A United Kingdom – An Interracial Marriage that Rocked an Empire
Their romance begins innocently enough. Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) and her sister, Muriel (Laura Carmichael, Edith from Downton Abbey), attend an event at the London Society Mission, where they dance with foreigners who are attending colleges in England. Ruth exchanges glances with one of the students, Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo), and soon they are dancing […]
Watch on the Rhine – Lillian Hellman’s Play is Relevant Again
You are a political refugee. We don’t turn back people like you, people in danger. Theater audiences don’t usually burst into applause in the middle of a scene. But these aren’t usual times, and the line above, from Lillian Hellman’s 1941 Watch on the Rhine, certainly struck a nerve with those attending an opening night […]
Le Coq Rico – Chicken French Style
Pity the poor chicken. It gets a bad rap in the U.S. It’s been relegated to fast food status with chicken nuggets, Colonel Sanders, and Boston Market. These take out options may be filling and satisfying for many, but those seeking a higher quality meal often find that even chicken dishes in restaurants are disappointing. […]
Plantations of Virginia – Exploring the State’s Historic Homes
Jai Williams and Charlene Giannetti spent six months visiting 40 plantations in Virginia, taking tours and talking with the families and the professionals tasked with caring for these historic properties. Their new book, Plantations of Virginia, has just been published by Globe Pequot Press. Virginia has produced eight presidents and three of those – George […]
Patriots Day – Profiles in Courage
What should have been a day of celebration turned into a day of tragedy when two brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, planted bombs that exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Now, nearly four years after that attack, Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg produce a film that recreates, often […]
20th Century Woman – Helicopter Parenting 70s Style
The Victorian house featured prominently in Mike Mills’ new film, 20th Century Women, might serve as a metaphor for its inhabitants, a rumpled mis-matched group with great potential but still works in progress. Mills, who previously gave us Beginners, a film based on his father coming out gay at age 75 (Read the review), now […]
Jacqueline B. Arnold Talks About An Evening with Phyllis Hyman
Old friend It’s so nice to feel you hold me again No, it doesn’t matter where you have been My heart welcomes you back home again “Old Friend,” Thom Bell, Linda Creed Variety once described Phyllis Hyman’s voice as “sultry, sassy, and vocally surprising.” It was that voice that reached out to Jacqueline B. Arnold […]
Hudson Valley Writer Fest – Day Long Event for Authors
When a door closes, a window opens, is a phrase I live by. So, when the cozy and quaint and welcoming site where I conducted writing workshops was sold, I was a little letdown, but then elated. Here was my opportunity to arrange a larger writing workshop, in a new space, and put into use […]