Friends -- My daughter and I were talking about funerals the other day because we just went to a very sad one. "Why are these services always so Lutheran?" my daughter asked. Then we looked at each other. "Remember that Passover we went to at Jenny's family's house?!!!" we both shouted simultaneously. Let me explain. … Continue reading when jews aren’t white, part 1: “Little White Lie” and questions of color — 03/27/15, coloring books project
black masculinity, football, sex, and history: coloring books 2015, 03/10/15
Dear friends – We all know that a good book can take you out of yourself when times are hard. But a truly compelling story can do more than make you forget your troubles; it can lift your spirits and challenge your ethics, your politics, and your awareness of history. A novel that tells an … Continue reading black masculinity, football, sex, and history: coloring books 2015, 03/10/15
Coloring Books Progress Report — Rediscovering the 18th Century with Belle
Imagination! who can sing thy force? Or who describe the swiftness of thy course? Soaring through air to find the bright abode, Th' empyreal palace of the thund'ring God, We on thy pinions can surpass the wind, And leave the rolling universe behind: From star to star the mental optics rove, Measure the skies, and … Continue reading Coloring Books Progress Report — Rediscovering the 18th Century with Belle
the ones left behind: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Reyna Grande, 02/09/15 (coloring books project)
Friends -- I took a look at a memoir that Vickie Vertiz recommended to me. "It's about who gets left behind in that trip from Mexico to the US," I remember her saying. I always feel a bit anxious reading work about Mexico. I don't speak Spanish, and I am not originally from the West … Continue reading the ones left behind: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Reyna Grande, 02/09/15 (coloring books project)
Uncovering layers of otherness: Laila Lalami’s The Moor’s Account (coloring books project 2015)
Friends -- I finished Laila Lalami's The Moor's Account two days ago and I am still trying to wrap my head around my reactions to this remarkable novel. Lalami focuses on a person only mentioned in the official account of a disastrous voyage to Florida undertaken by Spanish explorers, soldiers, and settlers, in 1527. This … Continue reading Uncovering layers of otherness: Laila Lalami’s The Moor’s Account (coloring books project 2015)
01/22/15 (coloring books project 2015): Nancy Rawles and Tananarive Due
Friends -- I'm sharing a blog post that I wrote for Whidbey Life Magazine here. In that blog post I speak a little about the work of Nancy Rawles and Tananarive Due -- two absolutely incredible African American women writers. But I'd like to say a bit more on a personal level about what they … Continue reading 01/22/15 (coloring books project 2015): Nancy Rawles and Tananarive Due
coloring books project — 01/05/15 — no more whitewashing
Friends -- today on Facebook I saw some terrible news. There is going to be a live-action remake of the Japanese manga-turned film Ghost in the Shell. And there will be no Asian actors in it. The lead role is going to be played by Scarlett Johanson. Alot of readers complained when Jennifer Lawrence got … Continue reading coloring books project — 01/05/15 — no more whitewashing
January 1st, 2015 — The coloring books project for 2015
When I was little I loved coloring books. I had one for every Disney movie, and one for every fairy tale. I would color the dresses and the pants and shirts with wild abandon. I had a giant box of Crayolas – you know the kind – the ones with every color of the rainbow. … Continue reading January 1st, 2015 — The coloring books project for 2015
Story Time Sunday special edition, 12/28/14 – my favorite feminist fictions of 2014
Friends – I just finished reading Dana Johnson’s novel Elsewhere, California. You have to read it. It’s generous, funny, sad, and heroic. If you are a writer who wants to write about race and class, you need to read this book. If you are a writer who wants to write about women artists, you need … Continue reading Story Time Sunday special edition, 12/28/14 – my favorite feminist fictions of 2014
Story Time Sunday, December 21st, 2014 — The Time of Our Lives
Last night I arrived early at the annual Solstice party hosted by two of my favorite people, Marie and Joscelyne. Their younger son, Jasper, was serving as lookout at the front door and announcing when guests arrived and an adult would need to come open the door. I was standing by the bar (surprise), … Continue reading Story Time Sunday, December 21st, 2014 — The Time of Our Lives
Stephanie Barbé Hammer Writing (Un) Real 