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Diversifying Our FairytalesBy Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com Frugalistas in all shapes and forms--from hippies to punks to vagabonds--can't complain about great prices that support a great cause. In Richmond, VA, the first such shop that comes to many locals' minds is Diversity Thrift, founded by The Richmond Gay Community Foundation in 1999. With "the goal of supporting Central Virginia's lesbian, bisexual and transgender people," Diversity also provides shoppers with bargains on clothes, furniture, housewares, and bricolage. Diversity has raised a whopping $5 million since 2000 for non-profits whose projects benefit the LGBT community. In relation to Quail Bell, Diversity has been kind enough to lend us several pieces for our "Once Upon a Dream" fashion show on October 16th. Check out all the bizarre and fantastical fashion we have in store for you, courtesy of Richmond's only rainbow-painted store!
DiversityThrift.com The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Purple Bliss: Before & AfterBy Doe Deere QuailBellMagazine.com When I did this look, I intentionally left the other side blank, so you can see the difference. I evened out my skin tone, defined my brows and gave them a lift, attached false lashes and decorated my lid in bright pigments. I painted my lips orange because I think that pink+purple+tangerine is the best combination in the universe! I am also wearing a color-intensifying, iris-enlarging contact lens. Like fashion, makeup is a powerful thing. If I walked out in jeans and a bare face, you probably wouldn’t recognize me, nor think that I was anything special. In contrast, when I take the time to dress up & do my makeup, people tend to take me more seriously, smile, offer help. I know that I look good, and presenting myself the way I want gives me the confidence to continue being me. It’s amazing what a bit of strategically placed pigment can do!
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Green Jewelry Inspiration from Red LintuBy Jade Miller QuailBellMagazine.com Nothing is more popular in fashion trends right now than being green--and finding a place that uses eco-friendly materials without sacrificing beauty is a rare find. Most shoppers turn to the internet and Etsy.com is a favorite place to browse. An excellent shop to check out is Red Lintu, a nature inspired store by Richmond, VA local Jennifer Tyler-Marks.
Born in Arizona and raised all over the United States in an Air Force family, one can certainly see Western and Southern influences in Jennifer's jewelry. One thing that sets Red Lintu apart from some of the other jewelry lines out there is that Jennifer uses almost all natural stones and metals, including quartz, pearls and carnelian. With a new line for a new season, keep your eyes peeled for plenty of winter whites as well as upcycled and vintage materials. With both simple and complicated pieces, there is something for every outfit in the Red Lintu shop. Check out her shop on Etsy.com as well as on Facebook and Flickr for additional pictures. You can also see her pieces in the Quail Bell "Once A Upon A Dream" Fashion Show this Sunday at the VCU Barnes and Noble in Richmond, VA! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Entrancing Young Love in a '90s Fantasy Novel By Luna Lark QuailBellMagazine.com Young, anxious love can empower or destroy a teenager's spirit in any given moment. This fickle emotion takes center stage in the medieval faerie world of Child of Faerie, Child of Earth by Josepha Sherman. As if teen love weren't already complicated enough with parents, curfews, and chores, characters Percinet and Lady Graciosa have it even harder. They don't even belong to the same world!
Percinet first gazes upon Lady Graciosa from the land of faerie, falling for her beauty and sweetness. Against his mother's advice, he enters the human world to try to win her affections. But can the pious Lady Graciosa fall for a Pagan? Even if she could, can she focus on anything but her new, witchy step-mother long enough to give Percinet the attention he craves? Read Child of Faerie, Child of Earth to find out how these otherworldly lovers fight the odds, including the mortal distractions in their way. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Noise, Stand-up, and Music By Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com Dogs growled as punks unfolded chairs and munched on dumpstered baked goods. I wedged myself into a corner of the room by a supermarket magazine rack turned 'zine library. Somehow I fit comfortably onto the window ledge. Clutching my tea and my camera, I anxiously awaited the opening of the show, consoling myself that the surrealist glory would sweep over me soon enough.
This past Sunday evening, I witnessed "Mr. God's Galloping Mountain Variety Show" at The Wingnut Collective in Richmond, VA. The performers--comprised of members and affiliates of The Cyberpunk Apocalypse--had ventured from Pittsburgh to hit Baltimore, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. in 72 hours before heading to the Midwest. In Baltimore, they performed at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse on Friday night. Then they arrived in Richmond the next morning to table at the Richmond 'Zine Festival and tour the town on Saturday. Sunday night, they performed at The Wingnut, an archarchist collective located in the Barton Heights neighborhood. (Later I learned that their D.C. performance took place Monday night outside the Clarendon Metro in Arlington). The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
What Gleaning YieldsBy Virginia Nickerson QuailBellMagazine.com Hello I'm Ashby Nickerson, the Art Director of Quail Bell. I'm a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University graduating in December '11 with a degree in Creative Advertising and a minor in Art History. During my studies I fell in love with creating mixed media work. It has become a form of exploration for me--traveling to find inspiration in each element from fabrics to story books. I believe design has an important social role in our culture. It has a way of making people fall in love with the simplest of things from a 1970s french cook book or a child's sketch on the binding of their parent's favorite novel. I have found satisfaction in knowing regardless of the scenario art is everywhere. And as for my future plans, I choose to be an explorer. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Acrylic & SkeletonsTake home a bit of QB today by ordering an original painting from our Etsy store. More merch coming soon. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Picture Apothecary: Garland MurderersBy The Picture Pharmacist QuailBellMagazine.com Dear fledglings, You probably often sit in front of your fireplace, all cozy on an unassuming autumn evening, contemplating how you'd prefer to be murdered. Well, the answer is likely, "by beautiful, sweet-singing women." The real question is, which beautiful, sweet-singing women? With all those cunning womenfolk in ancient stories--ranging from Eve to sirens--who do you pick? The solution's simple: The Garland Murderers. They're beautiful. They're sweet-singing. They're even crafty, both with their hands and minds. These lovely ladies go around strangling people with flower garlands they hand-braided themselves! Now that's quality workmanship. And, let's face it, there are far worse ways to die. Want to see what you'd look like getting strangled by The Garland Murderers? Just download this nifty gifty, pop it into Photoshop, import a photo of yourself, and find out! QB tries to make things easy for you. Really. Yours truly, The Picture Pharmacist
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The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Barbie's Cool Again By Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com You have to admire a woman who can successfully juggle everything. But so far, Barbie's the only one who's accomplished this incredible feat. She's been a doctor, a babysitter, an architect, a big sister, a ballerina, a girlfriend, and far more types of princess than any human mind can fathom. Now Barbie's taken a turn for the supernatural. Not only can she do anything alive, she can do anything dead, too.
Though technically not Barbie dolls, Monster High dolls are children of the same parent company, Mattel. The characters--including Frankie Stein, Draculaura, Clawdeen Wolf, Lagoona Blue, Cleo de Nile, Goulia Yelps, and Deuce Gorgon--are mostly descended from Universal Monsters. But you don't need to read their box descriptions to figure that out. Each doll comes equipped with adorable monster features, like stitches and fangs. All of the dolls rock a goth glam look, though in slightly different ways. Frankie Stein, for instance, has dark, white-streaked hair and tends to wear blue plaid prints. Think morbid school girl: fishnets, polka-dots, studs. Normal Barbie usually prefers pink mall fashion or fairy princess fantasies. The Monster High dolls, on the other hand, swing more toward punk than they do sorority sister. Instead of fluffy pet puppies and kitties, these girls have creatures like a bat and a gargoyle bulldog to keep them company. If the Monster High dolls don't catch your eye, maybe the books and videos will. Learn more about this sweetly scary franchise at MonsterHigh.com. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Crumbled MythologyBy Luna Lark QuailBellMagazine.com She smoked weed in cemeteries, pissing on tombstones and chasing after the deer who galloped over the graves. She shopped out of dumpsters and combed the streets for tossed treasures. She would not shower for a week or change her clothes for just as long--not out of poverty but by choice. Her hair hung in blatantly uneven strands with large sections shaven down to the scalp. Not a trace of make-up tainted her face and she stared at you with owl eyes behind old man spectacles. Shoes, she figured, were only necessary when it snowed. In my head and head alone, I called her my "street urchin Venus." I fell for her untameable spirit just hours after meeting her. She was stirring a steaming load of half-gone vegetables and brewing tea as we discussed everything from Christian philosophy to the cult of frugality. Somehow, she made slicing onions seem cool. She even chopped tomatoes nonchalantly. Her nails, though gray with filth, were still femininely long and elegant. Her over-sized sweater emphasized her litheness and despite her groggy mutterings, I sensed she was an articulate and well-read woman. Meanwhile, I was some overgroomed Southern girl who'd never stepped foot inside a steelworker's home, let alone lived in one before. The fact that we were both writers--her with her food stamps and private school education and me with my pining for the American Dream--stunned me. Often regarded as a bohemian, I suddenly felt so straight-laced compared to this guttersnipe. Was my cage smaller and more thickly-barred than I realized? No, I discovered as my month with her progressed. Hopelessness is the cruelest prison. While I still believed in fairy tales, my street urchin Venus had no illusions. She, four years my senior, had intentionally leapt from her wholesome upper-middle class to the depths of a minimum-wage lifestyle. She had hated the bourgeoisie and now she hated the working class. She was jaded because grad school wouldn't accept her and her neighbors did welcome her. She wandered aimlessly and indulged in drugs and alcohol as a means of escape. Yet she saw no escape. My escape was, and remains, constant creation. I spent that month writing and drawing my way through everything. She spent that month drinking and feeding the wood stove. I did not judge her or like her any less, but day by day the mythology crumbled. I would not become her. I would not harbor disdain for the dark sorceress who had trapped me--I would act and find my way out of the tower. I would escape. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Southern Gothic Author Honored by...Dead End Street (that's spelled wrong, too!)?by Josephine Stone QuailBellMagazine.com Walk down the right back alley in Newport News, and you could find anything. OK, OK--this isn't Sin City, but it is true that the most interesting of things can be found almost anywhere. Newport News, Virginia is a typical coastal city with strip malls, nautically themed street names and Army/Navy bases. Outside of various war museums, the Ferguson Center for the Arts and The Living Museum, what other cultural hubs and quirks exist in this city by the sea? Surely no one would expect a shout-out to the Queen of the Grotesque, Southern Gothic writer Flannery O'Connor. Located in Port Warwick, off of Jefferson Avenue and crossing Loftis Boulevard, is the street named for the "horror" author of what she deemed realism, Flannery O'Connor. The street is within William Styron Square, named after the American novelist, and each street within the square is named after famous literary figures. The cool factor about this hidden high five to a woman who helped define Gothic Southern literature is just that--it's hidden. The street seems to exist just for the purpose of being. There are no buildings or sites to be seen on Flannery's street. The catch about the coolness? The sign is spelled wrong! Word nerds who find pleasure in the names of streets lining William Styron Square find it obvious that her last name is spelled wrong--Conner instead of Connor! Something else that is a mixture between cool and catch, also probably making this realist writer turn in her grave, is the street comes to a complete dead end. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Maybe he's not hiding...By Samantha Highfill QuailBellMagazine.com In the dating world we’re constantly being asked to define our “type.” Answers usually consist of blonde or brunette, tall or short. Then we move on to personality. We want someone who is kind and has a sense of humor. The trick is, no two types are exactly alike. Sure, you and your best friend may both want a tall, dark and handsome man with a six-pack and a big heart, but you don’t necessarily want the same man. So with everyone having their own type, how is it that society can label a man a "prince charming"? If my knight in shining armor isn’t the same as yours then how do we define who is a prince charming? In reality, everyone who meets their “soulmate” is meeting their prince charming and yet fairytales still create these princes that are supposed to appeal to the masses. In order to do this, fairytales avoid specificity by employing generalizations. The prince is good looking, he’s wealthy, he’s heroic and a tad bit sensitive. Does this description fit your type? And if not, then why do these princes have such mass appeal? Perhaps it’s not the fairytales that create the princes. Sure, they give us the physical make-up and the background but in order for him to be YOUR prince, you must project your ideals onto that character. Fairytales often times present us with flat characters, allowing each of us to project our own desires onto them, thereby making them round. My Eric (from Disney's The Little Mermaid) is more than likely very different from your Eric, and yet we both would consider him a prince charming. So what really makes a prince charming? Is it the fairytale or is it our subconscious? 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.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
High-tech & Low-life at The CA in P'burgh, PABy Starling Root QuailBellMagazine.com Author Elwin Cotman, a fantasy writer who was recently nominated for the 2010 Carl Brandon Society Awards, lived here. The founders of both Steampunk and Quail Bell magazines were visiting writers here. It's where "high-tech" and "low-life" tumble into an amorous union and make bizarre little writing babies who never shy away from sharing their "unique perspective." It's the Cyberpunk Apocalypse in Pittsburgh, PA--a writers' cooperative and residency program. Intrigued by this madhouse of quirky writers, readings and comic-workshops, I sent an email to CA founder Dan McCloskey to find out more. Here's how he replied: By Joritakemypicture Who are you and why do you do what you do? Please tell me you're the real Dan and not a troll.
I'm Danny Mac, and I do a lot of little things. I help run the Cyberpunk Apocalypse writers' project. I write. I draw comics. I staple zines together and repair our binding machine. I work at a parking lot, or do other embarrassing things for money--mostly in the name of the Cyberpunk Apocalypse, but sometimes just for beer and coffee. So what exactly is the CA? How do you define it and what's its history? The Cyberpunk Apocalypse is a writer's project in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It's two little houses back to back that hold between 4 and 6 writers at any given time. The long term residents charge themselves more rent when they're not writing enough, and use that money in part to fund rent free mini residencies in a walk in closet. The closet is super haunted. There's a secret amongst the high end residency programs of the world--a lot of people freeze up. Writer's block is more common in little cabins in New England than anywhere else on Earth. That doesn't happen here. It's the ghost. They died in 1904 while writing the last chapters of an epic novel. The ghost whispers, "Don't stop. No time." The ghost is right. Oh and we have a publication. How does the CA pay tribute to QB's tagline--"the imaginary, the nostalgic, and the otherworldly"? Cyberpunk Apocalypse pays no tribute except to those ancient gods who have forgotten their own names. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Rumors has it!
By Julie DiNisio QuailBellMagazine.com It’s no rumor that Rumors is one of the best thrift stores in Richmond. Cheesy opening sentence aside, seriously, we love this store! Not only is the product awesome, Rumors has kindly offered to lend clothing for Quail Bell’s "Once Upon a Dream" Fashion Show on October 16th at the VCU Barnes & Noble. The Show, from 4 to 6 p.m., is children’s literature themed and will feature models and clothes from Richmond in an effort to raise interest in our creative endeavors while getting the community involved. Rumors has been a labor of love for owners Casey and Marshe since 2007. They originally opened it as a store for local and international products and lines, eventually converting it to the thrift boutique it is now. If you’re a VCU student, it’s difficult not to at least know where it is located. Sandwiched between The Village Café and Harrison Street Coffee Shop, Rumors’ speakers are always blasting music for passersby, and it is just as loud inside. Rumors sells inexpensive clothing for men and women, not to mention a myriad of shoes and accessories that clutter up the walls and shelves. The products are always of a high-quality and stylishly and financially desirable for college students. Rumors accepts gently worn, fashionable and seasonally-appropriate apparel between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Sellers immediately make 35% cash or 55% store credit for the items Rumors decides to take. So give Rumors and the "Once Upon a Dream" Fashion Show a little space in your schedules. Rumor has it you won’t regret it. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Hot off the pressThis weekend, we're officially releasing Quail Bell Express, our first print experiment. If you're in Richmond, VA on Friday or Saturday, buy $1 copies at First Friday Artwalk, The Richmond 'Zine Fest and the Ginter Park United Methodist Church Fall Festival. All other fledglings should buy a copy directly from our website! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
A Kingdom of Antiquarian DelightsBy Luna Lark QuailBellMagazine.com Museums are magical places. With the mere glimpse of the right artifact, you're whisked off to the past. Different artifacts enchant different people, but once you find the perfect one for you, you're transported to a time and place you've always longed to visit. The more varied a museum's collection, the more opportunities it has to indulge your imagination. In the case of the Smithsonian Institution, the opportunities for such mental stimulation are incomparable. With 19 museums and 168 affiliate museums in 39 states across the U.S., a visit to the Smithsonian means your brain is constantly at the mercy of tantalizing treasures. Photo Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives Depending on where you live, the Smithsonian may just be a short trip or something of a journey from your home, but, either way, the travel options abound. Plane, train, bus, and Metro—count your geeky stars that the Smithsonian's located in a prominent metropolitan area. The majority of the Smithsonian's museums lie in Washington, D.C. There you will also find its world-renowned zoo and nine research centers.
Quail Bell fledglings will particularly love the Smithsonian's folklore and history museums: To find out more about the Smithsonian and see some oddities on 18th century-style display, start off with the Smithsonian Institution Building. Many Washingtonians refer to it as The Castle because of its distinctive architecture. This beautiful information center features a permanent exhibit called “Smithsonian Institution: America's Treasure Chest,” a video orientation, a scale model of D.C., and Castle Café. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
May I see your peepers, madam?By Jade Miller QuailBellMagazine.com As every Quail Bell(e) knows, the field of beauty products is constantly changing, updating, and modernizing its merchandise to capitalize on the newest trends and latest looks. However, one staple in every girl’s vanity stand defies that standard and truly embodies the saying ‘If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.’ By Christine Stoddard In its most basic form, an eyelash curler is a beauty tool with a rubber strip between two pieces of metal that is applied to the upper eyelashes and squeezed in order to crimp and curl the lashes. The eyelash curler was patented April 7, 1931 and the images drawn in the patent application look very much the same as the eyelash curlers seen on the market today. Originally called Rodal, the brand smartly changed the product’s name to Kurlash.
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Victorian Gothic Castle on the James River By Josephine Stone QuailBellMagazine.com Elegance and utility come together in Richmond’s very own castle on the river, where Richmonders can take a step, or minuet, rather, back in history to where water once pumped under dancing feet. Among myriad projects fronted by the mostly-single-man show that is the James River Park System, one of the latest in the works is the restoration of the historic pump house that sits on the periphery of Byrd Park near Dogwood Dell and the Nickel Bridge. The man with the plan and director of the park system, Ralph White, paints a beautiful picture of what is to come if all goes according to plan. “My dream is to have tiki torches. You’ll have a glass of wine and go by electric motorboat that looks like an old bateau…You go up the river and come back,” White says as he waves his arm over the wooden railing of the ramp to the pump house toward the water. The experience White wants to provide with the pump house is of a more mature nature, making the park very different from the others that line the James. Most cater to the younger, more athletic crowd, and, by making the pump house a place for nostalgic social gatherings, those interested in less active activities can come together. “Imagine this. You come here for coffee. Then you walk up the hill to catch a show at Dogwood Dell,” White says smiling. “And then you come back and go for a boat ride.” Historic tourism, White mentions, is something that does not need to be traveled far for. “People go to Europe all the time to look at old castles and they don’t expect them to be modern structures…and this is our old castle,” White says of the Victorian Gothic structure. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Confessions of a HaunterBy Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com Editor's Note: This essay was written in November 2010 and was originally posted on Virginia Living Magazine's blog. Photo courtesy of Blood Lake Haunted House A Washington suburbanite all my life, I had never even heard of the suburb Glen Allen until I transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. But art students tend to make strange friends and, similarly, life choices. So, before I knew it, I was working for a Glen Allen production company famous for its haunted houses, ghost tours, and theatrical interpretations of Edgar Allan Poe's works. I began by acting in a couple of Poe plays and performing as Moaning Myrtle in their Harry Potter themed haunt for children. Scary? Meh, creepy at best. I mean, I was just a weepy, cowering girl with a plaid skirt. No psychological thriller there. In truth, Quick Pulse Productions, LLC had—and has—far more frightening attractions: particularly their opus, Blood Lake. In October 2009, I upgraded to the realm of “screamdom” and, occasionally, “make-'em-pee-on-the-floor-dom.” I transformed from an actress with a penchant for morbidity to a full-fledged haunter. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Wise Words for Visiting a Victorian BrothelBy Luna Lark QuailBellMagazine.com It is the mid- to late-1800s in the hustling, bustling city of London. Carriages and parasols abound. You are a handsome, well-to-do gentleman who dresses fashionably. (However, no one could reasonably call you a dandy.) You make more than a decent living, proud of your place in minor aristocracy. About three years ago, you married a beautiful young lady prone to blushing. Love-making stupefies her, not out of pure pleasure but rather pure fear. She considers sex her duty as a wife who must produce a healthy heir to your estate. That she might enjoy the act has never once entered her pretty head. Instead she finds it painful, vulgar, and dull. Lying back, she thinks of England, just as Queen Victoria instructed her daughter on her wedding night. By Christine Stoddard You hate the way your wife grits her teeth and cries softly in the bedroom, curls plastered to the pillow like an anguished lamb moments before slaughter. If only she learned to like it—and you and your touch and your sweat. But given her stern upbringing and current social mores, that shall never happen. She must find more wholesome sources of amusement, whether in sewing or reading or singing. In lacing her corset, she will never hold her body sacred, only shameful. Anything you say to compliment her figure will simply disgust her.
You, on the other hand, can no longer ignore your sexual desires. A Victorian man must pursue his conquests. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Couch-surfing BasicsCopy by Christine Stoddard Photo by Josephine Stone QuailBellMagazine.com The number one rule of etiquette when couch-surfing is this: Whether you're a host or guest, you must give the other party a tattoo. Choose the subject wisely, as this is clearly a permanent thing. If you want the other party to have an "epic" reminder of your visit, choose something mythological. A sweet-smiling unicorn with hearts and rainbows stamped on its buns, poised to skewer a chihuahua, for example, is an excellent choice for a violent young man. |
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