Authors and Artists Magazine
September 2013 October 2014
Contents Publisher‘s Message………..Pg. 3 Books & Authors……….…. Pg. 4 AAM in the News ...……… .Pg. 7 Cover Article………..….…..Pg. 9 Writers Corner...…………..Pg. 13 Music………….…………….Pg 15
Authors & Artists Magazine
Books …..…………………..Pg. 16 Film:…………….………......Pg. 20
Vol. 14, Issue 10 Gina Smith Editor & Publisher Marketing & Sales Chris Smith Enjoli Hall Amber Smith Richard Hall Authors & Artists Magazine SPMG Media 385 S. Lemon Ave. #E236 Walnut, CA 91789 P - (888) 841-7779
Fashion…………….….……Pg. 22 Television…………..………Pg. 24 Art…………….….………... Pg. 25 Galleries……………………..Pg. 27 Museum……………………..Pg. 28
www.spmgmedia.com Authors & Artists Magazine a division of SPMG Media
Hey Readers, AAM is at it again! We’ve made some of our Facebook friends the topics of some of our articles! Take a look…. New book releases, movies, theater, gallery shows—we’re doing what we can to make you aware of events and individuals known and unknown that we think are special! This month we’re featuring Orange is the New Black breakout actress Uzo Aduba. We also look at Hillary Clinton’s talked about book “Hard Choices” and look at the break thru indie film “Dear White People”. Lot’s to get to. Hope you enjoy this issue. If you’re interested in being featured or advertising, email us at info@spmgmedia.com, forward your press kit, book, CD, etc. and we will let you know. Are you ready? Here we go….
Authors and Artists Magazine · 3
DR. SHAURICE MULLINS
Books & Authors The Processed Woman: Your Purpose is on the Other Side! Get your copy at
Each person on this planet has a unique purpose and an individual destiny to fulfill. Too often, however, life gets in the way of living, and these things are grossly stunted. When we lose a job, fail in a relationship, or encounter difficult situations with our children, friends, or family, we can lose sight of what is truly important in life and even lose sight of ourselves. We feel lost, alone, and without meaning, as though we no longer have a purpose—that is, if we ever had one to begin with.
http://www.theprocessedwoman.com/
Sometimes it is hard to cope with life challenges, and women in particular face a distinct set of obstacles when trying to move forward past this state of utter bewilderment and total confusion. There still exist in our modern society a number of strongholds that have been detrimental to the spiritual and mental growth of women for many generations. To realize her destiny, live a purpose-driven life, and be who she was meant to be, a woman must confront these strongholds, tear them down, and be willing to learn from a power greater than we are. The Processed Woman: Your Purpose is on the Other Side makes these points abundantly clear and equips women with the practical tools they need to succeed in their personal development and growth. A thoughtful motivational guide sure to inspire, encourage, and empower women of all ages and from all walks of life, it first addresses the various challenges a woman may face, including those involved in her career, marriage, and other interpersonal circles, and goes on to deliver detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to overcome these challenges, abandon fear, gain confidence, and achieve stability. Learn more at http://www.theprocessedwoman.com/
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Four Ladies Only by Alretha Thomas
Five Star Review for FOUR LADIES ONLY 5.0 out of 5 stars I found the book to be an outstanding read. By Mary L. Naylor
“I found the book to be an outstanding read, in that it was a very solid story about the value of friendship. The author wrote a compelling story that was heartwrenching at times but believable in regards to modern day change of events. Kudos to the author because the book is a well written page turner. Thanks for this story as there's lessons to be learned from it!!!” Author Contact: Website: www.Alrethathomas.com Twitter: @Alrethathomas To Order: amazon.com
About the Book:
Sheridan Hawkins is a chain-smoking, former high school prom queen, trying to survive a marriage fraught with financial and emotional difficulties. Faye “Dimples” Davis is the first lady of a megachurch who desperately wants to have a baby. Victoria Williams is an elementary school teacher fighting for the love of her estranged husband and children. Danielle Wiley is a powerhouse attorney grappling with her sexual identity. These are the heroines of “Four Ladies Only.” Their friendship began two decades ago in middle school and continued through high school. However, in their senior year, a horrific event took place that destroyed their relationship and belief and trust in one another. Twenty years later, the death of their mutual friend, Sabrina Brown, motivates them to try to reconcile. However, in the process, they are forced to tackle the secrets, lies, deceit, and hypocrisy that underpin each of their lives. But they soon come to realize that their biggest hurdle will be facing and reliving the one night that led to twenty years of separation. Authors and Artists Magazine · 5
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“"Momma set me on the jukebox." So begins the personal story of Denise (Sweetie) Wooten, set between a post-civil rights era New York City and a growing, but stale rural Alabama. We are thrust in the midst of a family longing for normalcy, but instead struggling with illness and all that comes with it; denial, anger and misunderstanding and love.
As cultures clash, we see the family through a child's eyes and walk with her as she makes sense of war fought far away, but with effects close to home, and a tragedy that changes her life forever.
Momma: Gone A Personal Story by Nina Foxx was shortlisted for a Doctorow Award in Innovative Fiction. Learn more at http://www.ninafoxx.com/ index.html
More truth than not, Momma: Gone is a story of survival, where all the lessons are taught by the child who must eventually lead them through and a classic American story of overcoming life's misfortunes to find the bloom on the other side.
Authors and Artists Magazine¡ 6
AAM
In The News Power Lawyer Ken Ziffren on Netflix, TV and Future of Hollywood
Jennifer Outler, John McIlwee and Thomas Fry APA's Jennifer Outler and Thomas Fry flank Power Business Managers honoree John McIlwee, of
"The question is when does the money run out?" the attorney said of Amazon and Netflix at a Hollywood Reporter event celebrating the industry's top business managers.
A savvy new class of venture capitalists, pension plans and high-net-worth individuals have replaced foreign investors and tax shelters as the primary financial backers of Hollywood movies, a top industry attorney said Wednesday at The Hollywood Reporter's third annual Business Managers Power Breakfast. "Instead of being passive investors and basically taking their chances, the investor today is active and in many cases is also a production company itself or an investor in pictures rather than just letting the studio pick the pictures," said Kenneth Ziffren, founding partner at Ziffren Brittenham. Ziffren's comments came during a keynote Q&A with THRexecutive editor Matthew Belloni at Cut restaurant in Beverly Hills as part of the event honoring the top business managers in Hollywood.
deals, where an investor puts up money for a group of films and makes a profit if enough of those movies do well. "I imagine that is going to continue until either their luck runs out," said Ziffren, "or they are no longer skillful." While investors have for the most part made money, the major studios have taken a tough stance with actors, directors and other artists who make the movies. "The studios have not treated the major players as kindly as one might hope," said Ziffren. "There’s been a movement away from what we call first-dollar gross deals into gross pool deals." What that means, he explained, is that five or 10 years ago an A-list star might share in the revenue from a movie along with the distributor even before all the costs of making and marketing a movie are recovered. No longer. (Continued next page)
Ziffren said a quarter to a third of major studio movies in recent years have been financed through slate
7 · Authors & Artists Magazine
Martha Henderson of City National Bank's Martha Henderson, executive vice president and manager, entertainment division, made remarks at the THR breakfast event. (Future of Hollywood, Continued)
“The studios are fanatics at this point in trying to enforce that business structure on any picture they perceive to be risky," said Ziffren, adding: "In that respect, the artist isn't getting treated as well as he or she was 10 or
Ziffren also commented on the future of the television business, explaining that
while the major broadcasters still sell shows one-by-one to advertisers for the most part, cable sells its entire slate and promises a certain number of rating points (the size of the audience). "If they have a big hit like a Breaking
20 years ago."
Bad," said Ziffren, "they
He said artist representatives have
can now
responded by recalculating deals so
charge x hundred
that if the client is taking more risk,
thousand dollars
"in effect being subordinate to a re-
a spot. They are
turn of capital to the studio, you
Delta Airlines' Ranjan Goswami, managing director, west region sales, spoke at THR's annual Power Business Managers event
should get more [money if the project] is successful. That's the way everything is moving." Ziffren also questioned the economics
going to charge that
of digital subscription channels like
on each and every spot on each and eve-
Netflix and Amazon that are investing
ry program, so you lift all boats in that
heavily in original programming.
case and that's good for everyone."
"The question is when does the money
Hollywood Reporter publisher and sen-
run out?" said Ziffren. "Netflix has
ior vp Lynne Segall opened the program
shown a profit the last year or so but
by telling the restaurant full of business
from a cash-flow point of view they
managers, "We know it's your client who
are going deeper and deeper into the
usually gets al the attention," but-
hole. The current game plan is to hold
THR believes it is "important to recog-
the $7.99 (per sub per month) price,
nize the work you do because so many of
which may or may not make a lot of
you control so much of the money in this
sense, and try to do it purely on get-
town."
ting more subscriptions to cover your
http://www.filmmakingstuff.com/
8 · Authors & Artists Magazine
Uzo Aduba rides a wave of fame with hit role in 'Orange Is the New Black' BY NICOLE LYN PESCE
Uzo Aduba reveals she was only hired to play Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren for two episodes. Her sentence could have ended with the infamous scene where she pees on Piper’s (Taylor Schilling) floor for spurning her romantic advances. “Wow, how in the world is this
happening?” marvels Aduba, 33, a veteran stage actor who had never auditioned for a TV pilot before. “I feel so just grateful ... it’s opened great doors.
“I was told I was gonna do two episodes and possibly a third,” Aduba tells the Daily News. “I had no expectations whatsoever, except to just tell a good story.” But her portrayal of Piper’s wannabe prison wife scored her several more episodes last year — and a promotion to series regular in the second season debuting Friday on Netflix.
The Boston University graduate performed on Broadway in “Coram Boy” (2007) and “Godspell” (2011) before her manager encouraged her to try television and movie roles. She originally auditioned for the part of track-star- turned-inmate Janae in 2012, but “Orange” creator Jenji Kohan called Aduba back instead to play the wild-eyed woman with a knack for coming on too strong.
Aduba was sucked in by the script. “Everything on the page just came to life,” she says. “It felt so vivid, colorful and alive. I just wanted to match it.” Aduba introduced some of her character’s trademark quirks, from her signature Bantu knots to ad-libbing the “Swirl” song comparing interracial romance to softserve ice cream.
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“The writers allow you to breathe your life into what is written,” she says. “That’s what I love about the show — that freedom of play, that freedom of creation.” She calls Crazy Eyes by her real first name, Suzanne, and sees her as a fiercely loyal woman and a romantic who is true to herself. Those traits come into play this season when new prisoner Vee (Lorraine Toussaint) arrives at Litchfield and starts creating new alliances. “Suzanne knows who she is,” Aduba says. “She’s unapologetic about her mistakes or errors. She owns them.” The character also gets some killer lines. There’s “I threw my pie for you!” — which fans have put on Tshirts, tote bags and pendant necklaces. And when reciting Shakespeare at a Scared Straight seminar for troubled teens, Suzanne says, “I wanna play a role, like Desdemona or Ophelia ... or Clair Huxtable” (of the TV series “The Cosby Show”). Aduba flew under the radar around town for a time, since she’s almost unrecognizable with her hair down and her eyes focused. “People expect for me to come on the subway and walk down the street in the jumpsuit and the knots,” she says with a laugh. But with “Orange” a hit, Aduba sat in the front row at New York Fashion Week, attended the White House Correspondents Dinner and filmed the upcoming movie musical “Pearly Gates.” Viewers are starting to spot her on the street — like when she ran the New York City Marathon in November.
“People would run up to me with their iPhones yelling ‘Hey Crazy Eyes!’ and asking, ‘Can I take a picture with you?’ ” she says. “I’m like, we’re running a marathon. Don’t you have something more important to focus on? But OK!” Questions for Uzo What did your parents want you to be when you were growing up?
UA: They didn’t necessarily want me to be anything—any of us, my siblings and I. I’m firstgeneration Nigerian. A lot of people— Nigerians—go into professional, corporate jobs. Medicine, law, corporate, all that. Really, all my mom ever said was that she wanted whatever it is that we did—for us to put our best into it. And to strive for excellence, whatever that is. And to love it. So, when they found out you were going into acting, how did they feel about that?
UA: They were okay with it. I think they thought, as I did—just because that was the track that people go into, more professional jobs—that I was going to be a lawyer. When I said I wanted to be an artist, they were like, “Okay.” [Laughs.] “That’s fine.”
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As it happens, it took more than just her mom saying she was beautiful to convince the now famous actress to embrace her uniqueness. During her senior class photo, the school photographer asked Aduba why she wouldn’t smile with her mouth open and she said she hated the way it looked. He told her he thought her smile was beautiful.
Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? Uzo Aduba: I think it was Queen Latifah.
What was that like?
“I’ll never forget that moment,” wrote Aduba. “It’s amazing how years of hearing the same response from family and friends constantly had fallen on deaf ears. But right then, I heard it and felt beautiful. A professional photographer with a fancy camera had complimented me on my smile. Gap and all.”
UA: Awesome, because I’m a fan of hers—huge fan. I got to be on her show, and she was everything that I had hoped she would be. She has the most generous and kind and warm spirit. Smart lady, too.
What’s that talk-show experience like? UA: Well, it was the first one I had ever done, so it was amazing to be on a talk show. The audience was so generous, and we were getting to gab and talk and feel very relaxed. I enjoyed the experience. It was really, really, really, really, really fun. And funny, too.
How did you learn to love your smile? “When I was little, I didn’t smile much,” she wrote. “Family photos from those years show a sea of closedmouth smiles.”
As a kid, it’s especially difficult when you feel like you don’t fit in, and I felt like the odd gal out with the only tooth gap in a sea of gap-free teeth. I even begged her mother for braces, but because my mom is awesome, she told me that I was already beautiful. My mother sat me down and explained that my tooth gap was a celebrated ancestral trait and an important part of our family history. In the Nigerian village where my family originated, that very gap was considered a sign of intelligence and beauty.” Authors & Artists Magazine· 11
“When it comes to making the most of your writing time, there are ways to improve the amount you write, and still have time for your life.”
NANOWRIMO PREP WORK: HOW TO FIT WRITING INTO YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE by ABBY SCHREIBER
Everyone has a different take on the writing process, from the classic rhythm of “Write, edit, revise, and repeat” to the scramble of mismatched scenes that eventually come together. As a young author, I find the writing process to be something stretchable, and easy to bend. The writer is the one who truly creates their own writing process out of the twenty-six letters that make up their basic materials. At some point, though, you in your busy life might wonder, “How the heck am I going to fit this writing into my schedule?” Well, there are two simple answers. The first is to become a hermit. The second, and possibly more effective solution, is proactive time management. NaNoWriMo, and its Camp NaNoWriMo events are all about managing time. How else could so many people write 50,000 words, or even more, in only a month? (For more great tips on National Novel Writing Month [NaNoWriMo], download the November/December issue of Writer’s Digest now!) First of all: absolutely do not become a hermit, or remove yourself in any way from friends and family! They will play a major part in the things you achieve. Instead, daydream and seek inspiration whenever you have a moment where getting lost in your ideas won’t be a hazard (because planning a novel in your head during brain surgery doesn’t sound like a good idea, does it?). Plan beforehand. Whether you write on your own, or solely during events like NaNoWriMo, planning makes things incredibly easier. I’ve found that planning can take many routes, too, but it boils down to this: you wrestle with what needs to
happen to fulfill your story, then take note. Perhaps you are like me and string index cards all over your work area, or maybe you make a map of the world you have created. When it comes to making the most of your writing time, there are ways to improve the amount you write, and still have time for your life. You sit down in your free time at your favorite place to write. Let’s say there is only one hour for you to get as much as you can done. What do you do? First, shut off distractions. Tumblr, Facebook, it all has to go. Turn off the phone, hide away the book you’re reading (I know, it is hard). Once these things can’t be of distraction, you can get started, but with what? You have the characters and the world they belong to planned out, but where do you begin? Well, with one word, followed by another. You begin writing with the words that may become the ending to the mystery or the introduction of a character. Steps turn to leaps. You leave this world behind to spend a small time somewhere else. When it is time to get back to work, school, sleep, or whatever else you have to do, remember to never forget whatever it is you write with. Bring a notebook to continue in every spare moment, or your laptop to type during a lunch break. Wherever you go, inspiration follows, even if in the smallest ways. Abigail is a thirteen-year-old writer in Lafayette, Colorado, who has been told that she was practically an adult from birth. Over the past year, she’s written three novels, and hopes to eventually get at least one of them traditionally published. Most day she can be found tucked away in her room, watching Doctor Who, listening to her favorite music, and planning new books. Her first book, Millennium can be found where books are sold. Follow her on Twitter at @epikowl.
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5 WAYS TO ADD SIZZLE TO YOUR NEXT BOOK EVENT Column by Eliza Cross the author of seven books and founder of the bacon enthusiast society BENSA—which, unlike Mensa, welcomes members of all intelligence levels. Her May 2012 release was 101 THINGS TO DO WITH BACON (Gibbs Smith).
1. Throw a great party instead of a book signing. Book signings are dull. Parties are fun! Think of your book event as a rockin’ good blowout, and try to incorporate as many entertaining elements as possible to appeal to the widest audience. 2. Consider a nontraditional venue. For the launch event of 101 THINGS TO DO WITH BACON I teamed up with Tony’s Market, a Denver bistro and gourmet food shop with a huge meat counter. Could you find a setting that relates to your book for your celebration? For your romance novel, perhaps you could hold your soiree at a beautiful antique store that has old chandeliers and gilded mirrors, or in the orchid room of the botanical garden. A war memoir event could be held in an airplane hangar, or at an aviation museum. 3. Serve cocktails and bacon. Hosting a bacon tasting at my cookbook’s launch event was an inspired decision. Servers brought out platter after platter of Tony’s crispy, house-made bacon, and the crowd devoured over thirty pounds. A cash bar kept costs low, and everybody had a great time. Of course, cocktails and bacon might not work for you (although it’s a tough combination to beat), but perhaps you could serve zombie cookies and punch… or champagne and swan-shaped cream puffs….or B-52 shots and C-Rations. 4. Lure book buyers in from the street. When author Irene Rawlings held the launch for her book SISTERS ON THE FLY: CARAVANS, CAMPFIRES AND TALES FROM THE ROAD, seven of the “sisters” parked their pimped-out vintage camping trailers in front of Denver’s Tattered Cover bookstore. People lined up outside to see the trailers, which made other curious people stop, and soon Rawlings’ book signing was standing room only. For my event, I hired two energetic high school boys to wear giant bacon strip costumes I found on eBay. They danced around the sidewalk on Broadway outside of the venue waving huge “Free Bacon Tasting” and “Bacon Cookbooks Here” signs, and we could hear brakes screeching as people stopped to join the festivities. 5. Host a giveaway for a headline-grabbing prize. I held a trivia contest during my launch party and asked people to guess how many times the word “bacon” appeared in my book (487 times, in case you’re wondering). The entry form captured readers’ contact information, and the lucky winner received a year’s supply of bacon—a detail that was reported by several media outlets. How about you? Could you give away a matchmaking session from a professional dating expert? A zombie survival kit? A flight in a vintage DC-10? People love prizes, so find something memorable that will remind them of your book—and they’ll never forget you or your sizzling launch party, either.
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L RENEE SIGNS TO ‘KEMISTRY RECORDS’ LABEL MOTOWN RECORDING ARTIST, KEM, SIGNS HIS BACKGROUND VOCALIST & PERFORMANCE DUETIST TO HIS INDEPENDENT RECORD LABEL, KEMISTRY RECORDS
L Renee to Sing National Anthem at Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions Football Game at Ford Field in Detroit This Sunday, October 5 L Renee, one of Detroit’s most powerful and unforgettable voices, arrived on the music scene in 2005, and has held a strong presence on the local music scene ever since. The Detroit native has written more than 40 songs and has produced and independently released seven albums. She has performed alongside Motown Artist KEM as a background vocalist since 2011, and as a result, has shared the stage with Jill Scott, Trey Songz, Mary J. Blige, Fantasia, Dwele and Ledisi to name a few, and also had the opportunity to open a show for Gladys Knight.
her so much that I added her first single, “Don’t Say Goodbye,” to the Deluxe edition of my newest album, PROMISE TO LOVE.”
Earlier this year, L Renee was signed to a recording contract with Kemistry Records, the independent label owned by Motown Recording Artist, KEM. L Renee, who regularly performs with KEM as a background vocalist and performance duetist, is the first artist signed to his label.GLOW, her first album on the Kemistry Records label, is scheduled for release in 2015.
This November, L Renee will perform as the opening act on KEM’s eightcity “Promise To Love Tour - Part 1” with special guest, Joe. The tour begins on November 14 at Ft. Lauderdale’s Broward Center. Tickets are on sale today at ticketmaster.com.
Prior to signing with the Motown label in 2001, KEM started his Kemistry Records label as a vehicle to produce and distribute his own music. “Running a record label was not something I had interest in, and I had no intention of signing anyone to Kemistry Records…until I met L Renee,”said KEM. “She has one of those special voices, and has an abundance of natural talent and ability as an R&B vocalist. She has the talent to become one of the best female R&B singers of our time. I believe in
“It’s a dream come true to be signed to a record label owned by such an accomplished artist as KEM,” said L Renee. “His influence and mentorship as an artist and a performer is invaluable, and I’m thankful and honored to have the chance to work with him and his team.”
L Renee is also founder of the “L Renee GirlPOWer” non-profit organization, which promotes self-esteem and empowerment in teenaged girls through fun and educational programming and events. L Renee’s fans can find her online at: www.lrenee.net; Facebook.com/ lreneedetroit and on Twitter & Instagram: @lreneedetroit.
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In an excerpt from her new memoir, Hard Choices, Hillary Clinton remembers her mother, Dorothy Howell Rodham—the struggles she overcame and the lessons she passed along.
“From the moment I first held Chelsea in my arms in the hospital in Little Rock, I knew my mission in life was to give her every opportunity to thrive. As she’s grown up and stepped out into the world in her own right, my responsibilities have changed. Now that she’s expecting a child of her own, I’m preparing for a new role that I’ve looked forward to for years: grandmother. And I’ve found myself thinking a lot about my relationship with my own mom, as an adult as well as in childhood, and what lessons I learned from her. When I became Secretary of State, Mom was just about to turn 90. She had been living with us in Washington for the past few years, ever since being alone in her apartment overlooking the zoo on Connecticut Avenue became too much. Like so many Americans of my generation, I felt both blessed to have these extra years with an aging parent and very responsible for making sure she was comfortable and well cared for. Mom gave me so much unconditional love and support when I was growing up in Park Ridge, Illinois; now it was my turn to support her. Of course I never would have let her hear me describe it that way. Dorothy Howell Rodham was a fiercely independent woman. She couldn’t bear the thought of being a burden to anyone. Having her so close became a source of great comfort to me, especially in the difficult period after the end of the 2008 campaign. I’d come home from a long day at the Senate or the
State Department, slide in next to her at the small table in our breakfast nook, and let everything just pour out. Mom loved mystery novels, Mexican food, Dancing with the Stars (we actually managed to get her to a taping of the show once), and most of all her grandchildren. My nephew Zach Rodham’s school was just five minutes away, and he came over many afternoons to visit her. Spending time with Fiona and Simon Rodham, her youngest grandchildren, was a precious delight for her. For Chelsea, her grandmother was one of the most important figures in her life. Mom helped Chelsea navigate the unique challenges of growing up in the public eye and, when she was ready, encouraged her to pursue her passion for service and philanthropy. Even in her 90s, Mom never lost her commitment to social justice, which did so much to mold and inspire me when I was growing up. I loved that she was able to do the same for Chelsea. And I’m not sure if I ever saw Mom happier than at Chelsea’s wedding. She proudly walked down the aisle on Zach’s arm and exulted over her joyful, radiant granddaughter. (Continued) Authors & Artists Magazine· 16
Mom never lost her commitment to social justice, which did so much to mold and inspire me when I was growing up. - Hillary clinton
M
om’s own childhood was marked by trauma and abandonment. In Chicago her parents fought frequently and divorced when she and her sister were young. Neither parent was willing to care for the kids, so they were put on a train to California to live with their paternal grandparents in Alhambra, a town near the San Gabriel Mountains east of Los Angeles. The elderly couple was severe and unloving. One Halloween, after Mom was caught trick-or-treating with school friends, a forbidden activity, she was confined to her room for an entire year, except for the hours she was in school. She wasn’t allowed to eat at the kitchen table or play in the yard. By the time Mom turned fourteen, she could no longer bear life in her grandmother’s house. She moved out and found work as a housekeeper and nanny for a kindhearted woman in San Gabriel who offered room and board plus $3 a week and urged her to attend high school. For the first time she saw how loving parents care for their children—it was a revelation. After graduating from high school Mom moved back to Chicago in the hopes of reconnecting with her own mother. Sadly she was spurned yet again. Heartbroken, she spent the next five years working as a secretary before she met and married my father, Hugh Rodham. She built a new life as a homemaker, spending her days lavishing love on me and my two younger brothers.
When I got old enough to understand all this, I asked my mother how she survived abuse and abandonment without becoming embittered and emotionally stunted. How did she emerge from this lonely early life as such a loving and levelheaded woman? I’ll never forget how she replied. “At critical points in my life somebody showed me kindness,” she said. Sometimes it would seem so small, but it would mean so much—the teacher in elementary school who noticed that she never had money to buy milk, so every day would buy two cartons of milk and then say, “Dorothy, I can’t drink this other carton of milk. Would you like it?” Or the woman who hired her as a nanny and insisted that she go to high school. One day she noticed that Mom had only one blouse that she washed every day. “Dorothy, I can’t fit into this blouse anymore and I’d hate to throw it away. Would you like it?” she said.
Mom was amazingly energetic and positive even into her 90s. But her health started to fail her; she had trouble with her heart. By the fall of 2011 I was growing worried about leaving her alone. On the evening of October 31, another Halloween, I was preparing to leave for London and Turkey. My team was already on board the airplane at Andrews waiting for me to arrive so we could take off. That’s when I got the call that Mom had been rushed to George Washington University Hospital. I quickly canceled the trip and sped there. Bill, Chelsea, and Marc rushed down from New York, and my brothers and their wives, Hugh and Maria and Tony and Megan, arrived as quickly as they could. Mom was a fighter her entire life, but it was finally time to let go. I sat by her bedside and held her hand one last time. No one had a bigger influence on my life or did more to shape the person I became. (Continued)
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When I lost my father in 1993, it felt too soon, and I was consumed with sadness for all the things he would not live to see and do. This was different. Mom lived a long and full life. This time I wept not for what she would miss but for how much I would miss her. I spent the next few days going through her things at home, paging through a book, staring at an old photograph, caressing a piece of beloved jewelry. I found myself sitting next to her empty chair in the breakfast nook and wishing more than anything that I could have one more conversation, one more hug. We held a small memorial service at the house with close family and friends. We asked Reverend Bill Shillady, who married Chelsea and Marc, to officiate. Chelsea spoke movingly, as did many of Mom’s friends and our family. I read a few lines from the poet Mary Oliver, whose work Mom and I both adored. Standing there with Bill and Chelsea by my side, I tried to say a final goodbye. I remembered a piece of wisdom that an older friend of mine shared in her later years that perfectly captured how my mother lived her life and how I hoped to live mine: “I have loved and been loved; all the rest is background music.” I looked at Chelsea and thought about how proud Mom was of her. Mom measured her own life by how much she was able to help us and serve others. I knew if she was still with us, she would be urging us to do the same. Never rest on your laurels. Never quit. Never stop working to make the world a better place. That’s our unfinished business.”
Copyright © 2014 by Hillary Rodham Clinton. From the book Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton, published by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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Authors & Artists Magazine路 15
Th
is month director, Justin Simien will make his feature directorial debut with the release of his comedydrama, “Dear White People.” The much talked about flick, which stars Dennis Haysbert, Tyler James Williams, and Tessa Thompson, has already generated a significant amount of buzz after winning the prestigious title of Sundance Film Festival’s Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent and its hilarious trailers that have gone viral. The thought-provoking satire follows a collective group of college students on a fictional ivy league campus, as they navigate various racially charged experiences. Simien was on hand last weekend for the 39th annual National Association of Black Journalists Convention, where he showcased the film during an advanced screening. Among the film’s many layered messages, the Los Angeles-based producer and writer explained how he made an attempt to con-
“I think it is difficult for the millennial generation to talk about racism, because racism is not as overt as it once was. There really aren’t lynch mobs. Racism, more or less, comes in the form of these little microaggressions,” he admitted during a Q&A session immediately following the private screening. “These little suspicions that black people have to carry around with them wherever they go…the people wanting to touch your hair, the people demanding that you defend something that Obama did. And so, racism sort of appears in these subtly, kind of, embedded ways that are harder to detect.” He also discussed how social media has changed the amount of attention and scrutiny placed on events that have been taking place on college campuses for years. “I think there’s a sense of paranoia about calling them out at all, because things are much better than there were in ‘Roots.’
And so, it is sort of harder to broach the top. And I think we are in the social media age, and so now these sort-of black face, ghetto themed parties that have been happening forever on college campuses, now they’re starting to hit Facebook.
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ut that wasn’t really happening before. And you really walk away wondering, ‘Was that racist? Am I crazy for thinking that was racist?’ So I do think that it’s challenging.” Simien continued to explain his creative process during the conversation and revealed the real reason why the film is simply titled, “Dear White People.” “We can talk about the myth of reverse racism all day, but I think ultimately I’m a black filmmaker making an independent black film. If I called my movie, ‘Ruminations On Race,’ or whatever, nobody would care who I am, or what I have to say or what I’m doing. So yeah, you have to get butts in seats,” he said. “That is the title’s job, first and foremost. But also think for me, thematically, the title really resonates, because I think a lot of the characters are part of the identity crisis that I’ve had as a person of color like, ‘is all of my identity just a response to mainstream white culture.’ Like is it whether or not I wear my hair straight, kinking, or curly? Isn’t that in some way a ‘Dear White People’? Aren’t I in some way rebelling against or being accused of absorbing too much of white mainstream culture?”
Winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival's Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent, Dear White People is a sly, provocative satire of race relations in the age of Obama. Writer/director Justin Simien follows a group of African American students as they navigate campus life and racial politics at a predominantly white college in a sharp and funny feature film debut that earned him a spot on Variety's annual "10 Directors to Watch." When Dear White People screened at MOMA's prestigious New Directors/New Films, the New York Times' A.O. Scott wrote, "Seeming to draw equal measures of inspiration from Whit Stillman and Spike Lee, but with his own tart, elegant sensibility very much in control, Mr. Simien evokes familiar campus stereotypes only to smash them and rearrange the pieces." http://www.dearwhitepeoplemovie.com/
“And to me, I think they’re all sort of struggling with that…and before you see the film, at least you’re talking about it. Because most independent black films don’t have the advantage of other independent films.”
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Fashion in Motion: Ralph & Russo
British couture brand Ralph & Russo will be the next subject of the V&A’s popular Fashion in Motion exhibition. The event, which takes place on October 17, will comprise of four catwalk shows featuring highlights from the label’s opulent evening wear collections, designed by founders Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo. Having been accepted into the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in 2013, Ralph & Russo are currently the only British label to show on the official Paris Haute Couture fashion week schedule, creating exquisite, hand-crafted garments inspired by the vintage glamour of the 1940s and 50s. Running alongside the V&A’s Wedding Dresses 17752014 exhibition, the catwalk show will mimic a seasonal couture show by culminating in a fairytale wedding gown. Made from silk organza and gazar, the dress features 40 different types of bead, 25 types of Swarovski crystal and almost 4,000 hours of hand embroidery.
"It is always thrilling to see the work of haute couture designers up close, so we are delighted to welcome Ralph & Russo to our Fashion in Motion programme,"
"Their garments represent the height of sartorial craftmanship and I’m sure the V&A audience will enjoy the opportunity to see these dramatic pieces first-hand in the Museum galleries." Now in its 15th year, the Fashion in Motion programme aims to bring fashion to the wider public by staging catwalk shows with some of the world’s most renowned designer’s. Previous participants have included Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood and Christian Lacroix. The event can be live-streamed here.
said Oriole Cullen, Fashion in Motion curator. Authors & Artists Magazine· 22
Shonda Rhimes has done it again. From Grey's Anatomy to Private Practice to Scandal, the 44-year-old producer has created some of the most dynamic female characters on television. And now she's added How to Get Away with Murder to her family of must-see shows.
Created by Peter Nowalk (a former writer and producer on Grey's and Scandal), HTGAWM bears all the signatures of a Rhimes-produced show. A strong, female character at the top of her game? Check. A diverse cast of unique supporting characters? Double check. But HTGAWM doesn't stop there. It actually improves upon the successful formula by downplaying any romantic entanglements, which, at times, have weighed down the leads of Rhimes's other shows.
Already married and successful, HTGAWM's Annalise Keating (Academy Award nominee Viola Davis) is seemingly devoid of the insecurities that plague Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) on Grey's and Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) on Scandal. As a powerful and demanding lawyer and professor, Annalise (and Davis) commands every room she's in and elevates the talents of anyone close enough to bask in the glow of her regality – including the young, overachieving students she selects to intern at her firm.
How to Get Away with Murder—Thursday (10 p.m. ET) Authors & Artists Magazine· 24
"His
life story is fascinating ... If you saw the prices now, you wish you had bought a couple of years ago." - Banksy
The Stephen Wiltshire Gallery 5 Royal Opera Arcade, St James's Pall Mall, London SW1Y 4UY PHONE: 020 7321 2622 http://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/index.aspx
Having your own gallery in the heart of London is a real achievement. How does it make you feel?
S
tephen Wiltshire is an artist who draws and paints detailed cityscapes. He has a particular talent for drawing lifelike, accurate representations of cities, sometimes after having only observed them briefly. He was awarded an MBE for services to the art world in 2006. He studied Fine Art at City & Guilds Art College. His work is popular all over the world, and is held in a number of important collections. Stephen was born in London, United Kingdom to West Indian parents on 24th April, 1974. As a child he was mute, and did not relate to other people. Aged three, he was diagnosed as autistic. He had no language and lived entirely in his own world. At the age of five, Stephen was sent to Queensmill School in London, where it was noticed that the only pastime he enjoyed was drawing. It soon became apparent he communicated with the world through the language of drawing; first animals, then London buses, and finally buildings. These drawings show a masterful perspective, a whimsical line, and reveal a natural innate artistry.
I feel proud of myself, lots of people come to visit my gallery from all over the world and buy my artwork, lots of school groups also come to visit. I come to my gallery twice a week and meet people and sign my autograph. What has been the longest time for you to finish a piece of artwork? Eight days, that was in Tokyo when I did a 10 metres panorama from memory. This is the longest panorama of all the ones I have done. You were very young when your father died. Do you think about him sometimes? Sometimes. I know it made my Mom feel very sad and she misses him a lot. We have many photos in our family album with my Dad photographed with me and my sister Annette. What words of inspiration can you give our readers? Do what you do best and never stop.
Q&A How old were you when you started drawing? I was three years old. My earliest drawing was recorded at the age of five. Apart from using pen and ink, what other medium do you use? I also use chalk pastels. I like to use it when I add color to my work, it's easy to smudge in. I also use oil paints for larger work sometimes. I don't paint that often as it takes too long for the paint to dry. I much prefer pen and ink.
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Bruni Gallery 1171 Lincoln Ave San Jose, CA 95125 Willow Glen Get Directions Phone: (408) 298-4700 www.brunijazzart.com
BRUNI Gallery is the home of 'The Jazz Masters Series by BRUNI'
An
explosive experience of color and soul, encompassing over 1,400 original oil Jazz Paintings. Her wildly expressionistic brush captures the very depths of their spirit. One of BRUNI's Duke Ellington Portraits is in the permanent collection of The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. BRUNI also specializes in Humanitarian Icons such as Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandella, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and many more. She has a huge repertoire of colorful and decorative abstracts and florals as well.
BRUNI Gallery also houses the spectacular 'Sports Originals' by artist Mark Gray. He as done work with NHL, NFL, NBA, and many sports related charities. Mark also has original paintings of Landscapes, Indian and Western scenes as well. ABOUT THE ARTIST Bruni Sablan was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil circa the midtwentieth century. Artistry has been her heritage. Her father Joseph Parello, of Sicilian decent, a civil engineer and architect, also painted. Her mother, Clo Parello, of Lebanese decent, was an accomplished classical pianist and beloved piano
instructor for many years in the Northern California bay area. VIEW VIDEO OF ARTIST AND HER WORK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NicgikM9QPw
"True Creativity...It's not so much what you get on the canvas, but how you feel after really painting"...BRUNI
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The California African American Museum Presents “The Legacy of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company: More Than a Business” Date: Current Exhibit Time: 10:00am to 5:00pm Venue: California African American Museum Address: 600 State Drive Los Angeles, CA 90037 Admission is Free / Parking is $10 - please enter at 39th and Figueroa Streets http://www.caamuseum.org/
On July 23, 1925 under the leadership of William Nickerson, Jr., Norman O. Houston and George Beavers, Jr., Golden State Guarantee Fund Insurance Company began in a one room office at 1412 Central Avenue. Within three months they had outgrown that space and moved to a storeroom at 3512 Central Avenue. Within three years the company had over 100 employees and branches in Pasadena, Bakersfield, San Diego, and Fresno. In 1928, using African Americans for design and labor, they built the two-story Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building at 4261 Central Avenue where the firm occupied the top floor while the main floor was rented to merchants. The company name changed to Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company (GSM) in 1931 and expanded into Illinois in 1938 and Texas in 1944. In 1948 GSM commissioned African American architect Paul Williams to design the building that stands to this day as an historic landmark on the corner of Western and Adams Blvds.
From the historic murals they commissioned for the lobby by artists Charles Alston and Hale Woodruff to their willingness in 1965 to allow artist William “Bill” Pajaud to curate what became the largest U.S. collection of corporateowned African American art in this country, GSM became more than just a business. We salute its founders and the activist role they took in promoting African American culture and history for its employees and customers. This exhibition would not have been possible but for support CAAM initially received from The Getty Foundation for Places of Validation, Art & Progression as part of The Getty’s initiative Pacific Standard Time: Art in LA: 19451980. Loaned items for this exhibition came from the UCLA Library Special Collections; the California State Insurance Commissioner; Alden Kimbrough, William Pajaud, and other collectors who graciously shared their histories, time, art and artifacts to make this tribute possible. Authors & Artists Magazine· 28
SPRING/SUMMER 15 COLLECTION
Spring/Summer 2015 October 6 – 12, 2014