Friends -- I've received some wonderful, thought-provoking and thought-ful responses to my previous blog post "When jews aren't white." Thanks to these comments, I'm reading Albert Memmi's novel about being a Jewish person of color in Tunis right now. I hope to blog more about this topic soon. But for now, I'd like to share … Continue reading The coloring books project goes to AWP15: some (amazing) sample panels
Tag: Magically Real
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
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)
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
Sunday Night Special pre-chanukah edition, December 14th, 2014
Friends -- this has been a difficult, discouraging autumn, here in the United States and elsewhere. In the middle of this moral and political melancholy comes Chanukah, the so-called festival of lights -- a celebration filled with fried food and nightly presents, behind which lurks the complex historical shadow of a rebellion against foreign occupiers. … Continue reading Sunday Night Special pre-chanukah edition, December 14th, 2014
Story Time Sunday, 11/30/14 — A true story
My friend Harvey Last weekend, I went out to Riverside to do two book events. On the way, I went to a rehab hospital and visited my colleague Harvey. I know Harvey because he was a Linguistics professor in my department at the university where I used to work. Harvey turned 91 last October. … Continue reading Story Time Sunday, 11/30/14 — A true story
Stephanie Barbé Hammer Writing (Un) Real 