a 100 billion yen/$0.7 billion impact on exposure to Russia in fiscal year 3/2022, and we estimate there will still be losses to absorb over the course of fiscal year 3/2023. However, the company’s statement indicates that additional impairment for the aircraft leasing business is $0.46 million, and that additional credit costs, as well as expropriation charges for the local subsidiary, may occur; we believe these will be significantly lower overall year-over-year, with some benefit if insurance claims are received for the aviation sector. Expecting a gradual recovery, SMFG has increased its exposure to aviation with the acquisition of Goshawk, which should provide accretive earnings in the medium to long term.

Recent trading shows that SMFG is operating on a stable and sustainable basis, although global markets are visibly weak, which contributed 25% of the company’s total net profit in fiscal year 3/2022 – we review that afterwards.

Implications for Nikko Securities in the future

After major insider trading cases, the Japanese regulator takes the example of Nikko Securities, the brokerage arm of SMFG. In practice, this is negative for the business as it will prevent participation in lucrative investment banking activities such as IPOs and other equity offerings as key bookrunners, as well as underwriting of corporate bond issues. As a result, Nikko saw its net operating income drop almost 40% year-on-year in the first quarter of FY3/2023.

Despite this negative development, from a share price perspective, we believe this episode has been priced in. There will be ongoing review by the regulator, but we expect SMFG to respond appropriately by ensuring it becomes compliant and showing improvements and changes within its organization. On a positive note, global markets are not the bank’s biggest contributor to earnings, unlike peers such as Mizuho and other investment banks such as Nomura (NMR) and Daiwa (OTCPK:DSEEY).

Unless further negative issues are uncovered at the bank, we believe Nikko Securities present relatively low risk to stocks at this time. Either way, this branch of investment banking is set to become more conservative than before. A lack of momentum can be seen as a negative, but given that Nikko Securities is effectively a relatively new operation created in 2009 (since Citigroup bought the original high-quality brokerage and SMFG broke ranks with a partnership with Daiwa ), its history is relatively short and acted inappropriately in order to catch up with established domestic peers – the risk profile is set to decline, which is a positive.

Evaluation

Based on the consensus forecast (see Key Financial Data table above), the prospective dividend yield is 6.2%, on an ROE of 6.3%. We believe that the negative events that have influenced stock price performance over the past 12 months are no longer a long-term concern. On this basis, we believe that the proposed dividend yield is attractive.

With a relatively robust start to FY3/2023, we believe the JPY220 dividend outlook is not under threat. The 100 billion yen/$0.7 billion share repurchase program scheduled for FY3/2022 has not started yet – we expect it in the first half of FY3/2024 once macroeconomic conditions will begin to stabilize.

Main risks

The upside risk comes from the announcement of an accelerated share buyback program, the restart of the initial program from fiscal year 3/2022 as well as an additional program. If the company maintains its policy of a 40% dividend payout ratio, any rise in the earnings forecast for fiscal year 3/2023 could mean a noticeable increase in dividends year-on-year.

Downside risk comes from Russia – while we believe the losses booked in FY3/2022 are sufficient, there is an overhang from new credit costs and a delay in insurance payouts for aeronautical activity. Any significant increase in the borrowing costs of its overseas loan portfolio could pose problems for its core business of commercial banking.

Conclusion

SMFG has faced significant headwinds over the past 12 months with exposure to Russia and market manipulation within its investment banking arm Nikko Securities. We believe that these problems have already been taken into account and that in the long term they do not present a major risk for the bank. With a stable dividend yield of 6.2%, we believe the stock remains a buy.

Portugal beats Paris for US travelers who take advantage of a strong dollar

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

October 1, 2022

0

With the pound and euro struggling against the dollar, opportunistic US travelers might be wondering if it’s time to book an international trip, and maybe even prepay for the hotel. Who wouldn’t love a travel deal, especially after paying through the nose last summer?

But don’t think there are bargain prices all over the UK and Europe. Sure, the dollar can get you 20% more when dining or shopping, but in-demand hotels are always expensive. For example, high-end accommodations in places like Paris and Capri have hiked rates by up to 40% and are likely to keep them there, according to Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder of luxury travel agency Indagare.

If the main goal is to stay somewhere special at a price that’s hard to beat, you’re better off staying in countries like Sweden, Portugal, or Turkey. According to travel experts, these destinations offer the best value for money when factoring in currency changes as well as airfares and accommodation.

Take the Grand Hotel in Stockholm, a five-star hotel overlooking the Royal Palace, with rooms under $300 a night by April. Spring break in Lisbon? A nonstop round trip on multiple carriers from East Coast cities will cost less than $500.

For winter travel, Bradley suggests looking to ski resorts in Europe, like Alta Badia in Italy, which may actually be cheaper than domestic hotspots like Jackson Hole thanks to the strength of the U.S. dollar.

Still, if you’ve got your heart set on a more popular European destination, there are things to keep in mind to ensure you’re still getting a good deal.

First, ask yourself if you really want to spend less on the trip than you normally would, or spend the same amount and “book in” – i.e. stay in a fancier hotel than you expect. you originally planned, or book a particular attraction or experience.

Also, think about when you are leaving. Fall and winter are considered shoulder season, of course, so flights tend to be cheaper then. Last spring, airfares jumped 19% from March to April, a record high, but have fallen month-over-month since June, according to Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights. Keyes says he doesn’t expect fares to rise as much as last spring, but rather to fluctuate more within the typical 5% increase or decrease.

Non-stop flights to London’s Heathrow Airport are still nearly $1,000 for most of this year and next, but if you’re willing to fly mid-week you can save over $300 . And if you’re flying to Gatwick, low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic Airways currently offers flights from $400.

Remember that there is no fixed day or time to book your trip that will magically guarantee the cheapest airfare. The best advice is to set a Google flight alert about six months before the trip and go from there.

If the price of a flight drops, you can sometimes rebook at a lower price and receive a voucher for the difference to use for a future flight. That’s thanks to a pandemic-induced change by major US airlines that allows travelers to change an existing flight without incurring a fee. But you are responsible for continuing to track the flight after booking and find that the price has dropped. And if you buy the most basic economy fare, you probably won’t qualify.

In terms of prepayment, you might want to think twice about paying for your hotel now. Of course, you will benefit from a more favorable exchange rate and a lower price, but it is generally not more than a 10% discount and almost always non-refundable. It just seems too risky given the state of the world.

Another helpful tip from Clint Henderson, editor of The Points Guy: Check out airline combo hotel deals. Henderson says he’s stayed at high-end hotels including the Park Hyatt in Vienna and the Adlon Kempinski in Berlin for much less thanks to hotel/airline packages offered by American Airlines and Delta. You can sign up directly for operator emails.

Finally, if you buy luxury goods in Europe, keep in mind that you can be reimbursed at the airport for the VAT on sales included in the price of the item in store, provided you complete the relevant paperwork. . (Sorry, London shoppers: the UK has ended VAT refunds in 2021.)

Given the refund and the stronger dollar, consumers could benefit from discounts of up to 35% on designer labels purchased in Paris or Rome compared to their purchase in the brand’s store in the United States, explains Bradley. Just don’t get carried away and let “discount shopping” end up costing more than the trip.

The bookseller – News – The National Center for Writing supports 14 emerging translators through a mentorship program

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

September 30, 2022

0

The National Center for Writing (NCW) supports 14 emerging literary translators through its mentorship program. Now in its 12th year, the program was founded by writer, editor and translator Daniel Hahn and is hosted by NCW. It has so far supported 108 translators in over 35 languages.

Rebecca DeWald, program manager at NCW, described the new cohort as “truly international”, adding: “From the UK to Denmark, Egypt, India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea South and Ukraine, what unites them all, alongside a passion for shaping foreign language words into English language texts, is that they dazzled their mentors with their skills, passion and their choice of translation projects. We work with first-time mentors and former mentees, with shortlists and International Booker winners, all of whom are ready to provide their mentees with the perfect foundation to jump into the world of literary translation.

Each mentee is paired with an experienced translator for a six-month period during which they work together on practical translation projects, developing their craft by working on one or more chosen texts.

Winners will then join alumni of the Emerging Translator Mentorships program, such as former mentee and current mentor Nichola Smalley, whose translation of Andrzej Tichý’s book Misery (And Other Stories) was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and won the 2021 Oxford-Weidenfeld Prize, or Sophie Hughes, whose translations by Alia Trabucco Zerán The rest (And Other Stories) and Fernanda Melchor hurricane season (Fitzcarraldo Editions) have been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2019 and 2020.

Hindi-Saroj Lal Mentorship Recipient Vaibhav Sharma said, “I applied for this mentorship program to learn the most complex nuances of literary translation, as this mentorship gives me the opportunity to work one-on-one head with a professional. literary translator, Daisy Rockwell. It will help me better navigate the publishing industry and increase my chances of getting published. It is also worth mentioning that the £500 scholarship is helpful for translators like me who are just starting out in their career. »

The winners of the 2022-2023 Emerging Literary Translators Mentorship Program are: Ibrahim Sayed Fawzy, for Arabic to English, mentored by Sawad Hussain; Hazel Evans for Danish to English, mentored by Paul Russell Garrett; Vaibhav Sharma for Hindi to English (Saroj Lal mentorship), mentored by International Booker Prize winner Daisy Rockwell; Anandita Budiman and Sekar Larasati for Indonesian into English (Harvill Secker Prize for Young Translators), supervised by Khairani Barokka; and Antonella Lettieri for Italian into English, supervised by Howard Curtis.

They will be joined by Cat Anderson for Japanese to English, supervised by Juliet Winters Carpenter; Gene Png for Korean to English, mentored by Anton Hur; Olivia Blyth for Norwegian into English, supervised by Rosie Hedger; Dawid Mobolaji Akala for Polish into English, supervised by Sean Gasper Bye; and Claire Gullander-Drolet for Québec French to English, supervised by Sarah Ardizzone.

Megan Evans was also selected for Swedish to English, mentored by Nichola Smalley alongside Tetiana Savchynska for Ukrainian to English, mentored by Nina Murray, and Emyr Wallace Humphreys for Welsh to English (mentoring Visible Communities), led by Meena Kandasamy.

Ryan Reynolds and Mint Mobile Team with AriZona Iced Tea for Hilarious Ad

Commercial book

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

September 30, 2022

0

Besides being an actor, producer, co-owner of a football club and social media icon, Ryan Reynolds has become a marketing expert. His companies, including Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile, have repeatedly captured attention with hilarious and unexpected ad campaigns. After already breaking the internet earlier this week with the first details surrounding Dead Pool 3, including the reveal that Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine in the film, Reynolds turns everyone’s attention to Mint Mobile in a delightful way. In a new video, which you can watch below, Reynolds and AriZona Iced Tea CEO Don Vultaggio announce a “partnership” between their two companies, based on the idea that AriZona’s signature iced tea n hasn’t changed its prices over the decades.

The video, which involves Reynolds throwing AriZona tea at a cellphone, also results in the revelation that consumers will have to combine the two products themselves, instead of getting a pre-made deal. Still, the video turns out to be a clever illustration of Mint’s price point in the mobile carrier landscape.

“We’re really risk averse,” Reynolds previously said of his Mint Mobile and Aviation Gin campaigns. “So people really think we like to shoot from the hip, because we move so fast and that kind of stuff. But, we really think about that kind of stuff. We really find our safeguards. Similarly way I write Deadpool. It’s like, ‘Okay, what’s a person hypersensitive to this kind of material going to say?’ What’s the guy who doesn’t care what he’s going to say? I want to find the medium where everyone kind of feels seen in there.

“I’ve taken this up with Aviation and everything we’re working on,” Reynolds added. “Working through that lens of empathy and that guides us in a weird way. That doesn’t mean you can’t be subversive or super funny, and risky, or at least feel super risky. But, it stops you definitely walking in the wrong direction. I say this knowing that I’m just as likely to step into something I didn’t intend to step into as anyone. There are mistakes.

What do you think of Ryan Reynolds’ new Mint Mobile ad? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Letters on the cat population of Gainesville, urbanism, forbidden books

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

September 29, 2022

0

Letters to the editor present readers’ opinions on news and other articles published by The Sun.

The Sacred Cats of Gainesville

Gainesville has a huge population of cats – communal, feral, outdoor/indoor, or otherwise. The shelters are full.

Outdoors, cats are vulnerable to inclement weather, parasites, disease, malnutrition, and bad actors. They rely on their neighbors for the care they receive. Meanwhile, they are a constant threat to the birds, insects and reptiles that many of us want to provide a haven for.

However, with dedicated community support and funding, it’s a problem we can solve! We’ve got all the ingredients here – world-class veterinary care, Santa Fe College’s educational zoo, cat (and bird) lovers galore – plus local government, business and non-profit stakeholders. (Wild Spaces Public Places, Maddie’s Fund, Audubon Society, Wild Birds Unlimited, Petco, Petsmart, Chewy, etc.) to get involved.

I propose that we find an unused parking-garage-style building—there’s a perfect one on 13th Street—and turn it into a community cat zoo. Roast it and add fans, a few feet of mulch, artificial trees, watering stations, feeding stations, etc. The roof could be a catnip garden. The ground floor would be given over to a clinic where incoming cats would be neutered, dewormed and acclimatized before being released to their new digs.

All we need is a name. I suggest “Alcatraz”. No dogs allowed!

Audrey Natwick, Gainesville

More letters to the editor:

UF Students Should Live in Dorms, Not Rental Properties

No town planning

The announcement of a 12-story apartment to be built on 1.1 acres next to Innovation Square sums up the “urban planning” process in Gainesville reminded me of Sinclair Lewis’ book “Babbitt.” It’s a scary book. The characters are full. They lack ethics and integrity.

Designing to maximize profits is not urban planning. The declared fig leaf is “affordable housing”. Housing is a national problem. Last year, 30% of homes sold in the US were purchased by people who had no intention of occupying the home. Real estate has become a monopoly and there is no limit to what is charged for rent.

The removal of zoning aims to destroy popular neighborhoods. The change will not impact elite enclaves.

Dorian Lucey, Gainesville

Get better

Recently my wife and I had a wonderful evening in Gainesville. We cycled to the University of Florida School of Music to enjoy their fantastic “Tango!” Concert.

On our way home, we marveled at the campus that we rarely see, the one lit up at night. The air was crisp and I thought, “It doesn’t get better than this.” Then he did.

When we got home, I got a text saying, “It’s Jenny. My friends and I just found your wallet. Come meet us at college and 15th.”

I rushed to where five beaming UF students greeted me with a “Hi Glenn!” as they cheerfully handed it to me. The experience made me feel, more than ever, that we made the right choice in moving to this unique college town.

Glenn Terry, Gainesville

Forbidden books

I have listed below a number of books that have been banned or are being considered for banning in our public schools. There are many more I could have listed, such as several by Mark Twain, but these are enough. I have read all these books. My children have read these books and some of my grandchildren are reading them now.

Can someone in our community explain why an anti-war book like “Slaughterhouse Five” is banned? Should we be for war? Why is “The Diary of Anne Frank” banned or “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “The Grapes of Wrath” or “Fahrenheit 451”?

A selection of some commonly banned books are displayed in a bookstore.

When I was in elementary school and high school, hundreds if not thousands of people read these books without suffering any psychological damage or doubts about who we are and what community we live in. These books tell us about the world in which we live. in which we live, the history of the world in which we lived and, perhaps, the future in which we could live.

Some claim that the language used in these books is age inappropriate. When I took my grandson to elementary school, middle school, and various sports practices, I heard all ages use these supposedly inappropriate words, so reading them shouldn’t hurt.

I don’t understand the reasoning behind the push to ban these books. Could someone enlighten me?

Howard B. Rothman, Gainesville

Join the conversation

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Art Briefs – The Provincetown Independent

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

September 28, 2022

0

Beth Malone returns to Provincetown

Beth Malone performs at the Art House on October 1. (Photo courtesy of Beth Malone)

Beth Malone says she has felt connected to Provincetown for decades. “It was the first place I walked down the street holding my wife’s hand in 1993,” she says. “It felt like a kind of gay Disneyland. It helped me realize how much we internalized a kind of shame about who we were – we didn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Tony Awards will return to town as part of Mark Cortale’s “Broadway at the Art House” series on October 1.

Malone received critical acclaim for her roles both on and off Broadway and appeared in a one-woman show, Beth Malone: So far, which she also wrote. But that was her performance in the lesbian coming-of-age musical fun house, based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel, which garnered significant attention and made waves in the queer community. She first performed at the Art House in 2017 and will take the stage this weekend accompanied by series host Seth Rudetsky. “I can hang out with Seth for an hour and a half, and we make each other laugh, and that’s the show,” she says. “It’s basically two people spinning shit and singing songs.”

But it is also something more than that. “After my first visit to Provincetown, I asked myself, ‘How can I become a person who could possibly have her own show here that lesbians would come to?’ Malone says. “And now I am here. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure this is real life. Tickets for his show are available at provincetownarthouse.com. —Sophie Mann-Shafir

The elementary landscapes of Chris Kelly

Water, earth and sky: Chris Kelly distills landscapes down to their basic elements. An exhibition of new paintings from his “Dune Patrol” series is on view at the AMZehnder Gallery in Wellfleet until October 16.

The title of the series aptly describes Kelly’s minimalist and well-composed beach views. In some compositions, the vantage point is low on the horizon, bringing out the vastness of the sky and emphasizing the scale of the dunes in relation to the air and water around them. Others further encapsulate the masses of each element in richly colored, taut abstract shapes.

From the “Dune Patrol” series by Chris Kelly. (Photo courtesy of AMZehnder Gallery)

The paintings did not start out as representations of specific places. Instead, they evolved as offshoots of Kelly’s graphic design practice. (Kelly is the creative director of Provincetown Independent and is responsible for the design and graphic identity of the newspaper.)

Kelly says the series began as experiments to see how colors interacted when juxtaposed via geometric shapes. “I’m not a great designer, but I’ve always preferred flat graphics,” he says. “When I started painting, it was in a more abstract and open style. But then I noticed that these shapes started to look like landscapes with a steep dune on one side and a horizon in the distance. So I took it to the beach and looked for combinations of shapes in the actual landscape, and the series kind of grew from there.

The paintings evolved through several iterations as Kelly incorporated more intricate shapes and details into his compositions. He began adding moons, stars and color gradients to the sky in some paintings after an admirer of his work mentioned a fondness for sunsets. But even (or perhaps especially) in those where skies are rendered as flat expanses of a single color, all of Kelly’s paintings capture the subtleties of light and atmosphere with a remarkably economical visual vocabulary. What started as an abstract exercise became a way of rendering personal experience of an ever-changing environment.

“Paintings are what I see,” Kelly says. “Those are sweet little memories.” —John D’Addario

Star Power by John McDaniel at the Post Office Café

Grammy and Emmy Award-winning John McDaniel’s resume includes gigs as high-profile as music director of Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show and backing Broadway superstar Audra McDonald on from a cruise to Europe earlier this year. But he is particularly excited about his residency at the Post Office Café this month.

John McDaniel, attendant to the stars, is in residence at the Post Office Café this month. (Photo by Steve Ullathorne)

“Provincetown is a unique place, and it seems to remind me of it all the time,” says the Florida-based accompanist, who has performed with Shirley Jones at the Crown & Anchor and with Melissa Manchester at the Post Office Café. “The public is always so interested in what we do. They really understand.

McDaniel performs a three-week residency during which he accompanies three Broadway stars for evenings of cabaret-style performances. The September 22 premiere show featured actor and singer Hugh Panero, who has starred in award-winning productions of The Phantom of the Opera and Sweeney Todd. In the coming weeks, McDaniel will feature Eden Espinosa in her Provincetown debut and Broadway veteran Lee Roy Reams.

“Eden is a dream,” McDaniel says. “She’s a lot of people’s favorite Elphaba in Nasty, and she’s always knocked out when she plays. And Lee Roy is show business personified. He danced with Gwen Verdon and Juliet Prowse and appeared in the original production of 42nd street. He is a gifted performer with a beautiful voice and a wonderful storyteller.

For all the star power with which he’ll be sharing the stage this month, it’s the Provincetown attraction that McDaniel is perhaps most eager to experience with his audience.

“This city is a magnet for the arts,” he says. “It has always attracted the greatest performers, musicians and artists and the audience that truly appreciates them. And there’s always that amazing feeling you get when you walk down Commercial Street. No matter how long I’ve been away, I still feel like I belong here. —John D’Addario

Emmy nomination for Lise Balk King

Provincetown filmmaker Lise Balk King has been nominated for a Documentary Emmy Award for her production and second camera work on tangled, a film about saving North American right whales from extinction without destroying traditional New England fishing practices.

Lise Balk King filming Entangled aboard the Ishtar. (Photo by David Abel)

King first got to know entangled director David Abel in a visual and environmental studies program at Harvard. Part of his job on the film was to board one of the Coastal Studies Center’s research vessels for a close encounter with his main subjects.

“Being up close to the whales in calm, flat water and filming them was beyond words,” King says. “That this nomination will draw attention to the struggle for survival of this incredible creature at the top is what the work is about.”

King’s film credits include co-producing the critically acclaimed film Heroine: Cape Cod for HBO Documentary Films in 2015. She worked as an impact producer on Leave no trace, a Hulu documentary about the Boy Scouts sex abuse scandal. She is currently working on a documentary about the annual Provincetown Swim for Life. The Emmy Awards ceremony will take place on September 29. —Sue Harrison

Flashback with Stephen Aiken

“I’m a 70s guy,” painter and photographer Stephen Aiken jokes as he tours the upper level of 230A Main St. in Wellfleet (formerly Gaa Gallery) where he has installed more than a dozen paintings at oil paintings inspired by sound, seasonal changes, street banners, and the general pleasures of the world as he observes them. The exhibition will open with a reception on Saturday, October 1 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Stephen Aiken, Portrait of Duchamp. (Photo courtesy of the artist)

The show is something of a retrospective for the artist, who began his career in a downtown New York loft over 40 years ago. Many works have been continually reworked and adjusted in his Wellfleet studio over the decades.

In a series of paintings titled Autumn, summer, and Winter, Aiken uses atmospheric colors and tones to communicate the temperature, mood and memories of the landscape through the seasons. He describes another series of vertical abstract panel paintings as a “study in sound”. And his new series, “Ensign and Paradigm,” is inspired by Mexican paper-cut banners, or picado paper, used as decoration for parties.

The gallery’s lower level also serves as Aiken’s temporary workspace and is filled with colorful ephemera from his days as a photographer in New York, where his subjects included Patti Smith, Bob Dylan and Joseph Beuys. These photos and the stories that accompany them are the subject of his book Artists in Residence: Downtown New York in the 1970sforthcoming from Letter 16 Press. —Kirsten Andersen

Eliot from ‘The Waste Land’ by Robert Crawford, review by Michael Dirda

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 28, 2022

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TS Eliot’s “The Waste Land”, to quote the description of Robert Crawford’s fascinating new book, was – and is – a poem of “ruin, brokenness, pain and waste”, but those same words could easily characterize the disastrous marriage of his author. In 1915 Eliot proposed to Vivien Haigh-Wood, partly out of a desire for sexual experience, that he was too shy to seek other ways. Following “the terrible audacity of a moment of abandonment / Which an age of prudence can never retract”, the young poet finds himself chained to a needy and fragile woman whom he begins to hate, then to pity. and finally to hate. He would turn to love and sympathetic understanding elsewhere.

In “Eliot After ‘The Waste Land'”, Crawford details, with remarkable scholarly impartiality, a life of almost operative “complex and contradictory disorder”. It follows “Young Eliot” (2015), which traces the poet’s upper-middle-class childhood in St. Louis, his studies at Harvard and his European travels as a philosophy student, and ends with the publication of “The Waste Land” in 1922.

TS Eliot may have had flaws, but a new book brings his greatness to the page

This second half of Crawford’s biography begins with a brief account of Eliot’s short-lived and unsatisfying affair with the wealthy and notoriously promiscuous Nancy Cunard. Soon, however, this unhappy husband returned to his thoughts of the daughter he had left behind in America, Emily Hale. In due course, Eliot and Hale embarked on an intense correspondence that would continue for over 20 years. All appearance of simple friendship was soon abandoned: “I would literally give my sight to be able to marry you.” … If ever I a m free, I will ask you to marry me. Much of Crawford’s account rests on this correspondence, which remained sealed until 2020.

Along with epistolary banter, Eliot discovered himself to be “a classic in literature, a royalist in politics, and an Anglo-Catholic in religion.” He longed for what he called, in his great essay on Dante, “a world of dignity, reason and order”. His eventual commitment to exceptionally austere Anglicanism revolutionized Eliot’s later life but ruined Hale’s. The bonds of marriage, he repeatedly told her, were sacrosanct. There could be no divorce. Nevertheless, the two met occasionally during the interwar years – both in America and in England – for what seemed to have been proper nostalgia afternoons. Hale would long cherish the memory of their few kisses while Eliot commemorated, in “Burnt Norton”, their walks together and, prophetically, “the passage we did not take / To the door we never opened / In the rose garden”.

Even great poets cannot live off their poetry – “The Waste Land” only sold around 330 copies in its first six months – so Eliot, from the mid-1920s, worked as director of a new publishing house called Faber & Faber. From his offices he acquired manuscripts, oversaw the stilted cultural journal The New Criterion, and corresponded with leading poets and conservative intellectuals. To the amusement of his godson, Tom Faber, he regularly sent little boy Edward Learish nonsense verses, later reused for 1939’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” and later still the basis of the musical “Cats” by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Vivian and Eliot suffered almost continuously from various illnesses. Hers included intestinal inflammation, shortness of breath, the flu, shingles, emotional and mental instability and drastic weight loss – at one point she was down to 80 pounds – while Eliot ruled his wife a respectable second with recurring colds, bronchial problems, badly decayed teeth (five were extracted during a visit to the dentist), a hernia that required bandaging, finger surgery and periods of nervous exhaustion. He also drank impressively, up to five glasses of gin during dinner.

Crawford estimates that in 1925 alone the couple spent a third of their income on doctors, medicines and stays in hospitals or sanatoriums. During the 1930s, Eliot arranged for the increasingly troubled Vivien – at one point he wondered if she was suffering from “demonic possession” – to be cared for in various nursing homes, and in 1938 he signed papers committing him to an asylum. With typical Prufrockian cowardice, he did so by letter while he was out of the country. He never saw her again.

The American childhood of TS Eliot

Eliot’s poetry often reflects these emotional and spiritual upheavals, beginning with the desolation of 1925’s “The Hollow Men” (“So the world ends / Not with a bang but a groan”), passing to the 1935 drama in sacred verse about the death of Thomas a Becket, “Murder in the Cathedral” (which its mystery-loving author originally called “The Archbishop Murder Case”) and culminating in the dark religio-philosophical masterpiece “Four Quartets”. Composed between 1936 and 1942, ‘Burnt Norton’, ‘East Coker’ (my favorite), ‘The Dry Salvages’ and ‘Little Gidding’ draw heavily, albeit indirectly, from Eliot’s love of Hale, of his family’s past and the poet’s experiences as an air guardian during the London Blitz.

And then in 1947, Vivien died. At this point the now free Eliot suddenly recoiled from the idea of actually marrying Hale, to whom he wrote, “I can’t, I can’t start life over and adapt (which doesn’t mean not just a moment, but a perpetual adaptation for the rest of life) to any other person. Hale was devastated but hoped he would change his mind. In 1948, Eliot was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, privately calling the honor “a ticket to his funeral”. Nobody ever did anything after he got it. He is, in fact, absolutely right. From then on, Eliot will be above all a smiling public figure, giving speeches on Christian humanism and obtaining honorary degrees.

In the late 1940s and mid-1950s, this world-renowned poet shared a suite of bedrooms with witty, wheelchair-bound bibliophile John Hayward. (I highly recommend John Smart’s Hayward biography, “Tarantula’s Web.”) Eliot’s bedroom was flamboyantly ascetic: a single bed, an ebony crucifix, a bare light bulb hanging from a chain. Very early one morning in 1957, however, Hayward’s lodger announced – without warning, by letter – that he would not be returning the next day or, indeed, ever. Eliot, 68, had proposed – by letter! – to his adorable 30-year-old secretary, Valerie Fletcher, and was accepted. In due course, Hale received his own letter, revealing this ultimate betrayal. For the last seven years of his life, Eliot was smitten with his new young bride, and the two became inseparable. He died in 1965 at the age of 76.

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Before that, however, Eliot burned Hale’s letters and, hearing that she was dropping off his at Princeton, typed a whiny, rude note declaring that he had never loved her, that she was in fact only that a philistine and that marrying her would have killed him as a poet. Maybe that last part is true, but that note sure kills respect for Eliot the man.

“After such an acquaintance, what forgiveness? However, keep in mind that Crawford’s focus on Eliot’s private life results in a partial image, which moves the poet’s intellectual and artistic achievements to the background. So while these often heartbreaking revelations give us deeper insight into Eliot and therefore his work, it’s ultimately the poetry itself – and the criticism and drama – that we’re interested in. After finishing “Eliot After ‘The Waste Land'”, I took out a player and put on a Jeremy Irons CD playing “Four Quartets”. As moved and exhilarated as ever, I continued driving until that last dantesque line where “fire and rose are one”.

Michael Dirda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for Book World and the author of the memoir “An open book“, winner of the Edgar Prize”On Conan Doyleand five collections of essays:Readings,” “linked to please,” “pound by pound,” “Classics for fun” and “Navigations.”

Eliot after ‘The Wasteland’

Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 624 pages. $40

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Was I scammed by a “Grey’s Anatomy” writer?

Commercial book

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 27, 2022

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Was I duped by a writer for “Grey’s Anatomy”? Now there’s a question I never thought I’d ask myself.

This bizarre saga began in early 2018, when I was researching a book on gender bias in women’s health. An advertisement for an upcoming episode of the long-running ABC The medical drama piqued my curiosity because it was about a woman having a heart attack. I had just interviewed several women who nearly died after their heart symptoms were labeled as panic attacks – an all too common scenario.

This point was made by Martha Gulati, MD, now a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, when I interviewed her for the heart disease chapter. “As women, we should be outraged,” she told me. I’m stressed. Of course, I’m stressed! We are all stressed. Why aren’t these questions asked of men?

In the excellent episode “Grey’s Anatomy”, the character Miranda Bailey, MD (played by Chandra Wilson), chief of surgery at the fictional Gray Sloan Memorial Hospital, walks into the emergency department of another hospital and states that she is doing a heart attack. The story illustrates how a woman (especially a black woman) with heart symptoms can be abused when her physical symptoms are related to stress or anxiety. On the show, after the intervention of a psychiatrist, Bailey says to him, “Doctor, with all due respect to your field of medicine, I need you to understand that with every second we waste, I’m losing heart muscle.”

I was very interested in speaking with the credited author, Elisabeth Finch, and requested an interview through the publicity department of ABC. In the past, when I sought to chat with people from TV, it usually happened within a few days. This time, I felt like there was something going on with the writer that would delay or maybe even prevent the interview. I didn’t know anything about Finch, so I googled her and found a moving 2016 essay she wrote for She to have a rare – and deadly – form of bone cancer, which has been misdiagnosed.

When we finally spoke on the phone, I was aware that I didn’t want to wear Finch down, having read that she had spent many hours in clinical trials and chemotherapy. During our conversation, I asked her what inspired her to write the heart attack episode and she said, “When we talked about doing this episode, one of the things we were really interested in exploring was how hard it can sometimes be for a woman to hear in a medical setting….Throughout the history of our show, Dr. Bailey is so loud and so powerful and so articulate and so passionate and so successful in achieving everything she needs or wants. Seeing her in an environment where she can’t get the care she needs is something that I found really impactful.”

When I wrote about Finch, I observed that her own medical ordeal added further meaning to the spell she had created for Bailey: “Elisabeth had a personal attachment to writing a story of misdiagnosis, because she lived it when an eminent orthopedic surgeon ruled out her chronic back pain…. In a moving play for She magazine, Elisabeth wrote that the doctor called her impatient and emotional: “It never occurred to me that being ‘woman’ was perhaps the most dangerous label of all.” “

After the interview, I sent Finch his quotes to review, along with a release form required by the editor. When the book was published in 2019, I sent Finch a signed copy, thanking her for her help and wishing her good health and happiness. (Everyone else I interviewed provided their emails. Finch didn’t. The only way to contact her was by ABC.)

As I was working on the paperback edition of my book in 2021, I Googled it again, fearful of finding an obituary. Many people with chondrosarcoma, the form of cancer she says she has, do not survive beyond 5 years; Finch has claimed to be sick since 2012. The only thing that came up in my search was her active Twitter account, indicating that she was miraculously beating the odds.

Then, this month of May, vanity lounge released “Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1.” Journalist Evgenia Peretz exposes allegations that Finch fabricated his cancer diagnosis, along with a series of other extreme fits. Finch’s She column was her magic ticket to being hired by superstar producer Shonda Rhimes.

“Everyone in Finchie’s world, as they called her, believed she was that miracle. Not only was chondrosarcoma unheard of in someone her age, but she was incredibly living with it,” Peretz writes. “She showed up so bravely in the Grey’s Anatomy writers room, a scarf over her bald head. And she was so inspiring to everyone around her…expert.”

I’m angry at Finch’s alleged deceptions. Obviously, no one likes to be fooled. (It appears on two pages of my book.) But that’s not what upsets me so much. A recurring theme in my book is that sick women are often not heard or believed. If it’s true that Finch lied, I’m afraid his high-profile duplicity will sow doubt, making life harder for women struggling to get compassionate medical care.

I’ll never know what Finch was thinking if she had, in fact, made up so many facets of her life story. Years ago, when I was in journalism school, one of my professors advised me, “If your mom says she loves you, look at that. I neglected to follow that advice with Finch, and it’s my fault. I assumed that Finch had been controlled by She and ABCand you know what they say about assuming…

I get why no one doubted her cancer journey – who would lie about having a fatal disease? According to Peretz, Finch was granted time off whenever she requested to participate in treatments and clinical trials at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

What I don’t understand is why Finch’s co-workers apparently didn’t question the extreme and growing crises plaguing her. Peretz writes of the series of calamities that befell Finch, “some of which she chronicled for the world, some of which she spoke of in chosen company”. There was a doomed pregnancy, a failing kidney, a friend murdered in the Tree of Life Synagogue mass shooting (Finch claimed to have helped clean up body parts), an abusive brother who attempted to commit suicide. Peretz’s article calls into question whether any of these things actually happened.

How was it possible that no one at “Grey’s Anatomy” saw these disasters as red flags that something was wrong and that Finch needed some sort of mental health intervention?

Finch no longer works for the series. The She essay that elevated his television career has disappeared from the magazine’s website. ABC sent me this statement from production company Shondaland:

“Grey’s Anatomy prides itself on telling painful, emotional and often difficult medical stories, many of which are inspired by the first-hand experiences of our writers, doctors and consultants. We have always worked hard to tell these stories in the most truthful way , the most empathetic and compassionate. , and we never had any reason to suspect that any personal story we were told was untrue.”

Perhaps the new season of “Grey’s Anatomy” will include an episode about factitious disorder, defined as a mental illness in which someone deceives others by appearing ill. However, the Mayo Clinic notes that this is not the same as “inventing medical problems for practical benefit.”

I sincerely hope Finch gets the help she needs.

Emily Dwass has written about health and culture for numerous publications. She is the author of Female Diagnosis: How Medical Bias Endangers Women’s Health. An updated paperback edition was released in February 2022.

Price receives Distinguished Scholarship – jepson

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 27, 2022

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When is it okay for leaders to break the rules? What justifies their use of influence on others? Dr. Terry Price, the Coston Family Chair in Leadership and Ethics, has grappled with these kinds of questions for the past 25 years. After earning his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Arizona in 1998, he joined the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, where he has studied and researched leadership ethics ever since.

“My fellowship gives me the intellectual satisfaction of solving or trying to solve a puzzle,” said the professor of leadership studies and philosophy, politics, economics and law (PPEL). “I’m very lucky to be in a field full of puzzles, especially as someone who studies ethics.”

Last month at Colloquium, the campus-wide event marking the official start of the academic year, Price received the Distinguished Scholarship Award from the University of Richmond.

“His fellowship focuses on the challenges of ethical leadership, and in particular, how leaders make exceptions of themselves,” Provost Jeff Legro said when announcing Price’s award. “He is the author of three books on leadership ethics and editor of five others on a wide range of leadership issues. His book “Understanding the Ethical Failures of Leadership” was particularly influential. »

In this book, Price argues that leaders sometimes see themselves as justified when they exempt themselves and fail to live up to generally accepted moral standards. Accordingly, when they are wrong, he writes, their ethical failures do not result from wrongful desire but rather from false beliefs about the leader’s exceptionalism.

Many of the leadership issues he studies come from classroom discussions with students, said the professor, who received the University’s Distinguished Educator Award in 2004. As Institute co-director Gary L. McDowell , it also fosters extracurricular discussions with students and scholars who reflect a range of political perspectives on some of the most pressing issues in ethics, law, and politics.

“Discussing the ethical issues of leadership with students sharpens my thinking and hopefully theirs as well,” Price said. Indeed, he has mentored students who have achieved national recognition for their research, including his honorary student who received the award for Best Formal Paper by an Undergraduate Student at the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics conference. in Cincinnati last year.

“It’s been an incredible pleasure,” Price said, reflecting on his tenure at the Jepson School, which included a decade-long stint as associate dean of academic affairs. “I am very grateful to the University and the Jepson School for once giving a young philosopher a chance, for supporting my research over the years, and for recognizing my work.”

Kirkwood parents denounce book ban

Graphic novel

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Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 27, 2022

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KIRKWOOD — About 15 parents and students spoke out on Monday against the Kirkwood School District’s recent book bans, including a comic book adaptation of George Orwell’s “1984,” the cautionary tale of mind control by the government.

At least 114 book bans were enacted in St. Louis schools this fall in response to a new state law banning “explicit sexual material” — defined as any visual depiction of sexual acts or genitalia, with exceptions for artistic or scientific significance – provided to students in public or private schools.

Kirkwood administrators banned 14 books in response to the law, the third of all school districts in St. Louis County after Rockwood and Lindbergh. Eight county school districts left their library collections unchanged. The neighboring school district, Webster Groves, has banned 11 books, including several crossovers on Kirkwood’s list, such as the graphic novel version of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Kirkwood’s list of banned books includes mostly graphic novels but also non-fiction such as “Annie Leibovitz at Work” about the famous photographer; “The Human Body in Action”, a 1999 anatomy textbook; and “Gender Danger: Survivors of Rape, Human Trafficking, and Honor Killings.”

Table: Most banned books by area school districts

The Post-Dispatch contacted 28 area school districts to ask which books, if any, they banned from their shelves. This table shows the most banned books among the responding districts. The 28 districts included all of those in St. Louis County, plus St. Louis Public Schools and the districts of Festus, Fox, Fort Zumwalt, Francis Howell, and Wentzville. One district did not provide data: Fort Zumwalt.

Book	Num. districts
“The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel”	12
“Gender Queer: A Memoir”	8
“Guardians”	6
“Flame”	5
“The House After Dark”	5
“The Sun and its Flowers”	5

Several speakers at Monday’s school board meeting said they didn’t want political pressure to dictate what materials are available to students. There were no comments defending the bans.

“As parents, we were shocked and disappointed to learn that our school district is banning books from our school libraries,” Meredith Byers wrote in a comment read to the board. Byers said that as a medical professional, she was particularly disappointed with the anatomy book, which she described as accurate and appropriate.

Besides the 14 banned books, Kirkwood parents can refuse any titles they don’t want their child to borrow from school libraries. They also have online access to school library book lists and records of books their student has checked out, said Bryan Painter, Kirkwood’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

Two school board members said they disapproved of district leaders’ banning of the books and called for a closer look at the titles.

“The most important thing is that kids feel seen, that they feel heard and that they feel safe,” said member Judy Moticka. “The thought that we would take away a child’s ability to find themselves, to understand themselves, to feel safe, is wrong. As a district, we need to do better.

But board chair Jean Marie Andrews said the decisions to ban the books dealt with “sexually explicit content depicting pornography”.

“It’s not as simple as many would like to make it out to be,” Andrews said. “Stop talking about representation and book bans and treat it for what it really is. We can represent all students without sexualizing them.

The ACLU of Missouri issued a statement last month saying that school library books fall within the exemptions of the state’s new law because they have “already been reviewed against well-established national standards for selecting materials that take into account the whole piece”.

Valuable treasures discovered in the University’s special collections

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 26, 2022

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Among the finds was a sketch in a book in the Otto G. Richter Library at the University of Miami, determined to be a drawing by Mexican muralist Diego Rivera.

Call it beginner’s luck.

Catherine Steele has only held the position of Senior Library Assistant in the Special Collections Department at the Otto G. Richter Library at the University of Miami for three months.

Shortly into her term, Steele was working on a backlog of books to catalog when she came across a 1931 book by Macmillan reissued by The Literary Guild titled “Mexico City: A Study of Two Americas,” written by Stuart Chase.

As he opened the first page, his eyes fell on the sketch of a man wearing a large hat with a cactus and a blazing sun in the background. The signature on the sketch was Diego Rivera.

“I was in disbelief,” she said. “It took me a few seconds to look at the book but not absorb what I was seeing. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was holding something very special, precious.

Rivera was one of the most revered Mexican painters and muralists of the 20th century and the husband of famed artist Frida Kahlo.

The book was a hidden treasure.

Although Rivera is the book’s official illustrator and its 15 printed illustrations and color frontispiece adorn its pages, Steele had unearthed an original sketch made by Rivera on the first page.

“It’s completely unique,” said Linde Brocato, associate professor at the library and lead cataloger for the Jay I. Kislak Library and Collection of Early Americas, Exploration and Navigation.

The book also had an interesting provenance.

It belonged to Andy Warhol, the famous entertainer, and then was sold to Jay Jensen, a University of Miami alumnus and former actor who taught acting at Miami Beach Senior High School for many years. Jensen donated the book to the University.

“The sketch has been authenticated by the bookseller [Argosy Book Store Inc.], who probably sold the book to Jensen,” Brocato said. “They authenticated Rivera’s drawing, but we have no idea of its monetary value.”

It is believed that Rivera made the sketch at a book signing event and dedicated it to the book’s original owner, who is unknown.

“We don’t know how often Rivera signed books or how often he sketched,” Brocato noted. But it’s very likely that Rivera probably signed the book in the United States, she added. It was signed in 1933, and it is well known that Rivera made several trips to the United States between 1930 and 1940.

Several days after finding Rivera’s sketch, Steele hit another jackpot. This time it was a green cloth tome of “Leaves of Grass” signed by the author, American poet Walt Whitman, which was published in 1882.

The book contains two beautiful engraved black and white portraits of the author in its inside pages, one of which is initialed.

This signature of Walt Whitman was found in the book “Leaves of Grass” author’s edition of 1882. Photo: Joshua Prezant/University of Miami

These treasures, and others held in the Special Collections, provide many opportunities for students and scholars to research and delve into areas of study such as art, history and literature, said Brocade. “This collection is heavily used for teaching and that’s why you want to have these kinds of books.”

There’s a particular excitement when a user comes across a book like Whitman’s and the one with Rivera’s sketch, Brocato explained. “Once you open it, there’s a physical engagement. It almost jumps out at you.

This feeling also washed over her when she opened another book that was overdue and hadn’t been categorized or scanned. A clown’s face stared at her from a photo book called ‘The Private World of Pablo Picasso’, published by Ridge Press in 1958. The face appears to have been drawn by Picasso and the inscription read ‘for Wally Tyler’ and was dated 12-7-58.

Picasso drawing — A signed color drawing of Picasso on one page in “The Private World of Pablo Picasso” by David Douglas Duncan. *Photo: Joshua Prezant/University of Miami*

Tyler, an alumnus of the university who graduated in 1940, was a good friend of the photographer – David Douglas Duncan, also an alumnus – who took all the photos in the book and had settled in the south of France, according to Brocato .

Tyler donated the book to the University of Miami. Although the sketch has not been authenticated, it is highly likely to be a genuine sketch by Picasso, Brocato said.

Like many valuable artifacts in the collection, the three books are kept in a cooled safe for safekeeping, she said.

Visit https://www.library.miami.edu/specialcollections/ for more information on the University Libraries’ Special Collections.

PANZ Book Design Awards 2022 winners announced

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 25, 2022

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September 26, 2022 @booksandpublishing

The winners of the 2022 Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) Book Design Awards have been announced.

The winners in each category are:

Gerard Reid Award for Best Book

Conversātiō — In the company of bees (Anne Noble with Zara Stanhope & Anna Brown, Massey University Press), cover designed by Anna Brown & Matt Law, interior designed by Anna Brown

Best Illustrated Book

Conversātiō — In the company of bees (Anne Noble with Zara Stanhope & Anna Brown, Massey University Press), cover designed by Anna Brown & Matt Law, interior designed by Anna Brown

Best Unillustrated Book

A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices from Aotearoa, New Zealand (edited by Paula Morris & Alison Wong, Auckland University Press), cover designed by Keely O’Shannessy with typesetting by Tina Delceg

Best Adult Business Book

Kurangaituku (Whiti Hereaka, HUIA Publishers), designed by Te Kani Price & Camilla Lau

best cookbook

Homecooked: Seasonal recipes for every day (Lucy Corry, PRH NZ), cover designed by Cat Taylor with original cover by Evie Kemp, interior designed by Cat Taylor

Best Educational Book or Series (Primary)

Inside New Zealand Wildlife (Dave Gunson, Bateman Books), cover designed by Dave Gunson & Alice Bell, interior designed by Alice Bell

Best Children’s Book

My cat can see ghosts (Emily Joe, Beatnik), designed by Emily Joe

Better typography

He Ringatoi O Ngā Tupuna (Hilary and John Mitchell, Potton & Burton), designed by Floor van Lierop, This is Them

Better coverage

Rangikura (Tayi Tibble, Te Herenga Waka University Press), designed by Xoë Hall

Audience Award

Conversātiō — In the company of bees (Anne Noble with Zara Stanhope & Anna Brown, Massey University Press), cover designed by Anna Brown & Matt Law, interior designed by Anna Brown

Emerging designer

The winners, chosen from shortlists announced in July, were announced at an awards ceremony in Auckland on Thursday 22 September.

by Jane Usher Nature – Calm (Te Papa Press, designed by Arch MacDonnell, Alistair McCready, Dean Foster and Jane MacDonnell, Inhouse Design) won the Gerard Reid Best Book Award last year.

For more information on the award and to read the judges’ comments, visit the PANZ Book Design Awards website.

Category: Awards Local News News

For Todd Mitchell, ‘a bad breakdown’ led to a creative ‘breakthrough’

Commercial book

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 25, 2022

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Todd Mitchell is an associate professor of creative writing at Colorado State University. He is the author of six award-winning books, including The Last Panther (Penguin Random House), The Namer of Spirits (Owl Hollow Press), and Breakthrough: How to Overcome Doubt, Fear, and Resistance to Be Your Ultimate Creative Self (winner of the Nautilus Book Award). To learn more about Todd, or to book him for a school visit, author talk, or workshop, visit www.ToddMitchellBooks.com.

SunLit: Tell us about the backstory of this book. What inspired you to write it? Where was the idea born?

Todd Mitchell: A few years ago, after the release of my fourth novel with Penguin Random House, I collapsed.

It ended up being a really good experience for me, even though it wasn’t at the time. Having a breakdown (my luck!) gave me the opportunity to reevaluate what creativity really is and discover better ways to go about it.

Since then I have spent years researching creativity and creative practices. The things I learned not only helped me become more resilient and creative, but they made my life much more enjoyable and fulfilling. I wrote “Breakthrough” to share with other writers and creators some of the ideas and techniques that have changed my life and helped me.

SunLit: Put this excerpt in context. How does it fit into the whole book? Why did you select it?

Mitchell: The excerpt I selected is a middle chapter of the book. It incorporates research from a multiple reality study published in Science. I chose this chapter because the study offers a fascinating perspective on commercial success that some writers and creators might find liberating.

SunLit: Tell us about the creation of this book. What influences and/or experiences influenced the project before you actually sat down to write?

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Each week, The Colorado Sun and Colorado Humanities & Center For The Book feature an excerpt from a Colorado book and an interview with the author. Explore the SunLit archives at coloradosun.com/sunlit.

Mitchell: “Breakthrough” is the culmination of over five years of research into creative practices and ways to enhance creativity. The book includes a wide range of sources, from psychological and neurological research on creativity to insights from philosophical and non-dual spiritual traditions.

For me, one of the early influences that inspired the exploration of creative practices that led to this book was an existential therapist named Chris. I share a bit about him, and how he helped me, in the book.

SunLit: Once you started writing, did your subject matter take you in unexpected directions?

Mitchell: Pretty much everything I learned about creativity that I shared in the book was unexpected. I honestly had no idea that for nearly 25 years I had been creating things in a way that was ultimately destructive to me and my creativity, until I embarked on the journey that led to this book.

SunLit: What were the biggest challenges you had to face or surprises you encountered while finishing this book?

Mitchell: This is my sixth published book, but my first non-fiction book. I share a bit about myself, my struggles, and the failures I’ve experienced in the book.

“Breakthrough”

>> Read an excerpt

where to find it

Sunny feature new excerpts from some of Colorado’s best authors that not only tell engaging stories, but also illuminate who we are as a community. Read more.

Although I had taught creative writing for over two decades, I hadn’t fully realized the courage it took for writers of memoirs and personal essays to share some of the most difficult experiences they had. experienced until I started revising this book for publication. . Risking the vulnerability on the page is harder than expected.

SunLit: Did the book raise any questions or spark strong opinions among your readers? How did you address them?

Mitchell: Although “Breakthrough” includes several pragmatic ways to enhance creativity, a few of the later chapters focus on dissolving ego and egoic limitations to creativity. Prior to the book’s release, I was concerned that a few of these chapters would trigger an ego backlash in some readers. But, as far as I know, that didn’t happen.

Instead, I was stunned by the positive reactions I received from readers, including several writers I admire who I never expected to read the book. A few readers even told me that they had already read the book several times.

That said, if some of the later chapters don’t resonate with readers, that’s okay. I wanted to get to the root causes of what’s holding creativity back, and I know not all creators will be into it.

SunLit: Tell us about your writing process: where and how do you write?

Mitchell: I strive to write every day, although some days I only have 10-15 minutes to write. I usually write in my basement, but there’s a cute window where I can watch the squirrels when a sentence hesitates to come out.

SunLit: Tell us about your next project.

Mitchell: I am currently working on a contemporary young adult fantasy hybrid novel (a book that uses art and text to tell the story). It’s unlike anything I’ve seen published before.

If readers want to learn more about my books, as well as my squirrel obsession, I recommend visiting my website, www.ToddMitchellBooks.com. People can find tips on writing and publishing, information about my books and author visits to schools, and a sign-up page for my very rare newsletter (which only comes out a few times a year. ).

The last

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What the staff at Poor Richard’s Books suggest for your next great read

The folks at Poor Richard’s Books in Fort Collins recommend “Fox Creek,” “Hell and Back,” and “Calling for a Blanket…

Dispelling the myths behind creative success paves the way for a “breakthrough”

Author Todd Mitchell points out that understanding the random nature of commercial success can help creators overcome doubt.

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PUBG Developer Shares ‘Concept Trailer’ For Its Game Based On The Korean Novel, The Tear-Drinking Bird

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 24, 2022

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PUBG developer Krafton has released a new visual teaser for his unannounced project based on the Korean fantasy novel, The Bird That Drinks Tears.

The developer says the trailer “illustrates” what audiences can expect from future IP-based entertainment projects “as well as” guiding aesthetic and tonal directions for various multimedia projects based on The Bird That Drinks Tears. , including a graphic novel and a film”.

The bird that drinks tears Visual Concept Trailer.

“The visual concept trailer was created using Unreal Engine 5 and highlights the mystical tone Krafton is aiming for with entertainment projects based on The Bird That Drinks Tears,” Krafton explains.

“The world and character designs seen in the trailer are based on vivid concept art created by Iain McCaig, the celebrated Hollywood talent known for his work on franchises such as Star Wars and Marvel.”

The press release also confirms that an art book will be released later this year, followed by a graphic novel next year. A movie is apparently in the works as well.

Krafton announced plans to make a new game based on the Korean fantasy book, The Bird That Drinks Tears, in August.

Krafton says it’s an “ambitious project” that “aims to bring the original fantasy universe of The Bird That Drinks Tears to life through its unique and refreshing fantasy races, beautiful and haunting landscapes and its captivating, immersive and poignant stories”.

“The Tear-Drinking Bird is a novel series that was created and written by Yeong-do Lee, who is widely recognized as the pioneer of the Korean fantasy genre,” Krafton explains. “As one of Korea’s best-selling fantasy authors with millions of copies sold, Mr. Lee is an exceptionally imaginative writer who constructs elaborate worlds and fills them with complex characters.”

Indigo Books celebrates its 25th anniversary

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 23, 2022

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Indigo Books & Music celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with a special collection of 28 limited-edition books released in September, which includes important titles published over the past quarter-century. The collection includes CanLit classics such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s TaleLawrence Hill’s The Book of NegroesThomas King’s The inconvenient IndianAlice Munro’s lives of girls and womenand Michael Ondaatje The English Patient; national non-fiction favorites, such as Chris Hadfield Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth and Orr: my story by Bobby Orr; and a selection of contemporary hits such as Anthony Doerr’s All the light you can’t seeby Rupi Kaur milk and honeyand Tara Westover educated. The hardcover books all feature blue flyleaves that echo the bookstore’s branding and are illustrated with covers created by emerging Canadian artists.

“Nineteen of the books are Canadian, 15 are fiction, and half are BIPOC authors,” says Rania Husseini, senior vice president of print books at Indigo. Husseini was, like many Torontonians, born abroad. Originally from Palestine, she emigrated to Canada at the age of 16 and eventually joined Indigo, working her way up through the chain’s Coles, Chapters and Indigo stores to her current position. This experience of having been a young immigrant working in bookstores informs her purchasing philosophy. “When I first walked into a bookstore, I didn’t see myself represented in the books,” she says. “Now I want to elevate underrepresented voices – be they Indigenous, Black, Asian, BIPOC, LGBTQ – so everyone who comes to one of our stores from any community sees themselves in the books. on the shelves.”

In a further effort to make the shopping experience at Indigo more inclusive, books should also be purchasable. For this reason, the Anniversary Editions are all priced at C$28, a relatively low price for a hardcover in Canada today. “With some hardcover books priced as high as CA$50 due to inflation, we believe the CA$28 price tag provides customers with excellent value,” says Husseini. Print runs will be 4,000 to 6,000 copies each, and a total of 115,000 copies of the limited editions will hit the shelves. “When they left, they left,” she adds.

Another important aspect of the selection is that 19 of the books are Heather’s Picks, titles that have been personally selected by Indigo Founder and Executive Chairman Heather Reisman for promotion in stores in the past. Reisman’s imprimatur often bestows instant bestseller status on a book, which then continues to sell for much longer than usual. “She only chooses books that she personally likes, and when she chooses a book, it makes a difference and really increases sales,” says Husseini.

Husseini calls Reisman an “incredible leader” – someone who is “fully committed to Canadian books, culture and reading.” Early in the pandemic, Reisman lobbied the Canadian government to consider books an “essential” good, saying at the time that “reading is fundamental to the soul.”

This point about Reisman’s commitment to Canadian books is important, because if there’s one problem the store often faces, says Husseini, it’s that customers sometimes don’t perceive it as Canadian, despite the fact that Indigo has 88 superstores (under the Chapters and Indigo names) and 84 small-format stores (under the Coles and Indigospirit names), employs some 5,000 people across Canada and has no competitors of comparable size. Yes, there is an Indigo outpost in the United States, in Short Hills, NJ, but no other plans have been announced to expand beyond this location, which “provides enormous customer knowledge “, says Husseini.

Over the past decade, the chain has gone through something of a reinvention, adding a wide array of complementary products ranging from beauty products and yoga mats to mugs and pillows. But the focus, says Husseini, is naturally on the books, which account for around 60% of overall sales. “We are particularly committed to working with small, independent Canadian publishers, many of whom are close to their communities. We want to stock our stores, so that when a customer walks in, they feel like the books have been selected especially for them.

That said, if customers can’t find a title that speaks to them, they can order from a selection of 15 million titles available on Indigo’s website, which is gearing up for a full relaunch this fall. “The biggest thing we did was update it to ONIX 3.0,” says Husseini, referring to the digital cataloging and metadata standard. Additionally, the redesign will provide more opportunities for the store to talk about books and merchandise in a way that appeals to readers. For example, books that are trending on TikTok may be front and center.

Last year, Peter Ruis was named president of Indigo, and on September 5 he was named CEO, succeeding Reisman. Ruis, who is British, has 30 years of retail experience, having worked to turn around several businesses including Anthropologie and British luxury department store John Lewis.

Indigo began celebrating her birthday as she began to fully recover from the impact of the pandemic. Sales for the fiscal year ended April 2 increased 17% from fiscal 2021 to C$1.06 billion (approximately $800 million). The channel also recorded an operating profit of C$29 million, compared to a loss of C$31.9 million in fiscal 2021. Indigo’s online business had cushioned the financial blow when stores had to close their doors to customers, but in fiscal 2022, sales through its big box stores increased 35% to C$595.5 million, while sales through smaller stores increased by 29% to C$93.1 million. Gains in physical stores offset a 13% drop in online sales, which fell to C$321.5 million. Despite this decline, online revenue was 98% higher in fiscal year 2022 than in fiscal year 2020, a year that ended just as the pandemic kicked into high gear.

Indigo took its omnichannel approach to retail years ago, and that move continues to deliver benefits. The retailer said it has seen consumer behavior change during the pandemic, with consumers increasingly beginning the discovery process on its digital platforms and purchasing books or other items from one of its stores.

As for the future, Husseini says the channel’s mission is simple: to bring the widest variety of books to the widest audience, elevate underrepresented voices, and foster inspiration and connection among readers. Husseini says Indigo’s philosophy boils down to one question for every customer: “How can we be a place where they can find inspiration and connect?” After that, the store strives to offer something even deeper: “A sense of purpose and joy.”

Back to main functionality.

A version of this article originally appeared in the 09/26/2022 issue of Weekly editors under the title: Indigo Books celebrates its 25th anniversary

Nicholas Sparks from North Carolina talks about his new book “Dreamland” | WFAE 90.7

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 23, 2022

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Author Nicholas Sparks has written 23 novels, and all of them have made The New York Times bestseller list, with more than 115 million copies sold worldwide. His writing career began in 1994 when he worked in pharmaceutical sales and wrote a novel on the side. It was called “The Notebook”.

This novel quickly hit the New York Times bestseller list when it was released in 1996 and was later made into a movie like many of Sparks’ later novels. Sparks, who has lived in New Bern, North Carolina for 30 years, released a new book this month, “Dreamland.” It is a moving love story between two young musicians from different backgrounds and which takes place in North Carolina, like all his novels, and on a beach in Florida. Sparks says the inspiration for “Dreamland” came from a personal experience.

Nicholas Sparks: When I met my wife years ago, we were on the west coast of Florida for a week. You know, I had met her and I knew at the end of that first week that she was going to be the one for me. And so we got married, had five kids, and all that. Didn’t last long, but was wonderful while it did. And at the same time, the most important thing I really wanted to do was illustrate the parallels between making music and falling in love.

You have these two people, Colby and Morgan, and they just meet on the beach and they’re young people and okay, you know, it could just say “hello” or it could be a fling. And they discover that they share this passion for musical creation and that it was part of their dreams. And as they begin to get to know each other and fall in love, they also fall into the songwriting process. And I just really wanted to explore those parallels – that hitting the right note when you meet someone and fall in love with them sounds like a song, doesn’t it?

Gwendolyn Glenn: She seemed to be more aggressive about “this is what I’m going to do”, but he’s a little hesitant.

Sparks : It’s something she trained for and worked with tutors and went to college for. Then you have someone who loved music, but kind of started doing something else in life, right? One thing he was very good at was working on the family farm.

Glen: Yeah. And he doesn’t realize how good he is until he takes this chance to go to Florida for several weeks and play there and the crowds love him.

Sparks : It happens sometimes. You know, I’ve been to these kind of places when I’m on vacation, a bit on the beach this or that. And, you know, I heard some amazing voices.

Glen: Yeah. So the other side of the story is in North Carolina, where we have these other amazing characters that you bring to life.

Sparks : You know, the interesting thing about “Dreamland” is you have this wonderful love story set in Florida, and then another story, and you just don’t know how it ties together. It is a woman who flees with her child what she feels is a very dangerous situation.

And the reader, as he goes along, reads one story and then the other, and he doesn’t necessarily know how they’re going to fit together. And that’s one of the things I try to do is write a novel that will end up surprising a reader in a way that they don’t expect.

Glen: And this character also lost his parents. So it’s not just about love between two people in this kind of relationship, but also about love for family and loss.

Sparks : Yeah, those are themes that I have often – they mean a lot to me, my family. And in my own life, I lost my mother, I lost my father, both when I was in my twenties. I lost my younger sister shortly after — I was, I don’t know, 32 or 33. And yet, without my family, I don’t know who I would have been.

And so I like to explore the concept of family love. It’s a different kind of love. And when I pray, I basically… I thank God for all these different loves. And I like to explore this theme in my books. And I think by the time you get to the end of “Dreamland,” you know, you really realize love in all its various forms.

Glen: And I read where you once said, and I think it was on NPR with Scott Simon, that you like to explore the human – all of the human emotions in your books. And this one in particular stirred up a lot of emotions, as you just said.

Sparks : Well, to me, the stories that matter the most are the ones that touch all of life’s emotions. Because the more you touch all the emotions in life, the more you feel like it could happen to you. For me, it’s a way of getting closer to the character.

So yes, I will write about love, but I will write about, for example, fear. You know, in this novel, I will write about uncertainty. I will write about confusion. I’m going to write about happiness, right? Just laugh. And you try to cover it all up. And I think by bringing in the full human experience, the characters feel more real. And so the story stays in the memory longer once the last page is turned.

Glen: Many of your books have been made into movies and TV shows. Do you see it as such?

Sparks : Yeah I know that. Universal bought this book, among others.

Glen: Well, you had one, “Safe Haven.” You were the executive producer. I was going to ask you, what input do you have when they’re made into movies and television?

Sparks : I’m one of the main voices in the room. Unlike a novel where I’m the boss. But in a movie, you’re dealing with the studio executive in charge of production. You have the director, who has a precise vision. Sometimes cast members have an important contribution. For example, in “Message in a Bottle” when I’m working with Kevin Costner, Kevin Costner has an opinion and it’s important to listen to it because it’s Kevin Costner, isn’t it?

Message in a bottle | Nicholas Sparks “Fight in the Rain” Collection | Warner Bros. Entertainment

Sparks : I have 11 different movies, so it could be on Amazon, Netflix. They could be anywhere. And they’re often on network TV.

Glen: When you think of stories, do you think it has to work for North Carolina because there are so many different plots or things, but they don’t necessarily work for North Carolina?

Sparks : So yeah, you pick and choose things like that. But I tend to select stories that I can write in North Carolina. I’ve lived there for so long and I’m just a small town guy. I guess through my novels I try to tell you a bit about the charms I find in small town life – the geography, the slow pace, the opportunity to be able to calm your soul for a little moment and thus allow oneself to be open to, perhaps, new experiences.

Author and screenwriter Nicholas Sparks’ new book is “Dreamland.” He will be in Charlotte on Monday for a 4 p.m. signing at the Barnes and Noble Arboretum.

Madurai Book Fair kicks off

Commercial book

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 23, 2022

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The book fairs were a unique and essential avenue at that time because it was the only place where one could buy or read books in large numbers. It was also the time when the internet did not exist, although now we have digital formats that still lack the charm of a physical book, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said on Friday.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the Madurai Book Fair, jointly organized by the district administration and the Association of Booksellers and Publishers of South India (BAPASI) at the Tamukkam Grounds in Madurai.

The Minister recalled how Chief Minister MK Stalin took the initiative to give books instead of shawls during functions as an example of the importance of books.

Sitting in Madurai, we can travel the world through the pages of a book. Besides, book fairs are a blessing for publishers, authors, teachers, and especially the public, he said and urged them to make the best use of them.

Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan recalled how senior IAS officer T. Udayachandran was instrumental in taking the initiative in the early days to organize a book fair in Madurai. He also praised the district administration for pulling off a great show in a short time. He also said it was a proud moment as the book fair is the first event to be held at the recently inaugurated Tamukkam Convention Centre.

“It is a common notion that the younger generation is distracted and the habit of reading is on the decline, but the book fair attendees, dominated by children, paint a different picture,” said S. Aneesh Sekhar , collector.

Quoting that “a good book is a good friend,” he said he personally refers to a few books for answers when he finds himself at a crossroads in life. Reminiscing about his childhood, the collector said he would be sure to visit even a single book fair. “Children should be given the opportunity to explore their artistic talents outside of screens, for which reading books is a great way to enhance their creativity to stimulate their talents,” he added.

Dozens of parents accompanied by children in uniform were seen eagerly leafing through the rows of books. V. Somasundaram, 78, a retired Tamil teacher, was happy to buy his annual quota of books at the fair after two years.

R. Siva, one of the organizers of “Siruvar Arangu”, a designated place where book readings, storytelling and film screenings will take place every day as well as workshops for children said that it is the first time that such a space is part of the fair. “It’s a vibrant place where children can explore the world of books,” he added.

Interested bookworms can visit booth numbers 29, 118 and 119 to purchase books from The Hindu Band. The fair, housing more than 200 stalls, will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. until October 3.

Minister of Business Tax and Registration P. Moorthy, Madurai South MLA M. Boominathan, Mayor Indrani Ponvansanth, Company Commissioner Simranjeet Singh Kahlon, Additional Collector (Development) S. Saravanan, District Revenue Officer R. Sakthivel, President of BAPASI S. Vairavan and others were present.

Letter to the editor: Celebrate your freedoms during Banned Books Week

Book editor

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 23, 2022

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This week, take time to celebrate your freedom to read any book, access any website, read news from around the world without filters, and learn about any topic in the world. privacy of your mind, without fear.

The last week of September is when the library community makes a special effort to recognize and celebrate the freedom to read. Banned Books Week is an opportunity to celebrate our right to access information of all kinds. While some people think they’re protecting people by challenging the books, that’s a mistake, and we call that censorship. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that access to information is a right.

The Maine Library Association calls on everyone, in every political office, to consider exalting access above fear, in celebration of one of the things that truly makes our country great: our right to access information without government-sanctioned censorship. Access to information is one of our fundamental constitutional rights, and across the state, we work hard to ensure that everyone’s right to the First Amendment is reaffirmed.

Librarians believe that we all deserve access to a wide range of information – indeed, we will fight to keep all the books on the shelves, championing all points of view. “Irreversible Damage” may have a place on library shelves in the same way that “Gender Queer” deserves one. Let people make their own reading decisions for themselves and their own families – not anyone else – this week and every week.

Samantha Duckworth
Chair, Intellectual Freedom Committee, Maine Library Association
Braunschweig

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Brie Larson Shares BTS Scott Pilgrim Black Sheep Rehearsal Photos

Graphic novel

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 23, 2022

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Brie Larson reveals behind-the-scenes photos of herself rehearsing her performance of Metric’s “Black Sheep” for Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

Captain Marvel star Brie Larson has discovered photos taken during rehearsal for her iconic music scene from Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

The actor shared the photos on social media, showing her rehearsing alongside drummer Tennessee Thomas. “Somehow I found these BTS photos from The Clash filming at Demonhead for Scott Pilgrim“, she wrote. “We rehearsed like a real band with the advice of [guitar coach] Chris Murphy, [composer] Nigel Godrich and of course, Metric. And I got to play with my old friend Tennessee Thomas. We destroyed it in Toronto.”

RELATED: Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson Reveals Her Fast and Furious Character Name

Brie Larson during Black Sheep rehearsal for Scott Pilgrim vs the World

BTS image of Brie Larson rehearsing Black Sheep for Scott Pilgrim Against the World

In Scott Pilgrim, Larson starred as Envy Adams, Scott’s ex-girlfriend aka the famous pop star as the lead singer of The Clash at Demonhead. Envy’s bandmates include drummer Lynette Guycott (Thomas) and bassist Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh), who also happens to be Ramona Flowers’ third evil ex-boyfriend. This is revealed in a memorable scene where the band plays a cover of Metric’s 2010 single “Black Sheep,” with Larson providing his character’s vocals. Larson’s version of the song was not included on the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack but was part of the extended edition released in 2021.

The Lasting Legacy of Scott Pilgrim

Released in 2010, Scott Pilgrim vs the World was an adaptation of the popular graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley. The story followed Scott (Michael Cera), a 22-year-old slacker who begins dating mysterious new girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). He soon learns that Ramona has seven evil exes determined to keep her single forever and that he must defeat them in video game style brawls to continue being with her. Although the film was not a financial success, it quickly garnered a cult following and has since been considered an excellent comic book adaptation outside of the Marvel/DC paradigm and a worthy entry into director Edgar Wright’s filmography.

RELATED: Nega Scott Proves What Scott Pilgrim Wrong About The Original Story

Wright’s film won’t be the last time fans see Scott Pilgrim on screen. In January, it was announced that a Scott Pilgrim an animated series was in development at Netflix, with O’Malley on board as writer and executive producer alongside BenDavid Grabinski. The animation will be done by Science Saru, a Japanese studio known for series like Heike’s story and Deco Yurei. Additionally, another of O’Malley’s graphic novels, secondsis being adapted into a feature film, with Wright writing the screenplay and producing and Blake Lively directing.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World is available for rent on most streaming platforms.

Source: Twitter

The Bookseller – Bestsellers – Non-Fiction: Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter’s Menopausing soars in the rankings

book seller

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

-

September 22, 2022

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A new look at ‘The Chicano Experience’

Book publication

By

Jennifer E. Sibley

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September 22, 2022

0

Alfredo Mirandé’s seminal 1985 book analyzing the Chicano experience in the United States has been revised.

On September 7, University of Notre Dame Press announced the release of a second edition of “The Chicano Experience: An Alternative Perspective,” a text that offers fundamental sociological insights into the lives of the largest minority group in the United States. This edition offers a new interpretation of the social, cultural and economic factors shaping Chicano/Latino life today.

“The Chicano Experience: An Alternative Perspective” second edition by Alfredo Mirandé. (UCR/Stan Lim)

“I wanted to write a book about Chicanos from the perspective and lived experience of a Chicano,” said Mirandé, a distinguished professor of sociology and ethnic studies at UC Riverside, who has spent the past five years at search and update the data of this second volume. “Thirty-seven years later, here is the updated version.”

University of Notre Dame Press published the second edition this month to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month. Mirandé, who is on sabbatical in the fall term, will teach from this revised edition in the winter term.

“While its original context differs markedly from the current demographic landscape, it remains no less relevant today – Latinos have become the largest minority population in the United States,” University officials wrote. of Notre Dame Press in a press release. “With updated chapters revised in light of contemporary scholarship, this second edition speaks of the Chicanos of today, in addition to Puerto Ricans, Central Americans, and other groups who share common experiences of colonization, racialization and, especially over the past decade, demonization.”

Mirandé, who has taught at UCR since 1974, is the author of 11 books, including “Gringo Justice” (1994), “The Stanford Law Chronicles” (2005) and “Jalos, USA” (2014), all published by the presses of the University of Notre-Dame. He is currently working on his 12th book, which will be published by The University of Arizona Press in 2023.

Praise for “The Chicano Experience: An Alternative Perspective”

“The Chicano Experience” by Alfredo Mirandé is the landmark 1985 study devoted to the creation of Chicano sociology. The updated version will shape the dialogue for future generations. —Robert J. Duranauthor of “The Gang Paradox”

“‘The Chicano Experience’ is a strident call for a complete overhaul of all social science methodology in the area of Chicano politics.” —Benjamin Marquez, author of “The politics of patronage”

“Filled with the latest research and current theories on racialization, the new edition of ‘The Chicano Experience’ rises to the forefront of books about Chicanos and other Latinos in the 21st century.” —Maxine Baca Zinnco-author of “Diversity in Families”

We are in the process of switching banks.

There has just been the debut of a new company that takes payments via digital methods.

At the moment, the stock is underappreciated.

10/10 Jonah Hex

First Appearance: All-Star Western Vol. 2 #10 (1972) by John Albano and Tony DeZuniga

9/10 Rorschach

First Appearance: Watchmen #1 (1986) By Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins

8/10 Red Riding Hood

First appearance: Batman #357 (1983) by Gerry Conway, Don Newton, Alfredo Alcala and Adrienne Roy

7/10 Great Barda

First appearance: Mister Miracle #4 (1971) by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta

6/10 Kilowog

First appearance: Green Lantern Corps #201 (1986) by Steve Englehart, Joe Staton, Mark Farmer and Carl Gafford

5/10 wonder woman

First appearance: All-Star Comics #8 (1942) by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter

4/10 Batman

First appearance: Detective Comics #27 (1939) by Bill Finger and Bob Kane

3/10 Orion

First appearance: New Gods #1 (1971) by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta

2/10 Peacemaker

First appearance: Fightin’ 5 #40 (1966) by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette

1/10 Spectrum

First appearance: More Fun Comics #52 (1940) by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily

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Article: “What is at stake for Indigenous nations in Washington today?” Pacific Northwest Quarterly 111.1 (Winter 2019/2020): 35-47

Book: Earthworks Rising: Mound Building in Indigenous Literature and Arts (University of Minnesota Press, 2022)

Book: Therapeutic Nations: Healing in the Age of Indigenous Human Rights (University of Arizona Press, 2013)

Book: Cherokee Earth Dwellers: Stories and Teachings from the Natural World (University of Washington Press, 2023)

Book: A Drum in One Hand, a Sockeye Salmon in the Other, Stories of Northwest Coast Indigenous Food Sovereignty (University of Washington Press, 2022)

Book: The sea is my country: the maritime world of the Makahs (Yale Books, 2015)

Book: Colonial Entanglement: The Making of a 21st Century Osage Nation (University of North Carolina Press, 2012)

Book: Cherokee Stories from the Liars Club of Turtle Island (University of North Carolina Press, 2012)

Article: “Prejudicial reactions to the removal of Native American mascots” SAGE Journals (Winter 2021)

Book: Disturbing Stories of Indigenous Art on the Northwest Coast

“Strong” prospects

From an American classic to silly research, the shocking reasons why these books are “banned” and why you should always read them.

Why?

What is the #1 most banned book?

7 forbidden books you should read (or reread)

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10/10 Michael Keaton is Batman

9/10 Valerian and the construction of the city of 1,000 planets

8/10 The Suicide Squad’s Second Chance

7/10 Come get your Guardians of the Galaxy

6/10 Re-watch the opening of Watchmen

5/10 The origin of Miles Morales in the Spider-Verse

4/10 The Self-Aware Lego Batman Movie

3/10 Iron Man presents the MCU

2/10 A highly secure burglary to start X2

1/10 The opening of The Dark Knight is no joke

About “Eccentrics of the English Garden: Three Hundred Years of Extraordinary Groves, Burrows, Mountains and Menageries”

Love reading stories about the Isle of Wight from a bygone era?

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