#William Rose Benet

[mildlyobsessivee]

By William Rose Benet from his book of poems Starry Harness

[wayfaring-soldier]

To a Communist

Still certain? It has all been tried before Under such different names: to make all men Subscribe to one same doctrine; or proscribe And kill those who refuse. Religion tried it, Nor altered once Man's spirit. You believe In monoliths. I bid you look at Stonehenge, The plain of ancient human sacrifice To gods whose adamant unhuman gaze Enjoyed the individual's agony. At night the stones speak there of priests who bound Men to red altars of a ruthless faith.

You would banish superstition? Yet you claim Omniscience, and the tablets of a law Descended from no Sinai. Once again You resurrect the dark and grim excuse That the end always justifies the means. And some of you, with eyes upon the stars, As true idealists as ever breathed, Are marching toward an obvious precipice Oblivious, down to slavery and chains. As for the young, they dedicate themselves With all devotion to that which they are told Is human nature's apotheosis.

You are my friend. You have the human warmth To be a friend, and have the frozen gaze To sacrifice for zeal your dearest friend Because you hate the wrong. I know the wrongs That shame us for the world, and I will ever Contend against them, but I hate a code Of blood and iron. Tell me what you see, Not what you wish to see! Call to your aid No dialectic, such as ancient schoolmen Used in dry academical dispute - But merely look-and see. You turn and argue

With me instead. You own one god and lord Who saw no further than materialism And missed the inexplicable moving spirit That works in Man, whereby a tyranny Under whatever name can smell as rank As those of old. But now you turn aside With the old pitying smile reserved for us Despised of the elect. You will re-mold The world to your own will; you are possessed Of the secret of the future; you will coerce Mankind for its own good. Well, I return

To men and books, to the bewilderment Of learning life, and to the paradoxes That you must also in your darker hours Know in your soul - O, I forget, you say You have no soul - well, feel within your mind! Is it nothing to you, the extra-terrene plight In which we find ourselves? Are you to solve it With one glib theory fitted to all things, As though the waves I look on from my window Could be made to move only in one set order?

Forgive an ancient, who has lived too long To be surprised by fantasies of men Though still surprised by fantasies of God, Or what prime mover you elect to name, Who reasons not as we, nor edicts issues, But thrives in Nature, dreams in firmanments, Dies every day and is reborn forever In love and freedom and the strange hope of Man.

-William Rose Benet

[carpethedamndiemdejavu]

"Blue oblivion, largely lit, smiled and smiled at me." - William Rose Benet

"Red is the great clarifier - bright and revealing." - Diana Vreeland

[princessamyrose87]

knuckles spin-off series cast

Vector the Crocodile - Bruce Campbell, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Micheal B. Jordan, Seth rogen

Espio the Chameleon - Daisuke Tsuji, l.j. benet

Charmy Bee - Colleen o'Shaughnessey, Jacob Tremblay

Mighty The Armadillo - Micheal Mando, Micheal B. Jordan, Brady noon

Ray The flying squirrel - Tara Strong, Hudson Meek

Fang The Sniper - John Patrick Lowrie, Hugh Jackman, Karl Urban,

Bean The Dynamite - Aziz Ansari, Steven Ogg

Chief Pachacamac - Danny Trejo Sofía

Tikal the Echidna - Díana Bermudez, Ana de la Reguera, Selene Luna, Sofía Espinosa, Isabela Merced, Salma Hayek, Nisa Gunduz

E-102 Gamma - Corey Burton

Wendy Witchcart - Mia Goth, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Harriet Samson Harris

Battle Kukku XV - Nolan North

Speedy XVI - Maria Bakalova

Dr. Fukurokov - Mark Ivanar

Breezie The Hedgehog - Regina King, Janelle Monáe, Jena Malone, Pollyanna McIntosh

Vanilla The Rabbit - Maggie Robertson

Amy Rose - Kimiko Glenn, Anna kendrick

Big The Cat - Dave Fennoy, Patrick Warburton, Micheal B Jordan, Kevin Chamberlin

Cream the Rabbit - Melissa Hutchison, sabrina glow

Sticks the Badger - Margot Robbie, Paola Lázaro

Gerald Kintobor - Ron Perlman

Maria Kintobor - Mkeena Grace

Commander Abraham Tower - Frank Anthony Grillo

Subject Shadow The Hedgehog (Terios Kintobor) - (Paramount stated they want an A-list celebrity to voice Shadow) Keanu Reeves, Robert Pattinson, Pedro Pascal, Oscar Isaac, Micheal B Jordan

Rouge The Bat - Chloé Hollings, Marion Cotillard, Mélanie Laurent, Camille Cottin, Jordana Lajoie, Scarlett johansson

Tom Wachowski’s father - Bob Odinkirk, Dustin Hoffman, Bill Murray, Micheal Keaton, Kurt Russell, John Goodman

Metal Sonic - Ben Schwartz(robotic filter)

E-123 Omega - Micheal B Jordan, Terry Crews, Jon Bernthal

Hazard The Bio-Lizard (Marzanna Kintobor) - Ivana Miličević

Void TrapDark - Jude Law, Dane DeHaan, Gerald Way, Scott Williams, Freddie Highmore,

Lumina Flowlight - Tabitha St. Germain

Blaze’s Mother - Janina Gavankar, Sakina Jaffrey

Blaze The Cat (Indian/British accent) - Priyanka Chopra, Devika Bhise, Varada Sethu, Simone Ashley, Ulka Simone Mohanty, Natasha Chandel

Marine the Raccoon - Sia, Katie Bergin, Bella Heathcote, Isla Lang Fisher, Rylee Alazraqui, Kendal Rae

Blaze’s Rival: Frost The Axotol(example)- Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Antony Starr

Jet’s Father - Matt Ryan, Iwan Rheon

Jet The Hawk - Tony Hawk, Aaron Paul, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Dante Basco, Ken Jeong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jimmy O. Yang

Wave The Swallow - Sarah Margaret Qualley

Storm the Albatross (pacific, Oceania) - Dave Batista, Taylor Wily

Emerl The Gizoid - Augus Imrie, Kendal Rae,

Clutch The Possum - Micheal Rooker, Benjamin Byron Davis, Robert Allen Wiethoff

Tangle The Lemur - Lauren Keke Palmer, Brenda Song

Whisper The Wolf - Stefanie Joosten, Ana de Armas

Mimic The Octopus - Richard Colin Brake

Doctor Starline - Troy Baker, Hugh Grant,

Starline’s Love interest and partner -

Rough and Tumble the Skunks - Will Ferrell and John C. Reily, Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key

Surge The Tenrec - Rachel Bloom, AJ Michalka

Kitsunami The Fennec Fox - Michael Cera, Kyle McCarley

Zavok - Christopher Judge, John Cena, Jon Bernthal

Master Zik - Frank Oz, Randall Duk Kim, Dustin Hoffman

Zeena -Mindy Kaling

Zor - Jaeden Martell, Dane DeHaan, Gerald Way

Zazz - Danny Brown,

Zomom - T.J. Miller

Black Doom -

,Keith David https://youtu.be/9LmOwEfPHUo

, Jackie Earle Haley - https://youtu.be/sF8zxctevXc

, Jon Bernthal - https://youtu.be/sDp4AuNen0Y

, Sean Schemmel -

, Ray Porter - https://youtu.be/aR8p4DIpxxE

,Karl Urban - https://youtu.be/ccF3uvpJ96I

Eclipse The Darkling - Norman Reedus

Callisto The Darkling - Carrie-Anne Moss

Dark Oak - Jeremy Irons

Black Narcissus - Angelina Jolie

Pala Bayleaf - John Leguizamo

Yellow Zelkova - Terry Crews

Red Pine - Pat Casey or Josh Miller

Cosmo The Seedrian - Carol Anne Day, Liliana Mumy

Lyric The Ancient(Owl like Longclaw) - Jackie Earle Haley

Johnny Lightfoot - Taron Egerton

Tekno The Canary - Paula Burrows

Porker Lewis - John Boyega, Daniel Radcliffe

Shorty “Shortfuse” The Cybernik - Cillian Murphy, Barry Sloane

Ebony The Cat - Gratiela Brancusi

Sonia The Hedgehog - Kiernan Shipka, Evan Rachel Wood, Isabella Merced, Jena Malone

Manic The Hedgehog - Joe Keery

Sally Acorn - Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman

Antoine D’Coolette - Tomer Capone, Bradley Cooper(hes fluent in French)

Bunnie Rabbot - Alex McKenna

Rotor The “Boomer” Walrus - John Cena

Nicole The Holo-Lynx - Ashly Burch

Lupe The Wolf - Amber Midthunder

Dulcy The Dragon - America Ferrera

Chip - Tom Holland, Freddie Highmore

Professor Dillion Pickle - Ian McKellen

Imperator Ix - Gary Oldman

Shade The Echidna - Lady Gaga

Infinite The Jackal - Kit Harington, Jon Bernthal

Silver The Hedgehog - Steven Yeun

Gold The Tenrec - Simone Ashley

Professor Von Schlemmer - Matthias Schweighöfer

Dr. Negan Robotnik a.k.a Eggman Neo - J.K. Simmons, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Giancarlo Esposito, Bryan Cranston, Pedro Pascal

Dr. Grimer Wormtongue - Ian McShane, Jackie Earle Haley

Chris thorndyke - Graham Verchere

Frost the hobidon - Dakota lotus

Juliet suter - Sydney Scotia

Antia/tania - Cassie glow

Perci - Stephanie lemelin

Preteen bokkun - Brett Gray

Park ranger - Patrick Warburton

Ashe - peyton r. perrine iii

Burst wisp - cherami Leigh

Uncle Charles - David Lengel

Bernadette - Melanie Zanetti

[gendzl]

"It is a strange dream, Gatsby's,—but he was a man who had hope. He was a child. He believed in a childish thing." —William Rose Benet

[mladyartist]

“Blue oblivion, largely lit, smiled and smiled at me.” - William Rose Benet

[ukdamo]

Solid Earth

William Rose Benet

SCURVY doctrine, that the world is a bubble -  It is much more solid than that! A monument built out of rubble,  If you will—a high silk hat With the inevitable brick inside,  A perfect whale of a brick! Love to make you vain, and pride  To make you sick. Scurvy doctrine, that love’s a tambourine. A  Love that is fond and true Is exactly like a tame hyena  (I’m telling this to you!) - A perfectly tangible hyena,  With perfectly ponderable paws. You could climb a mountain in Argentina,  But you’d know it was. Scurvy doctrine, that joy is fleeting -   Joy is howling aloud At everyone, in every meeting,  In every crowd! Joy is what the heavens shake with  At the earth beneath. Joy is the thing you tame the snake with—  And grit your teeth.

[travsd]

What Happened to Lora Baxter?

What Happened to Lora Baxter?

A mildly interest enigma this morning concerning actress Lora Baxter (1902-1955). It’s said that in her early years Baxter appeared in vaudeville and wrote silent scenarios for MGM. In 1931, she made ito Broadway in The Sex Fable, supporting Mrs. Patrick Campbell. 1932 may have been her most eventful year: The Black Tower, a play which she cowrote with Ralph Murphy,was produced on Broadway; she…

[april-is]

April 26, 2020: Letter to My Great, Great Grandchild, J.P. Grasser

Letter to My Great, Great Grandchild J.P. Grasser                after Matthew Olzmann  Oh button, don’t go thinking we loved pianos more than elephants, air conditioning more than air. We loved honey, just loved it, and went into stores to smell the sweet perfume of unworn leather shoes. Did you know, on the coast of Africa, the Sea Rose and Carpenter Bee used to depend on each other? The petals only opened for the Middle C their wings beat, so in the end, we protested with tuning forks. You must think we hated the stars, the empty ladles, because they conjured thirst. We didn’t. We thanked them and called them lucky, we even bought the rights to name them for our sweethearts. Believe it or not, most people kept plants like pets and hired kids like you to water them, whenever they went away. And ice! Can you imagine? We put it in our coffee and dumped it out at traffic lights, when it plugged up our drinking straws. I had a dog once, a real dog, who ate venison and golden yams from a plastic dish. He was stubborn, but I taught him to dance and play dead with a bucket full of chicken livers. And we danced too, you know, at weddings and wakes, in basements and churches, even when the war was on. Our cars we mostly named for animals, and sometimes we drove just to drive, to clear our heads of everything but wind. == On this day in:  2019: After the First Child, the Second, Mary Austin Speaker  2018: A New Lifestyle, James Tate  2017: Anchorage, Joy Harjo  2016: Poem to First Love, Matthew Yeager 2015: Ode to the Reel Mower, Jim Daniels 2014: So Much Happiness, Naomi Shihab Nye 2013: Habitation, Margaret Atwood 2012: About Marriage, Denise Levertov 2011: In Praise of My Bed, Meredith Holmes 2010: Black Swan, Brigit Pegeen Kelly 2009: In Me as the Swans, Leslie Williams 2008: Gnosticism V, Anne Carson 2007: American Names, Stephen Vincent Benet 2006: since feeling is first, e.e. cummings 2005: The Second Coming, W.B. Yeats

[blackkudos]

Ledisi

Ledisi Anibade Young (born March 28, 1972), better known simply as Ledisi, is an American R&B and jazz recording artist, songwriter, and actress. Her first name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba. In 1995, Ledisi formed the group Anibade. After unsuccessfully trying to get the group signed to a major label, she formed LeSun Records with Sundra Manning. Anibade and Ledisi released an album entitled "Soulsinger" (black and white cover on the LeSun Music independent label) featuring the song Take Time, which gained substantial airplay from San Francisco area radio stations. A twelve-time Grammy Award nominee, Ledisi has released eight studio albums between 2000 and 2017.

In 2000, Ledisi re-released her first major label signed album, titled Soulsinger: The Revival. Ledisi and her group toured in 2001. In 2002, Ledisi released her second album, Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue. The album won an award for "Outstanding Jazz Album" at the California Music Awards.

In 2005, Ledisi signed a record deal with Verve Forecast and released her third album, titled Lost & Found, on August 28, 2007; it sold almost 217,000 copies and earned her two Grammy nominations, including one for Best New Artist. In 2008, Ledisi released her Christmas album, It's Christmas.

In 2009, Ledisi released her fourth album Turn Me Loose, which earned her two Grammy nominations, followed by her fifth album Pieces of Me (2011) which debuted on the US Billboard 200 album chart at number eight, becoming the first top-ten album of her career and her highest-charting album to date. It also garnered three Grammy nominations at the 54th Grammy Awards including for Best R&B Album. In 2013, she received a nomination for Best R&B Performance at the 55th Grammy Awards for her collaboration with fellow R&B and jazz musician Robert Glasper for the album cut "Gonna Be Alright" from his fifth album Black Radio (2012). In 2014, she released her sixth album The Truth to critical acclaim and moderate sales. She portrayed legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the 2014 Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic, Selma.

Early life

Ledisi was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She grew up in a musical family; her mother, Nyra Dynese, sang in a Louisiana R&B band and her stepfather, Joseph Pierce III, (deceased) was a drummer in the New Orleans area. Her biological father is soul singer Larry Sanders, the son of blues singer Johnny Ace. He left the family when she was a baby and they did not meet again for nearly three decades.

Ledisi first began performing publicly at age eight with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra. Ledisi moved to Oakland, California, where she attended McChesney Junior High School, now Edna Brewer Middle School. She was shy about her singing abilities and would sing only upon request when students in her gym class would implore her to sing Deniece Williams's version of Black Butterfly, bringing the entire locker room audience under the spell of her very mature, melodious voice. As she sang more publicly her music career blossomed. She was nominated for a Shellie award in 1990 for her performance in a production of The Wiz and performed in an extended run with the San Francisco cabaret troupe, Beach Blanket Babylon. She studied opera and piano for five years at University of California Berkeley in their Young Musicians Program.

Musical career

1995–1999: Career beginnings

In the 1990s, Ledisi formed a group called Anibade, alongside Sundra Manning (producer, keyboards, songwriting), Phoenix (LaGerald) Normand (background vocals, songwriting), Cedrickke Dennis (guitar), Nelson Braxton (bass), Wayne Braxton (sax), and Rob Rhodes (drums), playing a jazz and hip-hop influenced kind of soul. The group won acclaim in the San Francisco Bay Area with a cult-like following of die-hard fans who referred to themselves as "Ledites" and meet her with love at every event, singing along verbatim to songs that though unrecorded at the time, were well known by their fans. The group later recorded a demo of one of the songs from their set, entitled, "Take Time" which was played on local stations and requested non-stop. Ledisi tried to get the group signed to a major label, but had no luck. Ledisi also performed often with jazz saxophonist Robert Stewart throughout the early 1990s in San Francisco.

2000–2003: Soulsinger: The Revival and Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue

In January 2000, Ledisi released her first album, Soulsinger: The Revival, independently on her label, LeSun Records. The album spun off four singles, "Soulsinger", "Take Time", "Get Outta My Kitchen", and "Good Lovin'". After the release of Soulsinger: The Revival, Ledisi toured with her group Anibade.

In 2002, Ledisi released her second album, Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue, which was also released independently. The album featured the singles "Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue" and "Autumn Leaves". During this time she also recorded commercials for the Sci Fi Channel. In 2003, Ledisi won "Outstanding Jazz Album" for Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue at the California Music Awards.

2006–2008: Lost & Found

During her five-year hiatus, Ledisi made appearances on soundtracks. In 2007, she signed with Verve and released "Blues in the Night" which featured on the tribute album, We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song.

In August 2007, Ledisi's third album, Lost & Found, was released. During her hiatus, Ledisi stated that she was unsure of wanting to stay in the music industry. In response, Ledisi wrote the song "Alright" to express her life. "Alright" became the lead single and debuted at #45 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart. The album's second single, "In The Morning", debuted at #49 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart. Other songs from the album charted but were not released as singles. "Think of You" charted at #71 on the Hot R&B charts, "Joy" charted at #103 on the Hot R&B charts and #29 on the Adult R&B Airplay.

In December 2007, the album earned her two Grammy nominations, including one for Best New Artist. In 2008, Ledisi continued her tour to promote the album, Lost & Found. By January 2009, the album had sold 216,894 copies.

In September 2008, Ledisi released her Christmas album, It's Christmas, which featured the singles "This Christmas" and "Children Go Where I Send Thee". In December 2008, Ledisi's T.V. special aired on Gospel Channel, titled "Ledisi Christmas". Ledisi performed a few songs from her Christmas album. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "Give Love On Christmas Day" charted on the Hot R&B charts at #113.

In 2008 Ledisi performed the song "The Man I Love" as a blues singer in the Leatherheads movie.

2009–2010: Turn Me Loose

In 2009, Ledisi's fourth studio album was announced as Turn Me Loose. The album was released on August 18, 2009. Speaking in April 2010 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis – Deputy Editor of the award-winning Blues & Soul – Ledisi explained the album's title reflected its musical diversity: "The title 'Turn Me Loose' is basically me saying 'I don't wanna be boxed in! Let me be myself as a performer and singer, because I do EVERYTHING! Not just one particular style!'." She employed production from seasoned R&B songwriter-producers such as Raphael Saadiq, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, James "Big Jim" Wright, and Carvin & Ivan. The first single from the album was "Goin' Thru Changes". The second single was "Higher Than This", produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and James "Big Jim" Wright.

On May 13, 2010, Ledisi performed at Charter Oak Cultural Center's 9th Annual Gala, a fundraiser for free after-school youth arts programming in inner-city Hartford. She performed several songs from Turn Me Loose, and also performed a duet with Anika Noni Rose, a tribute to the late Lena Horne.

2011–2012: Pieces of Me

Ledisi toured with R&B/soul singer Kem on his North American INTIMACY Tour. On March 10, 2011, during her opening act in Atlanta, Georgia, Ledisi announced that she had finished recording her fifth studio album, Pieces of Me, on March 9, 2011. It was released on June 14, 2011. It debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 38,000 copies in its first week. The album's title track served as the album's lead single.

Ledisi has performed at the White House seven times at the request of President and First Lady Obama.

Ledisi headlined her first tour to promote her album, Pieces of Me. The Pieces of Me Tour played to 22 sold out shows across North America. With this album, she received three nominations for the 2012 Grammy Awards, in the categories Best R&B Album, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song, for the album and the lead single "Pieces of Me".

Ledisi released her first book, Better Than Alright: Finding Peace, Love & Power on Time Home Entertainment, Inc. in 2012. The book, an innovative collaboration with ESSENCE, is filled with the singer's personal photos, quotes, lyrics, and richly detailed stories of her journey to acceptance of her beauty, talent, and power.

On April 6, 2012, Ledisi announced her second headlining tour, B.G.T.Y., with Eric Benet serving as an opening act. In December 2012, VH1 announced that Ledisi would perform at their 2012 VH1 Divas show, a concert benefiting the Save The Music Foundation charity. Ledisi performed a Whitney Houston tribute medley with Jordin Sparks and Melanie Fiona.

2014–2016: The Truth

On March 2014, Ledisi released her new album The Truth. She is also on tour with Robert Glasper in partnership with the magazine "Essence" (which featured her on one of their three April covers as well as Erykah Badu and Solange Knowles).

In April 2014, Ledisi was cast to play Mahalia Jackson in the American historical drama film, Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb and DuVernay. It is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel, Hosea Williams, and Martin Luther King, Jr. In the film and on the official film soundtrack, Ledisi sings "Take My Hand, Precious Lord". Initially slated to perform at the 57th Grammy Awards as part of a tribute to the Selma March alongside Common and John Legend (who performed their Oscar-winning duet "Glory") she was ultimately snubbed by the Recording Academy and recording artist Beyoncé, who performed in her place. Ledisi's snubbing and Beyoncé's performance received mixed reaction from social media. In 2015, she received her ninth Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance for the single "Like This" off of her seventh album The Truth. She lost to Beyoncé and Jay Z for "Drunk in Love".

2017–present: Let Love Rule

In May 2017, Ledisi released a single titled "High" produced by Darhyl "Hey DJ" Camper and Rex Rideout. Her eighth studio album called Let Love Rule was released on September 22, 2017. In November 2017, she received three more nominations at the 60th Grammy Awards in January 2018 including Best R&B Album, Best R&B Performance and Best Traditional R&B Performance. Ledisi won a Soul Train Award 'Soul Certified Award' for the album.

Ledisi helped the BET Awards pay tribute to Anita Baker, the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient of the night on June 24, with a rendition of the singer's 1986 ode "Sweet Love".

Ledisi was then a part of the Aretha Franklin Tribute that was put together by the annual award ceremony known as Black Girls Rock. Ledisi delivered a rendition of the hit "Ain't No Way".

In October 2018, Ledisi performed with Adam Lambert in an NBC broadcast, A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway, before a live studio audience at the Marquis Theatre in New York, singing "As Long as You're Mine" from Wicked.

Discography

Studio albums

Soulsinger: The Revival (2000)

Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue (2002)

Lost & Found (2007)

Turn Me Loose (2009)

Pieces of Me (2011)

The Truth (2014)

Let Love Rule (2017)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

Ledisi has been nominated for twelve career Grammy Awards.

BET Awards

BETJ Virtual Awards

California Music Awards

Soul Train Music Awards

2008, BET J Cool Like Dat Award (Nominated)

2008, Female Artist of the Year (Nominated)

2003, Outstanding Jazz Album, Feeling Orange But Sometimes Blue (Won)

2011, Centric Award (nominated)

2009, Best R&B/Soul Female Artist (nominated)

2014, Best R&B/Soul Female Artist (Nominated)

2017 Best R&B/Soul Female Artist (Nominated)

2017 Soul Certified Award (won)

2018 Soul Certified Award (won)

NAACP AWARDS

2012 Best Female Artist (Nominated)

2015 Best Female Artist (Nominated)

2018 Best Female Artist (Nominated)

2018 Best Traditional song - High (Nominated)

2018 Best Visual - High (Nominated)

Honors/Special Awards

2016, NAACP Awards Theatre - Spirit Award Honoree

2016, America For The Arts - Music Honoree

Tours

Pieces of Me Tour (2011)

B.G.T.Y. Tour (2012)

The Truth Tour (2014)

The Intimate Truth Tour (2015)

The Rebel The Soul The Saint Tour (2017)

Let Love Rule Tour (2018)

Ledisi Live UK Tour (2019)

Filmography

2008: Leatherheads (as the Blues Singer)

2011: Leave It on the Floor (as Princess' Mother)

2014: Selma (as Mahalia Jackson)

2016: The Tale Of Four (Short Film) (as Aunt Sara)

2020: American Soul (as Patti LaBelle) (season 2, upcoming)

[vfwriters]

Male Faces

Note: Not all faces here are necessarily available in VF - please check if you are not sure before you apply for a face change! Hair colour is indicated in italics.

Alex Smiles (brunette)

Andre (brunette)

Anthony Gomes (brunette)

Artur (brunette) 

Bastien Treiber (brunette)

Blake Scott (blonde/brunette)

Caleb Thill (brunette) 

Carlos Dominguez (brunette) 

Christopher Bark (blonde)

Chris Millington (brunette)

Davy Jones (brunette) 

Felix (brunette)

Fio (brunette)

Hugo Manos (brunette)

Giuseppe Laguardia (brunette)

Janis Daner (brunette) 

Jaxon Rose (brunette)

Johnny Edlund (blonde)

Justus Hansen (blonde) 

Kevin Elezaj (brunette)

Kosta Williams (brunette) 

Leo Pask (blonde)

Loic (brunette)

Nicolas Simoes (brunette)

Matthias Geerts (brunette) 

Maximilian (brunette)

Melik Kam (brunette)

Patrick Deml (brunette)

Patrick Dossanto (brunette)

Rowan Row (brunette)

Samuel (brunette)

Sandro (brunette)

Stefan Turner (blonde) 

Stefan Kaerger (brunette)

Steven Epprecht (brunette)

Tellementlui (brunette)

Tim Warring (blonde) 

Tommy Hey (blonde) 

Valentin Benet (brunette)

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Stock Take for Today #literallyabookstore6531 (So i dont lose it)

Traci Chee - The Speaker

Renee Ahdieh - Smoke in the sun

Meagen Spooner - Sherwood

Crystal Chan - All that I can fix

Derek Milman - Scream All Night

Alexandra Blogier - The last girl on Earth

Shannon Dunlap - Izzy and Tristan

Jennifer Mathieu - Devoted

Oliver - Before I fall

Greff Olsen - Run

Hayley Long - The nearest far away place

Chloe Coles - Life's a Beach

Jono Dawson - Margot and Me

Eileen Cook - The hanging Girl

Claudia Gray - The Worlds

Eliza Waas - The life and death parade

Phyllida Shrimpton - Flowers and February

Jake Halpen - Edgeland

Laura Dockrill - Aurabel

Claire Hennessy - Other Girls

Robert Cochran - The sword and the dagger

Klingele - The truth lies here

Tyler - The Pioneer

Rosalyn Eves - Blood Rose Rebellion

Breeana Shields - Poison's Cage

Nancy Werlin - And then there were four

Adrianne Strickland - Shadow Call

Somaiya Daud - Mirage

Michelle Falkoff - Questoins I want to ask you

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16. The Magus By: John Fowles ISBN: 9780099478355

17. Naked Lunch: The Restored Text By: William S. Burroughs ISBN: 9780141189765

18. The Old Man and the Sea By: Ernest Hemingway ISBN: 9780099595632

  1. Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis By: Patti Callahan ISBN: 9780310104803

2. House of Glass By: Susan Fletcher ISBN: 9780349007656

3. Orphan #8: A Novel By: Kim van Alkemade ISBN: 9780062338303

4. The Queen's Necklace By: Len Rix ISBN: 9781782274476

5. The Gravediggers' Bread By: Frederic Dard ISBN: 9781782272014

6. A Master Plan for Rescue: A Novel By: Janis Cooke Newman ISBN: 9780399185021

7. Sappho's Leap: A Novel By: Erica Jong ISBN: 9780393325614

8. Nine Lessons By: Nicola Upson ISBN: 9780571324781

9. Little Jewel By: Patrick Modiano ISBN: 9780300221824

10. A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding: A Novel By: Jackie Copleton ISBN: 9780143128250

11. The Book Borrower By: Alice Mattison ISBN: 9780061153020

12. The Assassin of Verona By: Benet Brandreth ISBN: 9781785762154

13. Death Comes to Pemberley By: P. D. James ISBN: 9780571346233

14. The Song Collector By: Natasha Solomons ISBN: 9781444736380

15. The Hour of Separation: From the bestselling author of Richard & Judy book club pick By: Katharine McMahon ISBN: 9780297866077

16. The Ventriloquists By: E.R. Ramzipoor ISBN: 9781489286574

17. The Lions' Torment By: Blanche d'Alpuget ISBN: 9781925384802

18. Pasha: Thomas Kydd 15 By: Julian Stockwin ISBN: 9781444785388

 1. Jens Lapidus By: Top Dog ISBN: 9781786491770

2. Pierre Lemaitre By: The Great Swindle ISBN: 9781681443935

3. Jessica Fellowes By: The Mitford Scandal: Diana Mitford and a death at the party ISBN: 9780751573930

4. Professor of Humanities Joyce Carol Oates By: A Fair Maiden ISBN: 9780547263359

5. Raymond Khoury By: Second Time Around ISBN: 9781409117964

6. Sandra Brown By: Outfox: The new twisty ISBN: 9781473669512

7. Val McDermid By: How the Dead Speak ISBN: 9781408712269

8. Edward Marston By: Points of Danger ISBN: 9780749023522

9. HC Warner By: She ISBN: 9780008204686

10. Helen Fields By: The Shadow Man ISBN: 9780008394073

11. Tom Clancy By: Net Force: Dark Web ISBN: 9781489287113

12. Mason Cross By: The Killing Season: Carter Blake Book 1 ISBN: 9781409145691

13. Mons Kallentoft By: Earth Storm: The new novel from the Swedish crime-writing phenomenon ISBN: 9781444776416

14. Quintin Jardine By: Skinner's Round (Bob Skinner series ISBN: 9780747250418

15. George Pelecanos By: The Double ISBN: 9781409114598

16. Yrsa Sigurdardottir By: The Reckoning: A Completely Chilling Thriller ISBN: 9781473621589

17. Quintin Jardine By: Game Over (Bob Skinner series ISBN: 9781472205728

18. Ian Rankin By: Rather Be the Devil: The superb Rebus No.1 bestseller (Inspector Rebus 21) ISBN: 9781409159421

19. Kate Ellis By: The Mechanical Devil: Book 22 in the DI Wesley Peterson crime series ISBN: 9780349413136

20. Yrsa Sigurdardottir By: The Legacy ISBN: 9781473621534

 Roisin Meany - The Reunion

Lucy Siegle - Turning the tide on plastic - NF

E.S Thomas - Dark Asylum

Sue Simkin - Afternoon Tea

Jane O'Reilly - Blue Shift

Susanna Gregory - The Executioner of St Paul's

Ian Rankin - Saints of the Shadow Bible

Terry Shames - Dead Broke in Jarrett Creek

Maria Goodvage - Secret Service Dogs - NF

Tim O'Brien - In the Lake of the Woods

Jack Higgins Eye of the Storm

James Wilson - The Summer of Broken Stories

Charlie Cambell - Scapegoat

Chris Ryan - Safe

Mary Chamberlain - The Hidden

Nora Roberts - Christmas with You

Claire Balding - My Animals and Other Family - NF

Bridget Collins - The Betrayals

Paul Terry - The Claimant

Bernard Cornwell - Lord War

Sarah Morgan - Family For Beginners - NF

Jess Lagasse - The Gluten Free Table - NF

Harry and Meghan - Finding Freedom - NF

David Koepp - Cold Storage

Graham Apthorpe - The Man Inside The Bloodiest Outbreak - NF

Erin Kelly - Stone Mothers

Justina Robson - Down to the Bone

Andrew O'Hagan - The Secret Life

Celia Imrie - Sail Away

1 Lined Notebook

Gill Sims - Why Mummy Doesn't Give A !

Jon Kalman Stefansson - Heaven and Hell

William Golding - Close Quarters

Lisa Lutz - The Swallows

[seasidecollectibles]

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[amazingstories]

The other day I got into a brief discussion of cover mentions throughout the history of the science fiction magazine.

Of course we all focus on the cover image first, but unless it is a really extraordinary sample of the genre’s art (between BEMs and brass brassieres it’s a bit tough to hit “extraordinary”) the very next thing we look at are the names of the authors to be found within.

To the first time buyer, these mean little to nothing.  To the aficionado however,  they can serve as an instant assessment of the expected quality of the issue.  Lots of top names, stands a chance of being an excellent issue.  No recognizable authors – well, either the title is on its way out (the editors are scraping the bottom of the submission barrel) or – we’re about to discover the next great thing to come down the genre pike.  This latter possibility can only be found in the “vanishingly small probability” box, and represents more of a hope for the reader than a real possibility.

I decided to take a look at how the various magazine titles handled this bit of self-promotion.  I then decided to use 1953 as my exemplar year.

Why 1953?  Because 1953 was THE banner year for science fiction and fantasy magazines.  And because the frenzy surrounding this boom year somewhat resembles what we’ve been seeing for the past several years – an explosion of electronic magazine titles, each of which carefully lists it’s available contents.

1953 was also a year in which the genre was changing;  more markets meant that more authors could stretch, had a few more places they could pitch to.  Many of the “old guard” were still publishing, and a lot of familiar names had become firmly established.  The short story was still the dominant form for the genre and thus, it’s at least as good a year as any other to pick on.

(Wikipedia only lists 219 SF novels published in 1953.  There were undoubtedly a handful of others, but this is a pretty good indicator of how few novels were published, as opposed to short fiction in the magazines.)

Here’s a gallery, displaying the magazine covers from 1953, in alphabetical order by magazine title.

AMAZING STORIES

Published by: Ziff-Davids Publishing Company Edited by: Howard Browne Format: Pulp

Charles Creighton, Mallory Storm, Chester Geier, Guy Archette, E. K. Jarvis, Paul Lohrman (2), Jack Lait, Lee Mortimer, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, H.L. Gold (2), Theodore Sturgeon, Harriet Frank, Walter M. Miller Jr., Kendall Foster, Henry Kuttner, Algiss Budrys, R. W. Krepps, Richard Matheson, Robert Skeckley (2), Vern Fearing, William P. McGivern, Wallace West, Evan Hunter 2/26

ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION

Published by:  Street & Smith Publications Edited by: John W. Campbell, Jr. Format: Digest

Poul Anderson (3), H. Beam Piper, John J. McGuire, John Loxmith, Hal Clement, John E. Arnold, Lee Correy, Mark Clifton (2), Alex Apostildes (2), Tom Godwin, Raymond F. Jones

0/11

AVON SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY READER

Published by: Avon Novels Inc, & Stratford Novels Inc. Edited by: Sol Cohen Format:  Digest

Arthur C. Clarke (2), John Jakes (2), Alfred J. Coppel Jr., John Christopher, Milton Lesser (2), Jack Vance

0/9

BEYOND FANTASY FICTION

Published by:  Galaxy Publishing Edited by:  Horace L. Gold Format:  Digest

Ted Sturgeon (2), Damon Knight, T. L. Sherred, Jerome Bixby (2), Joe E. Dean, Richard Matheson (2), Roger Dee, Frank M. Robinson, James McConnell, Isaac Asimov, Robert Bloch, T. R. Cogswell, Philip K. Dick, John Wyndham, Wyman Guin, Richard Deeming, Algis Budrys, Franklin Gregory, Zenna Henderson, Ted Reynolds

1/23

COSMOS SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY MAGAZINE

Published by Star Publications Edited by Laurence M. Jannifer Format:  Digest

Poul Anderson, Carl Jacobi (2), Philip K. Dick, Evan Hunter (2), Ross Rocklynne, John Jakes, Bertram Chandler (2), Robert S. Richardson (2), B. Traven, N. R., Jack Vance

0/15

DYNAMIC SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Columbia Publications Edited by: Robert A. W. Lowndes Format: Pulp

Cyril Judd, Raymond Z. Gallun, James Blish, Michael Sherman, Algis Budrys

0/5*

FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES

Published by:  All Fiction Field (imprint of Popular Publications) Edited by:  Mary Gnaedinger Format:  Pulp

Talbot Mundy, H. Rider Haggard, Ayn Rand, Kafka

1/4

FANTASTIC

Published by: Ziff-Davis Publications Edited by: Howard Browne Format: Digest

Samuel Hopkins Adams, Joseph Shallit, Kris Neville, Edgar Allan Poe, John Collier, Billy Rose, B. Traven, Stephen Vincent Benet, William P. McGivern (3), Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, John Wyndham (2), Esther Carlson, Evelyn Waugh, Ralph Robin (3), Walter M. Miller Jr., Robert Sheckley (2), Richard Matheson, Frank M. Robinson, Rog Phillips, Robert Bloch

2/27

FANTASTIC ADVENTURES

Published by: Ziff-Davis Publications Edited by: Howard Browne Format: Pulp

Frank McGiver, Peter Dakin, E. K. Jarvis, Mallory Storm, Ivar Jorgensen, Alexander Blade

1/6

FANTASTIC STORY MAGAZINE

  Published by:Best Books Edited by: Samuel Mines Format: Pulp

Edmond Hamilton, Murray Leinster (3), L. Sprague de Camp (4), Thomas L. McClary, Leigh Brackett, Henry Kuttner, Carl Jacobi, Horace L. Gold, Jerry Shelton, Ed Weston, Kevin Kent, Jack Townsley Rogers, Frederic Brown, Cleve Cartmill, Manly Wade Wellman, Otis Adelbert Kline, Roscoe Clark, Robert Moore Williams

1/23

FANTASTIC UNIVERSE SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: King-Sized Publications Edited by: Sam Merwin Format: Digest

Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Belknap Long, E. Hoffman Price, Evan Hunter, Irving Cox, William Campbell Gault, A. Bertram Chandler (2), Walt Sheldon, Clifford D. Simak, Poul Anderson, Richard Matheson, Eric Frank Russell, Jean Jaques Ferrat, William F. Temple, Wallace West, C. M. Kornbluth, William Morrison, Philip K. Dick, Evelyn E. Smith

1/21

THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Mercury Press Edited by: Anthony Boucher Format: Digest

Fritz Leiber, Mabel Seeley, John Wyndham, Idris Seabright (2), Robert Louis Stevenson, R. Bretnor (2), L. Sprague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt, Oliver la Farge, J. T. McIntosh, Wilson Tucker, Richard Matheson, Anthony Boucher (2), Kris Neville, Chad Oliver, Esther Carlson, Alan Nelson, William Bernard Ready, Poul Anderson, Ward Moore, John D. MacDonald, Edward W. Ludwig, Arthur Porges, Manly Wade Wellman, Winona McClintic, Tom McMorrow Jr.,

4/29

FANTASY MAGAZINE/FANTASY FICTION

Published by: Future Publications Edited by: Lester Del Rey Format: Digest

Robert E. Howard (2), John Wyndham, (Philip K) Dick, Elliot, Fritch, (H.B.) Fyfe, H. Harrison, MacLean, L. Sprague de Camp, Pletcher Pratt

0/10

FUTURE SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Standard Publications Edited by: Robert A. W. Lowndes Format: Pulp

John Wyndham, Poul Anderson, William Tenn, Gordon R. Dickson, Kriss Neville, Robert Sheckley

0/6

GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Galaxy Publishing Edited by: Horace L. Gold Format: Digest

Philip K. Dick, Damon Knight, H. L. Gold, Willy Ley (3)*, F, L. Wallace, J. T. McIntosh, Theodore Sturgeon, Isaac Asimov

0/10

GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS

Published by: Galaxy Publishing Edited by: Horace L. Gold Format: Digest

This “magazine” Doesn’t really count as these are single novel publications.  However, for completeness’ sake:  John Taine, Isaac Asimov, J. Leslie Mitchell, James Blish (2), Lewis Padgett*, Edmond Hamilton

0/7

IF WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Digest Publications Edited by: Larry Shaw Format: Digest

Walter M. Miller Jr., Ivar Jorgenson, Arthur C. Clarke, Jack Vance, Walt Sheldon, H. B. Fyfe, James Blish, William Tenn, Mark Wolf

0/9

ORBIT SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Hanro Corporation Edited by: Donald A. Wollheim Format: Digest

Richard English, August Derleth (2), Mack Reynolds, Charles Beaumont (2), Paul Brandts, H. B. Fyfe, John Christopher, James Causey

0/10

OTHER WORLDS

Published by: Clark Publications, later Bell Publications Edited by: Raymond A. Plamer & Bea Mahaffey Format: Digest

H. B. Fyfe, Richard S. Shaver (2), L Sprague de Camp (3), Eric Frank Russell, (William F.) Temple, (Robert Moore) Williams, Edward L. Smith, (Joe) Gibson, (Raymond A.) Palmer, S. J. Byrne, Robert Bloch, James McConne

0/15

PLANET STORIES

Published by: Love Romances Edited by: Jack O’Sullivan Format: Pulp

Bryan Berry (4*), Roger Dee, Gardner F. Fox, Robert Moore Williams, Ross Rocklynne, William Tenn, Ray Gallun, B. Curtis, Gordon R. Dickson, Hayden Howard, Stanley Mullen, Leigh Brackett, Ray Bradbury, Fox B. Holden

1/17

ROCKET STORIES

Published by: Space Publications Edited by: Lester Del Rey, Harry Harrison Format: Digest

(?) Bernard, (Henry) De Rosso, (John) Jakes, (Milton) Lesser (2), (Poul) Anderson, (Algis) Budrys, (?) Cox, (James) Gunn, (A. F. ?) Loomis, (?) Mullen

0/12

SCIENCE FICTION ADVENTURES

Published by: Space Fiction/Future Publications Edited by: Lester Del Rey, Harry Harrison Format: Digest

(William) Morrison (2, (Alan E.) Nourse, (George O.) Smith, (Erik) Van Lhin* (5), (Chad) Oliver, (Algis) Budrys, (Raymond Z.) Gallun, (Theodore R.) Cogswell, (Robert) Sheckley, (Poul) Anderson, (Irving E.) Cox (Jr.) (2), (Samuel) Moskowitz, (Richard) Snodgrass, C. M. Kornbluth

0/20

SCIENCE FICTION PLUS

Published by: Gernsback Publications Edited by: Sam Moskowitz Format: Slick

Eando Binder (2), Hugo Gernsback (2), Philip Jose Farmer (2), John Scott Campbell, Dr. Donald H. Menzel, Richard Tooker, Clifford D. Simak (2), Raymond Z. Gallun, Frank Belknap Long, F. L. Wallace, Robert Bloch, Harry Walton, Murray Leinster (2), Pierre Devaux, H. G. Viet, Gustav Albrecht, Frank R. Paul, Chad Oliver, Thomas Calvert McClary, Jack Williamson, Eric Frank Russell (2), Harry Bates, James H. Schmitz

0/29

SCIENCE FICTION QUARTERLY

Published by: Double-Action Magazines Edited by: Charles D. Hornig, Robert A. W. Lowndes Format: Pulp

Poul Anderson, Philip K. Dick, Randall Garrett, Milton Lesser

0/4

SCIENCE FICTION STORIES

Published by: Columbia Publications Edited by: Robert A. W. Lowndes Format: Digest

Poul Anderson, Raymond Z. Gallun, Robert Sheckley, Algis Budrys, Philip K. Dick, Noel Loomis, M.C. Pease

0/7

SCIENCE STORIES

Published by: Clark Publishing, Bell Publishing Edited by: Raymond A. Palmer, Bea Mahaffey Format: Digest

Jack Williamson, John Bloodstone, S. J. Byrne, T. P. Caravan, Mack Reynolds, Edward Wellen, Richard Dorot

0/7

SPACE SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Space Publications Edited by: Lester Del Rey Format: Digest

H. Beam Piper, (John) Christopher, (William) Morrison (2), Damon Knight, T. L. Sherred, Lester Del Rey, Poul Anderson

0/8

SPACE STORIES

Published by: Standard Magazines Edited by: Samuel Mines Format: Pulp

Leigh Brackett, William Morrison, Sam Merwin Jr.

1/3

SPACEWAY STORIES OF THE FUTURE

Published by: Fantasy Publishing Co Edited by: ? Format: Digest

Only a movie title is listed.

STARTLING STORIES

Published by: Better Publications Edited by: Samuel Mines Format: Pulp

Damon Knight, Murray Leinster (2), George O. Smith, Sam Merwin Jr (3)., Chad Oliver, Kendall Foster Crossen, Willy Ley, Fletcher Pratt, Noel Loomis, Philip Jose Farmer, Theodore Sturgeon, Edmond Hamilton

0/15

THRILLING WONDER STORIES

Published by: Beacon/Better/Standard Magazines Edited by: Samuel Mines Format: Pulp

L. Sprague de Camp, Kendall Foster Crossen (3), Damon Knight, Katherine MacLean, Wallace West, R. J. McGregor, George O. Smith, Dwight V. Swain

1/10

TOPS IN SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Love Romances Edited by: Jack O’Sullivan, Malcolm Reiss Format: Pulp

(Ray) Bradbury, Leigh Brackett (2), (Robert) Abernathy, (Hugh Frazier) Parker

TWO COMPLETE SCIENCE-ADVENTURE BOOKS

Published by:Wings Publishing Edited by: Katherine Daffron Format: Pulp

Like The Galaxy SF Novel, these “magazines” only published two full length novels, so it doesn’t really fit the standard pulp magazine cover listings thing.  However –

James Blish, Vargo Statten, Killian Houston Brunner, Bryan Berry, Poul Anderson, John D. MacDonald

0/6

UNIVERSE SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Bell Publications, Palmer Publications Edited by: Raymond A. Plamer, Bea Mahaffey Format: Digest

Theodore Sturgeon, Murray Leinster, Nelson Bond, Robert Bloch, William T. Powers (2), William Campbell Gault, Gordon R. Dickson (2), Mark Clifton, Sylvia Jacobs, Roger Flint Young, Poul Anderson, (Isaac Asimov, (L. Sprague) de Camp, (Eando) Binder, F. L. Wallace, George H. Smith

1/18

VORTEX SCIENCE FICTION

Published by: Specific Fiction Edited by: Chester Whitehorn Format: Digest

(Nobody listed on the cover, probably owing to the fact that this was a terrible magazine.)

WEIRD TALES

Published by: Weird Tales Inc Edited by: Dorothy McIllwraith Format: Digest

Everil Worrell, Joseph Payne Brennan, Leah Bodine Drake, August Derleth (2), (Manly Wade) Wellman, C.(lark) A.(shton) Smith

2/6

WONDER STORY ANNUAL

Published by: Best Books Edited by: ? Format: Pulp

Jack Williamson, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Henry Kuttner, Isaac Asimov

0/5

***

Text markup key:  A bolded name is an author who still resonates today (at least in my estimation); italics indicate a pseudonym – sometimes a house name, sometimes not; a number in ellipses indicated that the author was cover mentioned more than once during the year’s run.

The numbers following the names related the ration of female/male mentions for the year’s run.  The best that can be said about this is that Space Stories managed to achieve 33%, while the majority of the magazines featured no female authors.

***

Thirty Eight different titles, if we include serious name changes:

Amazing Stories, Astounding Science Fiction, Avon Science Fiction and Fantasy Reader, Beyond Fantasy Fiction, Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, Dynamic Science Fiction, Famous Fantastic Mysteries,Fantastic Adventures, Fantastic*, Fantastic Story, Fantastic Universe, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction*, Future Science Fiction, Galaxy Science Fiction, Galaxy Science Fiction Novels, If Worlds of Science Fiction, Orbit Science Fiction, Other Worlds, Planet Stories, Rocket Stories, Science Fiction Adventures, Science Fiction Plus, Science Fiction Quarterly, Science Fiction Stories, Science Stories*, Space Science Fiction, Space Stories, Spaceway, Startling Stories, Thrilling Wonder Stories, Tops in Science Fiction, Two Complete Science-Adventure Books, Universe Science Fiction, Vortex Science Fiction, Weird Tales, Wonder Story Annual. (*This was a title change) (and I’ve got 32 of the 38 first issues in my personal collection!)

Phew!

Incidentally, if you’d purchased all of these at the newsstand back in the day, it would have set you back a grand total of $55.80.  Adjusted for inflation, it would be a bit over $500 bucks today.  That’s a bit low.  There are 176 issues in question and current asking price for a digest magazine on the stands these days is $7.99.  At that price, these issues would have set you back about $1400.00.  This suggests that things really were cheaper back then!  (It’s also a lot easier to scrape up 25 cents looking for pennies on the street than it is to find $7.99….)

Beyond anything else, I simply can not imagine what it must have been like to be standing in front of the racks of a 1953 news shop.  During they heyday of my purchasing magazines from news shops, I had Amazing, F&SF, Fantastic, Galaxy, If, Analog, Odyssey, Galileo, and a handful of reprint mags to choose from, as well as a number of “graphic” magazines like Heavy Metal and “media” magazines like Star Warp.  I’d have been overwhelmed and terribly frustrated to find 38 different titles – I wouldn’t be able to choose which ones to spend my nickles on!

Truth be told, though, the regularity of these magazines was anything but regular.  If you averaged out their production over twelve months, there’d only be 15 titles to choose from at any given time.

No doubt quality suffered to some degree, but the chances of finding good stories was also increased.

Note, interestingly, that only 45 percent of these titles include the identifier “science fiction” in their name.  Among those that don’t include “science fiction”, seven consist of a descriptor and the word “stories”:  Amazing, Planet, Rocket, Science, Space, Startling, Thrilling Wonder, and two a descriptor plus “story” – Fantastic and Wonder.

I think it safe to say that the majority of magazines back in 1953 still felt the need to be very specific about what they were offering readers.  The cover image was apparently not quite enough, though I’m sure they worked hand-in-hand:  the outre image would catch your eye and the properly worded title would confirm your suspicions:  rocketships plus “Amazing” equals “science fiction”.  (Anyone seeing a scantily clad “space babe” and hoping for titillation was going to be sorely disappointed, and unlikely to be interested in anything “science stories”.)

Those two elements were probably believed to be sufficient come-ons to new customers, none of whom had a computer or databases to consult.  (In fact, whether or not you ever even saw a particular title on the newsstands was often hit or miss:  if the magazine distributor didn’t cover a particular territory (or deliver to that territory that month), you’d never see the issue(s).

But then, most of the magazines also went ahead and put two other items on their covers.  Frequently a statement about the contents was made -All New Stories!- and the title and author of at least one story listed on the table of contents.

I find it interesting that they felt a need to proclaim “All Stories Complete!”  “All New Fiction!” and even “A Selection of the Best Stories of Fantasy and Science Fiction, new and old.”  This was of course due to the fact that there were numerous reprint magazines on the stands (Famous Fantastic Mysteries among them) and woe to the reader who spent that hard-earned quarter, only to discover contents they’d already read!

Another thing regularly stuck on the cover of these ‘zines was a sort of sub-title:  Strange Adventures on Other Worlds…Preview of the Future…Stories of the Future…Science Fiction…Best in Fantasy….

If you stand back and take a look at all of the covers shown previously, you may notice that there seem to be two general format layouts – “framed” and “unframed”, and further that the unframed titles break down into two sub-groups – boxes or no boxes.

Framed layouts present the cover image, untouched, and surround it with (usually) an inverted ‘L’ shaped border (Galaxy, Space Stories), while unframed titles print a full-sized cover image and slap text directly over the image.  Some of these restrict the listing of contents or highlighted story in an opaque box (which is printed over the image).

It seems that two different schools of design thought were expressing themselves.  Both have advantages:  unframed present a larger image, framed present one that lets you see everything, no textual interruptions, please, but are small in area.

Also note that 1953 was a year of transition for magazine format:  some of the titles shown were published in “pulp” format (about 9 inches tall), such as Two Complete Science-Adventure Tales and Fantastic Adventures, while most had or were switching to the familiar digest (about 7 inches tall) format – such as Fantastic Universe and Galaxy.

The larger format almost exclusively utilized an unframed layout, while many of the digests went with the framed format, though not exclusively.  Notably, Amazing Stories seems to be all over the place.

Now, with all that being said…why’d they put those names on the cover?

These magazines had three basic markets they were trying to reach – the educated fan, the fan who didn’t know they were a fan, the casual reader.

The publishers didn’t really have to worry about the educated fan too much;  chances were they were a subscriber, or belonged to a club that subscribed, or had fellow fans who shared issues around.  Fan readers of SF&F were always hungry for more and needed no other motivation than “the new issue is on the stands” to go and seek it out.

Further, this kind of consumer had already developed their tastes and would have been pretty familiar with the regularly published authors and those who were considered to be headliners.  Any given name on the cover stood a 50-50 chance of attracting or deterring that reader.  You could get a lot for a quarter and a dime back then – almost a beer, almost a movie ticket; Mark Watney would probably like to know that ten pounds of potatoes cost the same as a magazine.

I ponder the wisdom of a promotional campaign that runs the risk of turning your potential customer off, up to fifty percent of the time.

On the other hand, publishers, at least in regards to this demographic, were probably counting on a few other things as well:  most fans were rabid fans by necessity.  Even if every single author in a given issue was disliked, there was still the editorial and the letter column (often worth the price of admission alone), whatever other features might be included and, of course, the cover, along with the interior illustrations.  (Remember those?)  Having probably already been through the demise of many prior titles, the experienced fan back then probably had a well-honed sense of historical preservation.  All of which would tend to encourage them to ignore front cover unpleasantness.

One thing is for sure though:  this segment of the market didn’t have to be sold.  They were already bought and paid for.  The only competition a magazine faced with this particular buyer was whether or not a competing title was more “attractive” this month.  Which suggests that one purpose of the names on the cover was to play one-ups-manship with the other titles.

This then leaves us with two segments – the unrealized fan and the casual reader.

The only difference between these two market segments is that the unrealized fan reader might have heard of an author or two.  I stress might, since the novels they might have been exposed to were few and far between and no one was advertising SF magazines on television or radio, nor even in the mass-circulation magazines of the day.  You weren’t going to see Isaac Asimov on a Wheaties box (though this might not be a bad idea…), Jack Parr wasn’t interviewing Ray Bradbury and the movies they might have caught rarely, if ever, mentioned the origin of their script.

Space Patrol, Tom Corbett, Tales of Tomorrow (ended this year), some fans might have caught Atom Squad, some kids were maybe watching Johnny Jupiter, Rod Brown was competing with Tom, and it would be several years before Science Fiction Theater, The Twighlight Zone and Men Into Space would grace the small screen;  these 1953 television shows did little to elevate the profile of the science fiction author.

Likewise, radio (still a popular medium) wasn’t producing much of serious fan interest either:  Dimension X had been off the air for a couple of years, and it would be a couple more before X Minus One would air (both prominently featured stories largely drawn from Astounding Science Fiction).  The radio companion for Space Patrol was airing, but, again, any author involved probably tried to keep as low a profile as possible.

The only real benefit any of the magazines might have derived from these other media might have been creating the initial interest in the subject matter.  Given the right circumstances, it is entirely possible that a consumer walking past a newsstand would make the connection between a television show featuring outer space and the image of a rocketship on the cover of one of the magazines.

This works, potentially, for the unrealized fan, though it begs a question:  why didn’t any of the magazines attempt to capture this television show audience with various forms of tie-in?  (Tom Corbett Isn’t the ONLY Space Cadet.  We’ve got space cadets in every issue!  A New Short Story by the author of the latest Tales of Tomorrow episode!)  It could be suggested that most of SF on television back in the day was focused on “kids”, and that the magazines were going after an older audience, but most of the magazines on sale were perceived, at least  by the general public, as being kid-stuff too.  I can imagine a well-meaning parent, noting their child’s interest in Space Cadets, picking up a copy of Universe, or Science Fiction Plus, or Science Fiction Adventures (check out the cover art) as an attempt to support the kid’s interest.  But then again, we’re talking about an era that generally despised science fiction, so it’s more likely that mom or dad would be scheduling homework time during Corbett’s 15 minute episodes….

The casual reader…the only thing I can imagine that would attract them to an SF pulp (or digest) would be the cover art, perhaps reinforced by one of the come-ons.  But certainly not the names.

This of course brings us back full circle.  It’s pretty well established that the names on the cover did little to help market these titles.  Existing fans knew the titles and would pick them up regardless of who was featured;  unrealized fans could make no informed judgement about the content, and the casual reader would be attracted by art and possibly blurbs.

So why?  Why go to the trouble to select the names, why the belief that doing so was beneficial?  There’s probably only two reasons:  tradition (magazines had been printing the contents on the cover from the beginning) and ego boo:  ego boo for the authors (who were getting paid very little and had only two sources of fan interaction – letters and conventions.  Not to mention wanting to keep valued authors on the submission hook.  And ego boo for the editors and publishers who got to brag among themselves and play a game of one upsmanship.

So what have we got?  Here’s the list, most cover mentions to least, in alphabetical order.  There are quite a few names we still engage with these days…and quite as many we have forgotten.

14 Anderson Poul 11 de Camp L. Sprague  8 Leinster Murray  7 Dick Philip K., 7 Sheckley Robert  6 Asimov Isaac, Budrys Algis, Matheson Richard, Morrison William, Sturgeon Theodore, Wyndham John  5 Berry Bryan, Blish James, Bloch Robert, Brackett Leigh, Bradbury Ray, Crossen Kendall Foster, Gallun Raymond Z., Knight Damon, Lesser Milton, Lhin Erik Van,  4 Chandler A. Bertram, Clarke Arthur C., Derleth August, Dickson Gordon R., Gold Horace L., Hunter Evan, Jakes John, Ley Willy, McGivern William P., Merwin Jr Sam, Oliver Chad, Russell Eric Frank  3 Binder Eando, Christopher John, Clifton Mark, Cox Irving, Farmer Philip Jose, Fyfe H. B., Hamilton Edmond, Jacobi Carl, Kuttner Henry, Miller Jr. Walter M., Neville Kris, Robin Ralph, Simak Clifford D., Smith George O., Tenn William, Vance Jack, Wallace F L., Wellman Manly Wade, West Wallace, Williams Robert Moore, Williamson Jack,  2 Apostildes Alex, Beaumont Charles, Bixby Jerome, Boucher Anthony, Bretnor R., Byrne S. J., Carlson Esther, Cogswell Theodore R., Dee Roger, Gault William Campbell, Gernsback Hugo, Heinlein Robert, Howard Robert E., Jarvis E. K., Jorgensen Ivar, Kornbluth C. M., Lohrman Paul, Long Frank Belknap, Loomis Noel, MacDonald John D., McIntosh J. T., Mullen Stanley, Piper H. Beam, Powers William T., Pratt Fletcher, Reynolds Mack, Richardson Robert S., Robinson Frank M., Rocklynne Ross, Seabright Idris, Shaver Richard S., Sheldon Walt, Sherred T. L., Storm Mallory, Temple William F., Traven B.,  1 Abernathy Robert, Adams Samuel Hopkins, Albrecht Gustav, Archette Guy, Arnold John E., Bates Harry, Benet Stephen Vincent, Bernard (?), Bester Alfred, Blade Alexander, Bloodstone John, Bond Nelson, Brandts Paul, Brennan Joseph Payne, Brown Frederic, Brunner Killian Houston, Campbell John Scott, Caravan T. P., Cartmill Cleve, Causey James, Clark Roscoe, Clement, Hal, Collier John, Coppel Jr. Alfred J., Correy Lee, Cox (?), Creighton Charles, Curtis B., Dakin Peter, De Rosso Henry, Dean Joe E., Deeming Richard, Del Rey Lester, Devaux Pierre, Dorot Richard, Drake Leah Bodine, English Richard, Fearing Vern, Ferrat Jean Jaques, Fox Gardner F., Frank Harriet, Fritch Elliot, Fyfe H.B., Garrett Randall, Geier Chester, Gibson Joe, Godwin Tom, Gregory Franklin, Guin Wyman, Gunn James, Haggard H. Rider, Harrison H., Henderson Zenna, Holden Fox B., Howard Hayden, Jacobs Sylvia, Jones Raymond F., Judd Cyril, Kafka , Kent Kevin, Kline Otis Adelbert, Krepps R. W., la Farge Oliver, Lait Jack, Leiber Fritz, Loomis (A. F. ?), Loxmith John, Ludwig Edward W., MacLean Katherine, MacLean Mabel Seeley, McClary Thomas Calvert, McClary Thomas L., McClintic Winona, McConne James, McConnell James, McGiver Frank, McGregor R. J., McMorrow Jr. Tom, McGuire John J, Menzel Donald H., Mitchell J. Leslie, Moore Ward, Mortimer Lee, Moskowitz Samuel, Mundy Talbot, Nelson Alan, Nourse Alan E., Padgett Lewis, Palmer Raymond A., Parker Hugh Frazier, Paul Frank R., Pease M.C., Phillips Rog, Poe Edgar Allan, Porges Arthur, Pratt Pletcher, Price E. Hoffman, R. N., Rand Ayn, Ready William Bernard, Reynolds Ted, Rogers Jack Townsley, Rose Billy, Schmitz James H., Shallit Joseph, Shelton Jerry, Sherman Michael, Smith Clark Ashton, Smith Evelyn E., Smith George H., Smith Edward L., Snodgrass Richard, Statten Vargo, Stevenson Robert Louis, Swain Dwight V., Taine John, Tooker Richard, Tucker Wilson, Viet H. G., Walton Harry, Waugh Evelyn, Wellen Edward, Weston Ed, Wolf Mark, Worrell Everil, Young Roger Flint

Resources for this article were obtained from Galactic Central and the Internet Science Fiction Database.

On Cover Mentions The other day I got into a brief discussion of cover mentions throughout the history of the science fiction magazine.

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