Creativity, Covid-19, and Closure

Hello, fabulous people on a Friday! I don't know where to begin, so let's start with some good news! I'm currently reading Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia. I will be writing a review and most likely publishing it as a video on YouTube (#BookTube) provided that I am successful …

Fireside Fiction Review “Foie Gras” by Charles Payseur is . . .

"Foie Gras" is weird, witty, hilarious, and delivers a knock-out punchline at the end. I will not spoil it for you. You must read it to experience it. It appears in Fireside Magazine's April 2020, Issue 78 edition and edited by L.D. Lewis, (author of A Ruin of Shadows), which I have read and reviewed: …

Arnold Lobel’s Picture Book, FABLES, Has Aged Well

Arnold Lobel’s illustrations have always been charming and the stories centered on anthropomorphic animal characters consistently possessed a quirky kind of wonderful. In 1980, his book FABLES, had won the Caldecott Medal as the best illustrated book. As a child, I was a voracious reader and a Master Bedtime Story Demander (thanks, Mom!) that I …

Remembering Kathy Change

Hello everyone. May blooms with many celebrations and remembrances. May is not only Mental Health Awareness Month, it also includes World Goth Day (May 22nd), Cinco de Mayo. Asian American and Pacific Islander Awareness Month also takes place in this month named for the Greek goddess Maia (Geek Show and Tell over). My mother and …

NaNoWriMo in June is Coming Soon!

I've been a fan of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo abbreviation) for as long as I can remember. While exploring my local library in my early twenties, I had spotted Chris Baty's guide to crafting a novel in 30 days, perfectly titled No Plot? No Problem? Intrigued and mildly skeptical, (30 days! -- wow!) I …

An Analysis of The Many Faces of Ito

Netflix's The Many Faces of Ito is based on a novel by Japanese author Asako Yuzuki called "Ito-Kun A to E". To be fair, I believe that both male and female writers are capable of writing characters outside of their own experiences, provided that they put in the blood, sweat, and tears to write these …

“The Many Faces of Ito” is . . . delightful.

The Japanese TV Drama, "The Many Faces of Ito" has it all and then some. I binge-watched it when it debuted on Netflix and may mostly re-watch it. Why? Unrequited love. Misunderstandings. Best Friends Forever Betrayal. Oh. My. Goodies! The series is mostly about Rio Yazaki, a jaded rom-com screenwriter who is struggling to make …

Diversity Illusionist Part 2: What Not to Write

Growing up, I watched Golden Girls with my family. We enjoyed Sophia Petrillo's sensibilities, her spunkiness, and her flashbacks that were framed with one of television's best quotes: With that said, let's picture a golden age of technology where people—young, old, rich, poor, (please insert whatever and whoever you are)—with a clickety-clack-click-clackety of their finicky fingertips …

2019 Year-End Reflection — New Year, New Decade.

Good-Bye 2019! Hello 2020 where hindsight isn't always clear.

A Poem a Day Series 2019 – Day 9

The Sea of Glass Ezra Pound, 1885 - 1972 I looked and saw a sea roofed over with rainbows, In the midst of each two lovers met and departed; Then the sky was full of faces with gold glories behind them. This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on August 16, 2015, by the Academy of American Poets.