Archive for November, 2017

  • Here is a retelling of the Hopi story, The Revenge of the Katcinas (Kachinas or Katsinam). To grow crops and survive in their mountainous desert, the Hopis understand the necessity for proper devotion to the supernatural powers, known as the Kachinas, who embody the spirits of living things and also of ancestors who have died and become a part of nature. When the people fall out of favor with the supernaturals, disaster results.

    Hopi Survival and the Supernaturals: Revenge of the Kachinas

    Posted on November 26, 2017 | 1 Comment
    Here is a retelling of the Hopi story, The Revenge of the Katcinas (Kachinas or Katsinam). To grow crops and survive in their mountainous desert, the Hopis understand the necessity for proper devotion to the supernatural powers, known as the Kachinas, who embody the spirits of living things and also of ancestors who have died and become a part of nature. When the people fall out of favor with the supernaturals, disaster results.

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  • Paul Bowles during his life (1910-1999) remained aloof from all the hipsters and hypesters of U.S. letters. Living in self-imposed exile in Tangier, he had cast a spell over such talents as Tennessee Williams, Libby Holman, Truman Capote, and Allen Ginsberg. We revisit an essay penned by Jay McInerny in 1985, on how the inimitable expatriate writer-composer's dark arts retain their power, even more so 32 years later.

    Stranger in Tangier: Paul Bowles Under The Sheltering Sky

    Posted on November 14, 2017 | 1 Comment
    Paul Bowles during his life (1910-1999) remained aloof from all the hipsters and hypesters of U.S. letters. Living in self-imposed exile in Tangier, he had cast a spell over such talents as Tennessee Williams, Libby Holman, Truman Capote, and Allen Ginsberg. We revisit an essay penned by Jay McInerny in 1985, on how the inimitable expatriate writer-composer's dark arts retain their power, even more so 32 years later.

    Continue Reading...

  • An exhibition by artist Cristóbal Valecillos in Los Angeles invoked the Dancing Devils of Yare, a 400-year old Venezuelan tradition celebrating life, the triumph of good over evil, and renewal.  His provocative interpretation of the diablo masks, hand-sculpted from repurposed waste materials, takes aim at culture and consumption in the US, a plea for overcoming. 

    Dancing Devils of Venezuela Challenge US Consumer Culture

    Posted on November 8, 2017 | No Comments
    An exhibition by artist Cristóbal Valecillos in Los Angeles invoked the Dancing Devils of Yare, a 400-year old Venezuelan tradition celebrating life, the triumph of good over evil, and renewal.  His provocative interpretation of the diablo masks, hand-sculpted from repurposed waste materials, takes aim at culture and consumption in the US, a plea for overcoming. 

    Continue Reading...

  • We feature the popularized story version of the French fairy tale 'La Belle et La Bête' (Beauty and the Beast), which became a classic 1946 Jean Cocteau film accompanied by composer Philip Glass's mesmerizing 1994 score.

    La Belle et La Bête – Natural Surrealism of a Misunderstood Beast

    Posted on November 6, 2017 | No Comments
    We feature the popularized story version of the French fairy tale 'La Belle et La Bête' (Beauty and the Beast), which became a classic 1946 Jean Cocteau film accompanied by composer Philip Glass's mesmerizing 1994 score.

    Continue Reading...