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Louise Penny 2008-03-07 18:56:49 Louise Penny
, rural Québecois village life and intricate plotsby Steven WilliamsLouise Penny was born in 1958 in Toronto. Penny began her professional career as a journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Toronto and moved, as part of her job, to Thunder Bay at the far tip of Lake Superior, in Ontario. There, she worked as a radio host and acknowledges that it was here that she learned a great deal about both the business of radio and the art of interviewing, especially regarding the importance of listening. Penny moved on to Winnipeg and the production of documentaries as well as the hosting of a CBC afternoon radio show. She next moved to Quebec City in order to take advantage of an opportunity to host a morning program, which provided a much larger audience. The ne Read more:Louise
Jacqueline Winspear 2008-03-06 18:13:49 Jacqueline Winspear, a vivid recreator of Britain between the warsby Steven WilliamsJacqueline Winspear is a critically recognized and popular mystery writer. She was born in the county of Kent in England. Her working career includes work as a nanny as well as the publishing industry in England working in sales and marketing, eventually working as a sales and marketing communications consultant for ten years. Winspear emigrated to the United States in 1990 and now lives in Northern California with her husband, dividing her time between Ojai in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. Although she has made her home in the US, she remains a regular visitor to the UK and Europe. She is best known for her series of mysteries set in the late 1920s and 1930s England starring the recur Read more:Jacqueline
Richard Matheson 2008-03-06 18:10:48 Richard Matheson, I am Legend and its theatrical releasesby Steven WilliamsRichard Matheson is the author of the novel I am Legend, on which the 2007 film of the same name is loosely based. The book has been used to produce four films, three for theatrical release (The Last Man on Earth, 1964; The Omega Man, 1971; I am Legend 2007) and one straight to DVD release (I am Omega, 2007). While the straight to DVD release is not particularly important, the three theatrical releases, the difference between them, and their differences from the author's original novel make for some interesting discussion of book to film adaptations. Matheson was born in New Jersey in 1926, the son of Norwegian immigrants. In 1949 he received an bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. In 195 Read more:Richard
Fava beans 2008-02-17 21:34:47 Spring Fava Beans, Roman Styleby Steven WilliamsA favorite, traditional Roman appetizer available in the Spring is Fava Beans with Prosciutto Romano and slices of Pecorino Romano cheese.(In Sicily, Fava beans are associated with the La Festa di San Giuseppe or the Feast of Saint Joseph on March nineteenth, the unofficial saint of fava beans which are considered bearers of luck and health at this time.) Fava beans that are fresh, small, and tender and direct from the field, are a seasonal Spring treat and a particular favorite in Rome. In choosing Spring Fava beans, remember that those larger than three-quarters of an inch or with a shell that has begun to yellow will be too mature to be eaten fresh because they will be starchy and bitter. Fava bean consumption has been growing in popularit
Michael Hague, part 1 2008-02-17 14:10:20 Michael Hague, part 1: The Illustrated Children's Classicsby Steven WilliamsMichael Hauge (b 1948) is an important modern American illustrator of children's books. Some of his most notable work has been his work producing illustraed childre's editions of classics. In recent years he has also begun producing books in partnership with his wife as writer. Most recently he has begun to produce young adult fantasy adventure books beginning with In the Small due for release May , 2008. He curently lives in Colorado.The Pilgrim's Regress: An Allegorical Apology for Christianity, Reason, and Romanticism (1981)(by C. S Lewis, illustrated by Michael Hague)In 1933, not long after he became a Christian, Lewis published this third work and his first novel, The Pilgrim’s Regress. The story in this nov Read more:Michael
Writer and Artists recipes 2008-02-14 20:27:29 Beef Burgundyby James A. Michener"Peel and sauté heavily twelve small onions in one half pound of thinly-sliced salt pork. When onions are done add twelve carrots and sauté slightly. Remove onions and carrots and throw into the pand two poundsof lean chuck beef cut into small cubes. When well browned put contents of pan, including all scrapings, into a casserole and add salt, pepper, bay thyme, garlic salt, celery seed, parsley flakes, green pepper flakes and marjoram. Cover all with a cheap red wine and add two cups of water. Place the casserole in a three hundreed degree oven for one hour. Then add onions, carrots and two tablespoons of tapioca. cook everything for one more hour. Add enough red wine to make the consistency as desired, plus a cupful of mushrooms. Cook for thir Read more:Artists
, Writer
Dickens' Christmas 2008-02-14 20:22:08 Christmas holiday food and drink from the works of Charles Dickens
by Steven WilliamsChristmas Punch, Negus and Smoking BishopChristmas Punch(from A Christmas Carol (1837), by Charles Dickens)"Heaped up on the floor, to form a king of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, suckling-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam. In easey state upon this couch, there sat a jolly Giant, glorious to see; who bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty's horn, and held up, high up, to shed its light on Scrooge, as he came peeping round the door."A Ch Read more:Christmas
Lentils with Coriander 2008-02-14 20:19:16 Aliter Lenticulam (Lentils Another Way aka Lentils with Coriander
)by Steven Williams"Aliter lenticulam: coquis. Cum despumaverit porrum et coriandrum viride supermittis. (Teres) coriandri semen, puleium, laseris radicem, semen mentae et rutae, suffundis acetum, adicies mel, liquamine, aceto, defrito temperabis, adicies oleum, agitabis, si quid opus fuerit, mittis. Amulo obligas, insuper oleum viride mittis, piper aspargis et inferes." (Apicius, 192)from De Re Coquinaria of Apicius, Librorvm X Qvi Dicvntvr De Re CoqvinariaGermany, 1920"Lentils another way: Cook the lentils, skim them strain add leeks, green coriander; crush coriander seed, flea-bane, laser root, mint seed and rue seed moistened with vinegar; add honey, broth, vinegar, reduced must to taste, then oil, stirring the purée unt
C. J. Box 2008-02-12 17:18:38 C. J. Box, a master of the outdoor mysteryby Steven WilliamsC. J. Box, a popular American writer of outdoor mysteries, currently lives in the area around Cheyenne, Wyoming. He has seven published novels, all set in Wyoming, with another coming out in January 2008 and they have all been critically well received. His professional recognition includes winning the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, and the French Prix Calibre .38 award. He has also been a finalist for both an Edgar Award and a LA Times Book Prize. In 2007, Box was named Writer of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers association. Box is a native of Wyoming and so it is not too surprising that his work experiences include such things as ranch hand, surveying, fishing guide, and local
Texas History Movies 2008-02-03 19:18:47 Texas History
Movies, its publishing history and reincarnationsby Steven WilliamsOne of the most influential books educating Texans about their own state's history has been Texas History Movies which is not strictly speaking a book in the traditional meaning of the word. Texas History Movies was actually a comic strip series that was initially published in the late 1920s and it achieved its popularity and notoriety by combining simple but effectively drawn cartoon scenes with accompanying explanatory historical text. The people and events depicted in the comics were all based on events important to development of the state. The history covered spanned the time period from about 1530 to 1885. The comic strip made its initial appearance in the The Dallas (Morning) News and The Dallas (Evenin Read more:Texas
Marjane Satrapi 2008-01-30 21:18:17 Marjane Satrapi, memories of growing up in Islamist Iranby Steven WilliamsMarjane Satrapi was born in in Rasht, Iran in 1969. She grew up in an upper-middle-class, fashionably radical household in Tehran where her father was an engineer from where her feminist mother frequently marched in demonstrations against the Shah. Satrapi was ten years old when the Shah was overthrown. It is only after the Shah falls that she learns that her great-grandfather was the last emperor of Persia and that he had been deposed by a military officer who, with backing from the British, had himself crowned Shah. Her grandfather, the emperor's own son, was even prime minister for a short period but he was put in prison as a Communist. Like many other Iranians, Satrapi's parents were overjoyed at the removal of t
Front Lines 2008-01-28 00:19:07 What can comics say about true life combat? Ninth Art looks at the strengths and flaws of the medium as a means of reporting war, with a look at the works of Joe Sacco, Ted Rall and Karl Zinsmeister.19 June 2006FrontLines
: Comics at Warby Rob CaveSource: Ninth ArtOutside of the well-worn path of biography and autobiography, non-fiction has traditionally been one of the most frustratingly under-developed areas of the comics medium. But in recent years, more and more creators have set out to explore the potential of the comics form for non-fiction - discovering whole new sub-genres in the process. Perhaps one of the more unexpected, and acclaimed, of these new comics sub-genres is war journalism. Maybe the increasing number of high-profile wars involving the US military has spurred this tre
Epileptic review 2008-01-27 18:59:54 French cartoonist David B's acclaimed, frustrating and discomforting autobiographical comic deals with his brother's struggle with epilepsy - and his family's struggles with his brother.08 August 2005by Rob CaveSource: Ninth ArtWriter/Artist: David BPublisher: Random House/Jonathan CapeISBN: 0-224-07502-0Since the underground comics of the late '60s, biographical strips have formed a large part of the independent comics scene in the United States. From Robert Crumb and Harvey Pekar to Jeffrey Brown and Craig Thompson, and embracing 1,001 small pressers in-between, autobiographical comics have a rich and varied history in the US. But in the last few years it has been European comic creators that have been making the big waves internationally with their own take on autobiographical comics. I Read more:review
Graphic Nonfiction 2008-01-27 18:19:44 Graphic Nonfiction, or the arrival of political history and personal memoirby Steven WilliamsOne of the more innovative areas where reading and comics have merged in the last twenty years or so has been the genre now very broadly labeled the graphic novel. A cousin to this type of book is the similarly published nonfiction comic in trade paperback and hardcover format. Bound comic series have traditionally been made available for the more serious and committed comic book readers and collectors. Nonfiction graphic books on the other hand, even those that are compilations of work initially published in the most familiar stapled spine comic format, have emerged to appeal to more than an aficionado’s interest.Some series, notably 'American Splendor' by Harvey Pekar and 'Love and Rockets' by Read more:Graphic
Joe Sacco 2008-01-27 18:17:15 Joe Sacco, a notable writer of comics journalismby Steven WilliamsJoe Sacco was born in 1960 in Malta, the son of an engineer father and teacher mother. His family moved to Australia and lived there from 1961 to 1972. The family came to the US when Sacco was twelve years old first to Los Angeles and eventually settling in Portland, Oregon. Sacco went on to complete his education in the US, eventually graduating in 1981 from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon with a degree in journalism. He had grand visions of becoming a foreign correspondent at the time. Though he had obtained a degree in journalism in order to hard news reporting, he had persistent but not atypical difficulties breaking into the business. During this period of uncertainty, he returned to Malta and worked writing
John Updike, part 2 2008-01-24 18:31:35 John Updike, part 2: The Bech Booksby Steven WilliamsBech is a recurring character in Updike's short stories. These short stories have been gathered together into three books: Bech: A Book (1970), Bech Is Back (1982), and Bech at Bay (1998). The Complete Henry Bech (2001) contains all of Updike's Bech short stories, including His Oeuvre (2000). The story of Bech is decidedly lighter than of Rabbit. Henry Bech is a notably unproductive writer living his life within and around literary Manhattan. In some ways he functions as Updike's fictional alter ego, a Jewish writer with a weakness for women and literary awards, and he allows Updike to comfortably express his sarcastic and sometimes caustic insights on writers and the writing life. When Bech is initially introduced, Updike provided him w
John Updike, part 1 2008-01-18 11:50:14 John Updike part 1, The Rabbit Booksby Steven WilliamsJohn Updike is an American writer who was born in 1932 in Pennsylvania. Updike is renowned as a modern writer in English and particularly celebrated for the craftsmanship of his work. He is also relatively prolific having published, as of 2007, twenty-two novels, twelve short story collections, eight collections of his poetry, eleven collections of nonfiction prose, and six children's books. Contributing to this reputation for productivity, hundreds of his stories, reviews, and poems have appeared in The New Yorker magazine since his professional writing career began in the 1950s. His fiction has also been the basis for the feature length films Rabbit, Run (1970), Too Far to Go (1979), The Roommate (1985), Witches of Eastwick (1987) as
Jordan Sonnenblick 2007-12-28 14:00:53 Jordan Sonnenblick, venturing into the deep waters of adolescenceby Steven WilliamsJordan Sonnenblick is an eighth grade English teacher who has emerged as a writer of young adult fiction with a bite. Sonnenblick got his beginning as a writer in high school, actually Frank McCourt's creative writing class at Stuyvesant High School. McCourt, the author of Angela's Ashes, 'Tis, and Teacher Man, apparently recognized some potential in Sonnenblick because he was allowed to attend McCourt's already full creative writing class. Once there, Sonnenblick developed as a humor writer but McCourt prodded him to try his hand at deeper, more intimate writing. In the end, as a graduating senior, McCourt chose Sonnenblick as the winner of the school's annual creative writing award. For another fifteen yea Read more:Jordan
Dagoberto Gilb 2007-12-28 12:27:48 Dagoberto Gilb, a voice of the Southwestby Steven WilliamsA broader reading audience is beginning to recognize Dagoberto Gilb for his fearlessness, wit, and authenticity and originality of his voice. This is good news for readers since the literary community has been aware of his work for some time: Gilb has won a Whiting Writers Award, received Guggenheim and NEA fellowships, was awarded the Texas Institute of Letters' Jesse Jones Award, received PEN's Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award, . Gilb was born in Los Angeles and later lived for many years in El Paso. Gilb graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1973 with a double major in Philosophy and Religious Studies. In 1976, he earned a master's degree in Religious Studies. Gilb blames his inability to enter the whit
Collecting Proofs 2007-12-28 12:06:58 The Collectability of Proofs and other Types of Advance Editionsby Steven WilliamsWhen book collecting is discussed, one of the most frequent type of collecting that comes up is the collecting of 'First Editions'. The meaning of first edition is slightly different for book publishers than it is for collectors. Publishers consider a first edition as all copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of printing type, including all the minor typographical variations that might exist. These variations can arise from something as minor as a revised dust jacket with additional advertising 'blurbs', photos, or price to variations that come up as typesetting errors or broken type are discovered and corrected within the first printing. For collectors though, First Edition has a meani Read more:Collecting
Gabriel Cohen 2007-12-28 12:04:21 Gabriel Cohen
, an emerging writer of noir police procedural mysteriesby Steven WilliamsGabriel Cohen is a relative newcomer to the mystery genre. Though as a professional writer he has worked as a reporter, script reader, teacher, and researcher, his first novel Red Hook was only published in 2001. He had previously publications have included articles for The New York Times and Time Out New York as well as mystery short stories appearing in various anthologies. He has approached novel writing in the mystery genre primarily as a hook to enable him to explore some of the fundamental mysteries of life, one of the more basic urges of authors of fiction. Red Hook was critically well received to the point of being nominated for an Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. His early Read more:Gabriel
David Clement-Davies 2007-12-28 12:02:59 David Clement-Davies
, talking animals and pagan folkloreby Steven WilliamsClement-Davies is a British writer particularly known for his fantasy adventure novels. The critically best received of his novels are intended for young adult readers though there has been some crossover interest similar to what has been seen with the Harry Potter novels. Clement-Davies was born in London in 1964 though he spent his childhood in Wales. It was in Wales that he first became fascinated with wild nature and this interest remained with him, heavily influencing his approach to fiction. In college he studied the Italian Renaissance as well as Russian literature and society. After college he pursued interests in both acting and writing first studying drama and even working in the theater before going on to Read more:David
Philip K. Dick 2007-12-28 11:59:22 Philip K. Dick, the film adaptations of a master of speculative fictionby Steven WilliamsPhilip Kindred Dick aka Philip K. Dick, born in 1928, was an American author who is most frequently recognized as writer of science fiction novels and stories. PKD aspired to a career in mainstream literature but his stylistic devices and subject material prevented the quality of his writing and the importance of his ideas from being widely recognized during his lifetime and left him relegated, at least in the mind of publishers, to the ghetto of pulp-style low-paying science fiction. This did not mean that PKD did not receive some recognition. Even though Kurt Vonnegut's fictional character Kilgore Trout is based loosely on the science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, a large number of readers feel t Read more:Philip
Jennifer Lee Carrell 2007-12-28 11:51:16 Jennifer Lee Carrell, a skilled blending of history and literary fictionby Steven WilliamsJennifer Carrell Helenbolt, who continues to write under the pseudonym Jennifer Lee Carrell since her marriage in 2002, this fall published her debut mystery novel Interred with Their Bones. Carrell began her career as a writer beginning with a decision to attend graduate school to study English literature. Her decision was based on an expectation that the life of a professor would support, both financially and by its lifestyle, her interest in writing. She found that the life of scholarship and teaching was almost perfect for her. Unfortunately, a professional life in academe requires coming to terms with academic politics, something she learned to hate. A professional life teaching at the university
Alafair Burke 2007-12-28 11:49:08 Alafiar Burke
, an emerging author if legal thrillersby Steven WilliamsAlafair S. Burke, daughter of acclaimed crime fiction writer James Lee Burke, is an author, law professor, and legal commentator born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Alafair earned a degree in psychology before going on to attend and graduate from Stanford Law School. As a practicing attorney, she has served as a deputy district attorney in Portland, Oregon for several years before leaving to teach law in New York State. Three of her four published novels are set in Portland. Alafair has stated that her decision to move from practicing law to teaching was motivated in part by the difficulties she had setting aside the more unpleasant experiences as a prosecutor. She currently teaches criminal law at Hofstra Law School on Ne
Fictional Cities 2008-03-12 15:48:55 The Real Cities
We Know and the Fictional Cities They Inspireby Paul O'BrienNew York plays host to a lot of stories, but this past weekend (New York Comic-Con, February 25th and 26th, 2006) was the first time it played host to a major comic convention. Paul O'Brien looks at the distance between the real cities we know and the fictional cities they inspire.27 February 2006Source: Ninth ArtThe article which follows is not really about comics. Or maybe it is. I'm not sure. Before writing one of these columns, I usually go back and check the news sites just in case there's something I'm overlooking (or, even better, something obscure yet interesting). As I sat down this week, it struck me that I couldn't remember anything at all happening recently. Mind you, I've been busy, so maybe I just was
Ace Atkins 2008-03-12 15:45:58 Ace Atkins
, a satisfying blend of Blues music and noir fictionby Steven WilliamsAce Atkins has been published professionally since 1998 with six novels in print. They have been critically well received and have also earned their author an enthusiastic popular following. Atkins attended Auburn College on a football scholarship majoring in screenplay writing and it was here that he began writing short stories as a freshman. He was actually able to complete about half of his first novel while still in school, even though he was playing football for the college team. After graduation, Atkins decided to begin working in journalism as an apprenticeship to his long-term goal of writing fiction. He first worked for about one year as at The St. Petersburg Times as a pickup writer or correspondent,
Charlie Stella 2008-03-10 18:03:47 Charlie Stella
, a master of crime fiction dialogueby Steven WilliamsCharlie Stella, born Carmello Stella in 1956, is a critically and popularly successful American writer of crime novels. Stella is a New York City native and grew up to become very much the sort of man that many of his characters are, a big Italian knockaround king of guy who could easily be imagined as if not mistaken for a hit man. The style of his books has been compared to those of Mario Puzo and Elmore Leonard. Initially he wrote off Broadway and off-off Broadway plays for about fifteen years before his first novel was published, Eddie's World. Although Stella had produced two novels about eight years before Eddie's World, it was this book that earned him an agent and this in turn allowed him to finally get a publisher Read more:Charlie
Truth in Art 2008-03-10 17:12:01 Is there truth in art? Does the artist reveal truth?by Paul O'BrienIs there truth in art? Storytellers place great value in the power of fiction to communicate ideas - but does the artist reveal truth, or just an amazing simulation? Paul O'Brien looks for the facts in fiction.Source: Ninth Art"Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot." - SANDMAN #19Judging from the context in which that line appears, Neil Gaiman seems to consider it a rather pleasing thought. It's from the 'Midsummer Night's Dream' issue, where Oberon watches the play and politely points out that none of it actually happened. Dream insists that this doesn't actually matter, for the reasons I've quoted. This view is not p Read more:Truth
Blood In The Inkwell 2008-03-13 14:12:13 Blood In The Inkwell, the controversy surrounding the Danish 'Muhammad' cartoonsby Paul O'BrienAround the world, people have been taking to the streets in protest - and people have even been dying - over cartoons. Paul O'Brien looks at both sides of the controversy surrounding the Danish 'Muhammad' cartoons.13 February 2006Source: Ninth ArtChances are you'll be sick of reading about the Danish cartoons controversy by now, but indulge me. After all, this is one of those rare occasions that something loosely bearing on comics has been genuinely newsworthy in the outside world. This whole mess has been deeply unpleasant to watch for all manner of reasons. It would have been nice to think that it would at least prompt some serious discussion about the way we relate to a very different culture, Read more:Blood
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