“Earth laughs in flowers.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
I spied these flowers last week while out walking in my mother’s urban neighborhood. The fence and the jailed flowers it guards belong to a sorority house.
I’m a niche writer. I don’t see eye-to-eye with the mainstream media, and that’s okay: I’m happy to go my own quirky way, even in a professional capacity. I’m fortunate to write about subjects that I truly love: dead writers, literary culture, weird short fiction and, of course, classic movies. I’ve been writing about the latter for a decade but, over those years, my focus has narrowed: I now write mostly on silent cinema. Oh, my beloved!
My home city has many amazing, memorable murals (hello, half-upside-down American Gothic!). My favourite-which I discovered a year ago as my mom was scouting out new apartments in this downtown neighborhood-is in the parking lot of a law school. It was so unexpected that I sucked in my breath before letting out a loud squeal. I may have jumped up and down but this is where the memory becomes foggy. Behold: Continue reading
I am a housecat.
My duty in life is to shed hair, bathe myself with my tongue, and irritate the allergies of the innocent.
Today, my owner forced me into a sweater. A “cat” sweater.
I have no idea why. I’m covered with fur. I assume it is because an exclusively-indoor, fur-bearing creature being stuffed into cold-weather clothing is meant to reflect the tenants of that sinister and enigmatic concept humans refer to as “cute”.
(Shudder.)
I dare not explore my owner’s thinking any further for fear it may lead to intractable madness.
I have determined to lay here in protest, on the floor of our central-heating-equipped dwelling, until this woolen body prison is removed and burned. Either that, or until the breaking of spring. Until then, I try not to consider the disquieting ramifications of my owner’s interest in something called a “feline fashion show”.
Meow.
“Everything in life that we really accept undergoes a change.”-Katherine Mansfield
Little Bear front cover
Little Bear wearing my favourite hat
Little Bear and Mother Bear
*This is dedicated to the memory and brilliant mind of Maurice Sendak, who died today (8 May 2012).
Modern Mechanix & Inventions
I love looking back at our old future.
Maybe it’s just nostalgia talking, but I liked seeing the Things to Come back before they came. I mean, we’re basically living in the future as we speak. We’ve got it all – space ships, space stations, robots on Mars, handheld communicators that can put us in contact with anyone in the world, instant food, everything. We even have flying cars, especially if you drive them off of someplace really high.
The problem with our current future is that it’s so unimpressive looking. Ever notice how the iPhone looks like a bar of soap that’s got two more showers left in it? Sure, its practical, fits in your pocket, and doesn’t require nuclear energy to play music or make a call – but man does it look dull!
I long for the days of our fun future, the inaccurate and impractical version with big, silvery pipes and unnecessary buttons and single levers that control everything.
And so it was with great pleasure that I came across a little gem from history called Modern Mechanix & Inventions.
Modern Mechanix & Inventions began life in 1928, seeking to make its name amidst the science and technology publications biz at the time. Chock full of DIY projects and the car reviews of Tom McCahill, the magazine held its own until 2001, changing its title a couple of times during its run.
There are a number of places on the ’net to find archives with pictures of the covers, most being mixed in with other classic publications. I wouldn’t be writing about it now if a friend hadn’t made mention about it on facebook (props to MarcosBnPinto!). The visions presented in some of the mag’s more fantastic covers are the stuff that fueled the rockets of the imagination in the days before we exorcised the Man in the Moon.
I genuinely enjoy seeing stuff like this. It’s great food for fantasy, storytelling, or getting ideas for running a role playing game. I’m always on the lookout for more retro-future artwork, so if you can suggest any, I’d be glad to take a look at it. Drop us a line!
For a look at a number of these beautiful covers, visit Marcos’s tumblr here.
“The poem has a social effect of some kind whether or not the poet wills that it have. It has kinetic force, it sets in motion…elements in the reader that would otherwise be stagnant.”-Denise Levertov
Cropped screenshot of Carole Lombard from the trailer for the film Nothing Sacred (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
‘Hugh Selwyn Mauberley’ by Ezra Pound.
For three years, out of key with his time
And now, in the interest of public service, we present:
A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea. 