Dear Friends --Here in the US, we take aesthetic self-expression for granted. But the fact is, operating outside the mainstreams is dangerous. Those of us who create privately can generally practice what we do and simply be ignored. But performers face a special challenge, because they operate in public.Just ask Extreme Elvis.Sometimes, what is very … Continue reading Midweek appreciation: Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and the aesthetic, July 31st, 2013
story time sunday, miniscule version, July 28th, 2013
once upon a time there was a boy who wanted to be a writer. his ideas were so special that it scared everyone including his mother so he tucked his specialness way inside and waited and waited. and all that time he did not write. the story waited too. finally when the boy was a … Continue reading story time sunday, miniscule version, July 28th, 2013
Sunday Special Edition: The Problem with Pleasantville, July 21st 2013
I really want to like the film Pleasantville. I have seen it several times, and it’s an incredibly arresting movie visually. The transition from black and white to color is gorgeous to look at – reminiscent, as many have observed – of that moment in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy opens the door and … Continue reading Sunday Special Edition: The Problem with Pleasantville, July 21st 2013
Story Time Sunday: a Grimm Brothers Reboot July 14th 2013 (for grown ups only)
People, all I can say is: Do NOT fuck with the Virgin Mary I’m nice, I’m the mother of the J-man, who is God after all. But I just have to tell you – do NOT PISS ME OFF. I know when you are lying. I know when you are sleeping etc. Sort of like … Continue reading Story Time Sunday: a Grimm Brothers Reboot July 14th 2013 (for grown ups only)
Sunday night question: What do you do when you’re not that great? July 7th 2013
Dear Friends – I have just finished Nathan Englander’s most recent short story collection, THIS IS WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK, and it’s a brilliant, daring, rewarding, read. Englander is a master short story writer, by which I mean he can do things with the form, that make a short … Continue reading Sunday night question: What do you do when you’re not that great? July 7th 2013
tiny tuesday treat, July 2nd 2013
A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose unless it isn’t and then it’s chicken salad, but you can eat that and smell the rose later.
story time sunday, a grimm brothers’ reboot, June 30th 2013
Dear friends -- Closing out June with a familiar story, with a slightly new angle..... I just wish someone would kill my boss. I wish someone would just throw him against a wall until his slimy guts pour out with whatever blood he’s got in his disgusting little body. Yeah, I love him that much. … Continue reading story time sunday, a grimm brothers’ reboot, June 30th 2013
magic things: a round up. Sunday, June 23rd 2013
dear friends -- the world is a weird, wacky, sometimes horrible, but also sometimes wondrous place. Take wood for example. A tree falls down, but then it turns out to be a rare and valuable tree, called a yew. A yew is both flexible and super-strong and you can make amazing archery bows out of … Continue reading magic things: a round up. Sunday, June 23rd 2013
Magically Real mini-break….
on a social media mini-break until June 19th... Enjoy the realtime magic in your life!
in praise of failure, being weird, and not giving up — Rushmore, the Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom –Sunday special June 9th 2013
Dear friends -- sometimes being a quirky failure who survives ought to be enough. Personally, I come from a longish line of failures. My dad was a failure. A terrible one. So was my mom. My mom's mom didn't make it as a ballerina and taught dancing and French instead. My paternal grandfather's parents failed … Continue reading in praise of failure, being weird, and not giving up — Rushmore, the Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom –Sunday special June 9th 2013
Stephanie Barbé Hammer Writing (Un) Real 