Kerry Lonsdales’ Two Novels Deliver a Double Punch
Kerry Lonsdale follows up her bestselling novel, Everything We Keep, with Everything We Left Behind, continuing the story of the star-crossed lovers Aimee and James. While the second book can stand on its own, you would do well to begin with Everything We Keep. Believe me, once you read the first, you will be eager […]
Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled – The Bachelor Under the Moss
The Beguiled is visually beautiful. A large white Virginia mansion sits surrounded by majestic trees dripping with moss. The women who inhabit this home are outfitted in gowns that would put Scarlett O’Hara to shame. Each scene, shot in gauzy, low light is mesmerizing, giving the entire film a dreamlike quality. Yet that exceptional cinematography […]
Evil Refuses to Die in Wendy Webb’s Thriller
After years of covering crime for a newspaper, Eleanor Harper suffers the cumulative effect of seeing so much violence and horror. Diagnosed with PTSD, she is forced to leave her job. Although her experience would land her a position at another newspaper, she wants to make a complete change. As luck would have it, the […]
Shelia Moses – Narrating the Black Experience
“I was born with stories.” During the 2007 National Book Festival, Shelia Moses took the stage at the Library of Congress. Before she read from one of her books, The Baptism, Shelia reflected on the long journey that had brought her to that moment. “My load is heavy because I brought my ancestors with me,” […]
Melissa Francis’ Journey from the Prairie to Fox
Melissa Francis’ brave memoir, Dairy of a Stage Mother’s Daughter, laid bare her childhood years when she was appearing on the popular family drama, Little House on the Prairie, while dealing with a controlling and, at times, abusive mother. (See our interview.) Melissa’s book resonated with readers, many of whom remembered the series, the brainchild […]
Easter – A Time to Forgive and Move On
New Year’s Day is typically viewed as the start-over holiday. We make resolutions, promise to leave bad habits behind, and move forward with good intentions. For me, Easter has always been the holiday of new beginnings. There’s a sense of joy on Easter, a sigh of relief that we made it through Lent, perhaps giving […]
Lorene Chesley and Sue Jin Song Are Smart People at Arena Stage
Lydia Diamond’s Smart People deals with all the “isms” – racism, careerism, chauvinism, conformism, conservatism, elitism, materialism, multiculturalism, etc. All those “isms” affect our attitudes and beliefs. The play, needless to say, is thought-provoking, causing the actors and, of course, audience members to think, react, and, yes, squirm a little as what unfolds on stage […]
Film Fest DC: The Hippopotamus – Looking for Miracles
Ted Wallace (Roger Allam) is a famous poet who hasn’t written a poem in decades. When he isn’t getting to the bottom of a whiskey bottle, he’s reviewing plays for a newspaper. Attending a performance of Titus Andronicus where the muscle-bound actors look like they came from Thunder Down Under, he loudly voices his disapproval, […]