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The Picture Apothecary: Bird PreyBy The Picture Pharmacist QuailBellMagazine.com Dear fledglings, Here's another gift from Quail Bell. It's called "Bird Prey." Note that's no typo. It's not "Bird of Prey." That Greco-Roman lady clearly has it coming. Maybe you can save her if you download this image fast enough and Photoshop those nasty eagles out of the picture before they scoop out her eyes. For the lady's sake, please try it. Yours truly, The Picture Pharmacist
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French Wet Nurses and the Wild WestBy Bolashade Hanson QuailBellMagazine.com By Joe Ciardiello, ©The New York Times Whether it was narrating a walk with school friends in her home state of California or having conversations with old characters while observing the architecture in her current city of Richmond, reading books and writing fiction have always been part of author Susann Cokal’s life. Susann has two published novels and teaches creative writing and literature at Virginia Commonwealth University. She often writes tales that fall into the realms of historical fiction and magical realism. Here is an excerpt from her first novel, Mirabilis: "A young priest with the yellow eyes of a hart takes the heavy Virgin in his hands. He murmurs the Gloriosa while sunlight streams through the colored windows and stains the rock-crystal belly. At last he raises Her. Blanche's body colors, too; her face turns blue, her hands red, and she smiles to herself as she prays. And as she does this, she feels her limbs lighten and tingle. She grows lighter, and lighter still, while the feeling becomes a sort of sparkle behind her eyes... Beside her, a gasp. Within her, a lurch. Blanche is floating upward. Before she knows it her feet have left the floor. Her mouth tastes of dust, and her left shoe falls off. Unseen hands continue to lift her until she rests high above the heads of her parents" (viii). Cokal studied art history, medieval history and literature in France. The miraculous and magical occurrences in faith and the customs and language of that time are definitely present in the vivid writing of her first book Mirabilis. However, Cokal would say many things inspire her writing. In these audio clips, the quirky author unveils the sources of her inspiration, stories of writing and success, and her distinction between "medieval" and "magical realism": Why fiction? Medieval vs. Magical Realism Themes Influences Writers Publishing Success Writing Tips Audio editing by Whitney Booker The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
C'est la goutte d'eau qui fait déborder le vase.By Joseph Paulk QuailBellMagazine.com Origin: French Literal Translation: It's the water drop which caused the vase to overflow. Meaning: It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
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Mom, I'm getting my Master's in Fairyology.By Paisley Hibou QuailBellMagazine.com By Rachel Jones If any frowning, throat-clearing, law-abiding adult ever tries to convince you that fairy tales are for children, remind them that several highly esteemed universities offer graduate programs in folklore. In other words, after you've earned your M.A. or PhD., pretty prestigious institutions like the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress might actually be interested in your thoughts about magic, mythology, and oral storytelling. Heck, they might even shake a little money bag at you (an object more respectably known as a “research grant.”)
In the United States alone, a couple dozen programs in folklore, mythology, and related studies exist. A few of the American universities that offer such a distinctive Master's degree include Berkeley University, Western Kentucky University, University of Oregon, and University of Texas-Austin. In Canada, Memorial University is well-regarded for its graduate folklore program. Other notable Master's in folklore departments reside at Shandong University (China) and University of Aberdeen (Scotland). The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
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[Your Text Here]Are you a wordsmith or just a funny little fledgling? Participate in QB's first-ever caption contest! Email us your text for the following picture by Halloween 2011. Put 'Caption Contest' and your last name in the subject line. In the body of the email, write your full name, caption and a brief statement about what inspired your submission. If your submission wins, we'll post it here on The Real blogroll, along with your byline and personal statement. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
From the Wizard Dictionary: "Haruspex"By The Word Wizard QuailBellMagazine.com By Christine Stoddard haruspex \huh-RUSS-peks\ a diviner in ancient Rome basing his predictions on inspection of the entrails of sacrificial animals. [Merriam-Webster]
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RVA Music Fest 2011by Josephine Stone QuailBellMagazine.com "Crazy for You" by Best Coast "Jump on Stage" by Girl Talk This summer a new tradition may have been born, the hipster youth of Richmond, VA just being the first to see the small newborn's head crest. The baby's name is RVA Music Fest and it can be hoped to grow up to be a beautiful, beautiful thing.
RVA Magazine and Phull Entertainment joined forces to supply a two-day music festival that on Saturday, September 10th invaded most of the city's bars with local indie bands, and on Sunday, September 11th shut down 18th street and E. Main with headliners Best Coast and Girl Talk from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Electricity and the sound of wallets shrinking was in the air on Sunday evening as spry concert-goers passed through the gates after paying the $30 entry fee. This sort of price in the first year of a fest sponsored by a free magazine shocked me and seemed to filter the crowd that came in. The only people I knew were those working at the bars and some friends who had finagled their way into being VIP "hype girls" for free entry and booze. For everyone else who didn't have a job or connection in the Bottom, the price was too high. After walking through the security check point a young woman asked if we'd like a free bottle of water and a portable fan at a stand educating passers-by of the deadly rotten egg smell of natural gas. A few more steps and a couple of older men next to a giant inflatable Monster energy drink waved their arms in the air and yelled, "Come and try one!" The ticket at this point had almost paid for itself. Who knew we'd be getting free stuff? (And additional weird entertainment?) The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Greetings, FolkloreBy Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com Her name is Folklore and she is the spirit of a society. She hovers over a people's traditions, melting into the music, steaming from the food, and pulsating in the words that storytellers wield to carve out their cultural insights. Like a placenta, Folklore enters the world from the birth canal and, like a skeleton, she exits the world in graves and ashes. Then she repeats the cycle one-thousand times a day in a thousand different locations. She inhabits North, South, East, and West; urban, rural, and suburban; yesterday, today, and tomorrow, too. Folklore lingers in the corners of living rooms. She jumps out from books and slithers through films. If you watch closely—or at least manage to open your eyes for a moment—you'll spot Folklore on Christmas morning or at bedtime as you read your child tales you only thought you had forgotten. Once, on my way home from school, I met Folklore. As I rounded a corner from one side and she from another, we bumped into each other. She felt soothingly plush, though I pretended not to notice her body. Given her multiple manifestations, I did not recognize her at first. I only asked who she was when I felt her staring at me. I mustered a fake cough and then asked if I knew her. She replied, “You have known me all your life and, depending on how you regard me, will know me in death, as well.” I paused, nodded and bid her farewell, only to sight her a second later, coming at me from another direction. There is no escaping the ubiquitous Folklore. This ghost haunts our dreams, memories, and precious random thoughts. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Thrice the FunSince you're here, it's safe to assume you know about Quail Bell's The Real blogroll. This is where we post all our non-fiction content, both journalistic and scholarly-esque. You've probably seen The Unreal blogroll, too. It's for all our creative fiction, from poetry to photography to short stories to videos and more. But did you know we have a third blogroll? It has the blander name of About. That DOES NOT, however, make it bland! The blogroll focuses on QB behind the scenes--what The QB Crew is up to, in-progress stories, events, store discounts, and more. Learn about who runs this magazine, what projects are in store, and how you can show your support for our exploration of folklore of all kinds.
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Fairy Food: Spinach & Plum Salad with FetaBy QB Chef QuailBellMagazine.com Have you ever seen a fat fairy? Now don't lie. You haven't. They're slender little guys and gals. Even if some of the more mischievous wee folk, like Puck, deserve to carry around a bit of extra pudge, they don't. That's because fairies opt for fresh, filling, flavorful food that's high in "good" calories and low in "bad" ones.
For your own taste of a favorite fairy dish, start by chopping up a plum (or two, depending upon the size of the plum and the salad). Then dump the plum cubes into a bowlful of baby spinach leaves. Garnish the salad with a tad of feta cheese, and thoroughly toss your delectable mix! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Bunny Hopping Through Pagan HolidaysBy Luna Lark QuailBellMagazine.com Especially in a world where Christian parables prevail in children's books, pagan stories deserve a theater of their own—and even a chance to tap-dance on the main stage once in a while. Thanks to Kyrja and Tonia Bennington Osborn's charming book, Rupert's Tales, readers can enjoy a welcoming, mainstream introduction to the Wheel of the Year. Kyrja's accessible, rhythmic poetry and Osborn's precious illustrations guide readers through the pagan celebrations of Beltane, Litha, Lammas, and Mabon.
The story's protagonist is a chubby, cheerful rabbit named Rupert. Rupert first learns about pagan celebrations one night in the forest when he stumbles upon a mysterious gathering. A group of people, wearing flower wreathes and flowing, multi-colored clothes, all hold hands and form a ring. Almost immediately after the sighting, Rupert meets a beautiful white owl whose pagan knowledge far exceeds his own. In the typical relationship of predator and prey, Rupert's first afraid of the owl. Soon, however, the two animals befriend each other. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Make Your Letters GlowBy Sandra Scholes QuailBellMagazine.com Creatively intriguing, this book of calligraphy and illumination is invaluable for anyone wanting to find out how to create only the best illuminated work from the renaissance period. It begins by telling of the history of calligraphy in the introduction pages, going through the various stages of making the illuminated script to the numerous styles adapted from that period and beyond.
Filled with step-by-step instructions on how to create all manner of different pieces of your own calligraphy it is a little difficult to choose from the array on display on each delightful page. Examples of the illustrated pages decorated and gilded as near to the traditional way as possible are riveting to see, as one can only wonder how much skill and devotion must have gone into the work. Within the instructions given on how to do the work itself is a chance for the layman to copy the styles should they want to try their hand at this detailed and most trying of art forms. Practice does make perfect, as does a steady hand, most importantly of all is patience as it plays an important part of it as there will be a compulsion to get it right. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
"A licht purse maks a heavie hert." Origin: Scots
Literal Translation: "A light purse makes for a heavy heart." Meaning: Poverty brings misery. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Mr. God's Galloping Mountain Variety ShowMembers of The Cyberpunk Apocalypse Writers' Collective (Pittsburgh, PA) will be embarking on their first-ever Megabus tour this October! That means they'll be making every Megabus stop from Pittsburgh to Richmond and reading at a local, homegrown venue in each city. Exact performance dates and locations are currently still TBA status---but QB will keep you posted. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Ghost TownsIf you love dilapidated buildings, you've come to the right place. We'll bring the crumbling architecture straight to you. [Below: Carver, Richmond, VA.] The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Magic of GoreloreBy Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com Tim Burton is to cinema what Edgar Allen Poe is to literature: a master of the dark, bizarre, and mysterious. Burton's ghostly taste and ‘Goth’ niche in Hollywood are undeniable. Films he has directed and/or produced include: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “9,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Batman Forever,” “Cabin Boy,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Corpse Bride,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Big Fish,” “Planet of the Apes,” “Sleepy Hollow,” “Mars Attacks!”, “Ed Wood,” “Batman Returns,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Batman, “Beetle Juice,” “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” “Frankenweenie,” and “Vincent.” His influences range from Ray Harryhausen’s animation to early Disney cartoons to Fellini to Vincent Price and more (Cortez 2004). From "Nightmare Before Christmas" to "Beetle Juice," Burton's films usually feature sinister palettes, deep shadows, the topics of love and belonging, and pariahs for principal characters. In order to convey his trademark themes and achieve his unique aesthetic, Burton employs a variety of special techniques. His use of stop-motion animation, elaborate makeup, and dramatic lighting/coloring truly distinguish his films from others made during our age of CGI omnipresence. For Burton, worshipping detail trumps all else. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
FairypolitikWho says quails can't be political? Find out about how the imaginary, the nostalgic, and the otherworldly relate to feminism, the environment, the government and more. Coming soon! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
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The Picture Apothecary: Mermaid BoobiesBy The Picture Pharmacist QuailBellMagazine.com Dear fledglings, Here's a gift from Quail Bell. Please download it and Photoshop it to the point of obscenity. Yours truly, The Picture Pharmacist
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Fairy Food: Banana-Cinnamon SmoothieBy QB Chef QuailBellMagazine.com Craving something sweeter than the apple Snow White ate? As fairy kin will assure you, the solution's quick and easy--and thanks to some culinary magic, you don't even need a measuring cup! Just blend one banana (maybe two) with as much cinnamon sugar as you want. Add vanilla soy milk to taste. Be sure you drink every last drop. Otherwise you may find your kitchen covered in fairy dust in the morning!
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Yeah, we're creeps.What's better than a holiday that's originally Irish, demands dress-up, and features loads of costumes? Nothing, according to the QB Crew. |
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