Currently Browsing: Arts: Literary Arts

Celebrating Toni Bentley: A Bold and Daring Ballerina-Turned-Author

On this day in 2002, Holding On to the Air was published. A bright and exciting exploration of the career of ballerina Suzanne Farrell, this book was written by Toni Bentley, whose bold transition from professional ballerina to author made her the perfect person to write it. 

Toni Bentley is an Australian-German-American dancer and writer who has forever shifted the dance world with her boldness, both on the stage and on the page.read more.

CONTINUE READING

Claire McMillan: Creativity, Friendship & Tarot Cards

When most people think of women and surrealism, they inevitably think of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. But Frida wasn’t the only female artist working in dreamscapes (or nightmare escapes) in Mexico. Spanish painter Remedios Varo and English artist Leonora Carrington also found refuge in Mexico after running from the Nazis in Vichy-occupied France.… read more.

CONTINUE READING

Casey McQuiston Proves Fiction Can Be Fun

In anticipation of Friday’s release of the film adaptation of Red, White, & Royal Blue on Prime Video, today I will be reviewing Casey McQuiston’s 2019 novel—a romance which continues to fly off the shelves four years after its initial release.

The story of Red, White, & Royal Blue follows the secret relationship which blooms between the son of the President of the United States and the Prince of England.read more.

CONTINUE READING

Fannie Flagg’s Southern Stories Connect All Around the World

FF2 is proud to celebrate the achievements of author Fannie Flagg on this day, the seventeenth anniversary of her publishing Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven. Though the author of almost a dozen acclaimed books, Fannie will always be remembered for her beloved classic, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.read more.

CONTINUE READING

Brittney Corrigan’s Poetry to Survive the Anthropocene Era

On this day in 2012, Brittney Corrigan published 40 Weeks, a poetry chapbook which details the journey of pregnancy through short, vivid poems. 40 Weeks, like much of Brittney’s work, draws on the natural world for inspiration, and the poems which transport the reader through 40 weeks together with mother and child are rich in images of animals, the earth, and transformation.read more.

CONTINUE READING

Yan Ge Uses Alienation to Connect Her Audience

Today marks the third anniversary of the publication of Yan Ge’s celebrated Strange Beasts of China. The novel, originally published by Yan in 2006, was translated into English by Jeremy Tiang and re-released in 2020. Upon its new publication, the work was met with instant critical acclaim, with The New York Times including Strange Beasts of China on its list of 100 Notable Books of 2021, and The Washington Post naming it on their list of best science fiction, fantasy, and horror of the year.read more.

CONTINUE READING