#Carolina Govers

[tina-aumont]

Shirley TV series, 1972

Maria Montez II played the role of Carolina in Shirley Spanish TV series. Chapter I was aired the 26th February 1972, Chapter II the 29th February, Chapter III the 1rst March, Chapther IV the 3rd March, and Chapter V also the 3rd March.

This was the Spanish adaptation of the world famous Charlotte Brontë novel "Shirley, A Tale" and it was directed by Gabriel Ibañez.

Plot (it may contain Spoilers)

In the neblinous world of Yorkshire County we are meeting two Belgian brothers, Hortensia and Robert, settled some time ago in England, and a neighbor of these, a girl named Carolina, who lives in the company of an uncle of hers, Protestant pastor. And finally, Shirley, a young owner who is accompanied by her governess, an older lady. Everyone is going to get the almost magical effect of Shirley's presence in the place.

Cast:

Elisa Ramírez - Shirley Reales

Ricardo Merino - Robert Moore

Luisa Sala - Hortensia Moore

Mayrata O'Wisedio - Señora Pryor

Antonio Casas - Matthewston Helstone

María Montez II - Carolina "Lina" Helstone

Alberto Fernández - Sr. York

Francisco Merino

Pedro del Río

Carmen Nadal

Teresa Guaida

SOURCES

RTVE - Shirley

IMDB - Shirley

Screencaps of each chapter will be made, little by little, it's a nice surprise to find this video on youtube!!

[royaltysimblr]

Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess Waldemar of Norden

Prince Waldemar was born in 1769 to Karl Duke of Norden and Princess Helene of Vasa. Waldemar was the youngest son and child of the ducal couple. He was born at Schloss Lutzow and was christened at its private chapel as Prince Waldemar Fredrick Axel. Waldemar grew up close to his older sisters Viktoria and Elisabeth and shared a governess with them until he was 9 years whereupon he was educated by private tutors. Waldemar had almost no prospects of inheriting the Norden Throne despite being second in line. Waldemar’s older brother, Wilhelm, was ten years older than him and was perfectly healthy. Waldemar was not particularly close to his older brother in his youth, but in their adulthood he became his closest confidant at court. Waldemar was 13 when his sister Maria Theresa died and 15 when his father Karl died. Waldemar had been particularly close to his father and his death deeply saddened him. The rest of Waldemar’s education was overseen by his uncle Prince Stanislaus of Polstein who had several highly regarded Eusalian generals teach him. As he had no prospect in ruling, he became a lieutenant in the Augustinian Army. Waldemar’s mother Helene retired from court and let Waldemar’s aunt Princess Adelaide find a bride for him. Adelaide had very little contacts internationally and struggled to find a bride for a prince who did not rule in his own right. Adelaide found Princess Cecile of Munster for Waldemar to marry. They met for the first time at the christening of his nephew, Prince Gustaf of Rostock at the Schloss Rostock in 1789. Cecile came from a poor family who were overthrown in 1770 by Wurzburg who incorporated the Duchy of Munster into their territory. Cecile grew up living with her wealthier aunt, Princess Theresa Duchess of Newport who had married one of the oldest noblemen of Windenburg. Cecile was beautiful and was skilled in literature, writing multiple novels under a pen name. In 1791, the couple were married at the private chapel of the Brunsbuttel Palace. Waldemar and Cecile had a happy marriage, probably the happiest out of all of his siblings. Cecile would give birth to two healthy daughters, Princess Christine in 1792, and Princess Carolina in 1795. The couple had apartments in Brunsbuttel Palace and Schloss Lutzow but mostly resided at a townhouse in Innsbruck where Waldemar commanded a regiment. Cecile often attended the imperial court at Innsbruck and befriended her sister-in-law, Archduchess Paulina of Augustinia former Princess of Norden. Cecile hosted many society balls in Innsbruck and was at the center of attention at the imperial capital. Cecile continued to write books about life at the imperial court under the name Countess Donawitz. Waldemar and Cecile returned to Norden in 1807 with their two daughters. In 1809, their eldest daughter, Princess Christine was married to Prince George of Lubeck, the second son of the reigning Prince of Lubeck. Christine and her mother had a warm relationship with each other and corresponded with each other daily. Cecile has a horrible relationship with her mother In law, Helene who resents her for her low status. Cecile and her sister-in-law, Magdalene of Wurzburg, the current Duchess of Norden, originally had a bad relationship with each other. Cecile hated her initially for Wurzburg’s invasion of Munster and held that against Magdalene. However, their relationship became better when Helene started to snub them both. Cecile and Magdalene have formed their own new social circle in response to their mother-in-law’s isolation of the two princesses. Waldemar, Cecile, Magdalene, and Wilhelm continue to have a great relationship with each other. Waldemar has been a great comfort to his older brother Wilhelm during his period of illness. 

[snowbellewells]

WIP Ask Game

RULES: (in your own post, not mine please) Post the names of the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! If you’d like, tag as many people as you have WIPs!

Many thanks to @kmomof4 @xarandomdreamx @the-darkdragonfly @donteattheappleshook and @booksteaandtoomuchtv for the tags!

I have many, many WIPs (more than I used to let myself get started at once!) Some have begun posting, and some not, but I’d love to know if some pique peoples’ interest. 

Works In Progress - Posted:

“One More” a no magic Modern AU with younger Emma and Killian - one more chapter to post

“A Year in the Court of Misthaven” interconnected one shots of Princess Emma and Lieutenant Killian in the Enchanted Forest (probably 2 or 3 more vignettes to complete)

“Foot Caught in the Door (This Time)”   a Music Man AU I started for the @captainswanmoviemarathon  There’s a LOT more of this too. I keep getting intimidated by how much I love the original...

“The Lawman, the Thief, and the Outlaw”   This Western AU was also begun for the @captainswanmoviemarathon is based on the old movie Rio Bravo, and currently has about five chapters posted. I really want to get back to this one...

“Believing Impossible Things”    My @cssns22 fic, a Victorian Au with ghostly Killian, Emma as Alice’s governess, and an evil Eloise...

Works in Progress - Not Yet Posted:

Untitled Musician Killian/EMT Emma Modern AU - it actually has three full chapters written and a four begun, but I haven’t started posting it yet since I have so many others in various states of completion already going.

“All the Right Moves” Rival Professional Dancers Killian and Emma Modern AU

Untitled Enchanted Forest Arranged Marriage Fic  

Untitled @cssns23 oneshot

“Carolina Moon” (probably the title)  My @cssns23 MC fic, based on Nora Roberrt’s romantic suspense drama novel (and the resulting tv movie)

Tagging: @jrob64 @justanother-unluckysoul @searchingwardrobes @whimsicallyenchantedrose @laschatzi @cosette141 @ohmightydevviepuu @anmylica @shireness-says @cosette141

[publius-library]

what was it like to be a teacher 1810s-1840s america? Were there specific subjects you tought or was it all compiled by one teacher? What about different regions? Schools in ohio v schools in new england v schools in south carolina? High-level education v low-level?

Hey there, sorry for my extended absence, but I'm here now. Firstly, I love the way you phrased this ask, it made my job very easy. So, thanks for that, bestie.

Generally speaking, didn't vary an incredible amount based on region. Though, there was more development further east than there was out west in places like Ohio, but I'll get into that.

I'll start out with some general information about schools and teaching in this time period. Schoolhouses were originally established by local churches with the intention to teach children to be able to read the Bible, so the content of instruction would also be determined by the denomination of the church. Church buildings doubled as schoolhouses, if they weren't in separate, one-room buildings. For the most part, there wasn't much funding for stand-alone school houses for the beginning of the century. Then, parents began to form "School Societies", and of course, the government had to take over after that.

Children of all ages were grouped together in schools, with one teacher to teach the entire group. Teachers would teach every student individually at their own level. They had many responsibilities, but very little pay. In fact, many teachers boarded with the families of one of their students. Some of their responsibilities and rules included, whittling pencils for their students, staying right with God, not drinking alcohol, not visiting public social halls, female teachers couldn:t be engaged or married while men could court women, male teachers couldn't go to public barber shops, and male teachers had to bring in coal or wood to warm the schoolhouse, as well as general upkeep.

Teachers were very young, usually with no more education than what their students were receiving. They also were allowed to use corporal punishment on the students.

School was not mandatory for students, nor was it free, as government funding was extremely limited. There was a summer and winter session, with girls attending the summer session while the boys helped out with their family's outdoor chores, usually farming, and boys attended the winter session when the harvest was over. If their parents couldn't afford an age-appropriate reader for their child, a Bible would be used for instruction. Children would stop attending school once they could read effectively.

For the upper classes, boys would begin their education young with tutors and private institutions before university. Girls would learn from governesses. Schools for girls weren't unheard of, but wouldn't be as common in America as they would be in Europe. Some intellectuals would educate their children themselves.

Now, as for the specific regions. I wasn't able to find much information about New England that was different from the above, but the "Common School" movement began in the northeast, which promoted regulation of schools. The New England states have traditionally been the first to incorporate social developments from Europe, as word spread very slowly the further south and west you go.

As for Ohio, it's history of education extends back to the Land Ordinance of 1785, which divided the land into townships which were broken into 36 sections. One section per township was designated to support public schools.

During the first half of the century, the government was not involved, aside from a few legislative regulations. Most financial and administrative responsibilities were left to the local governments.

The first schools were operated by Moravian missionaries, which established schools for Indigenous children before European colonization. The description I'll be giving is for schools established for white children, since I couldn't find much about them beforehand.

Again, students were not divided by age, and most schoolhouses were one room, with boys and girls being taught separately. Cincinnati introduced graded schools in 1840. There were five levels: primary, secondary, intermediate, grammar, and high. Students were required to pass an exam to move to the next grade. The first four grades took approximately 8 years, and high took 3 or 4.

Teachers were certified by a local or county board. They were required to pass a test proving competence at reading, writing, and arithmetic. Geography, grammar, and spelling were added later. They were also tested on their moral character.

As for South Carolina, the concept of "free schools" appeared in the 18th century. Free schools were operated for the children of poor whites who could not afford private education.

Educational opportunities for black people were severely limited, as you can imagine. Wives of slave owners might instruct their favorites in Christianity and reading of the Bible, but generally it was seen as a bad idea to teach the people you enslaved to read because they might be smarter than you. Some schools accepted black students (see Reverend Alexander Garden), but legislation was passed limiting the education of black people. However, schools for free people of color were supported by religious and fraternal groups, and managed to survive the antebellum period.

Private education remained the norm for the upper class, with tuition-charging academies taking precedence. These schools received limited state support. The curriculum tended to include classics, Greek, Latin and mathematics. Girls were taught belles lettres, French (which was pretty standard for both genders among most social classes), music, drawing, and plain and ornamental needlework.

In 1811, General Assembly passed a new free school act authorizing the establishment of schools in each district equal to the number of representatives they had. Any white child could attend for free, with priority given to orphans and the children of the poor. The Common School Movement skipped over South Carolina

Thank you so much for the ask, and I hope this helps! I'll include my sources in case you want to do further reading and get a bit more detail.

Sources:

Curious Historian- Schools in the 1800s

Regency Fiction Writers- Education of Young Men and Women in the Regency

South Carolina Encyclopedia- Education

Ohio Memory- Education on Ohio, 1780-1903

American Transcendentalism- Background for the State of Education in New England

[yellingintothedarkness]

I'm sick and tired of people listening to the out pouring of lies It's proven AMERICAN GOVERMENT/FEMA/even REDCROSS FAILED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE Example of many https://x.com/i/status/1844442757043302415 EXPOSE EXPOSE EXPOSE BRING DARK into LIGHT CONTINUE PEOPLE HELP PEOPLE MOVEMENT

Kamala Harris EXPOSED for ordering the National Guard to load a C-17 cargo plane with relief supplies supposedly for victims of the Hurricane in North Carolina for a photo op but NEVER SENT the plane. https://x.com/i/status/1844541969399238731

[its-suanneschafer-author]

BOOK REVIEW: The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield

The Embroidered Book, a historical fantasy, follows the Hapsburg girls, Maria Carolina and Marie Antoinette from childhood to becoming monarchs of Naples and France respectively. This is a well-researched volume which takes the history of these two women and binds it with the idea that magic is part of their world. As youngsters, after their governess if killed in her bed, they find a book of…

[dimitripruymphotography]

Carolina Govers I. | mua&h: Erica Tanaka | photo: Dimitri Pruym

[doubleattitude]

BTF 1st Place Solo Winners 2022/23

NUVO

NUbie:

Kylie Acosta (Meadowlands, Yolanda’s Academy of Music and Dance)

Penelope Chu (Meadowlands, Boston Community Dance Project)

Bradley Kawa (Omaha, The Collective PHX)

Hazel Mackey (Anchorage, Studio 49)

Cheslee Oxner (Memphis, Elite Stars Academy of the Arts)

Paisley Matteson (Tulsa, The Pointe Performing Arts Center)

Greyson Carmichael (Vancouver, PULSE Dance Centre)

Kendall Khamphengphet (Indianapolis, Legacy Dance Studio)

Ariya Belle (Pittsburgh, Albright Dance Stars)

Madison Wadsworth (Dallas, Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre)

Alyssa Horta (Orlando, Dance Town)

Stella Fisk (Anaheim, Pave School of the Arts)

Abbey Scott (Detroit, Club Dance Studio)

Khylie Wilkerson (Atlanta, Studio Powers)

Mariah Leblanc (Atlanta, Renner Dance Company)

(Bellevue)

(Santa Clara)

(Baltimore)

(Minneapolis)

(Boston)

(Cleveland)

(Chicago)

(Houston)

(Kansas City)

(Atlantic City)

(Westminster)

(Sandy)

(Glendale)

(Niagara Falls)

(Miami)

Mini:

Chloey Saint Surin (Meadowlands, Mossa Dance Academy)

Elsie Sandall (Omaha, Club Dance Studio)

Harper Anderson (Omaha, Larkin Dance Studio)

Mogilny Gover (Anchorage, DC Dance Factory)

Ella Smith (Calgary, Edge Studios)

Danica Hill (Calgary, Diverse Dance Company)

Harlowe Johnson (Calgary, Diverse Dance Company)

Reese Braga (Memphis, New Level Dance Company)

Macey Strickland (Memphis, New Level Dance Company)

Kendall Brown (Tulsa, South Tulsa Dance Co)

Olivia Butler (Vancouver, Deas Island Dance)

Mila Simunic (Indianapolis, Legacy Dance Studio)

Morgan Stahl (Pittsburgh, Evolve Dance Complex)

Anita Rodriguez (Dallas, Stars Dance Studio)

Riley Borden (Orlando, Dance Unlimited)

Melina Blitz (Anaheim, The Rock Center for Dance)

Ayla Mohtashami (Anaheim, West Coast School of the Arts)

Kennedy Marble (Anaheim, Club Dance Studio)

Lex Vancura (Anaheim, Motion State Studios)

Scarlett Adlam (Detroit, Powerdance Company)

Kyle Young (Detroit, Club Dance Studio)

Calleigh Eaton (Atlanta, SpotLite Dance Studio)

Camryn Marks (Atlanta, SpotLite Dance Studio)

(Bellevue)

(Santa Clara)

(Baltimore)

(Minneapolis)

(Boston)

(Cleveland)

(Chicago)

(Houston)

(Kansas City)

(Atlantic City)

(Westminster)

(Sandy)

(Glendale)

(Niagara Falls)

(Miami)

Junior:

Esme Chou (Meadowlands, Project 21)

Emily Polis (Meadowlands, The Vision Dance Alliance)

Jordan Coates (Meadowlands, Seven Star School of Performing Arts)

Savannah Manzel (Omaha, Larkin Dance Studio)

Kaylee Randeniya (Anchorage, Lux 5.0)

Kinsley Oykhman (Calgary, The Academy)

Allie Plott (Memphis, The Dance Centre)

Maddie Morton (Memphis, Center Stage Dance Academy)

Emory Pettit (Memphis, The Dance Company)

Braylynn Grizzaffi (Tulsa, The Pointe Performing Arts Center)

Olivia Toneguzzo (Vancouver, PULSE Dance Centre)

Madeleine Shen (Indianapolis, NorthPointe Dance Academy)

Lexus Natalie (Pittsburgh, Evolve Dance Complex)

Faith Crain (Dallas, Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre)

Savy Luechtefeld (Orlando, Carolina Collective Dance)

Kiera Sun (Anaheim, WESTSIDE Dance Project)

Mars Maiden (Detroit, Imprint Dance Co)

Sophia Cialkowski (Detroit, Noretta Dunworth School of Dance)

Eleanor Nadeau (Detroit, Artflux Dance Lab)

Morgan Gilbert (Detroit, Viva Dance Co)

Kaylee Schwamb (Atlanta, Kane & Company Dance Productions)

(Bellevue)

(Santa Clara)

(Baltimore)

(Minneapolis)

(Boston)

(Cleveland)

(Chicago)

(Houston)

(Kansas City)

(Atlantic City)

(Westminster)

(Sandy)

(Glendale)

(Niagara Falls)

(Miami)

Teen:

Caroline Quiner (Meadowlands, Hunterdon Hills Ballet)

Claire Monge (Omaha, Larkin Dance Studio)

Siobhan Witty-Daugherty (Anchorage, Alaska Dance Theatre)

Falyn Jones (Anchorage, Alaska Dance Theatre)

Alasaya Spann (Anchorage, Diamond Dance Project)

Juliet O’Connor (Anchorage, Alaska Dance Theatre)

Isabella Bogh (Anchorage, Alaska Dance Theatre)

Dakota Frederick (Anchorage, The Company Space)

Amelia Brackman (Calgary, YYC Dance Project)

Vienna Van Mill (Calgary, Starbound Dance Center)

Ryan Newman (Calgary, The Dance Factory)

Leila Winker (Memphis, Millennium Dance Complex-Nashville)

Lilly Allen (Tulsa, Kim Massay Dance Productions)

Kessa Yee (Vancouver, PULSE Dance Centre)

Lindi Denkema (Vancouver, YYC Dance Project)

Ainsley Grey (Indianapolis, Expressenz Dance Center)

Cami Voorhees (Pittsburgh, Evolve Dance Complex)

Kylie Kaminsky (Dallas, Danceology)

Skyler Jarman (Orlando, Xtreme Dance Studio)

Isabella Lynch (Anaheim, Danceology)

Crystal Huang (Anaheim, The Rock Center for Dance)

Izzy Howard (Anaheim, WESTSIDE Dance Project)

Riley Zeitler (Detroit, Westlake Dance Center)

Lydia Smith (Atlanta, The Dance Centre)

Wells McEntyre (Atlanta, The Dance Centre)

(Bellevue)

(Santa Clara)

(Baltimore)

(Minneapolis)

(Boston)

(Cleveland)

(Chicago)

(Houston)

(Kansas City)

(Atlantic City)

(Westminster)

(Sandy)

(Glendale)

(Niagara Falls)

(Miami)

Senior:

Rachel Quiner (Meadowlands, Hunterdon Hills Ballet)

Amanda Magee (Meadowlands, Hunterdon Hills Ballet)

Avery Lau (Omaha, South Tulsa Dance Co)

Garris Munoz (Omaha, South Tulsa Dance Co)

Alli Fusaro (Anchorage, First Class)

Kaylie McCarthy (Anchorage, Tri-City Dance Centre)

Harlee Crisp (Calgary, Prestige Dance Academy)

Melanie Johnson (Calgary, Marquis Dance Academy)

Hannah Webb (Memphis, Imperium House of Dance)

Brielle McCoy (Tulsa, Kim Massay Dance Productions)

Phoebe Campbell (Vancouver, The Company Space)

Jenna Kryder (Indianapolis, Expressenz Dance Center)

Danielle Jewell-Wolf (Pittsburgh, Little Red Dance Studio)

Reagan Stafford (Dallas, Next Step Dance)

Kaitlyn Santos (Orlando, Dance Town)

Emma Donnelly (Anaheim, Danceology)

Marissa Brunner (Detroit, Haja Dance Company)

Ying Lei Pham (Detroit, Movement Emporium)

Gianna Vermiglio (Detroit, Spotlight Dance Works)

Bella Mills (Atlanta, Rhythm Dance Center)

Savannah Manning (Atlanta, CCJ Conservatory)

(Bellevue)

(Santa Clara)

(Baltimore)

(Minneapolis)

(Boston)

(Cleveland)

(Chicago)

(Houston)

(Kansas City)

(Atlantic City)

(Westminster)

(Sandy)

(Glendale)

(Niagara Falls)

(Miami)

Open

Marcos Reyes (Anchorage, Diamond Dance Project)

JUMP

JUMPstart:

Alyssa Horta (Ft Lauderdale, Dance Town)

Norah Hurley (Portland, Elite Feet Artists Company)

Evie Lacoste (New Orleans, Modern Conceptions of Dance)

Shale Herrera (Las Vegas, Danceplex)

Annsley Huff (Greenville, The Southern Strutt)

Eva Heimpel (Mexico City, Class Jazz)

Hallee Anderson (Minneapolis, Larkin Dance Studio)

Marian Chavez (Monterrey, NorthSide Dance Project)

Ryleigh Diaz (Long Island, Oceanside Dance Center)

Hazel Silverman (St Louis, Club Dance Studio)

Sophia Mestan (Kansas City, Starstruck Performing Arts Center)

Stacy Yong (Washington, Weina Dance Studio)

Grayson Ashton (Chicago, Artistry Dance and Company)

Yaneli Ruiz (Houston, Paloma Limas & Company)

(Dallas)

(Pittsburgh)

(Philadelphia)

(Glendale)

(Westminster)

(New York)

(Orlando)

(Detroit)

(Portland)

(Atlanta)

(Provo)

(Santa Clara)

(Buffalo)

(Anaheim)

(Providence)

(Honolulu)

(San Jose)

Mini:

Belle Marie Arauz (Ft Lauderdale, Spotlight Dance Academy)

Anita Rodriguez (Ft Lauderdale, Stars Dance Studio)

Tyler Seymour (Portland, Studio for the Living Arts Dance Complex)

Kayleigh Stoler (Portland, Dance Enthusiasm)

Lainey Hess (New Orleans, New Level Dance Company)

Brooklyn Ward (Las Vegas, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Tinsley Wallace (Greenville, Renner Dance Company)

Maria José Rangel (Mexico City, The Dance Project)

Lilly Anderson (Minneapolis, Larkin Dance Studio)

Malia Scott (Minneapolis, Larkin Dance Studio)

Vera Escamilla (Monterrey, Maries Dance Studio)

Regina Lozano (Monterrey, NorthSide Dance Project)

Abby Rodriguez (Long Island, Fusion Dance Force)

Sophia Bianco (Long Island, Fusion Dance Force)

Mikayla Isler (St Louis, Club Dance Studio)

Bella Linman (Kansas City, Club Dance Studio)

Penelope Thomas (Washington, The Collaborative at Encore Studio)

Ruby Baneck (Chicago, Artistic Edge Dance Centre)

June McLean (Houston, Vdanse Studios)

(Dallas)

(Pittsburgh)

(Philadelphia)

(Glendale)

(Westminster)

(New York)

(Orlando)

(Detroit)

(Portland)

(Atlanta)

(Provo)

(Santa Clara)

(Buffalo)

(Anaheim)

(Providence)

(Honolulu)

(San Jose)

Junior:

Kya Massimino (Ft Lauderdale, Stars Dance Studio)

Sophia Lestage (Portland, Studio for the Living Arts Dance Complex)

Desa Jankes (New Orleans, New Level Dance Company)

Kinsley Oykhman (Las Vegas, The Academy)

Sasha Milstein (Las Vegas, The Rock Center for Dance)

Elizabeth Scott Lanier (Greenville, The Southern Strutt)

Paola Carreon (Mexico City, The Project)

Savannah Manzel (Minneapolis, Larkin Dance Studio)

Jimena Sarahí Garza (Monterrey, NorthSide Dance Project)

Esme Chou (Long Island, Project 21)

Sara von Rotz (St Louis, Project 21)

Channing Embry (Kansas City, Next Step Dance)

Lexus Natalie (Washington, Evolve Dance Complex)

Sophia Freeman (Chicago, Artistic Edge Dance Centre)

Faith Crain (Houston, Prodigy Dance And Performing Arts Centre)

(Dallas)

(Pittsburgh)

(Philadelphia)

(Glendale)

(Westminster)

(New York)

(Orlando)

(Detroit)

(Portland)

(Atlanta)

(Provo)

(Santa Clara)

(Buffalo)

(Anaheim)

(Providence)

(Honolulu)

(San Jose)

Teen:

Sophie Garcia (Ft Lauderdale, Stars Dance Studio)

Nicholas Bustos (Ft Lauderdale, Stars Dance Studio)

Kaia Masenior (Portland, Hackworth School of Performing Arts)

Kynadi Crain (New Orleans, Jean Leigh Academy of Dance)

Crystal Huang (Las Vegas, The Rock Center for Dance)

Miyah LaGrant (Greenville, CCJ Conservatory)

Patricio López (Mexico City, Flashdance Studio)

Keira Redpath (Minneapolis, Larkin Dance Studio)

Katinka Peña (Monterrey, Dance Academy Monterrey)

Victoria Silva (Long Island, Rhythm Dance Company)

Brooke Toro (St Louis, Danceology)

Brooklyn Simpson (Kansas City, Williams Center Rhythm Factory)

Ellen Grace Olansen (Washington, Denise Wall’s Dance Energy)

Scout Moore (Chicago, Move Out Loud)

Kieran Holmes (Houston, The Dance Kollective)

(Dallas)

(Pittsburgh)

(Philadelphia)

(Glendale)

(Westminster)

(New York)

(Orlando)

(Detroit)

(Portland)

(Atlanta)

(Provo)

(Santa Clara)

(Buffalo)

(Anaheim)

(Providence)

(Honolulu)

(San Jose)

Senior:

Kaitlyn Santos (Ft Lauderdale, Dance Town)

Annabel Phinney (Portland, Studio for the Living Arts Dance Complex)

Elise Mungovan (Portland, Patti Eisenhauer Dance Center)

Aiden Fortier (Portland, Studio for the Living Arts Dance Complex)

Ally Tyrna (New Orleans, Dancezone)

Mia Ibach (Las Vegas, The Rock Center for Dance)

Jalen Scriven (Greenville, CCJ Conservatory)

Kenz Robertson (Greenville, CCJ Conservatory)

Isabel Ulloa (Mexico City, Rios Dance)

Sofia Ulloa (Mexico City, Rios Dance)

Ava Wagner (Minneapolis, Larkin Dance Studio)

Mini Preston (Minneapolis, Larkin Dance Studio)

Ana Maria Zertuche (Monterrey, Maries Dance Studio)

Katie Tapalaga (Long Island, Jump Dance Studio)

Avery Lau (St Louis, South Tulsa Dance Co)

Clara Gough (Kansas City, South Tulsa Dance Co)

Ying Lei Pham (Washington, Movement Emporium)

Sophie Tosh (Chicago, Artistic Edge Dance Centre)

Gianna Garwacki (Houston, Prodigy Dance And Performing Arts Centre)

Allie Keiner (Houston, North Austin Dance Artists)

(Dallas)

(Pittsburgh)

(Philadelphia)

(Glendale)

(Westminster)

(New York)

(Orlando)

(Detroit)

(Portland)

(Atlanta)

(Provo)

(Santa Clara)

(Buffalo)

(Anaheim)

(Providence)

(Honolulu)

(San Jose)

Open

Leslie Guerrero (Mexico City, Danzarela Estudio)

Maria Ximena Garcia (Monterrey, CDL)

24/7

Sidekick:

Jeffrry Funez (Reno, Vertical Dance)

Grayson Ashton (Chicago, Artistry Dance and Company)

Kingston Baker (Knoxville, SpotLite Dance Studio)

Sylvie Win Szyndlar (San Diego, Club Dance Studio)

Gianna Marquez (San Antonio, Danzforce Academy)

Annalise May (San Antonio, Insight Dance Ensemble)

Kendall Khamphengphet (Birmingham, Legacy Dance Studio)

Grace Nunez (Daytona Beach, Dance Unlimited)

Italy Glover (Rochester, Dominique’s Dance Creations)

Aspen Brandt (Provo, Club Dance Studio)

Harper Rosenbaugh (Provo, Club Dance Studio)

Danielle Brotherton (Denver, Artistic Fusion)

Giada Spivak (Meadowlands, Jump Dance Studio)

Jamisyn Doan (Billings, DanceWorX Studio)

(Boston)

(Anaheim)

(Detroit)

(New Orleans)

(Pittsburgh)

(Des Moines)

(Atlanta)

(Washington)

(Glendale)

(Bellevue)

(Dallas)

(Orlando)

(Houston)

(Santa Clara)

(Myrtle Beach)

Mini:

Ruby Taylor (Reno, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Lilly Anderson (Chicago, Larkin Dance Studio)

Dakota Casteel (Knoxville, SpotLite Dance Studio)

Ellary Day Szyndlar (San Diego, Club Dance Studio)

Kendyl Miller (San Diego, Club Dance Studio)

Anna Holley (San Antonio, The Pointe Performing Arts Center)

Mila Simunic (Birmingham, Legacy Dance Studio)

Anita Rodriguez (Daytona Beach, Stars Dance Studio)

Cydnee Abbott (Rochester, Canadian Dance Company)

Brooklyn Ward (Provo, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Kate Baker (Denver, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Ava Suarez (Meadowlands, Dynamic Dance Academy)

Lyriq Stajcar (Billings, The Dynamic Dance Academy)

(Boston)

(Anaheim)

(Detroit)

(New Orleans)

(Pittsburgh)

(Des Moines)

(Atlanta)

(Washington)

(Glendale)

(Bellevue)

(Dallas)

(Orlando)

(Houston)

(Santa Clara)

(Myrtle Beach)

Junior:

Aria Du (Reno, Yoko’s Dance and Performing Arts Academy)

Savannah Manzel (Chicago, Larkin Dance Studio)

Mila Manoni (Knoxville, Scenic City Dance)

Esme Chou (San Diego, Project 21)

Braylynn Grizzaffi (San Antonio, The Pointe Performing Arts Center)

Ella Dobler (Birmingham, New Level Dance Company)

Santiago Sosa (Daytona Beach, Stars Dance Studio)

Kennedy Anderson (Rochester, The Vision Dance Alliance)

Kylie Lawrence (Provo, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Anistyn Larsen (Provo, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Tessa Ohran (Provo, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Kinsley Oykhman (Denver, The Academy)

Emily Polis (Meadowlands, The Vision Dance Alliance)

Lyric Okrusch (Billings, The Dynamic Dance Academy)

(Boston)

(Anaheim)

(Detroit)

(New Orleans)

(Pittsburgh)

(Des Moines)

(Atlanta)

(Washington)

(Glendale)

(Bellevue)

(Dallas)

(Orlando)

(Houston)

(Santa Clara)

(Myrtle Beach)

Teen:

Mya Tuaileva (Reno, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Keira Redpath (Chicago, Larkin Dance Studio)

Leila Winker (Knoxville, Millennium Dance Complex-Nashville)

Kalli Ramet (Knoxville, JBP Entertainment)

Isabella Lynch (San Diego, Danceology)

Makaia Roux (San Antonio, Danceology)

Kameron Couch (San Antonio, Project 21)

Cameron Kennedy (Birmingham, Linda Dobbins Dance)

Nicholas Bustos (Daytona Beach, Stars Dance Studio)

Sophie Garcia (Daytona Beach, Stars Dance Studio)

Charlotte Park (Rochester, Timothy M Draper Center for Dance Education)

Stella Condie (Provo, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Crystal Huang (Denver, The Rock Center for Dance)

Caroline Quiner (Meadowlands, Hunterdon Hills Ballet)

Sedalyn Martinez (Meadowlands, Prestige Academy of Dance) 

Brea Wagner (Billings, The Dynamic Dance Academy)

(Boston)

(Anaheim)

(Detroit)

(New Orleans)

(Pittsburgh)

(Des Moines)

(Atlanta)

(Washington)

(Glendale)

(Bellevue)

(Dallas)

(Orlando)

(Houston)

(Santa Clara)

(Myrtle Beach)

Senior:

Kaitlyn Tom (Reno, Nor Cal Dance Arts)

Sophie Tosh (Chicago, Artistic Edge Dance Centre)

Olivia Taylor (Knoxville, Thrive Dance Company)

Caitlyn Knowles (Knoxville, The Artists Project)

Emma Donnelly (San Diego, Danceology)

Reagan Stafford (San Antonio, Next Step Dance)

Kaylin Motton (Birmingham, Heidi Knight School of Dance)

Edon Hartzy (Daytona Beach, Stars Dance Studio)

Victoria Rynkowski (Rochester, Timothy M Draper Center for Dance Education)

Amanda Taylor (Provo, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Bayli Ramey (Provo, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Zoe Ridge (Denver, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Skai Llorente (Meadowlands, Encore Performing Arts Center)

Renee Bergeron (Billings, Stars Dance Studio)

(Boston)

(Anaheim)

(Detroit)

(New Orleans)

(Pittsburgh)

(Des Moines)

(Atlanta)

(Washington)

(Glendale)

(Bellevue)

(Dallas)

(Orlando)

(Houston)

(Santa Clara)

(Myrtle Beach)

Open

Elena Navarrete (D’ansa Jazz Stage)

Radix

Rookie:

Lily Jin (Meadowlands, Kindlion Academy)

Nora Smith (Meadowlands, Jersey Cape Dance & Gymnastics)

Samantha Luffi (Tampa, Dance Unlimited)

Camila Ruiz-Mondragon (San Francisco, Pacific Arts Complex)

Evie Lacoste (Biloxi, Modern Conceptions of Dance)

Sylvie Win Szyndlar (Anaheim, Club Dance Studio)

Eden Tomes (Boston, Elite Feet Artists Company)

Maddie Smith (Minneapolis, The Dance Complex)

Tensley Morrill (Minneapolis, The Dance Complex)

Natalie Dockendorf (Minneapolis, The Dance Complex)

Shale Herrera (Glendale, Danceplex)

Kennedy Carver (Kansas City, Premier Dance)

(Chicago)

(Provo)

(Houston)

(Atlanta)

(Concord)

(Dallas)

(Westminster)

(Santa Clara)

(Pittsburgh)

(Orlando)

(Baltimore)

(Lansing)

(Indianapolis)

(Atlantic City)

(Portland)

Mini:

Ashley Otano (Meadowlands, New Era Athletic Dance Facility)

Anita Rodriguez (Tampa, Stars Dance Studio)

Madisyn Rose Amos (San Francisco, Club Dance Studio)

Brooklyn Ward (San Francisco, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio)

Reese Braga (Biloxi, New Level Dance Company)

Ellary Day Szyndlar (Anaheim, Club Dance Studio)

Isla Gardner (Boston, CanDance Studios)

Francesca DeMartinis (Boston, Loperfido Dance Academy)

Juliana Cherwinski (Boston, The Talent Factory)

Lilly Anderson (Minneapolis, Larkin Dance Studio)

Lucia Piedrahita (Glendale, Danceplex)

Kendall Brown (Kansas City, South Tulsa Dance Co)

(Chicago)

(Provo)

(Houston)

(Atlanta)

(Concord)

(Dallas)

(Westminster)

(Santa Clara)

(Pittsburgh)

(Orlando)

(Baltimore)

(Lansing)

(Indianapolis)

(Atlantic City)

(Portland)

Junior:

Emily Polis (Meadowlands, The Vision Dance Alliance)

Zoe Flores (Tampa, Stars Dance Studio)

Kya Massimino (Tampa, Stars Dance Studio)

Fiona Wu (San Francisco, Yoko’s Dance and Performing Arts Academy)

Emily Joy Core (Biloxi, New Level Dance Company)

Victoria Martinez (Anaheim, Evoke Dance Movement)

Sasha Milstein (Anaheim, The Rock Center for Dance)

Sophia McKenna (Boston, Hackworth School of Performing Arts)

Kelsie Jacobson (Minneapolis, Larkin Dance Studio)

Tayah Klimuck (Glendale, Evoke Dance Movement)

Ruby Arnold (Kansas City, True Dance and Company)

(Chicago)

(Provo)

(Houston)

(Atlanta)

(Concord)

(Dallas)

(Westminster)

(Santa Clara)

(Pittsburgh)

(Orlando)

(Baltimore)

(Lansing)

(Indianapolis)

(Atlantic City)

(Portland)

Teen:

Kenzie Jones (Meadowlands, Danceplex)

Kylee Casares (Tampa, Stars Dance Studio)

Addison Middleton (San Francisco, Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre)

Kynadi Crain (Biloxi, Jean Leigh Academy of Dance)

Angelika Edejer (Anaheim, Evoke Dance Movement)

Caroline Quiner (Boston, Hunterdon Hills Ballet)

Ian Stegeman (Minneapolis, Woodbury Dance Center)

Caleb Abea (Glendale, Larkin Dance Studio)

Maliah Howard (Glendale, Michelle Latimer Dance Academy)

Sloane Dawson (Glendale, Evoke Dance Movement)

Addison Hoffman (Kansas City, Columbia Performing Arts Centre)

(Chicago)

(Provo)

(Houston)

(Atlanta)

(Concord)

(Dallas)

(Westminster)

(Santa Clara)

(Pittsburgh)

(Orlando)

(Baltimore)

(Lansing)

(Indianapolis)

(Atlantic City)

(Portland)

Senior:

Rachel Quiner (Meadowlands, Hunterdon Hills Ballet)

Destanye Diaz (Tampa, Stars Dance Studio)

Kaitlyn Tom (San Francisco, Nor Cal Dance Arts)

Jenna Laurent (Biloxi, Modern Conceptions of Dance)

Hayden Folse (Biloxi, The Movement Dance Academy)

Tucker Gokey (Anaheim, The Colony)

Ally Pereira (Boston, Studio 61 Dance Company)

Isabella Jarvis (Minneapolis, Larkin Dance Studio)

Lola Iglesias (Glendale, Michelle Latimer Dance Academy)

Brianna Keingatti (Kansas City,Columbia Performing Arts Centre)

(Chicago)

(Provo)

(Houston)

(Atlanta)

(Concord)

(Dallas)

(Westminster)

(Santa Clara)

(Pittsburgh)

(Orlando)

(Baltimore)

(Lansing)

(Indianapolis)

(Atlantic City)

(Portland)

Open

Andrea Bardales (Meadowlands, Lidys Dance Studio)

Haley Doyle (Boston, Zello Dance Studios)

April Bartley (Minneapolis, Urban Dance Productions)

[john-laurens]

John Laurens’ War - the movie version of the play Radical Son I reviewed back in 2015 - is now available on Amazon Prime Video.  For background, you can read my review of the play here.  The movie version is fairly similar to the play, but I cannot say that is entirely enjoyable.  It’s only an hour long, so it’s a relatively quick watch - and it’s free if you have Amazon Prime.  My major issues with the movie are outlined below:

The dates are all over the place.  For example, John is shown still in England with Martha Manning in January 1777 when in reality he had left in December 1776.  The narration also stated that Frances was born a few months after this scene and that Martha died 1.5 years later.  In actuality, Frances was born in January 1777, and Martha died in fall 1781 (4.5 years later).  These are not major details that affect the progression of the story, but it is basic information that they should get right.

Thomas Day was weirdly lax on his anti-slavery stance while debating Laurens in the movie.  In contrast, Laurens is shown as an abolitionist gift from God who can do no wrong.

It is heavily implied that Laurens had Shrewsberry or another slave during his studies in Europe and educated them.  I don’t recall any specific slave that was documented as serving Laurens in Europe, but it’s certainly possible.  However, I would bet good money that they didn’t receive an education.  In the play, the major slave character was named Phillip Rivers.  To me, this was a major fault.  Why make up a slave when we have record of hundreds of actual lives that were affected by slavery under the Laurens family?  In the movie, the name was changed to Phillip Shrewsberry, so that was a minor improvement.

They used a quote about Laurens wanting to be a doctor to show that he was anti-slavery.  They abbreviated/edited the following quote: “When I hear of another who has done eminent service to mankind, by discovering remedies for the numerous train of disorders to which our frail bodies are continually subject, and has given relief to numbers whose lives, without his assistance, would have been insupportable burdens, I cannot refrain from wishing to be an equal dispenser of good.”  There were like a dozen other quotes they could have used, and they chose this one?

Alexander Hamilton and Lafayette were not in the play but appeared in the movie for about 15 seconds for the HamiltonTM factor.

They showed Laurens dueling Lee in Brunswick right after the Battle of Monmouth when they actually dueled in the woods outside of Philadelphia around 6 months later.

Both the movie and play spent a weirdly significant chunk of time on Henry Laurens’s capture/imprisonment in the Tower of London.  I’m guessing this happened because Clarence Felder (the Henry Laurens actor) was a screenplay writer/executive producer and is married to the director/screenplay writer/producer Chris Weatherhead, and they wanted to give him more screen time.  The movie also unfortunately still includes the uncomfortable flirtation between old man Henry and young Elizabeth Futterell too.  She kissed him, and it made me very uncomfortable (only on the cheek, but still).  I still have no idea who this lady is.  I admittedly have not spent much time researching Henry’s time in the Tower of London, but I can find very little information on this woman.  It seems like her name may have actually been Elizabeth Vernon - I’m not sure if they made up the name Futterell or if that is supposed to be a married name.  The movie even admits that she disappears from the historical record, so I’m not sure why they seem to have made up this entire story surrounding her - they even claim that she became a governess to the Laurens children (uh, only Mary Eleanor would have been a child/teenager at this time...) and that she was bequeathed a significant sum of money in Henry’s will.  I have no idea where this is coming from.

The movie unfortunately still contains the made-up conversation between Laurens and Thomas Jefferson, but at least they now introduce it with “One wonders, then, what might have transpired in such a conversation between John Laurens and Thomas Jefferson.”  But still - why was this necessary?

For some reason, Laurens was not at the Battle of Yorktown in the movie.  He learned of Cornwallis’s surrender through a letter.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko gets one random mention when Laurens calls a group of people over?

Hamilton’s final letter is unfortunately still edited so that Hamilton tells Laurens he can only join him in Congress after he clears all the British from the Carolina coast.  Why.  This is in direct contradiction to the final Hamilton-Laurens letter.  What a disgrace.

One of John’s dying lines is “Martha.  Where are you?  Holding my daughter?”  That’s certainly a...choice, I guess.

Overall, I’m glad that Laurens is starting to get some more recognition, but this movie frankly suffers from too many inaccuracies and a strange focus on Henry Laurens to be enjoyable. 

[bisluthq]

"The Rebecca-like novel I’m referring to is called A Sucessora, written by Brazilian author Carolina Nabuco and published in 1934 – four years before Du Maurier’s classic came out. In A Sucessora, there’s the deceased wife that the young, handsome, and wealthy widower, his servants and his friends can’t forget; the young new wife, insecure in her new position both in her husband’s heart and among his society friends; and even the scheming governess, intent on destroying “the successor” in her master’s heart.

When it comes to their basic plot and characters, the key differences between A Sucessora and Rebecca is that the former was written in Portuguese and is set in Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s; the latter was written in English and is set in England’s West Country in the 1930s.

Nabuco never sued Du Maurier for plagiarism, though she did write in her book of memoirs Oito Décadas (“Eight Decades”) that she herself translated A Sucessora into English. She then submitted the manuscript to a New York publishing house, requesting that they forward her proposal to British literary houses as well. Whether Du Maurier actually read Nabuco’s translation has been subject to debate, though Daphne Du Maurier, Haunted Heiress author Nina Auerbach reportedly claims in her book that that was indeed the case."

https://www.altfg.com/film/daphne-du-maurier-rebecca/

i'm pretty sure no one knows that outside our country, cause they never do and they don't really care but fuck it i'm gonna talk about it cause this woman made huge succes with a stolen story.

👀

[outoftowninac]

BROTHER BILL

1915

Brother Bill (originally titled Home Again) is a three-act play by Thomas Louden. It was originally produced by George M. Cohan and Maynard Waite starring James J. Corbett. 

James J. Corbett (1866-1933)  was a professional boxer and a World Heavyweight Champion, best known as the only man who ever defeated the great John L. Sullivan. Corbett was one of the first athletes whose showmanship in and out of the ring was just as good as his boxing abilities. He was also arguably the first sports sex symbol of the modern era. After retiring from the ring, Corbett acted on stage and in films, also touring the world talking about his famous fight with Sullivan. He was dubbed ‘Gentleman Jim’, which was also the title of a 1942 film of his life starring Errol Flynn. 

The play is set in a small English town where American customs and aggressiveness have confronted old English traditions. As the play opens, William Barron revisits the home of his wealthy and aristocratic parents after being in the United States for a dozen years. There he acquired the title of pugilistic champion of the world. His disregard of proper dress and other English conventions earn him a chilly reception from his pompous father and two brothers. Their dislike turns to disdain when they learn of his title. When William befriends Norah Malloy, the Barron family governess, the hypocritical family assume he has nefarious intentions and discharge the governess and order William to leave the house.  When he learns that his brother John is candidate for Parliament on the Conservative ticket, William stands for the same office in the opposing party. To get elected, William enlists the help of innkeeper Tim Mooney, who is a fan of the pugilist. 

In rehearsals, producer Cohan both changed the play’s name and cut the boxing scene, which frustrated and angered Corbett. He and Cohen argued about it, but Corbett agreed to open the play and let the audience decide. 

Brother Bill opened in Atlantic City at the Cort Theatre on August 30, 1915. For this engagement, the Cort retained a full orchestra to perform entr’acte music from their recent production of Princess Pat. 

The play integrated motion picture technology in telling the story. 

About the Venue: The Cort Theatre at South Carolina Avenue and the Boardwalk, opened in 1907 as the Savoy Theatre with 1,500 seats. It was also briefly known as the Woods Theatre after producer / theatre manager A.H. Woods. Although no longer in existence, the year that it was closed is disputed. 

“There are some obvious faults in the construction of ‘Brother Bill,’ which will require some ‘whipping’ before the play becomes a Broadway success. In the first act, there is a tendency to make the speeches somewhat too full, which hampers the action of the story. With careful pruning here and the injection of a little more crisp dialogue, there should be added more interest and speed.” ~ VICTOR MOORE

“It is a play that appeals to the sentimentally inclined and will doubtless have some success in the popular-priced theatres. The company surrounding the star is of ordinary worth.” ~ PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

~ September 12, 1915

Two weeks became four and four became eight. Brother Bill was permanently down for the count. TKO. 

~ “James J. Corbett: A Biography of the Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Popular Theatre Headliner” by Armond Fields, 2001

[ms-march]

Old Hollywood AU- The Lucky One

Here is the first chapter/one shot of this AU that is a collab and crossover that @tolstoyamericanrevolution and I have been working on it since November! Please keep an open mind to character interpretation because this is AU territory and a lot of a character who isn't necessarily the focus of the AU can be warped for plot and time accuracy purposes over character accuracy! So let's get to it and happy last day of TURN WEEK 2021!!!!

Global media was in a buzz, Today was the Hollywood equivalent of a royal wedding. With all the bells and whistles belonging to the West Coast set. New & old money all united around the superficialities of silver screens and unions and dubious desert deals. All neatly swallowed down with a glass of wedding champagne- the same brand as Buckingham palace yet here it looked slightly gaudy, American.

The media was here to adore, this was a decade before your Grace Kelly’s and other exports could wear centuries-old crowns.

Here it was harsh, fiscal, temporary, silver over platinum yet it was royal, majestic, lovely- every bit worth the soundbite.

This was the American monarchy, all a blend of the finest breeds and worst mongrels.

Dressed up in such a lovely, splendid crowd that Philadelphia, New York, Houston, Los Angeles & Chicago would all be running titles.

“Adoring Crowds rewarded at last! The Marriage of America’s Sweetheart”

“Hollywood Royalty! Adrienne Fairfax & John Laurens tie the Knot”

“ Media Heiress & Tobacco Heir; Los Angeles’s Marriage of The Decade”

Those picking up the papers would all sigh the same thing; how lovely.

The crowd was lovely.

At least, she was sure it was. Adrienne Fairfax had not yet been seen by a single member of the crowd, anxiously sitting before a vanity in a wedding gown three times her size, wringing satin gloved hands until the gloves began to crease. Her hands shook with the same fear that was responsible for the turning of her stomach as she removed them.

Today was her wedding day and it was exactly as she had always dreamed. Every detail was perfect and precisely to her liking.

Every detail was impressive.

Every detail would impress them.

The crowd was lovely.

The crowd had cheered for her, applauding her on the engagement just as they did when she was on the movie screen. Adrienne had been just as shocked as them to hear of her engagement. She would certainly remember being proposed to at the ripe age of seventeen. She certainly would have remembered if the man who did so was twenty-three years old, making him five years her senior.

The crowd had buzzed with conversation, just as they did now, outside of the open windows that were meant to cool her down. The cool breeze in the mountains this time of year should have corrected the heat filling her face and chest as it billowed through the open windows of the room, carrying the sounds of society in with it.

Her wedding was exactly as she had always dreamed.

It was in the mountains, away from the pollution of the billboard lights and American mile cars. She could see the stars from here, the real ones, in the sky. Not the ones in the velvet curtains in the ballroom, or the ones on the tule that coated the tablecloth in the grand dining room of the house she had barely spent a night in since she was a very young girl. Not the ones taking their seats in a church to watch Adrienne make the most irreversibly horrible decision of her life.

The crowd was lovely.

She was sure it was, and she was grateful for them. Their own chatter drowned out the echoes of old ghosts that still haunted this house’s halls. Adrienne’s eyes fluttered down to the picture frame propped up on the vanity in her childhood bedroom. She had been watching it like the smiling couple in the photo would decide to leave their seats on the terrace and walk away.

It was impressive.

The woman had light-colored hair, and the man’s was some odd form of grey in the yellowing black and white photo. She wore the most beautiful gown of pearly ivory layers and lace, the very same gloves Adrienne had just pulled from her own clammy hands graced the woman’s hands, the tiara atop her head in the photo matching the one atop the pile of blonde curls that she had just arranged in the vanity mirror.

It was just as she had imagined it.

Adrienne had found her mother’s wedding planning book years ago, and she fell in love with it the moment she first laid her eyes upon the beautiful fair-haired woman, leaning happily into the man in a finely tailored tuxedo and a wide smile in his eyes with an odd grey color to his hair.

Adrienne had not stepped foot over the threshold of this impressive Georgian English Manor style house since the last time she was dressed head to toe in black.

Adrienne had not crossed the threshold since the day of their funeral when she crossed from the foyer to the stairs down the drive with her belongings in tow.

She had gone home with a family friend that her parents had entrusted with her care and upbringing. The Washingtons were more superficial people than her parents had been. Not to say that they consumed more, that much was about the same. Rather, they were more concerned about success than they ever were with her. Growing up with the Washingtons, Adrienne had so many nannies, nurses, and governesses she often forgot their names. Not that it was important really, none of them integrated with her more than they absolutely had to.

Martha Washington had been insistent that she was to be the only maternal figure to the young heiress. Which would have been perfectly alright if she did not despise Adrienne’s own mother so deeply, making her maternal affection very few and far between.

Today is her wedding day.

It was Martha that had opened the door without a word, simply raising her brow, impatient with the blonde girl before the vanity. Adrienne managed one last look in the mirror before rising from the small chair she had sat on, donning her gloves over the clamminess of her sweaty hands, and breathed.

She breathed carefully as Martha pulled the veil to cover her face.

In and out.

In and out and suddenly she could pretend she was not being made to act as a witness as George signed over all she was to gain upon her 18th birthday to a man named John Laurens. He had shown up to sign the papers himself, a courtesy to George, she was sure. He was to be her husband, or so she had been told.

He had not even looked at her.

He did not greet her when he came through the door, only George. He did not converse with her, only George. She could have gotten up, smacked him, and walked out of the room and he would still not have noticed her.

He was to be her husband and she had not met him but once before. She knew who he was, vaguely. He worked at the studio as an actor. He was the son of an influential South Carolina politician who had a family fortune in the tobacco trade. But she had only met John Laurens once before her wedding day was set for the day of her 18th birthday and not a single day later. A week after watching her life be signed away into his hands he had paid her a visit.

Another courtesy to George, she was sure.

He had arrived with no specific plan, and walked through the gardens with her, talking now to her for almost an hour straight. She had even tried placing both tea and whiskey before him to shut his ramblings, both attempts failing miserably as he continued on about himself. He visited for almost two hours and had not asked her a single thing about herself.

He was to be her husband and he did not know a thing about her.

They met four other times during the short engagement, most of which were public niceties, another courtesy to George. There was not a single newspaper, magazine, or television hour that did not wish to have some kind of word with her on the topic of her wedding. None of them dared to advise her, she had been out planning the very best in the country since her earliest teenage years. A popular anecdote she had heard more in the past few months than she had anything else in the rest of her life went as following:

The Pope had come to visit the re-elected Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the White House but found the most pleasant time in the company of the most eligible girl in America, all the way on the West Coast.

The crowd was lovely.

That is what George had told her with a peck of a kiss to her cheek before he took his seat. She would walk herself down the aisle.

The harp and violins played as the grand doors to the ballroom opened on her, exposing her to the crowd and their whispers. The ceremony looked stunning. It was just as she had imagined it when she was little.

She only now began to wish that she had imagined the man at the end of the aisle so that there might be at least something she could find fault with.

There were familiar faces among the crowd that she passed on her long and slow walk to the man at the other end of the grand room. The clicking echo of her heels on the floor being the only thing keeping her trembling legs on course, but even worse was searching as discreetly as possible for those familiar faces. Anything to not have to face the harsh reality of who— no, of what— waited for her at the end of the crowd.

Among the crowd, her eyes locked with another blonde-haired man and she begged herself not to look desperate. He saw her looking too, but he managed far more composure than Adrienne did. Of course he did.

He must be thrilled.

Adrienne had the thought before she could stop herself. John Andre was another executive at the studio alongside George. Before her engagement, there had been pressures from all around for the two of them to marry. It would be a fitting trade, they justified, the daughter of an executive to the wife of an executive. It was a natural transition.

Perhaps that is why he had not spoken out about her engagement and marriage being written into her contract. He stood there, pretending he was not looking at her in his black tailored tuxedo, hair done in the most fashionable way with a small wave curl to it. He pretended that she was not on a death march.

He pretended far better than her.

He had his vices, that much she knew, but he was respectful. He spoke with her, not just to her. She knew him. She knew him and even though she had never found him more than physically attractive she found herself wishing it was him at the end of the aisle, and not for the first time since her engagement.

Today was her wedding day.

In a few minutes, she won’t be engaged anymore.

In a few minutes, she would be married.

In a few minutes, she would be married to a man that did not know a single thing about her.

She would be married to a man in less than a few minutes, and suddenly Adrienne understood all those runaway brides, leaving their fiance’s at the altar. Her heart pounded, hammering in her chest as she composed herself with a warm indifference. She had been doing so well. Then she saw him.

John Andre was an executive at the studio with George. There was pressure from all around for them to get married.

It was a fair trade.

He remained silent for his own sake. One cannot be forced to marry a woman who already belongs to a husband of her own.

She would be married and he would remain a bachelor till the end of his days, just as he wanted, receiving pity for her engagement everywhere he looked, exempting him from the very idea of marriage. Exempting him from being held accountable for his vices.

He must be thrilled, signing her life away to a man who doesn’t know a single thing about her for his own peace of mind.

It was a fair trade.

He had played the game and played it well.

He had won. And it was fair.

This will all be over soon, and she could find solstice in the stars over the sleepy Manor estate, talking to a ghost from the lawn as if he never left her. He had never left her, calling her to look up and scour the sky for stars whenever she felt lonely.

He had called her “my star.”

She was his star, and soon it would all be over. She could disappear into the night and be with the stars, chatting with ghosts from a happier past.

It will all be over soon.

She was looking through the crowd for familiar faces.

She was doing so well. And then she saw him, in the doorway she had just come from, a man in a finely tailored tuxedo and a wide smile in his eyes with an odd grey color to his hair. “It will all be over soon.”

And she heard him from the other end of the aisle, loud and clear, as if he were right beside her, as he should be.

Executive’s daughter married,

Media magnet meets Southern industry

John Andre: Hollywood’s Most Wanted Bachelor Remains Unwed

It was easy to feel remorseful, heroically guilty when you had nothing at stake.

No real risk to gamble.

It was the prisoner that escaped the hanging and looked sympathetically to the damned, fingers crossed behind their back. That was John Andre on this fine nuptial day.

If it had been him standing at the end of the aisle, where another John stood, he would be less prone to sympathy and instead resentment. Resentment of having his wings clipped and arranged around him, in exchange for a slip of a girl whom he felt no connection with.

By no connection, he meant romantic or intimate or lustful- none of the trilogy of connections worth considering matrimony.

Instead, he felt an observer's connection, a connection of pity, of sympathy- lightly powdered amusement and a genuine kindness that came from recognizing another piece on the chessboard of the older generation.

You could have as much power or success as you wanted in this city, as an executive you would assume John had made it to the top, and yet you would always be a puppet on someone else’s string.

Ask any man and it would be a woman, a mafia deal, a boss, an older competitor, or simply the moths that floated around the sparkles of fame ready to consume you if you stepped out of line.

[crowncds]

( alexandra dowling, cis woman, she/her, 29) ** ♔ announcing HEDWIG CAROLINA BRAGANZA,  the PRINCESS OF PORTUGAL ! in a recent portrait they seem to resemble ALEXANDRA DOWLING. it is a miracle that SHE survived the last five years, considering they are SNEAKY, AMBITIOUS, and DARING. i hope the plague has not changed them. they are FOR working together with the other kingdoms

name: hedwig carolina braganza title: princess of portugal age: 29 gender: cis woman sexuality: bisexual

named hedwig for some great aunt or another, hedwig carolina much prefers going by carolina than hedwig- if she must go by a single name at all

a girl known better for evading tutors and governesses than any marks achieved, trying to get the young princess to study was a job in and of itself

as she got older, it turned to trying to slip out of the palace- self preservation and protection had never been a strong suit, and hedwig carolina was slippery as a fish 

more ambivalent than for working together, she’s more interested in what happens with everyone in one palace than the outcome. deeply entertained by events so far, lina can’t wait to see what happens next

she rarely knows when to act the proper lady, and when she does, she always views it as an act. To smile, to curtsy, to flatter- as trained in it as she is, none of it is natural to hedwig carolina. it is a lady-in-waiting who chooses her outfits, who purchases her shoes, who keeps track of her jewels.

broken betrothals and disappointed suitors are no stranger to hedwig carolina- she had turned down many (and a few turned down her), for if the princess cannot be a queen, she shall be portugese forever (which she would prefer)

more comfortable atop a horse as in a ballgown, hedwig carolina enjoys the hunt- to ride through a forest, with a musket or a crossbow, in search of a beast- it’s exhilarating. 

to feel the mud beneath her feet, the sand in her toes- hedwig carolina loves the outdoors.

after her sister, maria bianca, disappeared, hedwig carolina was under much closer watch- one princess gone, to lose another would break their family member’s hearts even more. carolina wanted to help look for her sister, but always feared the worst. no proof she was still alive, anyone claiming a ransom was found to be liars, hedwig carolina thought her sister dead- and perhaps it would be for the better, rather than kidnapped and trapped somewhere

idk im still getting to know her but <3 disaster bi hedwig carolina <3

[96thdayofrage]

Gregg “Marcel” Dixon, the third of his parents, high school sweethearts, four children, is Georgia-born, the port city of Savannah, and South Carolina raised, just minutes away in the small, rural town of Ridgeland. Both areas are home to the Sea Island Creoles, or as they are better known, the Gullah-Geechee, a Black American ethnic group native to the sea islands, and the Lowcountry of the Gullah-Geechee Corridor where his family has resided since at least the mid-1700s. Even though he was a student of the Jasper County School District, South Carolina’s lowest performing district, a very troubled school system part of the state’s so-called “Corridor of Shame”, his childhood days, especially the earliest parts, were marked by love, happiness, and his rich, unique culture. He grew up with a large immediate and extended family that included his mother, his grandmother; his great grandmother; his grandfather, his two granduncles, his two uncles, his two aunts, his two cousins, and his three siblings. His great-grandaunts and cousins provided him and his siblings with a constant source of companionship, affection, camaraderie, and protection in their longtime community along a busy stretch of coastal highway that connected his town to the more popular Lowcountry destinations of Hilton Head Island, Beaufort, and Savannah. From all, he witnessed overwhelming compassion and empathy as they clothed, fed, protected, and housed many in need even though they were all people of modest means themselves. It was truly a wonderful time in his life.

At the end of slavery in 1865, Black Americans owned 0.5% of America’s wealth. Today, 165 years later, Black Americans at almost 15% of the population, fare little better owning just 3% of the nation’s wealth. The average wealth for a white American family is approaching $200,000.00 while the average wealth for a Black American family is almost 10 times less at $24,000.00. Twenty-five percent of black families have a net worth of either zero or negative and in just two decades, it will soon be zero for all Black Americans! This has NOTHING to do with the work ethic of Black Americans but has EVERYTHING to do with the systemic, government-sanctioned, violent enslavement, and the subsequent anti-black racial terror faced by Black Americans first centuries. This first manifested during chattel slavery, where they did not receive as much as a penny for their labor and then it continued through goverment sanctioned, violent discrimination and exclusion from government policies and initiatives that resulted in Black Americans being excluded from opportunities to build wealth, a number estimated to be high in the trillions.  At the same time, they were simultaneously being forced into deep poverty, by means of redlining,  Jim Crow, and land theft; extreme violence by means of lynch mobs, police brutality, terrorism from the FBI, and race riots; robbed denied equal access to an education by means of underfunded schools and educational discrimination, and more. This has not just hurt Black Americans, but all Americans.

According to one study, anti-black racism has caused the United States SIXTEEN TRILLION DOLLARS! It goes without saying then, a thriving Black America is a thriving America, hence, the motto of my campaign, “Repair Black America To Fix America”. The word “reparation” means “the act of repairing and keeping in repair.” To solve these issues, the American government has a responsibility to repair the damage it has caused, and that is why I will do all within my human power to bring a multifaceted reparations package for Black Americans That Are Descendants of Those Who Were Enslaved By The American Government aka Freedmen to fruition that will be funded by government spending, as have past initiatives.

This package will include:

The closure of the racial wealth gap that will include measures such as direct monetary payments, tax exemption status, debt cancelation, land grants, business grants, and more;

Class protection status for those descending from those who were enslaved by the American government;

Allotments of federally granted and protected land in all 50 states where only Freedmen can settle and receive services from the institutions located on these aforementioned lands;

Provisions of federally subsidized housing and business grants;

The investigation of cold cases of anti-black racial terrorism to bring all living criminals to justice;

The reform of heirs property to provide full equity and ownership to all heirs and compensation for any property that may have been lost or stolen through unethical avenues such as “partition sales”;

The reestablishment of the Freedmen Bureaus to close all disparities between Freedmen and White Americans such as the high mortality rate for black women during childbirth versus what it is for white women, job discrimination, heirs property, etc.

Establish a commission to specifically review and immediately address the unique challenges facing black men and boys.

[josefavomjaaga]

Letters from Naples. 1813

All these letters are still from the first half of the year, before Murat (for the last time) joined forces with Napoleon in August 1813. Most of them are only postscripts to “official letters” (which were likely to be opened and read by secret police), some even using an extra secret cipher not used on other occasions, if only to give you this special “007″-feeling.

Translated again from “Helfert, Joachim Murat”.

Mier to Metternich [French, in ciphers].

Naples 16 March 1813.

My Lord Count!

The sort of mystery put from the beginning into the sending of Prince Cariati to Vienna, and the rumours which circulate in the public on the object of his mission, can only cause offence to the French government and will necessarily increase the bad blood of the Emperor Napoleon towards the King, which is already sufficiently pronounced without it. Since his arrival in Naples the king has not received a word from the Emperor; the queen has had two letters, but she thought she had to conceal them from her husband because of their content. The Duke of Berthier told the king at the moment of his leaving the army to return to Naples, that he believed him to be too good a Frenchman not to be sure that he would willingly sacrifice his crown if the interests of France required it. This statement, which the King supposes to have been ordered by the Emperor to prepare him for what he must expect, has increased his distrust and anxiety for the preservation of his kingdom. Knowing the King's character, I fear that this will lead him to some step contrary to his position and his true interests, and will give France a pretext of necessity for the realisation of a project which perhaps for the moment should not yet be put into execution. The departure of the Queen would be in this respect a real calamity for this country, because she prevents by her wise and reasoned advice, and her pleas, many steps dictated by the first movement of the King's hot temper, and which would end up by completely dividing him from the Emperor. At first, on his return, he intended to summon the Estates or Deputies of the kingdom and have himself crowned of the Two Sicilies; it was only by dint of persuasion and entreaties that the Queen succeeded in turning him away from this project.

Accept etc

Mier

Prince Cariati was Murat’s special envoy sent to Vienna  to start negotiations with Austria, apparently behind Caroline’s back.

Metternich to Mier [French, concept; original in ciphers].

Vienna, 20 April 1813. By Neopolitan courier.

Prince Cariati has acquitted himself to me of the commission he is charged with. He told me that the King desired only the preservation of the throne of Naples; that he would renounce his claims to Sicily and was not aiming at any acquisitions; convinced, however, that his existence would sooner or later be threatened by the great preponderance of France, and knowing the liberal views of our august master, H. M. wished to have a guarantee which would ensure his future existence; that this guarantee could only be given to him by Austria, and that the king was ready, on the other hand, to support our approach, if necessary, by all his military forces.

I answered Prince Cariati that the policy of the Emperor did not require to be commented on, that it was sufficiently known in Europe to be generally appreciated at its just value. That we desired only a state of peace deserving of the name; that far from any excess in our designs, and not subjecting the good to the prospects of an often illusory better, we had succeeded in winning the confidence of all the great powers to the point of seeing them, France not excepted, solicit us to change the subordinate attitude of a merely intervening power into that of mediator. That consequently His Imperial Majesty was assembling great military forces to support his words of peace and to bring them to a successful conclusion; but that the mediating Power had no longer any choice; that he could only hope to succeed in so far as he was actually prepared to support his words by war.

As Prince Cariati kept repeating to me that this was undoubtedly the King's way of judging these questions, and that His Majesty had only the most pronounced desire to prove to us that he would be able to uphold, against all odds, the commitments which he had made, I asked him if he had sufficiently precise instructions to enter into a real negotiation with us and full powers to complete it. He replied that he did not; that he felt that full powers were necessary for our own safety, but that as for the instructions I could be assured that the King's views were invariable, and that those which His Majesty had expressed to him at the time of his departure from Naples were confined to the widest possible latitude.

The present courier (an officer of the guards who accompanied Prince Cariati here) is sent by him in secret to Naples. He asks for full powers. You will not have, Count, to meddle in the substance of an affair which is very delicate in itself, and you will keep strictly to the terms of my answer to Prince Cariati above, without taking a step to engage the King to send the document requested by his envoy. You will add, however, that the Emperor nourishes particular feelings of esteem for the King; that His Majesty's policy is entirely conservative, and that he only wishes to see the King rule the people who have devoted all their attachment to him, and that His Majesty is very sensitive to the marks of confidence which this Prince gives him. You can be sure that no evidence of this feeling has ever caused regret to any power.

As Prince Cariati is making his report to the Duke of Gallo, you can speak to him about the present communication, and you will testify to him with the confidence which we personally have in him the conviction that, if we are ready to listen to the King, it is up to him to provide his Envoy with all diplomatic guarantees.

You will also satisfy yourselves that by virtue of the present instructions you have little to add to what I have lately prescribed to you.

If I’m not mistaken the “Duc de Gallo” was minister of foreign affairs in Naples. His ... ability to adapt to several consecutive goverments at odds with each other would later result in a rather awkward situation for him: He refused to go to Vienna for the Congress of 1814 because there he would have met his ex-queen, Maria Carolina of Habsburg.

Mier to Metternich [French, in special ciphers, "très sécrèt"].

Naples this 27 April 1813.

On the return of the King I will carry out your orders, I distrust the minister too much to speak to him about it. He is persuaded of the forthcoming reunion of this country with the great Empire, and always thinking more of his own interests than those of his country and his sovereign, he does everything possible to win the goodwill of the new French government in advance and thereby secure lucrative positions for himself under the new reign. He is known as such from the past and his present conduct has not earned him an appreciation. X. also advised me not to confide in him too much.

I have the honour to be ut in litteris

Mier.

Yes. “X.” would mean “Joachim”. We have literally reached the level of a Bond movie now.

Mier to Metternich [French, in particular ciphers, "très sécrèt"].

this 30 April 1813.

We have consulted with X. about what to say to his wife. I will always keep strictly to your orders, but do not let me miss your instructions. X. requests your friendly advice on what he should say, do, ask, stipulate, promising to follow your advice in everything. All that is required is the preservation of the present fortune and independence.

I have the honour etc.

The book’s author adds a footnote here with an interesting remark:

In Nicomede Bianchi "Storia docum. della Diplomazia europea in Italia I" p. 2 we find the assertion that Metternich had already made contact with Caroline Murat in Paris, and that he had succeeded in turning her away from her imperial brother; Caroline had thus become "nelle mani del principe di Metternich il migliore instrumento per sospingere il re di Napoli a passare nel campo de' nemici della sua patria e del suo benefattore".... Since the "X" of the despatches I reproduced can only refer to King Joachim, and "sa femme" is therefore Caroline Murat, who at that time cannot yet have been fully aware of the contacts with the Viennese Cabinet, this results in the opposite of Bianchi's assertion, which, incidentally, would also be in irresolvable contradiction with other facts and circumstances.

My personal footnote to the above letter: May I find it a little piquant to see Murat ask Metternich for advice on how to break the news to Caroline? “Dear Metternich, as you have slept with my wife, how do you think I should got about this?”

Mier to Metternich [French, in ciphers, postscript 1].

Naples 29 June 1813

My Lord Count!

The article of the Moniteur relating to the isle of Ponza has enraged the King, to the point of making him ill. He has sent Mr. Durand, Minister of France, a very strong note on this subject which states, among other things, that this is the second time that the French gazettes have taken it upon themselves to insult him, and that at the third such article he would respond by dismissing the Minister of France from his State.

The Emperor Napoleon intends to ask the King of Naples again for 20,000 men.

His Majesty gave a negative answer, declaring that not a company of his army would leave the kingdom unless commanded by him in person.

All these measures of the Emperor persuade the King more and more that Emperor Napoleon nurses hostile designs against him and that he would have already put them into execution if he were not too busy on another side. Not omitting any occasion to humiliate him, doing everything to finally weary his patience he has the air of provoking him and finding a pretext of his annihilation in the resistance to his will.

The King sets himself up for any event, and I am convinced that only one Senatus Consult is needed to deprive him of his kingdom.

I have the honour to be ut in litteris

Once more we have Murat getting ill when under stress or in great emotional turmoil. And this time, Mier even has an extra secret postscript to the secret postscript:

Mier to Metternich [French, in special ciphers, 'très sécrèt', postcript 2]

this 29th June 1813.

Napoleon has had the Queen informed that war with Austria was inevitable; that he needed troops; that consequently she should engage the King to place 20,000 men at the disposal of the Viceroy of Italy. Their Majesties await with impatience the answer to Cariati's proposals in order to know the course to be followed in the event of war between Austria and France. The King is still determined to support our interests

Please give me your instructions on the conduct I should follow in the event of war with France

I have the honour etc.

If this is true, if it really was already known in Naples by the end of June that Napoleon wanted war with Austria (which means that Napoleon must have been decided already at the beginning of the armistice and a long time before his meeting with Metternich in Dresden), this is diametrically opposed to the claim of Napoleon-friendly historians, who tend to accuse the allies of not having been sincere in their peace proposals in mid-1813. And it makes me feel like crying, considering how many people at this point put all their hopes in Napoleon making peace. Which he apparently never even seriously considered.

[justforbooks]

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet, artist, activist and founder of San Francisco’s famous City Lights Bookstore, who has died aged 101 of interstitial lung disease, was the least “beat” of the Beat Generation. In addition to a political commitment that blended anarchism and ecology – he loathed the motor car, calling it “the infernal combustion engine” – he had an instinctive business sense, founded on the philosophy of small is beautiful. City Lights, which he started in partnership with the magazine editor Peter Martin in the early 1950s, is still among the most welcoming of shops, with its tables and chairs, sheaves of magazines, and signs saying: “Pick a book, sit down, and read.”

Ferlinghetti discouraged interviewers and seekers of personal information. “If I had some biographical questionnaire to answer, I would always make something up,” he once said. Different reference books give different dates of birth, and one published story had it that he wrote his doctoral dissertation on the place of the pissoir in French literature. For many years, he listed his dog, Homer, as City Lights’ publicity and public relations officer. The poet recalled that Homer Ferlinghetti received regular mail, but that his public relations career stalled when he peed against a policeman’s leg. For this act of citizenship, he was immortalised by his master in the poem Dog.

Perhaps the facts made Ferlinghetti uncomfortable. He was born Lawrence Monsanto Ferling in Yonkers, New York, to a French mother, Albertine Mendes-Monsanto, and an Italian father, Carlo Ferlinghetti, an auctioneer, who had shortened the family name to Ferling. His parents were unable to care for him, however (sometimes Ferlinghetti said his father had died before his birth, sometimes after), and he was rescued by an aunt, Emily Monsanto. She took him to France, where they lived for his first six years. Returning to the US, Emily was employed as a governess by a family called Lawrence, a branch of the one that founded Sarah Lawrence College. “Then she left me there,” Ferlinghetti told an interviewer in 1978. “She just disappeared one day, and that family brought me up.”

His education was extensive. In the early 1940s, he attended the University of North Carolina, where a professor introduced him to the vernacular voice in poetry. This was a revelation: you didn’t have to sound like TS Eliot to write a poem. After wartime naval service had taken him back to Europe, Ferlinghetti enrolled at the Sorbonne, studying French literature while translating poets and novelists in his spare time. One day in a restaurant, he noticed that the paper tablecloth had a poem written on it, and that it was signed “Jacques Prévert”. He took the tablecloth with him as he left the restaurant, and some years later translated the poems in Prévert’s Paroles, eventually published, under the original title, by his own City Lights Books.

Back in New York again in 1946, Ferlinghetti went to Columbia University, preparing a thesis on Ruskin and Turner. He just missed meeting Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, who by then had either been banned from (Ginsberg) or had dropped out of (Kerouac) the university. Ferlinghetti did not team up with the Beats until eight years later, in San Francisco.

Drawn to Paris once more at the end of the 1940s, he met George Whitman, proprietor of the English-language bookshop opposite Notre Dame, which was first known as Le Mistral and is now Shakespeare and Company. Ferlinghetti looked to Whitman as an example when he opened City Lights Bookstore in 1953. It was the first all-paperback bookshop in the US, and, as Ferlinghetti said, “Once we opened, we just couldn’t get the doors closed.” He ran the place more in the spirit of public service than for profit, and by the 70s was content to live on his book royalties and plough the takings at the counter back into the shop.

Two years after starting City Lights, Ferlinghetti published his own collection of poems, Pictures of the Gone World, as No 1 in the Pocket Poets series, little four by five-inch, black-and-white paperbacks, which continue to appear today – one of the most popular literary lists of modern times. It was at this stage that he reverted to the original family name, Ferlinghetti. The next two Pocket Poets after Ferlinghetti were Kenneth Rexroth and Kenneth Patchen – as a result, both were drafted as “fathers of the Beat Generation”, somewhat to their displeasure – but it was the fourth in the series that ensured the list’s success. And for that, as Ferlinghetti was quick to point out, they had to thank the San Francisco police department.

The book was Howl and Other Poems, by Allen Ginsberg. Ferlinghetti had heard Ginsberg read the title poem at an event at the Six Gallery, San Francisco, in October 1955. On returning home, he sent the poet a message that consciously echoed the famous letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Walt Whitman after Emerson had read Whitman’s Leaves of Grass: “I greet you at the beginning of a great career.” The proprietor of City Lights added: “When do I get the manuscript?”

The book was published the following year, in an edition of 1,000 copies. However, after a failed attempt by the police to prosecute the bookseller for peddling obscene material, the reprints could not come fast enough. Ferlinghetti joked that the police “took over the advertising account and did a much better job”. Howl remains the bedrock of City Lights’ success as a publishing concern. It has now gone through well over 50 reprints, often more than one a year.

Ferlinghetti’s own poetry is irreverent, cajoling, casual and loose-limbed, sometimes excessively so. His models were Whitman and William Carlos Williams. In partnership with Rexroth, he took part in many poetry and jazz events on the West Coast, and the two made a record together. Ferlinghetti later became disillusioned with the poetry and jazz combination – “The poet ended up sounding like he was hawking fish from a street corner,” he said.

His verse on the page, though, suggests a spoken origin, as in his poem Underwear:

Underwear controls everything in the end Take foundation garments for instance They are really fascist forms of underground government ….

In addition to his many collections of verse, including A Coney Island of the Mind (1958), The Secret Meaning of Things (1969) and Endless Life (1981), Ferlinghetti wrote two novels: Love in the Days of Rage (1988), which is set during the student revolt of 1968 in Paris, and Her (1960), a more experimental work, a classic “poet’s novel”.

On one of his transatlantic voyages, Ferlinghetti met Selden Kirby-Smith (known as Kirby), whom he had had a passing acquaintance with at Columbia. They married in 1951 and had two children, Julie and Lorenzo, but were divorced in 1976.

In 1971, Nancy Peters, a former librarian at the Library of Congress, joined the company, and as time went on played a larger part in running the business, leaving Ferlinghetti to his creative work. She served as executive director from 1984 until 2007, and then continued to be involved as a co-owner of the business.

Ferlinghetti also had a serious interest in painting, and in 1990 the University of California mounted a retrospective. Many poems feature the names of painters, or employ a self-consciously “painterly” style, such as Short Story in a Painting of Gustav Klimt or Returning to Paris with Pissarro.

Ferlinghetti disliked being associated with the Beats, though he benefited from it, and, despite his love of Ginsberg, was apt to lament the commercialisation of the Beat Generation. Ginsberg, he said, “fabricated the whole thing out of his imagination”. But, happily contradicting himself, he could add, as late as 1996, “It’s still the only rebellion around.”

A collection of the correspondence between Ferlinghetti and Ginsberg was published in 2015, under the title I Greet You at the Beginning of a Great Career. At the same time, a selection of his travel journals appeared, Writing Across Landscapes.

Ferlinghetti expressed disappointment in other Beat writers for their unstructured approach to politics. He decided to travel to Cuba to see the Castro regime for himself and later wrote One Thousand Words for Fidel Castro, which ends, “Fidel … I give you my sprig of laurel.” Another political poem evoked a surrealistic scene by Goya, showing “freeways 50 lanes wide”, with “fewer tumbrils / but more maimed citizens / in painted cars”. In 2012 he declined to accept an award from the Hungarian Pen club, in protest at the policies of prime minister Viktor Orbán.

City Lights, open till midnight seven days a week, was Ferlinghetti’s way of infusing the spirit of resistance peacefully into the streets of San Francisco.

With Peters, he wrote a Literary Guide to San Francisco (1980), and in 1988 was responsible for the renaming of 10 streets after writers associated with the city, including Jack Kerouac Alley, partly composed of City Lights’ back wall. In 1994, he himself was similarly honoured by Via Ferlinghetti, the first time a street has been named after a living writer in the history of the city.

He is survived by his children and three grandchildren.

🔔 Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti, poet, artist and bookseller, born 24 March 1919; died 22 February 2021

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com