According to Sandy

Happening this coming weekend is a  fantastic yearly event involving over 200 exhibit booths, music, panel discussions and children’s activities. Great way to spend a Saturday in the city!

 “The vision of the Harlem Book Fair is to partner with local and national leadership organizations under the banner of literacy awareness, affirming HBF as the nation’s largest African American literary event celebrating family literacy, community empowerment and community cooperation.“

2013 Harlem Book Fair

Saturday July 20, 2013

Schomburg  Center for Research in Black Culture

West 135th Street between Malcolm X Blvd and Fredrick Douglas Blvd

An article by Fred Kaplan, “1959: Sex, Jazz, and Datsuns” featured in a past issue of New York Magazine determines that 1959 was an important year for music, politics, world dynamics, social issues, and the arts.  The 60’s might have gotten more press, but, 1959 was the year of change, innovation, out of the box thinking.

The magazine piece is based on Kaplan’s book, “1959: The Year Everything Changed”.  He presents his examples of some of the greatest happenings of this special year and they include:

*Actor turned director John Cassavetes was perhaps the first “Indie” filmmaker with his partly improvised script for his movie “Shadows”.

*Completion of the Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, changed the NYC sky line on the upper East Side.

*The first micro chip introduced by Texas Instruments.

*The release of the Miles Davis album (they were albums then) “Kinda Blue” (considered by many to be best jazz recording ever).

*Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro invited to NYC and staying at the St Teresa Hotel in Harlem.

*The emergence of Malcolm X and his conversations on race and politics.

(What were you doing in 1959?)

Los Angeles will host its popular Black Book Expo again this year at the L.A. Convention Center. This one day event will offer “authors, storytellers, spoken word and poetry performances, musicians, exhibitors, children’s book authors, emerging writers, publishers, booksellers, panel discussions, editors, book reviewers…”

The Los Angeles Black Book Expo (LABBX)

L.A.  Convention Center – Saturday August 20, 2011

This last week has seemed, to me, to be full of a “series of unfortunate events”. By Friday, the last thing I needed was another news show or tabloid paper.  I wanted to be taken away, out of the realm of current happenings. (I know, “reality shows” aren’t really, but even they weren’t fantastical enough.)

I found an old copy of one of the most fascinating fantasies ever – “100 Years of Solitude” by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Written in 1967, the book recounts the history of a family that presides over a South American town called Macondo. It is the perfect “did it happen or didn’t it?” story.

Critics refer to García Márquez as a pioneer of “magical realism”. His work is often time shifting, mystical and surreal, it takes the reader to a different space, a different time. (Which can be such a relief when the “real” world starts to crowd in.)

“100 Years of Solitude” is a magical story – a definite adventure, a great book.

Over 200 exhibit booths will be featured at the 2011 edition of this annual free event including music stages, panel discussions and children’s activities.

“The vision of the Harlem Book Fair is to partner with local and national leadership organizations under the banner of literacy awareness, affirming HBF as the nation’s largest African American literary event celebrating family literacy, community empowerment, and community cooperation. “

Annual Harlem Book Fair & Arts Festival – Saturday July 23, 2011

11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on West 135th Street, NYC

( Malcolm X Blvd. /Lenox Ave and Fredrick Douglas Blvd. 8th Ave)

I kept noticing this “Tattoo” book on the local paperback best seller list for the past year or so and  I got curiouser and curiouser.

So, I cheated and watched “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” on DVD first and then read the books – yes, plural. I was so hooked on the main characters and their adventures that  reading the whole trilogy by Swedish writer Stieg Larson was the only option.  Had such a great time! (All 3 are now available on DVD)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

The books are cleverly dense with detail, suspense, intrigue and double dealing. The screen writer was selective in what was included in the subsequent movies, but they are well done (I think  “Tattoo” was the best).  I love a mystery – who disappeared, who was betrayed, who covered up. The 2 main characters, fearless,  antisocial “Lisbeth Salander”, fiercely brought to life by Noomi Rapace and investigative journalist “Michael Blomkvist”, played by Michael Nyqvist, were great, but I must say that everyone was.  Directed by Niels Arden Oplev, they did a super job.

The action takes place in Sweden – I marvel at the similarities and the differences to American life. A conspiracy is a conspiracy, politics is politics, muckraking is muckraking regardless of the language.  The methods to uncover evil machinations are now global with the blanket use of the internet. Hacking has never seemed so exciting. A warning – some scenes are violent, but, they do give some insight as to why our “Girl” behaves as she does.

Of course I’m sorry Mr. Larson passed away in 2004, especially since after reading the final book and watching the DVD (“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”), I got the distinct impression that our non-heroine/heroine, Ms Salander, was not finished – there was more to do, more to reveal and dig up, more people to disturb. Sigh… (Hope that didn’t sound too callous?)

I don’t know why, but there is an American remake planned with David Fincher as Director (He did Social Network), David Craig (the most recent actor to play James Bond) and relative newcomer Rooney Mara as the tattooed girl.  It better be good!

FYI: I’m getting a Tat for my next birthday – something tiny and therefore, not too painful (but I’ll feel a little fierce 😎 )

Reminder: Los Angeles will host its popular Black Book Expo again this year on Saturday 8/21 at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel. This one day event will offer “authors, storytellers, spoken word and poetry performances, musicians, exhibitors, children’s book authors, emerging writers, publishers, booksellers, panel discussions, editors, book reviewers…”

The Los Angeles Black Book Expo (LABBX)* August 21st * 11:00-5:00

Tulisoma South Dallas Book Fair August 27 – 29, 2010

“Tulisoma,  Swahili for “we read”, is a community-based literary festival promoting literacy and the arts in the South Dallas/Fair Park area… the goal of Tulisoma is to create a dynamic event tailored to engage local families, avid readers, aspiring writers and visitors to the city.”

There will be a  Gospel lunch, a poetry “slam” and several other events for the whole family.

Tulisoma South Dallas Book Fair August 27 – 29, 2010

South Dallas Cultural Center, 3400 South Fitzhugh, Dallas Texas

“Writing was … the most extraordinary way of thinking and feeling. It became the one thing I was doing that I had absolutely no intention of living without.”  Toni Morrison

A book reviewer in my local paper, “San Francisco Chronicle”, Joan Frank described the most recentToni Morrison novel, “A Mercy”, as “ferociously beautiful”. (Actually, that can describe many of her books this way.)

Ms Morrison has such a fantastical, spiritual approach to her characters and plot, but she’s also got “edge”. She can set a tone, paint a picture, capture identifiable feeling/emotion and describe events so clearly and with such poetry that it makes you laugh or, it makes you cry. There are some passages in her much acclaimed book “Beloved” that are so painful that your throat clutches and closes.  Her “truth”, cloaked in make believe, is sometimes difficult to handle – sort of a ground glass in the oatmeal type of thing. You feel it.
(“Beloved” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 and Ms Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.)

I think she is amazing and a real gift. “A Mercy”, by Toni Morrison

Reminder:

12th Annual Harlem Book Fair & Arts Festival

This is the largest annual African American book fair and it’s free!

Featured on Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 17 thru July19, will be over 200 exhibit booths, there will be music stages, panel discussions and children’s activities.

Harlem Book Fair 7/17 thru 7/19, 2010

“The vision of the Harlem Book Fair is to partner with local and national leadership organizations under the banner of literacy awareness, affirming HBF as the nation’s largest African American literary event celebrating family literacy, community empowerment and community cooperation. “