Ida Lupino’s film noir debut, available free thanks to the Open Culture site. If you don’t know about them — well, there goes your productivity for the day. Books, audio and films galore. The RADA-trained English daughter of a stage comedian became best known for her increasingly dark films, no less than when she turned…
Category: women
There’s Got to be a Word for It
Here’s a thing: from one of those ongoing discussions, most recently on Facebook, but other places too. There’s a phenomenon that crops up all the time, yet has eluded naming so far. As I mentioned when sharing Peg’s post (right) about director Brenda Chapman on Facebook, the usefulness of the term “gaslighting” has been amply…
The How To Issue
[One of many responses to the How To Issue] How To Guide: World Domination Some people use the holidays to give gifts, bond with families and eat too much. These people will never control the globe. Lots of people have a good string of days off this time of year when they are free of…
The Magic Pencil
I’m a guest over at Women Writers, Women Books this week: Casting the Writer’s Spell In my creative writing courses, I wave my magic pencil over my students and declare them to be writers—at least for the duration of the semester. After that, I say, it’s up to them to take over the spell. They…
Nora Ephron Made Movies
To some it may seem like a small thing, but it’s not: Nora Ephron made movies. In an industry where M. Night Shamalamadingdong can continue to get movies financed despite making some of the worst movies ever, women continue to be seen as “too much of a risk” to gamble on. It boggles the mind….
Friday’s Forgotten Books: Jean Craighead George
I was saddened to hear of the death of Jean Craighead George yesterday. I think Liz Hand first published a link on Facebook, but loads of others shared the news with the same feeling of loss for her absence and joy for her vivid adventures of the outdoors. One of my former students said she…
Thursday Tune: Revolution
Because I am fed up with the war against women and this sort of thing, this is my mood.
Friday’s Forgotten Books: The Life of Christina of Markyate
I don’t think there’s much chance of overlap with this week’s choice. The life of a twelfth century recluse: it doesn’t scream popular appeal, I suppose. But it should! A fascinating story and an early biography of a woman in a time when few but kings and saints got their stories told (fortunately at least…
Review: Hunger Games
Big thanks to the lovely Maura who’s off in London Inverness (hopefully winning an Eagle for Jennifer Wilde next month) who not only persuaded me to head out to see the film, but introduced me to the swank G Hotel, a remnant of the Celtic Tiger where some fabulous drinks in classy surroundings were to…
Writer Wednesday: Danielle Ackley-McPhaill
Award-winning author Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for over sixteen years. Currently, she is a project editor and promotions manager for Dark Quest Books. Her published works include four urban fantasy novels, Yesterday’s Dreams, Tomorrow’s Memories, the upcoming Today’s Promise, and The Halfling’s Court: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale. She is…