Edited by Melissa Schack

By Alex Carrigan

​It's hard to believe that 3/4 of a century ago, the nuclear age began with the first atomic bombs being tested and dropped on two Japanese cities. The research and development of this field has led to extreme changes in global politics, necessitating plenty of legislation and regulations to ensure the entire world isn't wiped out in nuclear war. While we know a lot about nuclear weapons and their devastating effects, it's fascinating to think about how little we know about the people behind them.

After a long day, everyone loves to snuggle on their sofa and relax. Your living room is a place to gather with friends and family, but it can also be a private sanctuary when you live alone or when no one else is around. This is why it’s good to have a living room that feels inviting and warm, especially on those cold, winter nights. If you want to make your living room feel cozier, here are a few steps you could take to help it become a tranquil hideaway:

By The Editors

The COVID-19 Pandemic has been a struggle for artists of all types, from nationally recognized productions to local theatre groups. One such group, The Merry Beggars, is a Catholic non-profit theatre organization that focuses on “stories that heal our culture by revealing the dignity of the human person.” They host acting training, run a blog where professionals can give advice and share stories, and run different workshops.

They were founded by Peter Atkinson, a graduate of Columbia University’s M.F.A program. An actor, writer, and magician, Atkinson has played a variety of roles over the course of his years in school and the professional world, from classical Shakespearean parts to much more modern roles. 

Quail Bell Magazine recently spoke to Peter Atkinson about The Merry Beggars and how the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected the arts.

By The Editors

There's nothing like a live performance, as we're woefully aware of during the COVID-19 pandemic. But The Quail Bell Crew did get a brief taste of the olden days at the Long Island Theatre Collective's Fall Fest. This outdoor, socially distanced Sept. 25-26 event featured small casts and enforced limited entry to a parking lot in Bethpage, New York. Our founder Christine Sloan Stoddard and long-time contributor Ben Nardolilli (most recently the writer/narrator of the Quail Bell Productions film Drunken History) appeared in a one-act play at the festival. That play was Meagan J. Meehan's "A Soul to Squeeze," a comedy about an angel and devil fighting for the soul of a gluttonous festival-goer. Stoddard played the Angel, Donna Morales (who you might recognize from Quail Bell Production's "Cyber Cinderella") played the Devil, and Nardolilli played the Soul. And we have photographic evidence that this play did indeed take place:

By Alex Carrigan

​Pandemic literature before COVID-19 seems almost quaint nowadays. To imagine society falling apart due to some virus, usually traced back to an animal of some kind, seems easier to accept after how 2020 has turned out. Of course, this isn't to decry any pandemic literature before this year, but to make it interesting to study in hindsight. What do we know now about global pandemics that we only thought were fiction before, and how have the last several decades of research and study shaped our culture and media are all matters we've considered now that we've seen a pandemic of this scale play out.

By Red Sagalow

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg #RBG (March 15, 1933-September 18, 2020)

Rest well. Thank you for all you have done. 

By Alex Carrigan

 Carlos Alazraqui has probably one of the most colorful careers in entertainment. Over the last few decades, he has played everything from a fast food mascot to a spider monkey at summer camp to a wallaby trying to make it in his 20's. If you can think of an animated series or movie, Alazraqui has likely lent his unique voice style to the work, having appeared in hundreds of projects over the last thirty years or so.

By Christine Sloan Stoddard

Quail Bell Magazine founder Christine Sloan Stoddard reads her poem "Doña Azucena," one of two pieces she has appearing in the forthcoming Written in Arlington anthology edited by Katherine E. Young.

By Gretchen Gales

The Americans with Disabilities Act, or the ADA, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. While it is a significant landmark in disability rights, it only goes so far for the disabled community. If you're one of many people going undiagnosed, it can't protect you at all. 
​
I didn’t know I qualified for protections under the ADA until I was finally diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at the age of 22. Sure, I had pediatric records indicating I was diagnosed with a tic disorder and “OCD traits” at eight years-old, but my neurologist was focused strictly on eliminating tics and the anxiety that caused them. He never offered resources or ways to cope with them on my own. For four years, my treatment only targeted eliminating bothersome symptoms so that I could appear more “normal” during my daily activities. This was ultimately a reflection on how I learned to live in a society as a disabled person: don’t tell anyone about your disability at all costs, or be treated as subhuman.
​