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A Bird's Eye View of RVABy Josephine Stone QuailBellMagazine.com Perched high above the offices that house Richmond, Virginia's school board, city council and mayor is one of the best places to see the city. Complete with picnic tables and tall glass windows, the pristine observation deck on top of City Hall is the perfect place to have lunch, take a break from the busy capital below or to have press-your-head-against-the-glass fun, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" style.
Upon several visits to the OD (observation deck, for those not in the know), it is apparent that this perfect (and free!) watch tower is going unnoticed by most. Open to the public, most visitors are clad in business suits, taking their break from the offices floors below. Civilians seem a rarity. A couple of slow laps around the circumference, and it is possible to the see Richmond in most of its entirety. Cars moving like toys across small roads and bridges, the top of the John Marshall Hotel feeling as though it's within reach, and the Coliseum resting nearby like a discarded Frisbee. The view, however, doesn't diminish the majesty of the river city--it allows one to just step back (or up, as the case may be), and realize how quickly the world is moving outside, and how simple it is to take a break from it. City Hall is located at 900 E. Broad Street, Richmond, VA. Hours for the observation deck are Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The observation deck can be accessed through any elevator by hitting the "OD" button that takes you to the top, 18th floor. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
One Rabbit Hole, Three Different WorldsBy Samantha Highfill QuailBellMagazine.com It seems that each time Alice falls down the rabbit hole, she ends up in an entirely different world. Perhaps that’s the beauty of adaptation. Or maybe it’s the product of too much creative license. Either way, an adaptation is often defined as a film derived from a source text. No two adaptations are identical. When Lewis Carroll originally wrote, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, I doubt that he imagined that his book would be made into movies for decades to come. I also doubt that he thought a huge movie star named Johnny Depp would one day play the Mad Hatter. Of course, Carroll was dead before Depp was born, but you get the point. Every individual film adaptation is at the mercy of its writer and director. One story means endless interpretations and impossibilities.
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Yum, GingerbreadBy Ani Mikaelian QuailBellMagazine.com These days it’s often hard to find a group driven by an eclectic variety of sounds. New York-based band Rasputina solves the problem of oversimplified, stereotypical music, with their cellos the first to draw attention. While the history and fashion of the Victorian era is a big influence for the group, Rasputina has been faithfully delivering music that is often tied in with goth, dark, folk, and indie elements for three decades. Such a mix ultimately makes Rasputina impossible to pin-point. And with a generous aptitude for productivity (nine albums and counting), Melora Creager (vocalist/cellist), Daniel DeJesus (cellist), and Melissa Bell (drummer) are not at all finished bringing their charming weirdness to the table.
The world may be living mostly on music made by guitars, keys, and drums, but sometimes we stumble upon...cellos. An odd choice outside of Yo-Yo Ma, so naturally a cello-embracing ensemble like Rasputina has a message. It's up to you to decide exactly what that message is.) In relying on the strings in question, Rasputina does a fabulous job of promoting an instrument that normally has no place outside of classical music. "Normalcy," of course, has never been Rasputina's comfort zone. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
An Anarchist FairytaleBy Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com Elwin Cotman's first book, The Jack Daniels Sessions EP (Six Gallery Press, 2010), proves that magic and grit don't have to be mutually exclusive. Writing somewhere between Toni Morrison and Hans Christian Andersen, Cotman yarns fairytales set at D.C. punk shows and Jim Crow-era farmlands alike. And what the then 26-year-old author said during our early February 2011 phone conversation indicates that his gift for negotiating the real and unreal only grows as he continues to read, live, and observe. Yet well before I spoke to Elwin on that algid evening—me in Richmond, VA and him in San Francisco—I had formed an unshakable opinion of him and his talent.
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Fantasy in Modern LifeBy Daniel Wikey QuailBellMagazine.com Once upon a time, there was a young man who lived in a busy village by the sea. “Fairy tale time” was over; he was quite sure of it. Postmodern technology seemed to have wiped that sense of wonder clean from the public imagination. One day, he walked to work. Buildings crept into his line of sight. Marvels of architecture that perhaps grew from tiny industrial seeds into towers of metal and granite. He saw a large gate--was it simply a demarcation of entering a new place, or was it a symbolic hearkening to folkloric thresholds or portals to other worlds? Could it be both?
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Poe, Brought to You By Lime Crime Make-upBy Doe Deere Photography by Genouille QuailBellMagazine.com Products used: Retrofuturist & Styletto lipsticks, Medusa & Top Hattie magic dusts, black gel liner, lashes. This modern gothic look is inspired by the raven, a black-feathered bird that is considered a bad omen in many cultures. Here at Lime Crime we happen to like ravens and see nothing wicked about them--other than their being wicked-awesome!
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Challenging CreaturesBy Josephine Stone
QuailBellMagazine.com Monsters and immortal beings present a challenge to leaders and kings that aid in the progression of personal change while representing anxieties of a civilization. The creatures that challenge Odysseus in The Odyssey and the title character in Beowulf represent a hurdle in the growth of a leader and further solidify this role. The immortal and monster women on Odysseus' journey home speak to his growth and ability to favor family over plunder, and a treasure-guarding dragon shows Beowulf that settling down and valuing material objects is a deadly mistake. These monsters are perceived to be a plight on society that must be destroyed, and it is only after their defeat that the positive reinforcements of their confrontation can be noticed--whether it be for a king's personal growth that will help how he rules his people or by demonstrating the unwholesome nature of materialism. These kings face monsters that help positively change who they are and provide commentary on societal anxieties of the time by characterizing common leadership challenges with otherworldly beings, allowing for the defeat of familiar issues in beast form to provide a greater morality and taste of success. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Hidden SensualityBy Sandra Scholes
QuailBellMagazine.com Underneath all the charm, politeness and chivalry, men in the Regency period had little outlet for their erotic pursuits and the pursuit of pleasure in other ways. They had their outdoors hobbies, like riding, hunting, shooting and falconry, but yet another came out of almost thin air thanks to French author Francois Rabelais. Rabelais wrote several chapters of a novel where he formed his idea of an ideal community where pleasure and self-satisfaction reigned supreme. His tenet of ‘Do what you will’ gave a reason for him to create the Hell-Fire Club where like-minded men could come to secret meetings and indulge in wine, women and drugs. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Your LOTR Dreams Come TrueBy Sandra Scholes QuailBellMagazine.com Visitors to this site will no doubt recognise the stylised leaves on the opening page being from the popular Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies. Far from it being the run of the mill clothing retailers, there is something for everyone here as long as it is to do with the alternative look. From faerie looks, to Gothic items for young girls, it has enough to keep the interest flowing, even for new browsers to the site. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
A Convention Re-visitedBy Brittany Fulk & Helen Georgia Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com RavenCon is a science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and horror convention held annually in Richmond, VA. Inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, RavenCon features a variety of programming, including author readings, gaming, a costume contest, and seminars on many thematic topics. This year, RavenCon took place from April 9-12, 2010 at the Koger Center Holiday Inn on Midlothian Turnpike. Two of our contributors, Helen Stoddard and Brittany Fulk, approached RavenCon in true shutterbug fashion. Here are some of their catches: The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Manchild ChroniclesFor immediate release Ben Nardolilli 703-536-4058 bnardolilli@gmail.com Ben Nardolilli is twenty-five years old, unemployed, single, lives with his parents, and wants to rescue himself from becoming another statistic for others to lament over or Judd Apatow to feature in a film. To this end he has sworn to turn his life around and work harder than ever before at becoming an adult. In his new blog, http://idontwannabeamanchild.blogspot.com/, Ben plans to chronicle the steps he is taking to get himself off the well-worn path that is leading him to becoming a Manchild, or a self-absorbed failure who remains stuck in the past, unable to make a commitment or break free of his parents. His hoped for destination instead? To become a mensch. Along the way Ben hopes to document his adventures, both mundane and unusual, doing things other adults take for granted as part of their daily routine but which are mysteries to him. His goals are lofty and small, ranging from getting a job and finding an apartment, to learning to cook and driving on the highway. His hope is that by writing the blog and setting up goals for himself to reach, Ben can more easily break away from the route he has so far been taking through the wilderness of life. Once, Ben had a plan, or at least direction and promise. He had a social life, a girlfriend, a college that wanted him, a school filled with people who knew his name. He thought he might become a professor of some sort, or maybe get a job with the state department. Maybe he would even become a published writer. Above all, he wanted to be an adult, living and thriving on his own. Now all these have escaped his grasp through a combination of various mishaps, betrayals, and certain economic collapses. Of course he does have some weapons in his arsenal that he plans to use. He is a magna cum laude graduate, a published writer and poet, lives near Washington DC, is a snazzy dresser, and has a mean mustache. Follow his journey and hopefully be inspired, or at least amused. http://idontwannabeamanchild.blogspot.com with excerpts on QuailBellMagazine.com Also, follow his regular blog: http://mirrorsponge.blogspot.com/ The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
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Surreal? Real? Perception is Reality.By Josephine Stone
QuailBellMagazine.com After seeing "Gods and Goddesses", a Richmond-based exhibit containing several of curator Helene Ruiz's works, I was interested in meeting the Bronx native in her own element in hopes of learning about the inspiration behind her paintings. The walls of her Mechanicsville, VA home are covered from floor to ceiling with paintings. Even the surfaces of tables and shoes are unable to escape Ruiz's creative touch. After walking through the paintings, she explains that her art could easily be put into a timeline of her life, making it clear that the peculiar, raw nature of her paintings is a reflection of her past, and in some cases, a prediction of the future. Many call Helene Ruiz a surrealist, but what she paints is what she considers her reality. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Confessions of a Clown College Drop-out |
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