#iii. ( george ) — how rare & beautiful it is to even exist

[unexceptional]

OUT. || tag drop c:

[vandorens-archive]

do you have any advice (what to avoid, things to keep in mind) for writers writing Pakistani characters? (it's for a character in the main cast, not the antagonist if it helps!)

Writing a Pakistani character: A three part guide

Part I: Dil, Dil Pakistan* — What makes a Pakistani a Pakistani?

[*The title of a patriotic song from the nineties]

— Provinces

Pakistan has four provinces and one federal territory. When making your character, I would recommend doing some more research into the specific customs each province celebrates, just to get an idea of your character’s family background. The regions of Pakistan are:

Punjab: The most populated province of Pakistan. Famous cities include Rawalpindi, Lahore and Faisalabad.

Sindh: Home to Karachi, the most populated city of Pakistan and the entertainment hub of the country.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Located in the north of Pakistan. Famous cities include Peshawar and Abbottabad. 

Balochistan: The largest province of Pakistan. Popular destinations include the city of Quetta and the Makran coast. 

Islamabad Capital Territory: The capital, also simply known as Islamabad (my home!)

— Languages

There are over a dozen languages spoken in Pakistan. Here are the seven major ones and the areas they’re spoken in:

Urdu: The national language

English: The official language (we were a colony after all)

Punjabi: Punjab

Pashto: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Sindhi: Rural Sindh

Balochi: Balochistan

Saraiki: Some parts of Punjab

— Religions

Around ninety five percent of Pakistanis are Muslims (plus the different sects of Islam), however, Pakistan is home to other religions too, such as Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism. You can find out more here and here. 

— General

Although some of our customs are defined by the region we’re from, at our core, all Pakistanis are nearly the same. When I think of my average, run-of-the-mill family living in Pakistan, I think about our intrinsic need to gather, whether it’s on Eid, or at weddings, birthdays or even just to watch the final of the cricket world cup. Take this scene from Bend It Like Beckham, for example, where Jess’ family and friends gather together in her sister’s pre-wedding celebrations:

This is something all South Asian households have seen at least once. We love to share our things — our happiness, our knowledge, our food. We’re prideful people, too, in our work, in our religion, and in our nationality. So when you’re writing your character, remember to weave their culture into their background! 

+ This post by @lilquill gives a wonderful insight on writing about a character of colour’s cultural experiences!

Part II: Log kya kahenge?* — The shortcomings of Pakistani characters portrayed in Western media

[*English translation: What will people say? Usually said by fearful parents afraid that you’ll do something that’ll make society shun you and your family and is very eye roll worthy—a bit like these stereotypes]

Growing up, it was rare to see a character like me—South Asian, Muslim, female—represented positively in media. We were background characters—the servile convenience store man, the taxi driver—or we were antagonists—the oppressive parent who tried to force their young daughter into marrying a man of the village, the religious man turned terrorists—or, we were adults trying to escape the choke-holds of our culture to marry someone white (I’m looking at you The Big Sick). And, sure, these people do exist. Of course they do! But where are our positive stories? We can be well rounded, nuanced, interesting protagonists too. We can be sidekicks. We can be love interests, and if you’re still desperate to make us background characters, please, do not make it dependent on the hackneyed idea of our cultures, or reduce it to nonexistence. Here is a list of common South Asian stereotypes if you want a list of what to avoid.

Part III: Scene On Hai* — The Pakistani/South Asian experience, as told through stories

[*A common slang term used to express excitement. Usually used by teenagers when plans are made]

Here is a short list of some Pakistani/Muslim centric media you can consume in order to get an understanding of our lives, or if you’re bored and have nothing to do. Enjoy!

Cake (2018) — Three estranged siblings reconnect in order to take care of their sickly parents. This film has a stunning cast, beautiful visuals, and is a kick punch of emotions. 

The Long Goodbye — A concept album and short film by Riz Ahmed, in which he talks about being Brown and British, and gives us the intimate details of his breakup with Britain. Trigger warnings for violence.

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza — Focuses on the lives of an Indian-Muslim family living in America as they try to find a balance between tradition and modernism. 

From Apu to Master of None: how US pop culture tuned into the south Asian experience — An article in The Guardian

Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King — A comedic look into the life of an Indian-American Muslims. 

Aakhri Station (The Last Station) — A seven-episode series following seven women as they travel across Pakistan in a train compartment. Trigger warnings for violence, drug abuse and forced prostitution. 

Ackley Bridge — What happens when two schools, a primarily White school and a South Asian school, are merged together? This show covers the general teen experience, while also tackling cultural issues, prejudice and sexuality. 

Nine Books With South Asian Characters — A list by Teen Vogue

George Ka Pakistan (George’s Pakistan) — Follows George Fulton as he explores Pakistan. This show is widely credited to be one of Pakistan’s first reality shows, with its logline being “The show revolves around George Fulton, a British journalist who has three months to become a Pakistani”. 

I hoped this helped nonnie! If you need clarity on something, feel free to send me some follow up questions! Note as well that my experiences as a Pakistani expat living abroad are different from the experiences of a Pakistani teenager living in Pakistan, so I’d recommend searching up blogs or videos made by and for the Pakistani youth if you need to. 

[bookswithelli]

a darker shade of magic: review

synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

review under the cut!

stars: ★★★★☆

First of all, although I rated this book 4 stars, there were some issues with it (mainly involving representation and characterization). I rated it 4 stars because I enjoyed reading it despite its issues, but I recognize that the mediocre representation may turn others away from this book.

characters & representation

Before I begin this section of the review, I would like to say that I am not visually impaired and therefore do not have any authority on that subject. My comments on the treatment of Lila's missing eye are merely based on my own observations and what I have heard from visually impaired people on the topic.

Lila:

A cross-dressing thief and aspiring pirate with a penchant for knives, Lila Bard brings to mind the likes of Inej Ghafa from Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean. There were times when I really liked Lila; she can be sassy and morally questionable which is always interesting to see when well done. However, her character had a few issues that I wanted to address.

“Delilah Bard looked like a king. No...she looked like a conqueror.” pg. 289

When will fantasy authors stop romanticising conquerors and colonization?! This may be a smaller issue since aside from White London (which is villainized) there is no mention of it in the overarching plot, but this line just really bothered me. It makes me think that V.E. Schwab is a fan of adult and YA fantasy authors like Sarah J. Maas and others who write their main characters to be colonizers and romanticize it in the process. I don’t think this line was necessary at all, and I wish the second sentence had been removed or modified to something a little less problematic (e.g. she looked like a pirate/captain/etc.)

"How did you lose it...your eye?" -Master Tieren, pg. 327

It is revealed near the end of the book that Lila has been missing an eye for as long as she can remember, and she wears a glass eye as a replacement. This is all well and good, but the consequences of her impaired vision are never explored. The only reason the reader knows that Lila is missing an eye is because the author tells them. The narrative never discusses how Lila's lack of an eye affects her day to day life, and it's only brought into the story when it is needed for the plot.

It’s also worth mentioning that Lila is the only female character with a large role in this book, and no matter how “feminist” her character is, there’s not a lot of women in this book that are portrayed positively and with depth.

Rhy:

I actually really liked Rhy and I loved his relationship with Kell. I love sibling love in books and we so rarely get positive sibling relationships, so this was nice to see! It’s also really important to have queer people of color in books. However, I don’t think Rhy’s character is good bi/pan representation (I will refer to him as bi in this review for the sake of brevity, but it’s worth mentioning that neither term is mentioned so Rhy could canonically identify as either).

“He would flirt with a nicely upholstered chair, and he never takes anything seriously.” -Kell, pg. 254

As a queer girl who has identified as bisexual in the past and may in the future, this is bad bi rep 101. Schwab is perpetuating the stereotype of the “promiscuous bi”, or one who flirts and/or sleeps with everyone and everything. This is not a bad characteristic in itself, but it is harmful bi rep because that is the way every bi character is portrayed in media. It reinforces the idea that bisexual people in real life are all like this, and it also reinforces biphobes’ points of view when they say that bisexual people are more likely to cheat because they sleep with more people. This is pretty much the most common stereotype of a bisexual person, so while I doubt that Schwab intended to be harmful in her portrayal of Rhy, it shows that she did not do much research on LGBT+ rep when writing her characters. I do know that some bi people were not bothered by this; however, I believe that writers should stay away from stereotypes, especially when writing characters that are marginalized. Even though promiscuity is not an inherently bad trait, it is harmful when applied to bisexual people because it reinforces real peoples’ beliefs and affects real life bisexuals. This is especially important here because Rhy is the only narrative-confirmed LGBT+ character in the first book. It's not the worst representation I've seen, since Rhy does have a personality outside his flirtatiousness and promiscuity (in fact, it's confirmed that this is a coping mechanism for him) but it's certainly not the best, and I'm just tired of seeing bisexual people represented this way in fiction.

Kell:

I know a lot of people who didn’t like Kell very much, and that is understandable. However, I found him really compelling. It’s refreshing to see a male lead in this genre who’s not jacked and a brooding asshole whose only redeeming quality is his dick size. He’s definitely moody, but not to the point where he becomes an abusive alpha male type guy (yes, I am aware that this is a very low bar). I genuinely enjoyed his character because he’s flawed. He’s stubborn and moody but he’s incredibly caring and he genuinely wants to help people. He feels alienated from his family so he rebels and gets himself in trouble. His character is written well because he’s not perfect by any means, but he’s still likeable and you still root for him.

Holland:

Holland is what every YA love interest wishes they were. Honestly. He’s given no excuses for his actions, and yet he is still sympathetic. You understand that he is under the control of Astrid and Athos, but you also understand that all he has done for years is carry out their orders, and that changes a person. His story is heartbreaking, but that doesn’t change what he has done. He knows it, Kell knows it, Lila knows it, the reader knows it. Honestly, if he were in a YA fantasy romance, I bet Holland would be the love interest; his female “mate” would change him for the better, and he would never face the consequences of his actions. That makes his arc in this story all the more enjoyable. Holland is one of my favorite characters of all time, and not because he’s a perfect “book boyfriend” or whatever, but because his story and character are genuinely interesting and executed well.

worldbuilding

I loved the worldbuilding in this book. There was a bit of an info-dump in the beginning, but I’m willing to look past that because the world was so engaging and interesting that I forgot about the dense first chapter once I got past it. Each London has a distinct feel, and they are all almost tangible. The descriptions of each made me feel like I was in the Londons along with Kell and Lila. It seems like the system would be complicated, but Lila sums it up well:

“There’s Dull London, Kell London, Creepy London, and Dead London.” -pg. 198

After the initial info-dump, Schwab weaves information about the magic system seamlessly through the book, leaving enough mystery for the reader to wonder at what might happen in the next books, but never leaving out so much that the reader is confused. I really appreciated the rules that existed around magic. It’s draining, and Antari magic requires blood, which means there is a limit to how much you can perform at once. Magic is seen to affect the world beyond the characters and their main conflict, which I was very happy about as well. There are too many fantasy novels where the magic system has no rules and only exists to further the plot, but in this world you can see it everywhere. The politics of Red London and White London are affected by magic, even where it is not necessarily relevant to the plot. You can see small amounts of magic being performed in the streets of Red London: spells to protect from thieves, etc. Magic is normal for the people in Red London, and it is treated as such in the text.

pacing & plot

This book flew along. I’ve read it multiple times now, and every time, I can’t stop until I finish. And then I want to move along to the next book immediately. It manages to keep up a great pace and still build up to an exciting climax. Schwab’s lyrical writing is not flowery, but it draws the reader in and carries them along the story effortlessly. It’s very engaging and accessible language, which makes it a good stepping stone into adult fantasy (especially if you’re coming from YA).

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The representation that it gets praised so highly for is disappointing, but aside from that I enjoyed most of the characters and the writing was beautiful. The plot and world were engaging and made me want to read the second book immediately (even though I’m on my 3rd or 4th reread). I would recommend this book for fans of YA fantasy who want to get into adult fantasy - this book is categorized as adult, but I found it a lot easier to read than other adult fantasies. For me, this book is a reminder that you can recognize the flaws in a book and still enjoy it, so remember to stay critical, even of your favorite books :)

[aubreycasuallyobsesses]

Sweet, Sweet is the Greeting of Eyes pt. 1

Lady Veronica x Forsythe Pendleton Jones III

Summary: It’s 1819 England—two young adults have found a mutual admiration for each other over hours of exchanging words about poetry, literature, science and the arts. The first, Lady Veronica, is wealthy beyond imagination, but so isolated in her country home. The second is Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, an academic who thrived while educating the underprivileged youths of London. The bond they slowly form over time is what they both want and crave...but what did it all mean for their own futures - both together, and singularly.

Notes: Oh my god. This is my first ever actual fic, let alone a regency!au, I hope you like it @kindnessinpain2000 , time got away from me this month, but this was fun to create! I really loved all your requests, but this vibe really stuck in my mind. I think I’ll probably do 1-2 more parts if you love this...Happy Holidays love! Also, I know the title is from a John Keats poem he wrote in a letter in June 1818, to George and Georgiana Keats - which was first published in 1925, but I swear it’s something they’d exchange in this fic, so I’m going with it. 

Warnings: Honestly none, maybe just some major slow burn, and a touch of the typical moody Jughead we know and love.

X

It was 1819 and spring was finally here. As he approached Pembrooke, hired on as a tutor by one of the wealthiest families on this side of Oxford, he couldn’t help but miss the city. The constant change of faces, never-ending booksellers and his students. He taught underprivileged teens and young adults how to read. Watching each come alive while reading his favorite literature was fascinating to him. Leaving London for permanent employment at a country house didn’t spark anything thrilling for him, but the financial security felt like a need due to unforeseen familial issues that recently arose. Little did he know his entire future would be upended soon enough.

Forsythe Pendleton Jones III was an academic who had a way with words. Compared to others of a similar age, he was incredibly well educated. With a swath of floppy dark brown waves, a stare that could pierce one's soul and an air of mystery behind his eyes. Women of all ages noticed him. He was never one for romance, he could be, but no one intrigued him longer than a few minutes. That is until he walked into the entrance hall of the country home. He was greeted by The Lord and Lady Pembrooke and more specifically their only daughter, Lady Veronica.

As the weeks passed and time turned to months, he fell into a simple routine, or as simple as one could get existing within this environment. His mornings consisted of tea, reading alone in the study prior to making his way to the north library for daily education. He tutored Lord Pembrooke’s young nephews from Spain, who now lived in England year-round. Although compared to his typical London pupils, they had been exposed at an early age to some of the best literature, art, music, mathematics, and sciences one could afford. However, just like his former pupils, the boys still had that spark in their eye and an excitement for learning. Most days were spent this way, with evenings in the library, where he often read aloud to the family and distant relatives or friends of the Lord and Lady who spent weekends in the country.

During the seemingly endless evenings immersed in a book, he grew to look forward to Saturdays most. This was when Lady Veronica read to the boys in the afternoons while he prepared the lessons for the following week. Oftentimes he found himself distracted and lost in thought while she took over the study with her voice, which was so unlike him. Where were these thoughts creeping in from, why her of all people, it’s not like he had a chance to ever publicly declare he had these thoughts about her. They were from two very different backgrounds, while he was well off and had some slight social advantages, her father would never allow for their lives to intertwine romantically.

It was after one of these weekend afternoons, while he was lost in a recently published science essay for the boys Monday lessons, that he looked up just as Lady Veronica passed by the desk and softly dropped a small envelope on his never-ending stack of textbooks. After they shared a mutually discreet glance, she was gone from the room. Although he was anxious to rip the parchment open and delve into whatever she had written to him, he slowly collected his papers, books, quills, sure to not forget her mysterious note and with haste escaped to his living quarters in the north wing. Once inside, he settled at his chair near the window to unseal the unassuming note. He was immediately caught by her graceful and quickly scrawled words. It was not known that he had a fondness for the romantic sonnets of the past and present, but more specifically Lord George Byron. How she had known this, he assumed was purely coincidental.

And like music on the waters    Is thy sweet voice to me: When, as if its sound were causing The charmed ocean’s pausing, The waves lie still and gleaming, And the lull’d winds seem dreaming:                Meet me in the garden at half-past dusk tomorrow...LV.

Moving from the window to his desk, removing a quill, some parchment and settling in to contemplate how to reply. He needed to write something in such a way that conveyed every thought of her that occupied his mind, without seeming entirely too infatuated or overbearing,  he scrawled down, not his own words, but Percy Bysshe Shelly.

Thy gentle words are drops of balm

  In life’s too bitter bowl;

These choicest blessings I have

       known.

Harriet! If all who long to live

 In the warm sunshine of thine eyes, -F

After sealing the small note, Forsythe needed to find a moment to slip it to her unnoticed. The family resided in the east wing, which he rarely ventured to. It needed to be inconspicuous; however, he could hardly ask her lady’s maid, Elisbeth to hand off the note to her without stirring up whispers among the others. He decided to wait until after their shared family meal, and while he selected a book to read that evening. She routinely wandered the library and would choose favorites for him to read passages from, while Lord and Lady Pembrooke said their goodnights to the boys prior to joining for the evening. Tonight while he handed off a Wordsworth’s An Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketches, to her, they shared a quick glance and brushed fingertips. With his small token of admiration tucked inside the cover.

The night passed excruciatingly too slow for him. The following day, while he enjoyed the time spent delving into their expansive literature collection, he wanted nothing more than to somehow speed time and space up to get through the next day. Although he had a leisurely day of riding with Lord Pembrooke in the northeastern Cotswolds, on which Pembrooke sat with all of its stately, silent power - his mind was consumed entirely by Lady Veronica throughout the afternoon outing. Lord Pembrooke continued to engage in conversation with him throughout the day gone, most of which consisted of him trying to convince Forsythe into participating in his humorous antics with his valet and the young men who rode along. It was a pleasant escape from the normal academic rigors of the last weeks, but he wanted nothing more than for dusk to finally arrive.

With time finally on his side, he made his way out the north side exit to the sweeping gardens south of the home, he couldn’t help but feel a small sliver of anxiety. This is not something he normally did. Secret stolen glances, mysterious garden strolls with a woman of her caliber were just not things Forsythe Pendleton Jones III participated in. But there was something different about Lady Veronica. She was an enigma. Other ladies of a similar age were already well acquainted with love and romance, oftentimes already marrying a gentleman of significant family power and notoriety. Yet, here she was, sharing mutual glances with him over literature. Discussing the works of today’s most influential authors and poets with him in the study throughout the days. How had fate placed her in his path, was this to be a fleeting moment or the start of something more.  

Lost in wandering a section covered in soft moss and wildflowers near the outskirts of the garden, he hadn’t heard her approach. Suddenly she was next to him and he was unable to form a coherent thought to create a sentence. Luckily for him, she took the lead, “Hello Forsythe, I see you have found yourself in my absolute favorite section of my mother’s garden, shall we walk?” She slipped her graceful hand into the nook of his arm and thus began their secret conversations.

As they wandered aimlessly throughout the Pembrooke’s unparalleled garden, they shared slowly about their favorite topics, uncovering what made their minds operate. When each realized, unbeknownst to them, that this was not going to be a singular incident. They were discovering that there was another soul in the universe that related to their own mind, even heart, so closely. Just as they were rounding another corner of the labyrinth they had aimlessly strolled into, thunder was heard above. Soon enough it was a ceaseless rainfall. Removing his tailcoat and draping it over her small frame, they found refuge from the summer storm, in the small garden pavilion.

While waiting for the rain to cease, they sat in comfortable silence. Each reveling in the absolute quiet that always happens during a particularly hard rainfall. While she watched the garden and contained all the words that he too was holding back for fear of breaking the magic spell that fell over them. He couldn’t help but let his mind wander again. To all of the countless times he had admired, not just her mind, but her outward beauty as well. She had dark hair, just a shade darker than his own, nearly the color of a raven’s feathers. With facial features that he saw as almost exotic compared to other women he saw while living in London, yet her face was also so familiar to him. Lost in his own mind yet again, he hadn’t noticed that she glanced over while he leaned back against the pillar of the stone pavilion. With a smirk on her face and a devilish glint in her eye, “Forsythe, dare I say we escape this cold night and make a run for shelter?”

After giving hardly any thought to the inquiry, “Oh, Lady Veronica, I thought you would like to stay here, with me and exist in this freezing realm of silence forever?”

With a laugh and a shake of her raven-haired head, she said, “I should never leave if I didn’t have to Forsythe.” Taking her hand, he whisked her into the storm across the garden, in the direction of Pembrooke.

As they ran towards the warmth of the fireplaces and dry clothing that awaited each of them inside. Unknown to each of them was what fate truly did have in store for them. The neverending hours wandering the gardens, learning the deepest feelings of one another. The endless laughs exchanged over comedic books, reading poems, literature and countless notes covertly exchanged. What it all meant for their own futures - both together, and singularly.

[bookishreviewsblog]

V.E. Schwab: A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) | Lara

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

"You know so little of war. Battles may be fought from the outside in, but wars are won from the inside out." I saw reading recommendations something like "Refreshing take on magic" and that was the exact same thought I had while reading this book. Above everything, the most intriguing and fascinating thing about A Darker Shades of Magic is worldbuilding. There are four parallel worlds, each with a different take on magic and a city named London as its center. There is magicless Grey London, Red London where people believe in a balance between people and magic, White London, where people are draining magic in order to control it, and once, there was Black London. Kell is one of the last magicians that has the ability to travel through the worlds and maintain communication between them. The doors between those worlds used to be open, but when dark magic started to destroy Black London, other cities started to close their borders in order to stop darkness from leaking. That was 300 years ago, and no one has heard of Black London since then. Despite the fact that I usually don't like concepts of parallel universes/multiple dimensions, Schwab's worldbuilding was refreshing and fun. There was no infinite number of universes because I hate when authors pull out a bunch of worlds with same people, just some details in their paths made them different. No, this felt like a book, with four pages that are independent but connected in a way. The worldbuilding and development of the story intertwined with amazing writing made this book easy to read while simultaneously adding just enough new information to keep story flowing and maintaining a sweet dose of mystery. Another interesting concept in this world is magic. I don't think I've ever come across such an original way to introduce magic. In author's vision of this world, magic is everywhere and in everything. It is a living force, and some people have more affinity, some less. Those four worlds are lined, Black London first and closest to "the source of magic", then White, Red, and Grey the farthest. In Red London, people believe in equality between magic and its users (Kell described his use of magic as a conversation between them), there it is worshipped to the point of it being a religion. Grey, being the farthest from the magic source, has used its supply of magic and it no longer exists there. In Black London, people let magic take control in order to gain power until it started to control and poison them. Seeing that, people of White London considered the only way of using magic is by controlling IT and being its master, so in their world magic started to pull back, and that world, too, is starting to die. It was really interesting to read about such different insights in magic and power and how it affects people and worlds. It was so well written, developed and described that I found myself thinking about correlations and consequences of human behavior over and over again. Although the plot wasn't at peak of the action at all times, story was always entertaining. Schwab has a simple way of maintaining the intensity, if not by action scenes, then by following the character development or some other factor, in a manner that keeps story flowing and interesting. Whenever there wasn't something super interesting or intense going on, I was like "uh this is going to be boring", but it actually wasn't disinteresting, just slower. That is in fact why I liked the writing style so much: the author has written this book with perfect timing. She knows just when to speed up or slow down the course of action – it is always intriguing, but understandable and well thought through. Story is told from a third-person perspective of two characters, Lila and Kell. I liked those two, but I didn't really love them. (I am writing this review after reading first two books and in the second one they were absolutely amazing and I would die for them, but in the first book they were not so cool xd). They were cool and I liked that author didn't give them any basic, cliché characteristic, like a hot troubled dick who is actually good underneath or beautiful shy girl that doesn't know it. Nope, Delilah Bard is 19, thief and cutthroat and learned to survive on streets of Grey London on her own. "I'm not going to die," she said. "Not till I've seen it.""Seen what?"Her smile widened. "Everything." She hated commitment and caring because she fears it can only be used against her. From time to time I found her annoying because she always throws herself in danger and wants "adventure", she is quite selfish, but aren't we all. Anyway, she is pretty badass and cool, always prefers black man's clothing and a good set of knives, and important! Was never described as pretty (why do all heroines have to be pretty). "I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still." Kell, although seems ordinary, has a lot going on. He is a member of the royal family that rules Red London. Just a member, since they adopted him, for he is one of the two remaining magicians who can travel between worlds. Kell has everything he can wish for – wealth, love of king and queen and his best friend (and crown prince) Rhy. But still, he feels like a possession, just a symbol to show other empires the strength of Arnes. I like his character and there is a lot about his past to be discovered and I think he can only get more interesting (he did, ha!). Relationship between Kell and Lila was developed in a not-so-romantic-but-still-cute way, they both don't know what they feel, and tbh they don't feel anything towards each other until the end of the book. There are no love triangles, drama or something forbidden, it's just… complicated. *spoiler* that ending when Lila left was exactly what I needed. "He would see her again. He knew he would. Magic bent the world. Pulled it into shape. There were fixed points. Most of the time they were places. But sometimes, rarely, they were people. For someone who never stood still, Lila felt like a pin in Kell's world. One he was sure to snag on." As I said before, I already read the second book and it is really good. If you have doubts about continuing or starting these series, I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone with a fondness for magic or adventure.

[hollywoodglees]

Posted by Larry Gleeson

  Chusy Jardine’s IT ALL BEGINS WITH A SONG: THE STORY OF THE NASHVILLE SONGWRITER is the Opening Night selection and Benjamin Kasulke’s BANANA SPLIT is the Closing Night choice

T ALL BEGINS WITH A SONG: THE STORY OF THE NASHVILLE SONGWRITER

BANANA SPLIT

Special screening events include “Hollywood & Vines” presentations and two top titles from Sundance: Adam Carter Rehmeier’s DINNER IN AMERICA and Sam Feder’s DISCLOSURE: TRANS LIVES ONSCREEN

San Luis Obispo, CA (February 18, 2020) – The 26th Annual San Luis Obispo International Film Festival presented by Hotel San Luis Obispo (March 17-22) today announced this year’s gala selections and special event screenings. Chusy Jardine’s IT ALL BEGINS WITH A SONG: THE STORY OF THE NASHVILLE SONGWRITER is the Opening Night selection, and Benjamin Kasulke’s BANANA SPLIT is the Closing Night selection. Special events include the “Hollywood & Vines” screening events celebrating the intersection of food, wine, and film. The Central Coast Filmmaker Showcase titles were also announced.

Wendy Eidson, San Luis Obispo Film Festival Director

“We have set ourselves up for a very musical start, which will lead into a number of special film events that set us apart from a lot of other film festivals: joining our love of food, wine and great cinema into one combined evening” said San Luis Obispo Film Festival Director Wendy Eidson. “When you then add on two very popular films to come out of Sundance this year, 64 George Sidney Independent Film selections, and our growing Central Coast Filmmaker Showcase, we will be rolling out one our most impressive lineups of films and events yet.”

Jardine’s IT ALL BEGINS WITH A SONG: THE STORY OF THE NASHVILLE SONGWRITER will open the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival on Tuesday, March 17 at the Fremont Theatre (1035 Monterey Street). The film documents songwriters’ struggles, from paying their dues to working through the creative process. Drawing from more than 100 hours of footage, the film includes more than 80 interviews with well-known and lesser-known music industry figures and songwriters, such as Garth Brooks, Ben Folds, John Hiatt, Brett James, Alison Mosshart, Kacey Musgraves and Keb’ Mo.’ Attending are Jardine, Executive Producer Kathryn Montgomery, John Godsey, as well as singer-songwriter with local roots, Jude Johnstone and Jade Jackson, who will also perform following the screening. The Opening Night celebration will include an Opening Night Pre-Screening Party at Luna Red (1023 Chorro Street), featuring a performance by popular SLO County band Mother Corn Shuckers.

The Closing Night selection will be Kasulke’s teen comedy, BANANA SPLIT. Screening on Sunday, March 22 at the Fremont Theatre, the film marks the return of one of the SLO Film Fest’s favorite filmmakers, Hannah Marks, who stars alongside Dylan Sprouse, Liana Liberato and Luke Spencer Roberts in a film where two high school senior girls have to figure out how to maintain their friendship while one of them dates the other’s ex-boyfriend. Marks, who also wrote and produced the film returns after premiering her feature film directorial debut AFTER EVERYTHING at the film festival last year.

DINNER IN AMERICA

DISCLOSURE, TRANS LIVES ONSCREEN

Two hot titles were picked up out of the recently concluded Sundance Film Festival for SLO Film Fest fans to catch: Adam Carter Rehmeier’s audacious crowd-pleasing comedy stars Kyle Gallner as an on-the-lam punk rocker who connects with a young woman (Emily Skeggs) obsessed with his band. They go on an unexpected and epic journey together through the decaying suburbs of the American Midwest. The film features a cast of favorites including Pat Healy, Hannah Marks, Jennifer Prediger, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Lea Thompson. Sam Feder’s documentary, DISCLOSURE: TRANS LIVES ONSCREEN looks at how Hollywood has deeply influenced how Americans feel about transgender people, and how transgender people have been taught to feel about themselves. Both screenings are expected to have the filmmakers and special guests attending.

Special events this year are highlighted by something that the SLO Film fest is famous for (next to its previously announced Surf Nite): the intersection and celebration of Food, Wine, and Film on the Central Coast. Described as “Hollywood & Vines” events, the carefully curated and produced events include East Meets West, a double feature of Peter Schroeder III’s FULL BOAR, about Gary Eberle, the godfather of the Paso Robles wine industry, and Tim Clott and Libbie Agran’s 91 HARVESTS, which tells the story of the Dusi Vineyards and their wines. Naturally, wine and appetizers will be served in the lobby of the historic Fremont Theatre in between the screenings on Wednesday, March 18.

THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM

The Octagon Barn Movie Night features John Chester’s hit documentary THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM about the filmmaker and his wife’s experience leaving the city for farm life, along with a special sneak preview of PBS’s WALKIN’ CALIFORNIA – PISMO PRESERVE, which takes us on a journey through the newly opened Pismo Preserve. The evening will include a delicious BBQ dinner with wine, to go along with the films in the historic and recently renovated barn in San Luis Obispo.

Other films in the “Hollywood & Vines” presentations include Beth Elise Hawk’s BREAKING BREAD, about the A-sham Arabic Food festival in Haifa, Israel; Abby Ainsworth’s STAGE: THE CULINARY INTERNSHIP about the apprenticeship experience at one of the best Michelin-starred restaurants in the world – Mugaritz; NOTHING FANCY: DIANA KENNEDY, about Mexican cuisine cookbook author and environmental activist; and the Tastes and Flavors of Japan afternoon event featuring Hironori Sakurai’s THE STORY BEYOND A CUP OF SAKE and Sky Bergman’s MOCHITSUKI.

The Coastal Awakening this year will sponsor a special sidebar of films celebrating the life and art of renowned composer and pianist Philip Glass with presentations of Scott Hick’s documentary, GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS (2007), and two films that feature Academy Award-winning original scores by Glass: Godfrey Reggio’s KOYAANISQATSI (1982), and Martin Scorsese’s KUNDUN (1997).

Passes are now on sale and information on the film festival can be found at https://slofilmfest.org.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION FILMS

HOLLYWOOD AND VINES PRESENTATIONS

91 HARVESTS Directors:  Tim Clott and Libbie Agran Country: USA, Running Time: 45 min The story of the Dusi Vineyard began in the early 1920s, when Sylvester and Caterina Dusi emigrated from Northern Italy and settled in Paso Robles. The Dusi Vineyard introduced some of the first Zinfandels to California’s Central Coast; vineyards were rare in Old California in the early 1900’s.  Sylvester and Caterina were highly enterprising, and working together with their three sons – Guido, Dante and Benito, eventually bought an additional property on the west side of Highway 101 in 1945 and planted Zinfandel. Three generations after Janell Dusi’s great-grandparents first planted the land to Zinfandel, she is continuing the legacy of one of the area’s most well-loved vineyards, and taking ten percent of the production off the Dante Dusi Vineyard to create J Dusi Wines.

THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM Director: John Chester Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min This beautiful, multi-award winning documentary chronicles the eight-year quest of John and Molly Chester as they trade city living for 200 acres of barren farmland and a dream to harvest in harmony with nature. By doggedly persevering and embracing the opportunity provided by nature’s conflicts, the couple unlocks a biodiverse design for living that exists far beyond their farm, its seasons and our wildest imagination. Featuring breathtaking cinematography, captivating animals and an urgent message to heed Mother Nature’s call, this film provides us all a vital blueprint for better living and a healthier planet.

BREAKING BREAD Director: Beth Elise Hawk Country: USA, Running Time: 86 min A visually beautiful film that offers a recipe for tolerance – and hope. Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, the first Muslim Arab to win Israel’s MasterChef television competition, is on a quest to effect social change. So she starts the A-sham Arabic Food Festival in Haifa, Israel, where pairs of Arab and Jewish chefs collaborate on mouthwatering local dishes – and become friends. Set in a region beset with conflict, Breaking Bread sends a clear message: Strip away politics and religion and you’ll find that people are people. And what better way to do that than over a great meal?

FULL BOAR Director: Peter Schroeder III Country: USA, Running Time: 50 min In this insightful documentary about Gary Eberle, you’ll get a sense of the man called the godfather of the Paso Robles wine industry – his astute winemaking skills, warmth, self-deprecating humor, genuine compassion and determination in overcoming a hostile corporate takeover. Now celebrating his namesake winery’s 40th year, the man once destined for medical research credits legendary football coach Joe Paterno and famed winemaker Robert Mondavi for teaching him key lessons along the way.

NOTHING FANCY: DIANA KENNEDY Director: Elizabeth Carroll Countries: USA/Mexico, Running Time: 82 min Cookbook author and environmental activist Diana Kennedy reflects on an unconventional life spent mastering Mexican cuisine. It’s a candid, comprehensive whirlwind tour through the life and work of this 96-year-old uncompromising chef who’s been called an “adorable narcissist.” “If her enthusiasm were not beautiful, it would border on mania,” says influential New York Times food editor Craig Claiborne in a quote that opens the film.

STAGE: THE CULINARY INTERNSHIP Director: Abby Ainsworth County: Spain, Running Time: 78 min A group of interns work together during a nine-month apprenticeship at one of the best Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, Mugaritz. They’re unpaid, away from home, speaking a different language and working brutally long hours. While the restaurant’s notorious avant-garde cuisine and creative working environment elevate those young hopefuls to think outside the confines of a kitchen, the extremely high standards prove to be mentally and physically challenging.

THE STORY BEYOND A CUP OF SAKE Director: Hironori Sakurai Country: Japan, Running Time: 62 min A wonderfully intimate and special look at the delicate care and production of a local sake brewery in Japan through the eyes of a married couple who create the sake and oversee the brewery. We also meet many individuals who work in and care for the gorgeous rice fields and distribute the finished sake, drawing interesting parallels to the wine industry in California. Screening with

MOCHITSUKI Director: Sky Bergman Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min The ancient tradition of preparing Mochi to celebrate the Japanese New Year goes back centuries. Join one close-knit intergenerational community in San Luis Obispo County who revels in the ceremonial pounding of the cooked rice, the forming of the warm Mochi cakes, and of course eating the yummy results! Elders and kids alike reflect on what Mochi means to them, leaving not a cheek untouched by rice flour.

WALKIN’ CALIFORNIA – PISMO PRESERVE Director: Cameron Mitchell Country: USA, Running Time: 27 min WALKIN’ CALIFORNIA – PISMO PRESERVE is about getting out of the office and off the couch and exploring all the diversity this incredible state has to offer. Join host Steve Weldon as he and Land Conservancy staff take a hike on the newly opened Pismo Preserve, located just north of Pismo Beach. As we meet a variety of Central Coast residents along the way, this episode highlights the natural beauty of the area and the important work the Land Conservancy is doing in our community.

ADDITIONAL SPECIAL PRESENTATION FILMS

ALMOST FAMOUS Director: Ben Proudfoot Country: USA, Running Time: 51 min Pop stars who never were. Household names who remain unknown. Astronauts who never entered space. Rock stars whonever had their day. The lives of these fascinating and incredibly talented individuals are chronicled in this collection of four wonderful short films, produced by the New York Times Op-Docs series and directed by SLO Film Fest alum Ben Proudfoot (RWANDA AND JULIET, 2016), KIM I AM, THE LOST ASTRONAUT, THE OTHER FAB FOUR, and THE KING OF FISH & CHIPS are all memorable stories that will amaze, inspire, and most importantly, entertain.

THE BIG PARADE (1925) Director: King Vidor Country: USA, Running Time: 151 min Wealthy young idler Jim Apperson (John Gilbert) enlists during the early days of World War I, to the worry of his mother (Claire McDowell) and the pride of his father (Hobart Bosworth). Sent to the front lines in the French countryside, Jim bonds with his working-class bunkmates and falls in love with young French farm girl Melisande despite having a girlfriend back home. But the romance of war is soon shattered for good. This 1925 silent film features a wonderful score by Carl Davis.

DINNER IN AMERICA Director: Adam Carter Rehmeier Country: USA, Running Time: 106 min An on-the-lam punk rocker and a young woman obsessed with his band go on an unexpected and epic journey together through the decaying suburbs of the American Midwest.

DISCLOSURE: TRANS LIVES ONSCREEN Director: Sam Feder Country: USA, Running Time: 100 min An investigation of how Hollywood’s fabled stories have deeply influenced how Americans feel about transgender people, and how transgender people have been taught to feel about themselves.

ENAMORADA (1946) Director: Emilio Fernández Country: Mexico, Running Time: 96 min This 1946 Mexican drama was shot on location in Puebla. The revolutionary José Juan Reyes (Pedro Armendáriz, a Cal Poly graduate!) takes the town of Cholula, Puebla and demands contributions from its wealthiest citizens for the Mexican Revolution. However, his plans are disrupted when he falls in love with the Señorita Beatriz Peñafiel (María Félix), the tempestuous daughter of the town’s richest man. The film was fully restored by UCLA in 2018. Film will be introduced by Latino Film expert Maria Elena de las Carreras.

GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS (2007) Director: Scott Hicks Country: USA, Running Time: 119 min An eventful year in the career and personal life of distinguished Western classical composer Philip Glass as he interacts with a number of friends and collaborators, who include Chuck Close, Ravi Shankar, and Martin Scorsese.

HEARTS OF GLASS: A VERTICAL FARM TAKES ROOTS IN WYOMING Director: Jennifer Tennican Country: USA, Running Time: 68 min Vertical Harvest (VH) is a highly innovative but risky experiment in growing crops and providing meaningful employment for people with disabilities. Built on 1/10 of an acre at an elevation of 6,237 feet, the high tech hydroponic greenhouse is located in Jackson, Wyoming, a mountain town with extreme seasonal fluctuations in weather, population and demand for goods and services. Business drama is interwoven with the personal journeys of individuals who are part of an underemployed and underestimated group, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Plants and people grow together in this intimate portrait of one community’s attempt to address timely and pressing issues around local food production, inclusion and opportunity.

KOYAANISQATSI (1982) Director: Godfrey Reggio Country: USA, Running Time: 86 min A collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on nature, humanity, and the relationship between them.

KUNDUN (1997) Director: Martin Scorsese Country: USA, Running Time: 134 min From childhood to adulthood, Tibet’s fourteenth Dalai Lama deals with Chinese oppression and other problems.

CENTRAL COAST FILMMAKER SHOWCASE

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY 91 HARVESTS (see above)

BETTER TOGETHER Director: Isaac Hernandez Country: USA, Running Time: 50 min Community makes the difference. The response to a horrendous oil blowout fifty years ago in Santa Barbara sparked the modern environment, creating a culture that continues to inspire local solutions to global problems. The legacy of the oil spill continues to inform this community, which keeps coming together, providing local solutions to global environmental problems; such as when over 3,000 volunteers jointed the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade to dig the mud from homes after the deadly 2018 debris flow.

BY HAND Director: Kellen Keene Country: USA, Running Time: 67 min In an attempt to escape comfort, reconnect to the natural world and set a new bar for ocean adventure, SLO County residents and twin brothers Casey and Ryan Higginbotham made a decision that would reshape their loives. On March 18, 2016, they embarked on a 2200-mile paddle from Alaska to Mexico with 18-foot paddle boards. SPOONS: A SANTA BARBARA STORY Director: Wyatt Daily Country: USA, Running Time: 58 min Dusty archives have been re-discovered remastered to bring a new perspective to one of the most crucial periods in surfing’s evolution. This is a film compiled of never-before-seen footage from surfing’s Golden Age, with outtakes and extras from some of surfing’s most well-known filmmakers to tell a history that has never been told before. A story of craftsmanship, work ethic, renegades and tradition; a film that goes beyond the time spent in the ocean to define how one spends a lifetime.

NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS THE ADVENTURES OF COWMAN AND LAMBOY Director: Dominic Hure Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min

BLUE NOISE Director: Jonah Moshammer Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min

CAL POLY SHORTS Directors: Cal Poly Liberal Arts students Country: USA, Running Time: 50 min

CRIMSON CUFFS Director: Madeline Vail Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min

DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS Director: Dale Griffiths Stamos Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min

THE INCIDENT Director: Johannes S. Beals Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min

LOCKDOWN Director: Jorrit Van Der Kooi Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min

MOVING PAINS Director: Michael Gould Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min

NICKEL IN THE SAND Director: Mike Winger Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min

ODD BIRD Director: Katy Dore Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min

ROSIE Director: Shanti Herzog Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min

DOCUMENTARY SHORT 93: LETTERS FROM MARGE Director: Heather Hudson Country: USA, Running Time: 30 min

BIRDS OF LOS BANOS Director: Gail Osherenko Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min

CARRIZO PLAIN: A SENSE OF PLACE Director: Jeff McLoughlin Country: USA, Running Time: 32 min

THE EDGE OF PURPOSE Director: Winslow Perry Country: USA, Running Time: 40 min

FARM TO FLOAT: THE MAKING OF THE CALIFORNIA GROWN ROSE PARADE ENTRIES Director: Alex Raban Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min

FOREVER VOTERS Director: Sky Bergman Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min

KUT TO BE THE BEST: THE LAST BLACK BARBERSHOP IN SAN LUIS OBISPO Director/Writer: Justice Whitaker Country: USA, Running Time: 40 min

LIFESAVER: THE SLO NOOR FOUNDATION STORY Director: Bob Williams Country: USA, Running Time: 40 min

MARGARET SINGER: SEEKING LIGHT Director: Louise Palanker Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min

MOCHITSUKI (see above)

ORANGEBURG: A TOWN, A TEAM, AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY Director: Jim Fabio Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min

PASO ROBLES: A GOODBYE STORY Director: Brandt Goodman Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min

REFORGING A LEGACY Director: Bryan McLain Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min

ABOUT SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Located half-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco, San Luis Obispo’s laid-back vibe and serene natural beauty is the perfect setting for this highly regarded annual film celebration. Filmmakers rave about the warmth and attentiveness that is so much a part of the SLO Film fest experience, as does the swelling tide of industry pros and film critics who are fast discovering the film festival’s thoughtful audiences and unique programming sensibility. At the SLO Film Fest, “Movies Matter!”

*Featured photo: HollywoodGlee at the SLO Film Fest Festival Tent (Photo by Kevin O’Connor, in memoriam)

(Source: Press release provided by John Wildman, Wildman PR)

The 2020 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (@SloFilmFest) presented by Hotel San Luis Obispo #SLOHotel announces galas & special event screenings (March 17-22) #SLOFilmFest #SLOIFF2020 Posted by Larry Gleeson Chusy Jardine’s IT ALL BEGINS WITH A SONG: THE STORY OF THE NASHVILLE SONGWRITER is the Opening Night…

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I’ve been a huge fan of Philipa Gregory for a long time. I loved how she was able to use history, legend, gossip, and lore to make enthralling books. With all the hype that the show version of The White Princess is getting, I wanted to go back through my notes and talk about both books/shows and the true history that inspired them! We’ll go into The White Queen first and then delve into The White Princess…

Melusine

Melusine is a mythical mermaid-like creature that exists in various European folklore, but exists mainly France. Historically, the Luxembourg family is one of many who claims ancestry from Melusine. It fed into the thought that Jacquetta claimed strong heritage from Melusine, as well as mystical powers. The fact that a text of the tale of Melusine was found in her personal collection didn’t help matters, but seeing as it was a popular story of love and loss, it wasn’t rare and her involvement in the legend is probably very much exaggerated.

To give you a short version of the legend of Melusine, she was a beautiful half woman and half mermaid/serpent that only took on her mythological form once a week. A man hunting came upon her and offered her marriage. She accepted as long as he would leave her alone in total privacy once a week to bathe. For a time, they were happy, but the man soon grew too curious and spied on his wife, seeing her true form. Enraged, Melusine flew from the castle, never to be seen again, although she still thought of herself as the protector of her family and would wail when a member passed and help them if she could.

BTW Does this double tailed beauty look familiar? If you’re a coffee drinker like I am, you’ll recognize her as the Starbucks mermaid. Think about that next time you stop for your morning cup.

Jacquetta of Luxembourg

The Luxembourg family is an old French one, claiming lineage from the fabled Melusine. Jacquetta had many royal ties in different countries due to her high birth, and her first marriage was to a son of King Henry IV of England. They had no children by the time he died two years later, leaving Jacquetta a young and extremely wealthy duchess. As her title made her the second most powerful woman in the English court, next to the queen, she could have had her choice of husbands…

Lowly English knight Richard Woodville was tasked by the king to bring the newly widowed Jacquetta to court. But the pair fell in love. Despite it being illegal due to their difference in status and their refusal to wait for royal permission, they still married in secret. When it came out, no one could really be the mad, and they were merely fined. But Jacquetta was BFFs with Henry’s queen Margaret and Margaret made sure Richard got a title to put him on more even footing with his wife. So, he became Earl Rivers and the Lord High Treasurer.

Jacquetta and Richard had 14 children during their marriage, including “The White Queen”, Elizabeth. As she, obviously, made sure her children received titles, position, and even a crown, she was thought to be a witch by many. Most notably, she was accused of using sorcery to seduce King Edward into the bed of her daughter Elizabeth. While the charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence, the gossip followed her until her death…and followed her daughter for the entirety of her life as well.

Elizabeth Woodville

Born around 1347 to a well respected genteel family. She married first to a man who died a Lancaster supporter, leaving her a widowed mother of two sons. Luckily, she was still young enough to marry again and was “the most beautiful woman in the isle of Britain…with heavy lidded eyes like those of a dragon.” Might not sound like a compliment, but it totally was. If it wasn’t for being named a Lancastrian traitor, the obviously fertile mother of two boys could have married again easily. But it was almost lucky for Elizabeth that she wasn’t one to hop on the first man who came by her home. No, Elizabeth had her sights set on a man worthy of her.

Anyway, historians can’t agree as to how Elizabeth met the young King Edward IV, although the general lore says that Elizabeth dressed plainly and waited by the side of the road for Edward to pass with her two sons. Her original plan is said to have been to merely receive some sort of pardon for her dead husband (who fought and died after fighting against Edward and his York army, thus losing his wealth). But when Edward saw her, he was taken by her innocence, her maternal glow, and the graceful elegance she held even when not decked out in jewels. Edward wanted Elizabeth and would do anything to have her, even defy his family and his advisers to marry her in secret.

They had a strong marriage where 10 children were born and no matter what mistresses Edward took, he always came back to his wife. Again, not suuuuper romantic, but there weren’t many kings out there without a bevy of mistresses, and at least Edward actually did love Elizabeth. Their marriage is said to be one of the early examples of true love in a royal marriage. But her ability to sway the gaze of a king and make herself his queen made some believe that she was witch, just like her mama.

Edward IV

Yeah, not the glowing blonde god we saw in the show, but for a guy back then, he was the Jake Gyllenhaal of his time. He is noted as being “a man so vigorous and handsome that he might have been made for the pleasures of the flesh”. His hot bod got him at least 15 children that history knows of, but I’m guessing there were more little Eddies stashed around England. For Edward, he was born in France, the oldest living son of Richard of York, who believed he was the true king of England….Well, he might have been, or he might have been the illegitimate product of an affair by his mother. That story was drug up throughout his reign, and even after his death, to weaken his claim to the throne as well as that of his children’s. No matter who is daddy was, Edward really took the York mission to heart and fought to become the first York king of England…and the tallest one in history! He and his two brothers were known as the three suns in the sky and the three sons of York.

As I’ve said, he spied Elizabeth and her boys and thought she’d make a hell of a wife. She was a bit older and not a princess like he “should” have wed, but when Edward wanted something, he was sure to get it. Besides, the fact that she was obviously capable of birthing children mainly sons, was particularly attractive. So he put a ring on it and made her his queen. It ended up that the ex-Lancaster supporter was well loved but the people! Elizabeth’s 12 unmarried sisters soon found top notch marriages and Edward was basically surrounded by his in-laws. Much of the other nobility was angry, but Edward told them to shut up or shove off.

There was some rebellion against Edward’s reign, sometimes headed by his own brother George, but there was no other strong claim to the throne besides a little guy named Henry Tudor who was living in exile. The rest of Edward’s short life kept him in power and when he died at the age of 40, he made his brother, Richard, the protector of England until his son Edward could be crowned.

Richard III

Spoiler alert! Prince Edward (now known as lil’Edward) was never crowned and Richard became king. When King Edward died, he thought his little brother Richard would keep his crown safe for his son, but he was super wrong. Richard placed his nephew in the Tower of London to await the coronation that would never come.

To take the crown, he began by ousting the Woodvilles from power, imprisoning the men and forcing the women into hiding. Queen Elizabeth herself went into sanctuary with her daughters and youngest son Richard (now known as lil’Richard) while Richard worked on making her marriage to King Edward illegitimate, thus ruining lil’Edward’s claim to the throne. He ended up imprisoning both boys in the tower, where they never left (more on that later).

Richard finally got his just desserts when he was killed in battle by Henry Tutor’s forces at the age of 32. Recently, his battered bones were found in during construction and it was found that he did have uneven shoulders and a curvature of the spine as many have said. He was also found to have been mutilated before being unceremoniously dumped in a ditch. While he wasn’t a handsome man in his prime, it’s a wonder that he was able to start some kind of relationship with his niece Elizabeth of York..but that’s a tale for my next post.

The Princes in the Tower

Once lil’Edward was already in The Tower of London “for his safety”, Richard plucked lil’Richard from sanctuary and had him join his brother. Over the next few months, Richard was made king, Elizabeth and Edward’s marriage was made illegitimate, and the boys were seen less and less until they were never seen again.

It is widely accepted that Richard had a hand in the boy’s disappearance and even at the time he was thought to be the murderer, well that he ordered it anyway. With them out of the picture, he thought there wouldn’t be any issue with him retaining the throne.

But there’s another theory that at least one of the boys survived. Now Elizabeth Woodville was a smart woman and knew how hard it had been for Edward to keep his throne. She knew that if she let lil’Richard go to the tower like lil’Edward, he would never come back. It’s thought that she was able to smuggle lil’Richard out of sanctuary to take a new identity with a trusted family and replaced him with a local boy. For years afterwards, several people came forward claiming to be the lost prince, but none was ever confirmed. Since then, two sets of children’s skeletons have been found, but neither have been tested. So it’s possible that we will never know what happened to Elizabeth’s sons.

♦♦♦

I hope you found this little look into the world of The White Queen fun and informative. I’ll be working on something for The White Princess soon, so keep checking back for more historical fun! And if Scottish history is your thing, read some historical articles with a fun twist on our Outlander page HERE!

If you enjoyed this write up, you’ll probably love my book, Queen of Emeralds! It’s a historic romance set in the highlands that you can get HERE in paperback, ebook, or free on kindle unlimited!

The History Behind ‘The White Queen’ I've been a huge fan of Philipa Gregory for a long time. I loved how she was able to use history, legend, gossip, and lore to make enthralling books.

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Hyperallergic: How Pirate and Parrot (Mis)Understand One Another

In Eugene Ostashevsky’s book-length sequence of formally varied poems, The Pirate Who Does Not Know the Value of Pi, a pirate and his parrot go a-raiding, partying and punning their way across the high seas:

They raided packet boats, pedal boats and boats at once packet and pedal, palanders, pirogues, pontoons, and gondolas made of metal, dhows, dinghies, baidarkas, catamarans and clippers, feluccas, garrookuhs, tankers, bathtubs and bathroom slippers!

(“The Ballad of the Pirate and His Parrot,” 11)

“We’ll pester people for piasters, those irrational stars, As we sail seas unsoiled both near and far With our Jolly Roget and our fun pun 2πARRRGH!”

(“Pirate Parrot Love (feat. Israel Hands),” 46)

Like Robinson Crusoe (or the crew of the Minnow, from Gilligan’s Island), the pair find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island – yet, as the Parrot points out to the Pirate, “It can’t be deserted if we’re on it.” (76)

Although he spins his tale in outrageous and hilarious rhymes across several languages, including English, Greek, sign, logic, math, and Russian, Ostashevsky is deadly serious. He’s a father of two young daughters and a fan of Dr. Seuss, and he no longer thinks it is “possible to write anything serious that is not funny.” The pun is one of his preferred tools:

For me, the heart of language is the pun. Puns are its opacity and materiality. They at once obstruct meaning and multiply it … Puns are about non-understanding and plural understanding, and understanding with unresolved contradictions. What they are not about is the one-truth model. (Interview, May 2012, with Jack Little. Ofi Press Magazine, Mexico City, No. 20.)

While we laugh as the piratical pair contemplate “whether booty actually is truth,” at the core of these poems lie the opacity, instability, and deep pleasures of language; the tragic and comic encounters between discoverer and “native” and between self and Other; and the unreliability of translation or communication. “Hello, nice weather we’re having, says the parrot. How do the grammatical structures of your language affect your experience of it?” (“The Island of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis,” 111)

Eugene Ostashevsky (photo by Natasha Nisic)

These matters are the crux of Ostashevsky’s project. They were likewise central to his previous book, The Life and Opinions of DJ Spinoza (New York: Ugly Duckling Presse, 2008), in which our Pirate and Parrot made their first, brief cameo appearances. These questions also haunt the Russian OBERIU poets of the 1920s and ’30s, such as Daniil Kharms and Alexander Vvedensky, whose work Ostashevsky has edited and translated. If we speak different languages, if your native language is one I have acquired, do we experience the same thing in the same way? If, upon my arrival, you suddenly become “the other,” can we communicate at all? Does the effort to acquire and use another language change what we see? If the ultimate “other” is a member of another species, then can beasts reason? Do they have souls? How can you tell? In Ostashevsky’s book, Meliboeus and Tityrus (characters from Virgil’s Eclogues 1) debate the question here, and Descartes weighs in with a definitive answer (which Ostashevsky draws from a letter Descartes wrote to the Marquess of Newcastle on November 23, 1646):

The only way a man shows his body is not just a self-moving machine, but harbors a soul with thoughts, is by using words or other signs that stand for particular concepts and yet do not express any passion. A parrot can be taught to say hello to its master only by making the utterance of this word the expression of one of its passions. Thus if it is trained to say hello with a cracker, its hello will express its desire to eat one…. It is because animals have no thoughts but only passions that they cannot speak. Having no thoughts, they have no souls.

(“The Nudnik Who Became a Jihadnik: III. Cartesian Meditations,” 61)

Yet here’s a fragment of the conversation between our castaways, as they relax on the beach of their island:

Where does happiness come from, asks the parrot.

Where does your happiness come from, asks the pirate.

I feel happy when I am having an abstract thought, says the parrot. But that occurs very rarely.

Why, asks the pirate.

Because I’m not so intelligent, says the parrot. This is my Great Inner Grief.

You’re much more intelligent than me, says the Pirate Who Does Not Know the Value of Pi.

I know, says the parrot. But that’s not enough.

(“Happiness,” 86)

The existential difficulties rooted in language; the intimate but circular conversations fraught with gaps, frustrations, and misunderstandings; the risks and hope behind each attempt to communicate with another are present and enacted in the poems. We are faced with the loneliness of trying to make meaning in a world which, like the value of pi, is infinite yet offers neither pattern nor sequence. We can respond with both humor and beauty:

Of ARRRGHs and the pirate I sing and of the parrot and entailments.

The pirate tells a tale of great odds. The day ends. The nearsighted evening,

evening out all prizes, all signs of shipping, dissolves what cut on the horizon

harbors his pie. The parrot ponders what his tale meant.

(“Of ARRRGHs and the Pirate I Parrot,” 95)

In addition to fragments of Shakespeare, Poe, Keats, Stevens, Russian poets and Yiddish songs, embedded in the poems are texts of 16th and 17th-century explorers, describing their encounters with “natives” and “beasts,” both of which suddenly become “indigenous” upon the ship’s arrival. A glossary of words and phrases compiled in the late 16th century by explorer John M. Davis feels both utilitarian and utterly opaque, both languages unfamiliar to the modern reader:

Kesinyoh, Eate some.

Madlycoyce, Musicke.

Aginyoh, Go fetch.

Yliaoute, I mean no harme.

Ponameg, A boat.

Paaotyck, An oare.

Asanock, A dart.

Sawygmeg, A knife.

(“Particular Natives,” 117)

In this collection language is examined and experienced as a source of bafflement, tragedy, and pleasure. The poems are deftly woven from a variety of languages, traditions, and texts. Ostashevsky, whose first language is Russian, spins his song from the displacements and discoveries of his own voyages for our reading pleasure. Even the pirate and the parrot step out of the frame and away from the text to converse on matters existential:

“What a beautiful song,” said the pirate. “I wish I knew all the ship-names in it.”

“Shhh,” said the parrot. “We’ll look ’em up later.”

“Later when?” asked the pirate.

“When this book is over,” said the parrot.

The pirate fell into deep thought.

“Will we exist when this book is over?” he suddenly asked.

“If it’s a good book,” said the parrot.

(“The Ballad of the Pirate and His Parrot,” 12)

Despite being buffeted by storm and shipwreck and existential questions, our pirate and parrot never lose their balance. Neither does Ostashevsky in this hilarious, deeply serious, collection.

*   *   *

NOTE: In the interests of full disclosure, the author confesses that she has lived for 42 years with a yellow-naped Amazon parrot named George, who, upon hearing it read aloud, also fell in love with the book. He objects to the fact that Ostashevsky’s references to Hafiz, al-Ghazali, and parrots in Persian literature are excluded from this review. All his other suggestions have been incorporated.

Eugene Ostashevsky’s The Pirate Who Does Not Know the Value of Pi (2017) is published by New York Review books and is available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

The post How Pirate and Parrot (Mis)Understand One Another appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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