I just finished reading the book, Beautiful Writers by Linda Sivertsen. She runs the Book Mama website and the Beautiful Writers Podcast. In the book, she shares her writing journey and sparks each page with remarkable and honest advice from famous authors we admire. As a young writer in Los Angeles, Linda Sivertsen was hungry to be more like her literary...
Continue reading...Victoria Ray NB
Author Interviews: Ryan Uytdewilligen
Can I start with a personal question, Ryan? What was your family like, growing up? I grew up on a family farm outside of Coaldale, Alberta, Canada. Tiny one-stoplight town. Everyone knew everyone. I was a 4-H member. But I was also an only child and my mom loved movies. So, I think watching classics with her and having a...
Continue reading...Forgotten Comedy Actors That Need to Make a Comeback
written by Laolu Ogundele What makes you laugh? Seriously, this is not a trick question… Okay, let’s narrow the question down. What kinds of films make you snicker, giggle, and guffaw? Whatever your answer is, do you know that it would likely be different if you lived 100 years ago? What if I told you that you’d probably be a...
Continue reading...The Funny, Crazy, and Cruel Absurdism of Fernando Arrabal
written by Laolu Ogundele Picture this: it’s Friday evening, and you’ve walked into a random street play featuring an unknown artist. You sit in one of the front rows as you prepare to enjoy a little light-hearted escapism after a busy week. But a few scenes into the play, you’re profoundly disturbed as you’re confronted with weird displays of torture,...
Continue reading...On Anger
Some days, we try to justify our momentary rage by finding the faults in others; other days, we believe that being angry should be permittable or even encouraged at the personal level. In fact, many people around us are convinced that the only way to control anger is to express our feelings in an assertive but non-aggressive way (simply to...
Continue reading...Our Plasma Selves
(Based on the book, “A New Science of Heaven,” by Robert Temple) The Universe is made up of more than 99% plasma, meaning it is made of “incomplete or partial atoms”. Our world and everything we see, touch and experience around us is so called “physical/atomic matter” – and it’s less than 1% of the universe. Contrary to what we...
Continue reading...Andrei Platonov and The Soul of The World
Andrei Platonov once said, “From our ugliness will grow the soul of the world.” He was right. He knew the hardships of life better than anyone else… Yes, this world is ugly. Almost 1 billion people are illiterate. More than 800 million people don’t have access to clean water or a reliable food supply. Approximately 13% of the world lack access...
Continue reading...Upside Down or Completely Married
(short story, written summer 2021/1498 words) When someone asks if I’m in a relationship or not, I always answer: “Of course, I am.” Usually, as a sign of acceptance, the person pats me on the shoulder with the following question: “So, how is it?” “It’s demanding,” I sigh. My understanding interlocutor winks and coughs, or sometimes an unexpected alien laugh...
Continue reading...The Crime of Poison: A perfect murder weapon in the mystery books
written by Jessica Hope (guest post) Give me a decent bottle of poison and I’ll construct the perfect crime. Agatha Christie Made famous by the likes of Agatha Christie in her captivating novels, poison has become the popular choice of weapon in mystery books. From Murder Is Easy, to Sparkling Cyanide, Christie had an incredible ability to build complex narratives around...
Continue reading...The passionate spirit of Charles Péguy
Facts Charles Péguy was a French novelist, dramatist, and idealist – who later in life became deeply fascinated by mysticism, the fight against fascism, the search for world peace, and the analysis of artistic genius. Quotes “Love is rarer than genius itself and friendship is rarer than love.” “Tyranny is always better organized than freedom.” “We must always tell what...
Continue reading...The trajectory of life: Andre Malraux
“The world has become like the world in my books,” wrote Andre Malraux. The 30s of the XX century were the time of global upheaval and change in Western society. The world was perceived as absurd, and the fate of man as random and nonsensical. Inspired by new literary styles, Andre Malraux turned to existential themes and mythology much earlier...
Continue reading...XXI century: in search of Utopia
I abhor the idea of a perfect world. It would bore me to tears. Shelby Foote Imagine you walk into your friend’s apartment on a dark, cloudy evening – head bowed and hands trembling. You sigh softly and say, “Friend, I have some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?” Now, people have their different...
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