Dr. Dolen's DivinationsDr. Dolen's Divinationscould a doctor of philosophy hoodoo you with thoughts about literature, music, film, and other artistic creations... 
Articles
Jill Scott
2007-10-22 07:02:00 The other day, I drove up to the lot at work with my music booming. Later, a co-worker asked me: "What was that you were playing in your car this morning?" Eesh. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the entire block can hear your mini-concert you're having in your car. "Why?" I asked. "Was it really loud?" "Yeah," she answered. "A lot of bass." I felt a little embarrassed. Bass? Not More About: Jill Scott , Scott , Jill
Letters to a Young Novelist
2007-10-17 00:25:00 I'm reading Letters to a Young Novelist by Mario Vargas Llosa, and I have to say that it's a really good read. He makes me yearn to be able to read Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Carlos Fuentes and Jorge Luis Borges in the original Spanish. I often think back to a young medical student with whom I shared an apartment building while I was in graduate school. She would call me and ask me to do
Doris Lessing wins Nobel...
2007-10-12 03:49:00 Yikes. Yet again someone whose work I have not read has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. It makes me feel like my intense reading schedule is completely futile. Congratulations to Doris Lessing. From the sound of it, she was very deserving of this award. More About: Wins
BASS 2007
2007-10-10 23:07:00 I just received my Best American Short Stories 2007 edited by Stephen King. Wait. Wait. Wait. that's what I have to keep telling myself...it makes me want to just drop everything and start reading. But I can't. I really want to finish what I'm reading (Men and Cartoons by Jonathan Lethem). So for now, I'll just skim the Table of Contents: T.C. Boyle, Ann Beattie, Mary Gordon, Alice Munro, More About: Bass
First Lines
2007-10-08 06:19:00 Thanks to Laila Lalami's blog for turning me on to this website: First Lines . It's pretty fun. Check out your knowledge of literature. Here's the link.
Diane Schuur
2007-10-02 05:47:00 This past weekend, I went to see Diane Schuur perform with the Caribbean Jazz Project. "Schuur has sure" got some pipes!! "Deedles" (as her friends call her) has lovely stage presence, too. I especially liked it when it was just her and the piano...she really touched me with a tune called "It's Magic." That woman has been in love, is in love, or yearns for love. Whatever the case, when she
Friends of the Library Sale
2007-10-02 05:40:00 I have not been to a Friends of the Libra ry sale since I was in my twenties. Well, this past weekend I went to the Friends of the Seattle Public Library sale and made out like a bandit. I bought tons of children's books. I couldn't believe that people were overlooking all those beautiful books illustrated by my favorite children's book illustrator Kadir Nelson. I also bought a book of Donald More About: Sale , The Library
Pacha Massive
2007-09-25 07:17:00 Okay, are y'all ready for another cool musical recommendation? Check out Pacha Massive. Really nice sound. Here is their MySpace page. And here is their homepage. Their music sounds like the very essence of New York to me--a rhythmic mix of reggae, merengue, hip-hop, and then some. It makes me want to head to the East Coast, like, tomorrow.
My Brother's Wedding (1976)
2007-09-23 23:11:00 I went to see this film by MacArthur Award winner Charles Burnett film last night, and I have to say that it was fabulous! If this Director's Cut is playing in your town, make sure you go see it. It's a special treat. Apparently, when the film was made back in 1976, Burnett's producers rushed it to a New York film festival screening, after which it received mixed reviews in the NYT. More About: Wedding
Jena, Louisiana
2007-09-21 16:48:00 We have officially entered a new era of civil rights organization. The thousands of protesters who descended upon little Jena , Louisiana were organized mostly via the Internet and radio. In addition, thousands across the US voiced their agreement with the protesters by wearing black. I am awed by the organization of this rally and the impressiveness of these passionate young people!
Copper Creek Inn
2007-09-21 08:43:00 I hiked in Mt. Rainier National Park this past weekend and had breakfast at this quaint place called "Copper Cree k Inn." The pancakes were excellent, and the service was even better. Give this place a try if you ever head to the mountain. They serve a meal so hearty that it almost feels southern. More About: Creek
Frey's New Book Deal
2007-09-14 08:00:00 James Frey has just signed a new book deal with HarperCollins for his novel "Bright Shiny Morning." The details of the deal were not disclosed. Don't you just love this picture of him and Oprah (that priceless expression on her face)? By the way, this same NYT article quietly mentions that Mr. Frey now lives in the Hamptons. Why didn't Random House have him personally pay the readers who the More About: Book , Deal
Junot Diaz Interview
2007-09-12 06:54:00 Here is a Junot Diaz interview published on the Bostonist website. When asked if he was ever geeky, Junot replied: "Were you geeky? I can't imagine anybody who ends up being an artist who didn’t pass through a time of geekiness." Pass through? Shoot. Most of us are still closet geeks. (By the way, there is also an interview there with Steve Almond whom I blogged about the other day) More About: Interview
George Saunders
2007-09-11 06:07:00 I went to hear George Saunders read from his first collection of essays, The Braindead Megaphone, the other night. I haven't read the book yet (nor have I read any of his essays published elsewhere), but I get the feeling that I'm more a fan of his fiction than his nonfiction. I mean, Pastoralia was brilliant! But of course, winning the MacArthur allows one to branch out and do all kinds of
Illegal Tender (2007)
2007-09-07 06:14:00 After learning that John Singleton was producing a new film featuring Latino characters that would hopefully open up Hollywood to Latino actors like Boyz n' the Hood did, and that Frank Reyes would be the director (he wrote and directed Empire starring John Leguizamo which was actually pretty good), I went out last weekend in support of Illegal Tender . Man, was I disappointed! Despite the fact
My Life in Heavy Metal (2002)
2007-08-31 05:29:00 I finally got around to reading Steve Almond's My Life in Heavy Metal and guess what? I'd already read one of them! ("Run Away, My Pale Love") I remember reading this story a few years back, maybe in Best American Short Stories? Ploughshares? I don't know, but the line that kicked my memory into gear was: "I need anal love" or something like that. Isn't that a great line? Highly recommend. More About: My Life , Heavy metal
Grace Paley, age 84
2007-08-24 03:09:00 I've just learned from Laila Lalami's blog who learned it from Maud Newton's blog that Grace Paley has died at the age of 84. Here's the NYT obit. Every year, I teach a really disturbing short short story by Paley about a child who falls to his death on a NY subway and the fascinating reactions of those around who witness it. The story's psychological complexity reminds me of a story I just More About: Grace Paley
Max Roach
2007-08-22 06:45:00 Now you know a jazz lover like me took note of Max Roach 's death the other day. I meant to write something immediately, but I've been trying to figure out how to post an audio clip of his playing and haven't been able to figure out how to do it. I'll keep trying. For me, the saddest part of his NYT obit stated: Mr. Roach’s death closes a chapter in American musical history. He was the last More About: Max Roach
U.S. Reading Habits
2007-08-22 06:33:00 This article published on cnn.com cites a poll released today that shows that one in four Americans say they read "NO BOOKS AT ALL" in the past year. Yikes. Some of the poll's findings "tickled" me. Such as: People from the South read more than other regions (mostly religious books and romance novels, though) Democrats and liberals read more than Republicans Women read more than men More About: Reading , Habits , Abit , Habit
Talk to Me (2007)
2007-08-18 04:32:00 All my peeps in DC, where are you? What do you think about the recent film Talk to Me about legendary DC dj Petey Greene starring Don Cheadle? I have to say that I disagree with this review over at the New York Press. This is what he has to say: Nostalgia has taken the place of research and insight in faux black American histories like Talk to Me, Dreamgirls, Ray and Ali—the new cinematic
El bebe conguero parte 2 ahora en el bongo espelusnante!
2007-08-15 09:06:00 This is unbelievable. If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes...how can I raise a baby like this? More About: Bongo , Bebe , Ahora
Willie Cole
2007-08-11 20:48:00 I saw Willie Cole 's exhibit, Anxious Objects: Willie Cole's Favorite Brands at the Frye Art Museum last night. After I walked through the exhibit, Cole sat for an interview. One of the things I found interesting in his responses is his story of how he remembers the first time he saw something "else" in something. He uses "found objects" in his artwork and turns them into...well, you've got to
Booker Prize Longlist
2007-08-10 17:47:00 The Man Booker Prize has released its longlist for 2007. I thought I was up on contemporary British literature, but I only recognize one name on the list--Ian McEwan. Gifted by Nikita Lalwani looks interesting. Here they are: Darkmans by Nicola Barker (Fourth Estate)Self Help by Edward Docx (Picador)The Gift Of Rain by Tan Twan Eng (Myrmidon)The Gathering by Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape)The
Randall Kenan's new book
2007-08-09 21:28:00 Oh my, oh my. I am just so excited to report that my favorite contemporary southern writer, Randall Kenan, has a new book out. It's called The Fire This Time and it plays on the title of James Baldwin's landmark book of essays The Fire Next Time. Every time I think of how much of an impact Baldwin's essays made on me the first time I read them, I get all "shook up" inside. So I'm especially More About: Book
The Intuitionist
2007-08-07 07:19:00 I've been meaning to blog about Colson Whitehead's first novel for a little while now. Probably the most brilliant aspect of The Intuition ist is its premise. It is the story of Lila Mae Watson, an elevator inspector who relies on her instincts or 'intuition' to inspect elevators. The book's main characters are divided between the intuitionists and the empiricists. One can interpret this
La Vie en Rose
2007-07-23 03:11:00 Last night I went to see Olivier Dahan's "La Vie en Rose " the new film about the French singer Edith Piaf. I must admit that I had never heard of Edith Piaf before hearing about the movie. But I fell in love with her singing. I immediately came home and started searching for YouTube video of her performing. I must admit that there were flaws in the filmmaking itself. I got a little confused More About: La Vie En Rose
Edwidge Danticat on Fathers
2007-07-20 17:41:00 Edwidge Danticat has a lovely op-ed that appeared in this past Sunday's NYT that begins with ruminating on the many fathers who fall through the cracks of the federal government's latest crackdown on illegal immigration. But the article ends with a very sad plea to Americans to think about the children who are left behind when the parents are deported or detained. The article prompted me to More About: Fathers , Fath
Duotrope
2007-07-17 19:23:00 I'm emerging from my hole long enough to mention Duotrope, a wonderful resource for writers who send their work out to magazine markets. This website has an excellent submissions tracker and some interesting stats on how long it takes to get a response, etc. Also, if you have a few bucks, 4 or 5, support their efforts by sending them a donation! More About: Rope
Writerly Identities
2007-07-05 19:39:00 Honestly, I couldn't think of a better title for this post. But I wanted to post two articles: one on African American writers of literary fiction published in this Sunday's NYT. The other is an article on writing and motherhood published in The Guardian today. These articles speak to each other, in my opinion, because they both discuss how writers with multiple identities face distinct
Vicente Fernandez
More articles from this author:2007-07-02 18:34:00 Last night I went to see Vice nte Fernandez perform (and also Paquita la del Barrio). It was so much fun! For those of you who don't know, Fernandez is a huge Mexican ranchera star with a big old beautiful voice that comes straight from his heart. I can definitely see how Fernandez represents a kind of nostalgia for the Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. There was so much love there for him More About: Vicente Fernandez , Nand , Vicente 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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