Writers in Art: Ivan Turgenev

Posted on January 14, 2014 by maedez

Ivan Turgenev by Ilya Repin, 1874

“I don’t see why it’s impossible to express everything that’s on one’s mind.”-Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Sons

[Book Nerd News] Amiri Baraka Dead at 79

Posted on January 12, 2014 by maedez

Amiri Baraka Dead at 79 [courtesy nj.com]

“A system that warehouses people is not the cure for social ills.”

Happy Birthday, Simone!

Posted on January 9, 2014 by maedez

Simone de Beauvoir was born on 9 January 1908.

Simone de Beauvoir as a child

Simone de Beauvoir Quote

[Alternative Muses] Writerly Style: Seven Reasons to Love Anita Loos’ Look

Posted on January 8, 2014 by maedez

“One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.”-Oscar Wilde

Seven Reasons to Love Anita Loos’ Look:

#1: She rocked one of the best hairstyles of the Roaring Twenties. The tousled bob with bangs was her thing, and she wore it with few variations for decades. With that hair, she could walk into any 2014 shindig and look more modern than anyone else.

Anita Loos rocking her enviable locks.

#2: She knew how to wear a scarf without looking like an idiot or an octogenarian. We all know how hard that is, right? For some reason, the thought of wearing a scarf as an accessory intimidates a lot of American women, myself included. Here’s Anita, proving that a scarf worn tied around the neck can be chic and fun: Continue reading →

Daily Diversion #187: All the Cool Kids

Posted on January 7, 2014 by maedez

All the cool kids were doing it yesterday…

Boiling water thrown into frigid air=this!

It was so much fun, we ultimately did it three times!

This is what happens when two bored adults are housebound during a vicious cold spell.

“Winter is not a season, it’s an occupation.”-Sinclair Lewis

Happy Birthday, Zora Neale Hurston!

Posted on January 7, 2014 by maedez

Zora Neale Hurston was born on 7 January 1891.

Zora Neale Hurston, 1937

“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”-Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

The Dead Writers Round-Up: 6th January

Posted on January 6, 2014 by maedez

Fanny Burney died on 1/6/1840. “Generosity without delicacy, like wit without judgement, generally gives as much pain as pleasure.” (Evelina; Cecilia; Camilla; The Wanderer)
Carl Sandburg was born on 1/6/1878. “Time is the coin of your life. You spend it. Do not allow others to spend it for you.” (Chicago Poems; Abraham Lincoln: The War Years; Remembrance Rock; Rootabaga Stories)
Kahlil Gibran was born on 1/6/1883. “You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts.” (Broken Wings; The Prophet)
Alan Watts was born on 1/6/1915. “Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.” (The Way of Zen; The Joyous Cosmology; The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are)