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My views have changed dramatically; from a smoggy city skyline laced with congested traffic, to dead ends leading into Lake Michigan and Green Bay. From horns honking to get ahead, because they don’t like your stickers, or just for the Hell of it, to the only horn heard being the bullhorn from the ship channel. A 9:00 PM reminder that evening is undeniable. A new pace for a new place. I would…
Now well into my sixth year of being divorced from a 27-year marriage, I am finally finding my footing. I relocated to Houston, Texas about seventeen years ago because of my then-husband’s job. We made a good life in Texas, raised our kids, and thrived in many ways, and we split. The split left me in a multi-year tailspin of self-discovery that I only now feel that I am landing from. This was…
Living without Wi-Fi, or a tenable cell signal is an interesting situation in 2023. I definitely take for granted that my map app will work while I am driving, that I can quickly answer my questions about restaurant and store hours and locations, and that if I need to look up something to double check on it, my info is only a moment away, only now, it is not. I knew this would be the case where I…
Help Create “It Was Written,” new doc on Chicago Grafitti in the 1990’s
There was a time when Chicago was coverd in grafitti. Mayor Daley went to war, created a buffing team, the Grafitti Blasters and wiped out tons of work almost overnight. Much of this story has seeped through the cracks of history. While Chicago still has a vibrant street art scene, it’s orgins are hard to trace. In steps Houston-based filmmaker Joshua Conro to tell the story. He has spent years…
Countdown – My Favorite Reads of 2020 – 4, 3, 2…1!
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett This mythical, epic American opus follows the lives of brother and sister Maeve and Danny Conroy. They spin through their mansion feeling as if nothing in the world can hurt them, and it can’t, until their mother leaves. They soon learn that their father cares more about his work in real estate, and the buildings that represent his work than he does about anything…
Countdown – My Favorite Reads of 2020 – 7, 6, 5…
The second installment of my favorite reads of the year includes humor, insight to classic literature and ghosts! Lanny by Max Porter Dead Papa Toothwort is a spirit in the little village about an hour away from London. He haunts the children’s dreams and when he is bored, he just may sweep them up and be away with them. He takes the form of a tree and manipulates, cajoles and chides the…
While there is lots of talk about us helping local businesses, many of us don’t want to get out of our safe spaces to do so. Below are four strong holds of their field who would love to ship an order to you or create for you! You don’t have to live in Texas to patronize these companies, check them out!
Cactus Music
A staple in the Houston and the American music scene, Cactus has been serving…
There are hundreds of great picture books at most libraries and most book stores carry a handful of the well-known author and illustrators without keeping many new titles in stock. The selection can be overwhelming. After a long hiatus, I am bringing back my blog to help you find some fun and unique reads! I love feedback, please let me know what you think.
Sweety by Andrea Zuill
I mean, look at…
I’ve already blogged about the opening night film Waves, and the CineSpace 2019 screenings at this year’s Houston Cinema Arts Festival, but that is just the beginning.
On Friday, November 15th there are 8 different film opportunities! A few highlights are:
A Hidden Life by one of my favorite filmmakers, Terrence Malick (Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, Tree of Life). Released this year, the…
The Lighthouse by the uber-talented, high-art, fearlessly bold writer, director, Robert Eggersis shot in eerie black and white with a 1.91:1 almost square film ratio. The tone is set as the audience sees a tight shot of the bough of a ship being harshly lashed by unceasing waves as it roars through an angry sea. The camera pans up to show us two phenomenal actors, Robert Patterson (Efraim…
Right now you can grab an early bird for only $99 which will get you into all of the amazing films that will be playing at this year’s Houston Cinema Arts Festival.
Waves
This year’s festival will open with the film, Waves by Trey Edward Shults. Starring: Sterling K. Brown, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Kevin Harrison Jr., and Lucas Hedges, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban…
Robert Eggers, the creator of the strange, visionary, horror stunner, The Witch is receiving raves for his latest film, The Lighthouse. It is described as a hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
The film stars the ever alarming Willem Dafoeand the…
“Hollow Kingdom” takes readers on a genre-bending, adventure narrated by animals who see the world from their owner’s perspectives. The main narrator, S.T., which is short for shit turd, lived in a home with a guy who downed Pabst Blue Ribbon, found all of his dates on Tinder and subscribed to Big Butts magazine. S.T. has a perversely skewed view of the world. He thinks that all people are called…
After the Wedding feels like a movie that lost its focus in its final phases. The premise is touching and could have led to a compelling emotional drama if the script had been reworked and reshaped. Instead, the film uses cheesy horror-type music to amp up tension that just isn’t there.
Isabel (Michelle Williams) is a woman who has…
Aisha Saeed is no stranger to writing. Her first book Written in the Stars is a lyrical and lovely young adult book about one girl’s struggles between honoring her family traditions and following the future that she wants for herself. Her second title, Amal Unbound, received critical acclaim and was on dozens of top books of the year lists.
July saw the release of Ms. Saeed’s first picture book,
EEK! Just Released, Trailer for Martin Scorsese’s New Film “The Irishman” Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, …
Don’t Eat Me Chupacabra! by Derek Sullivan and Kyle Sullivan describes itself as, “A delicious story with digestible Spanish vocabulary.” I describe it as an exceptional board book for kids who want to read something different.
Chupacabra only wants to eat goats, but the goat and his friends don’t want him to be eaten. They go to their wise grandparents for advice and the grandparents come up…
Jason Reynolds is shaking and shaping the landscape of Young Adult literature. He is talking about real life in a voice that is unlike one that most teens have read before. He is being noticed. He has won numerous awards (John Steptoe New Talent Award, finalist, National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Walter Dean Myers Award, Coretta Scott King Award honor in 2016, 2017, and 2018, NAAC…
Five days ago, Banksy posted the following video on his Instagram and Twitter sites with this caption:
“Setting out my stall at the Venice Biennale.
Despite being the largest and most prestigious art event in the world, for some reason, I’ve never been invited.”
Banksy has maintained his secret identity and is known by his single name moniker as a graffiti satirist. He travels the world leaving…
