The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
One Million Years B.C. I can’t remember how old I was when I first realized that I had a crush on a woman who lived somewhere inside the Silver Screen. At a guess it would be 7, 8, 9, or 10 but not 11 because I remember being really, really young. My sister and I had been invited along to bring in the bells at party somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Well, that’s not entirely true. My parents had been invited along to a New Year party, and we were dragged along because there was a serious lack of babysitters on New Year’s Eve.
When we arrived at the party someone managed to hear the doorbell, and encouraged us to come in with a welcoming smile. We took one small step into the hall only to be greeted by a bustling bunch of swaying revelers. Our parents forced us to pass through this gauntlet of cheek pinches, slavering, and the barrage of incoherent hellos in order to get to our sanctuary for the night. The upstairs bedrooms. I managed an uncomfortable smile. No, a terrified smile when I was forced to look up from the floor by another cheek pinch. I always remember the echo in my mind from that night: “Look, he’s shy, are you shy, you’re not saying much, you must be shy?” If I knew how to swear at that age I would have told each individual pincher to fuck off. I found the party atmosphere overwhelming to be honest. The sights, the sounds, the smoke, the smells, and the feint whiff of sweet perfume that almost lingered in the air. We managed to swirl up through the fog to our sanctuary. Thankfully, we were greeted by the guardians of our new found asylum from the creatures that stalked through the downstairs fog. We were quickly introduced to the householder’s daughter and son, and then left to our own devices. It was time for us to party. We did lots of kids stuff to begin with. We played. We fought. We talked. We tickled. We had fun but this only lasted for about an hour so we eventually switched the babysitter on for some brainwashing entertainment. As we watched the boring box for inspiration we started hatching surreptitious plans. It wasn’t long before the suggestion was made to steal some drinks by I can’t remember who to be honest. It was agreed that we should go minesweeping for drinks. We had to travel back downstairs through the fog, the cigarette smoke, and the always pungent cigar smoke. I’m not sure if you taste cigar smoke or smell the flavor but its aroma can only be described by cigar smoke itself. We headed straight for the nibbles. Well I headed straight for the nibbles because I thought that’s were the best minesweeping could be done. Plus I was hungry. I casually munched away like a thief casing a joint for their ultimate haul. I grabbed a plate, and grabbed a couple of half full cans of beer to hide under it. I almost sprinted through the throng. I image my smoky vapor trail must have looked like Roadrunner’s attempt at escape. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
"A Year of Gods, Aliens, and The Unknown" It's that time of year, when critics like myself attempt to look back at the past twelve months and try to rate the events, people, media, and notable occurrences on some arbitrary scale. As Quail Bell Magazine's film critic, I wanted to try and publish a best of list for the films I saw in 2014. My plan was to find the ten best movies I saw, write a small critique of each, and give an idea of why I felt these films were worth remembering in the years to come. As I attempted to rank the films I saw, I came to a shocking (well, for me) realization: I haven't seen enough movies this year.
This is an issue that comes from being a 22-year-old film critic who doesn't get paid to see movies (Quail Bellwriters are volunteers, but your shop purchases could change that) and lives in an area that does not get enough foreign or art house cinema within the year. Because I live in Hampton Roads, Virginia, I do not have places to see films like Winter Sleep, Maps to the Stars, or Two Days, One Night that places like New York City or Los Angeles would get easily. Because a lot of the award buzz films come out in late December or early January for wide release, it also means I won't get to see them until 2015, which makes it impossible to rate for a 2014 list and disqualifies them from a 2014 list. I'm not noteworthy enough to get screeners, and most of these films are difficult to find online if I want to cheat the system. Because of that, I can't see films early to have a review ready for when the film comes out. The other issue I had was when I tried to remember what I saw this year. For these kinds of lists, I try to make sure it's specifically films I saw in 2014 and in theaters. This meant that some films I saw (like Her, Nebraska, and The Wind Rises) are disqualified because I didn't see them in 2013 when they were originally released. That meant I only saw 12 movies in theaters this year. While I didn't dislike any of those films, I came to realize that I couldn't put some of them on a list because I didn't believe I would put them on the list if I had managed to see films like Birdman or God Help the Girl this year. So while I enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon 2, Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier, The Fault in Our Stars, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Mockingjay Part 1, I honestly don't think I would put them on an end of the year list. But what about the films I did see that I would put on the list? That created another problem. When I started writing movie reviews for Quail Bell, I approached it as a chance to write about movies I thought the audience should know about, and that included films I saw in theaters. While I could rank those, the truth is that most of the films I would put on the list were things I've already written about. I would put Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Gone Girl, and Dear White People on a list of the best movies I saw this year, but my opinions of them haven't really changed since I wrote about them, so I don't want to rehash my thoughts on those films when you could easily read my reviews of them and get the same information. If you've been counting, that leaves three films I haven't mentioned. These are films I really liked, but I never wrote about for Quail Bell, even though I think there are among the best films I saw this year. Because of that, I decided to widen my net and try to look back on what 2014 meant for me as a consumer of popular culture. Aside from the three films I still need to review, there were some books, TV shows, songs, and figures I really got into that I am really glad I got exposed to this year. I'm going to go over what I was introduced to and what I've really become interested in this year, some of which is 2014 related, some of which isn't. Thus, here's a look back at the media I should have written about in 2014, and what I'm hoping will continue to be relevant years from now. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
A Very Gothic Holiday Autumn and Halloween aren’t the only highlights of the Gothic seasonal calendar. Death lingers in the air during the winter and the pure white snow only emphasizes the pallor mortis-chic some of us have going on. ‘Tis the season to be jolly which, if you think about it, means something different to everyone. Why have a holly jolly Christmas when you can have a creepy weepy holiday? For me, ‘tis the season to enjoy more barren-branched trees with spider-like appendages against the backdrop of an overcast sky.
The Nightmare doesn’t have to come before Christmas. I realize that not everyone is a fan of picking dead vines and making dead flower bouquets, so here’s how to cast the loveliest shadows upon your holiday existence: Discounts on Gifts to Die For Gothic life hack: a little budget-planning goes a long way. Reap the grim rewards of post-Halloween sales. Halloween is a lifestyle, which is why it’s so great when everything gets discounted to Hell by the time Christmas rolls around. You might as well strike while the iron’s hot and exploit the hell out of the fault in our corporations. Stores are trying to get the skulls off of the shelves and replace them with elves. Give them a home! In case your home isn't a suitable and safe environment for a skull, it doesn’t even have to crash at your own pad. (Although I must say, they are very low maintanance and content with sleeping under the bed all day.) Mr. Skullface is a well-mannered guest whose contagious smile will brighten your heart with gleeful darkness. Repeat the following mantra until you feel the letters engraved into the inside of your skull: Claire’s Clearance. No, really! If you don't have time to order from one of your most beloved online retailers, this is the cheapest place you can find in the mall where you're most likely to get a bang for your buck. It's especially great for giving holiday gifts to your fellow darklings when you're in a pinch; all of their Halloween paraphernalia go straight to clearance section once their seasonal appropriateness vanishes into thin, flurry-dampened air. If you spend some time wading through the sparkly pink stuff and frills, you’ll find cool accessories like fishnets, crazy-patterned stockings, lace gloves, makeup, nail polish, spiked collars, metal bracelets, arm warmers, necklaces with skulls or spiders that are way better than the overpriced crap that you’ll find at Hot Topic. Also, I recommend exploring Amazon.com's expansive market of discounted and used items. Note: Please show some community ectoplasm by only telling other batkin about about Claire’s dark secret, the double-C word. Anyone who reads Quail Bell = Cool. Undead Trees Are you in charge of the tree? Keep it classy; deck it out in black lace and ribbons. The size of the tree is irrelevant. Accent the black lace with different colored ribbons and lace, but make sure that none of the materials within the vicinity of lights. #firehazardswag The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Story Telling Re-Defined By Archita Mittra QuailBellMagazine.com Imagine that you’ve just returned from a fantastic trip abroad. But then your mansion is all dark and deserted. There’s no sign of your parents and there’s a thunderstorm raging outside. The only clue is a strange note from your younger sister, taped to the door.
Welcome to the world of Gone Home, a first-person adventure video game that is more of an interactive art experience. Unlike conventional games, there are no monsters to slay, bonus points to uncover or high score records to set. Instead, what follows is relatively simple: you play the twenty-one year old college student Kaitlin Greenbriar, and explore a lavishly-furnished manor; in the process, you discover a story of a haunted past, fractured family drama and an illicit relationship between Kaitlin’s sister, Sam, and her school BFF, Lonnie, piecing together a riveting narrative all derived from the various household objects strewn around the place. Then there’s the whole nostalgia. The game is set somewhere in the 90s and abounds in pop culture references. From cassette tapes that play girly punk rock when you insert them into the tape, to retro-styled clothes in the closet, corded telephones or the posters and magazines in Sam’s room, the game boasts of top-notch art direction and graphics. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Why Doesn't He Believe Me? My Jewish parents were not especially observant while I was growing up, but they were observant enough not to celebrate Christmas. As a result, I never believed in Santa Claus; I have vague memories of my parents warning me, when I was five or six, not to let Christian and blissfully ignorant friends in on the secret that presents under the tree were from their parents, not from the guy with the beard. My lovely shiksa wife did believe in Santa Claus for a while—and she still resents it. When I asked her about it, she muttered darkly about misleading kids and stupid rituals and superstitious idiocy and how much she hated our country's nostalgia and fetishization of all things Christmas. Then she went back to bitterly panicking about getting our Christmas packages out.
So, in this as in all things, my wife and I agree. Santa Claus is a myth that's pointless at best and irritating at worst, and there's no reason to foist his big red keister upon our progeny. Ergo, our son does not believe in Santa Claus. Right? Well . . . not exactly. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
My Seven Most Important Female CharactersEditor's Note: You'll find this and many other illustrated pieces in Quail Bell 'zine: Issue 6. Order yours today! Around the time I began to seriously study film, I was starting to identify as a feminist. Movies allow the underrepresented—such as women—to speak and have their stories told. Many foreign films use the medium to show the troubles women have faced throughout their country’s history. Female characters are also often tied closely with periods of change, such as the fall of a regime or the rise of liberal attitudes. While not every female character serves a progressive cause, some of my favorite female characters do inspire change. With this thought in mind, I began to wonder who were the fictional women who most shaped me as a person and as a writer. After careful consideration, these are the seven most influential ladies I’ve encountered in my 22 years—heroes, villains, and everyday people worth celebrating:
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Nahida, the Fatal Feminist By Gypsy Mack QuailBellMagazine.com I was intrigued by Nahida's blog just by the title, the Fatal Feminist. I knew I had found something that I would love when I read the sub header: Islam. Feminism. Mermaids.
Nahida describes herself as a Muslim, a feminist, and an Islamic feminist. Her writing is sharp, intelligent and thoughtful, and she addresses the problems of a patriarchal society with a fresh and original voice. Through her writing, she brings awareness to the fact that the violent "Islamic" extremists never show the true message of Islam, that Islam is an inherently peaceful faith. The Fatal Feminist brings people back to the root of feminism and the root of Islam itself. So, without further ado, here is the interview I did with Nahida in the summer. And by the way, she is also a Californian mermaid. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
My Musings on PublishingPublishing: the lifeblood of democracy. At root it simply means making your writing public; your Facebook page is a form of it. But as all public things are political things, who has your back in publishing matters. Who stands next to you and says, “I like this guy or gal! Check out the thing he wrote!”? Since we are helplessly hierarchical mammals, it matters even more if that person having your back is the king. When the king says, “this bold writer has my support!” and claps you on the back, we all sit up and take notice. Even as George the III went mad and we left him in the dust, so too our American king of publishing, New York City, and its ultimate shareholder, Wall Street, now mad, may one day be left behind us. But not yet. We are hierarchical mammals, God bless our hearts, and so my modest foray into publishing like most, does not enjoy the support of our king, merely two of the king’s remoter adjutants, our friends' createspace, smashwords, and lulu. Still, we know that in the end it is the words that matter. Whether you have scribbled them on to a patch of lead and shoved them into a Roman wall to curse the usurper of your house, or bound your poetry in the finest vellum to rest in a royal library, the words are what matter in the end. But, you’re interested in the nitty gritty! In my latest forays into the Byzantine Republic of Letters, which courtiers did I encounter and what deals did I make? My most recently published book is a poetry chapbook, A Picnic in England. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
A Sound Unfound By Garrett Riggs QuailBellMagazine.com The great thing about Jordan Esker is that he doesn’t sound like anybody else. With some musicians, you can do a short-hand review that goes something like this: “The Artic Monkeys sound kind of like the Beatles with a dose of Queen.” Sure, you can hear some echoes of things he’s listened to or nods to musicians Esker respects, but nothing sounds like a carbon copy of someone else.
Esker released Best Supporting Actor in October and he is currently touring with Asheville, North Carolina based band Press. In 2013, Esker and Phil Nettle recorded a CD while their roommates were on vacation. Over the course of a year, friends from Tallahassee, Florida, and elsewhere contributed to the album. A multi-instrumentalist, Esker plays guitars, bass, keyboards, piano, Hammond organ, drums and percussion on the album as well as singing. Each of the 10 tracks on Best Supporting Actor has layers of sound and surprises. Esker currently lives in Tampa and his music combines Emo, Classic Rock, and Soul with hints of Reggae. Surprisingly, it all works together. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Consent Laws Don't Take Into Account That I'm a Super Nice Guy By The Nice Guy from Bathshebas QuailBellMagazine.com Editor's Note: This satire is republished with permission from Bathshebas.net. A nationwide call to action for university reform in student social affairs has resulted from the recent news of rape occurring on campuses. I hate rape, but come on. Do we really need this stupid new California bill on campus policies that says we have to actually get “affirmative consent” to have sex? First I can’t tell you to smile and insist on carrying your grocery bags to your car, like the gentleman that I am, without being called “sexist.” Then I’m “harassing you” if I whistle and give your butt a simple squeeze as you walk past. (It’s a compliment! Geez! Get over it already!) Then I’m a “stalker” if I just sit outside your house for a couple hours a day. (It’s a free country!) Now, I’m a “rapist” if I don’t get this bogus “affirmative consent”? What does that even mean!? Talk about ruining the romance. It used to be that a gentleman could really court a lady. I should be able to hold the door, doff my hat, and give a lady what we all know she really wants. Love is a game, and you have to be able to know what a lady really means when she’s flirtatiously pretending to ignore you as you follow her around the store, when she playfully tells you to leave her alone, when she’s putting on this sexy show of struggling as you hold her down and, sure, she might not say anything with her mouth because of the gag, but her eyes are saying “yes! God yes!” (You know the bitch loves it.) But now we’re supposed to get this “affirmative, conscious, and voluntary” consent! Like the stupid details in this bill: it’s not “affirmative consent” if she’s drunk or drugged or unconscious. What a buzz kill. Another: she’s supposed to be able to take it back if she changes her mind partway through! That’s just too much. Of course I would never rape anyone, but once this train starts chugging, you’ve got a one-way ticket to Fuckington, baby! And I’m still supposed to get consent even if she’s my girlfriend? Really? I mean come on. If I ever got a girlfriend, what would that even mean besides that I could have sex with her whenever I want? Sure, I’m all for rape prevention and women’s rights and all that, but I’m going to have to go with the National Coalition of Men’s Gordon Finley here, and point out that this bill is really about taking away my rights as a man. He says it’s “nice for the accusers” but takes away my “due process.” (Not sure exactly how, but it sounds bad.) So come on, ladies. Quit making such a big deal about this rape stuff. And don’t be so scared of men! We nice guys are the ones who really suffer from this, with you ice queens being so standoffish! Sheesh! Maybe not every guy is as much of a gentleman as I am, but that’s not my fault. So stop ignoring my messages on OKCupid. You don’t know what’s good for you. Stuck-up bitches. You’d only be getting what you deserved if you did get raped. #Real #Essay #Rant #Rape #HumanRights #DoubleStandards #Feminism #WomensRights Visit our shop and subscribe. Sponsor us. Submit and become a contributor. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Cor·y·phée Words and image by Lauren Wark Short film by Jennifer Tarrazi-Scully and Jeff Roll QuailBellMagazine.com Jennifer Tarrazi-Scully has meandered her way in and out of the Dance, Movement and Arts world her whole life. She has traveled the world in Off-Broadway shows, taught in higher education and found her voice again as "Dancer With An Attitude" writing theater reviews for The Backstage Beat. Her TBB reviews caught the attention of the Dance Critics Association and their 2011 Emerging Writer Award. She has brought her movement expertise to the world of animation and film. Today she is honored to bring a lifetime of experience into making dance happen with CORE Performance Co., and is "over the moon" to be amidst a reinvention and renaissance as a filmmaker and video installation artist. Quail Bell's Lauren Wark asked Jennifer seven questions about her dance career. Here's what she had to say: 1. Where in your dance education did you decide modern dance and abstract narratives rather than those of traditional Ballet and lyrical theatre were for you? When I was young, like a lot of dancers, I studied the requisite Ballet and Jazz, and found myself really taking to the technique. I enjoyed the challenge of finding my placement, lines, flexibility and strength. Stylistically, however, I knew I needed something different at a very young age. I started performing semi-professionally with a modern company at 15. 2. You danced professionally before proceeding to teaching dance. Can you explain this transition and how teaching became a dream rather than Broadway?
I have found myself following the opportunities that have come my way. Performing and teaching are really complimentary schedules to keep. After I graduated from school I stayed in Greensboro, North Carolina to dance with The Gamble/Van Dyke dance company and was able to make my income teaching with the High Point Ballet. In New York City, early on, when I was waiting tables, I supplemented my income with teaching children on the Upper East Side and performing with a bunch of pick-up companies, like Michael Foley's ensemble, the Donna Goffredo Co. and the straight Jacket Dance Co. In the summers, I would teach intensives at the North Carolina Governor's School East with my great friend and colleague Stephen K. Stone. Both schedules were flexible enough I could run away from the city and work on film shoots every few months with director Michael Pope on the indie film NeoVoxer. This all lead into performing full-time for director Diane Paulus in The Donkey Show. Once I was ready to leave the city, the transition into higher ed was a pretty seamless. So to answer your original question, teaching and performing really have always coexisted for me. They supported each other and kind of made each other possible. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
A Poet's Dream Come True Since poetry is my native tongue, I feel as though it is my civic duty to make sure that poets are aware of a free tool that can take their careers to new heights. PoetryMarkets.com is what the world of poetry has been waiting for. PoetryMarkets.com is a free directory of - you guessed it - poetry publications that compensate contributing poets. Thanks to an advanced search engine, users can comb through the listings with fine granularity based on details like acceptance rates and genres. In case you are ever in the mood to submit your poetry or misplace the napkin upon which you've recorded the deadlines, PoetryMarkets.com also has a calendar at the ready which lists all of the approaching deadlines on its ever-expanding directory.
If words were edible, then each word of a poem would be nutrient-rich and flavorful, much more like an entrée rather than a side dish. PoetryMarkets.com serves up poetry du jour by uniting poets with paying publications. The payments aren’t confined to cash; the publications also offer contributor copies and/or subscriptions. (In case you were wondering, Quail Bell Magazine is the only publication that compensates its writers in “serious fairy punk cred.") The mastermind behind the operation is Mariya Lysenkova. She is an IT professional with a non-fiction writing background. Her foray into creative writing started out a hobby. When she started to pursue it professionally, she tried to keep her morale afloat amidst the sea of rejection letters that most writers find themselves entrenched in from time to time. “There are only so many rejections from The Paris Review and Tin House before you start asking, ‘So who wants slightly sucky poetry?’” said Lysenkova. |
|