#mormon artist spotlight

[logans-mormon-blog]

the beautiful art of jeff pugh

[logans-mormon-blog]

These are GORGEOUS thank you so much for tagging me! I love your style. The jsmith one is my favorite!!

This is a selection of selfportraits from a series I made in 2011-2016. They're made with colour pencils on paper. In them I placed myself into various existing paintings and artworks. The series progresses from a fully finished drawing to the least finished drawing. The title of each work in the series is a female name (in lower case) and a body part. The body part in the title is always obscured in the image or not in the frame at all. Out of the fifteen portaits five are full body format, five are half figure and five are shoulders and up. Several of the works have very Mormon themes, and those are the ones I wanted to lift up here.

You can see the whole series on https://inariporkka.tumblr.com/portraits at the bottom of the page. That might not work on Tumblr app, might need to look at it on a browser.

agnes (arms)

The name comes from the Latin term Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God. The painting inspiration is Zurbaran, specifically his Agnus Dei and his Saint Francis. The arms of the figure are obscured by the lamb she carries. It is ambiguous whether she is sacrificing the lamb or rescuing it. There is a possible indication of female priestesshood going on here. The background is a reference to an abstract artist whose name escapes me. I can't remember what I was going for there with the chalk on blackboard look - unfinished plans, maybe?

josephine (knees)

The name comes from Joseph Smith of course, and the main reference painting is of course that famous one of the First Vision. The other reference is this Renaissance trend of making religious paintings and inserting the donor of the painting into the scene. Like there are paintings of like Bible scenes like the crucifixion or Mary holding Baby Jesus and then some Renaissance guy in there too with them. So I put myself into the First Vision, like  a donor. The figure is reading while kneeling behind a little... prayer box thingy that was in the original painting too, with the knees obscured. The idea there is that by reading other people's accounts of their experiences (such as Joseph Smith's First Vision) is like being there.

maria (shoulder)

The name is obviously a reference to Virgin Mary and the painting reference is to like early Renaissance/late Middle Ages iconography. Shoulders are hidden from view on one side by the veil and on the other by the baby leaning on the shoulder.

anna (loins)

I must admit I can't remember what the name is in reference to. But the painting is Whistler's Mother. I've drawn myself in place of the old lady in the original, my late dog is on the floor, and on the wall is my temple sealing diploma. On the left there is a white cloth - a curtain or the veil? The vibe is temple-y: either waiting to pass through the veil or having done it.

eva (nose)

The name refers to Eve. The nudity and the lush jungle all around (borrowed from Rousseau) suggest it's pre-Fall. Nose is hidden from view by the flower she sniffs. Since Mormons have a pretty different view of Eve compared to other Christians, it's kind of focused on just who she was, rather than eating of the fruit or any of those central story beats.

sara (neck)

The name refers to Sarah, the wife of Abraham. This is the most unfinished drawing in the series. To me it's about exaltation (hence the crown) and not being reasy for it yet. This one is also the first one in the entire series, so it follows the system the least - for example it's not as such a remix of a particular painting, just inspired by Botticelli in general, like the hair, really.

@personshapedsplder @lingering-sunrise

[colleendoran]

MOCCA Arts Festival

Announcing the 2023 MoCCA Arts Festival Featured Guests

The Society of Illustrators is proud to share a list of Featured Guests who will appear at the MoCCA Arts Festival, taking place April 1 - 2, 2023 from 11:00AM - 7:00PM on Saturday and 11:00AM - 6:00PM on Sunday. The Exhibitor Hall will be held at Met Pavilion, a spacious venue nestled in the heart of the Chelsea neighborhood, and is within walking distance to many great restaurants and attractions. Programming will be a few steps away at the SVA Flatiron Gallery, located at 133 West 21st Street. 

Maia Kobabe is the author of Gender Queer (Oni Press), a critically acclaimed Young Adult graphic memoir that has also been named a Stonewall Honor book. Gender Queer was also ranked by the American Library Association as the most frequently banned or challenged book in the United States in 2021. Kobabe will talk about eir work in a special spotlight session moderated by Michele Kirichanskaya and will also participate in a panel on comics and censorship hosted by PEN America’s Jonathan Friedman.

In her career, Colleen Doran has written and drawn the long-running creator-owned series A Distant Soil and has worked on titles including Wonder Woman, Amazing Spider-Man, and many others. Her body of work includes a series of collaborations with writer Neil Gaiman which are the subject of the exhibit “Colleen Doran Illustrates Neil Gaiman,” running from March 22nd to July 29th at the Society of Illustrators. She will appear in conversation with Gaiman to discuss their comics collaborations and her overall body of work in a special programming event moderated by exhibition curator Kim Munson.

Barbara Brandon-Croft became the first Black woman to write and draw a nationally syndicated comic strip when Where I’m Coming From debuted in American newspapers in 1991. Featuring a cast of nine women of color commenting insightfully on current events, her groundbreaking comic strip has now been anthologized in a book edition from Drawn and Quarterly. Brandon-Croft will talk about her trailblazing work in a special spotlight session. 

Other featured artists at this year’s festival will include:

Kim Deitch, a pioneering underground comix artist who began publishing comics in the East Village Other in 1967 and whose most recent graphic novel, Reincarnation Stories (Fantagraphics) was published to critical acclaim in 2019. 

Drew Friedman, whose most recent book of portraiture, Maverix and Lunatix (Fantagraphics), celebrates the artists of the underground comix generation

Miriam Katin, whose out-of-print graphic memoir of escaping the Holocaust as a child refugee accompanied by her mother, We Are On Our Own (Drawn & Quarterly), will be republished in a forthcoming paperback edition. 

Toma Vagner, the award-winning illustrator who designed this year’s MoCCA key image and has produced striking graphics for clients including Harry Styles, Google, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and The New Yorker. 

Noah Van Sciver, whose body of graphic novels includes Joseph Smith and the Mormons (Abrams ComicArts), Fante Bukowski (Fantagraphics Books), and the forthcoming comic book series Maple Terrace (Uncivilized Books). 

These and other Featured Artists will participate in programming and signings, schedules for which will be announced in the coming days and weeks. A full list of exhibiting artists can be found on the MoCCA Arts website. 

About the Museum of Illustration at the Society of Illustrators and the MoCCA Arts Festival

Founded in 1901, the Society of Illustrators and its Museum of Illustration together comprise America’s longest-standing nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration. The mission of SI/MI is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration and its history and evolving nature through exhibitions and educational programs. 

The MoCCA Arts Festival is a 2-day multimedia event, Manhattan’s largest independent comics and cartoon festival, drawing over 7,000 attendees each year. With over 500 exhibiting artists displaying their work, award-winning honorees speaking about their careers and artistic processes and other featured artists conducting demos, lectures and panels, our Festival mission accelerates the advancement of the Society’s broader mission to serve as Manhattan’s singular cultural institution promoting all genres of illustration through exhibitions, programs and art education. 

The Society will continue to release additional information about the Fest in the near future. Tickets are available to purchase online as well as at the door.  The Society is following all state and city safety protocols. Protocols are subject to change, so be sure to check back for the latest information. As of now, face coverings are optional at Metropolitan Pavilion and the Exhibitor Hall. Proof of vaccines, boosters and masks are required to enter SVA buildings and programming. 

To learn more about the Fest, please visit the website.

For media inquiries please contact:

Kate Feirtag

Director of Communications and External Relations

kate@societyillustrators.org

[whatsonmedia]

Thursday Thrills: Dive into the Summer Festival Extravaganza!

August has arrived, and the festival frenzy is on fire! From beats that move your soul to moments that make you whole, this month is a symphony of experiences waiting to unfold. Let the rhythm of August lead you to unforgettable adventures, where music, magic, and memories collide in a spectacular dance of life. Step into the spotlight and let the festival season ignite your spirit! Edinburgh Festival 5 - 29 August With over 3,000 shows taking place, there is something for everyone at the Edinburgh Festival 2023. Headline acts include Sir Cliff Richard, TV presenter Gail Porter, film director Ken Loach, comedian Rhod Gilbert, playwright Alistair McDowall, and the musical "The Book of Mormon." There will also be a number of special events taking place, such as the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The festival is a celebration of the arts and culture from all over the world, and it is a great opportunity to see some of the best performers in the world. The lineup is diverse and eclectic, with something to appeal to all tastes. Whether you are a fan of theater, comedy, music, dance, or something else entirely, you are sure to find something to enjoy at the Edinburgh Festival 2023. So what are you waiting for? Book your tickets today and experience the Edinburgh Festival 2023 for yourself! Tickets & More Info>edinburghjazzfestival.com Stowaway Festival 18 – 20 Aug Stowaway Festival, a remarkable independent event, has firmly etched its place on the festival calendar. Elevate your festival camaraderie to new heights at this open-air extravaganza. Unleash your inhibitions, embrace the carefree spirit, and immerse yourself in a boundless realm of fun. Stowaway Festival is the ultimate destination for a grand-scale, all-out celebration. Dive into the beats and rhythms, as top DJs and live music artists set the stage for an electrifying experience. From seasoned ravers to newcomers and even the little ones, everyone can dance beneath the stars until dawn. But that's not all – Stowaway's enchanting concoction includes hidden parties, a serene woodland spa, exhilarating wild swimming and canoeing, moments of wellness and relaxation, and an array of activities for kids. Embark on a journey of discovery, unveiling the secret wonders of Stowaway's realm. With a big line-up to keep you toe-tapping all weekend which includes Crazy P, Dan Shake, David Rodigan, Eats Everything, Soulworks, Nicky Blackmarket, Roy Ayers, Easy Star All-Stars, House Gospel Choir, Irvine Welsh, Jamz Supernova, Joe Goddard, Little Dragon, Todd Edwards, Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy, Junior Jungle, Balearic Ultras, Ben Virgo, A For Alpha, Harvey Skipper, Jono McCleery, Dr Dubplate, Diego Soundsystem, Alabaster, Llewellyn Brothers, Robots With No Soul and more Tickets & More Info> stowawayfestival.co.uk Notting Hill Carnival 27-28 August The Notting Hill Carnival is back in 2023, and it's going to be bigger and better than ever! With over 2 million people expected to attend, this is the ultimate celebration of Caribbean culture. The lineup for 2023 is still being finalized, but you can expect to see some of the biggest names in Caribbean music, including Machel Montano, Beenie Man, and Spice. There will also be a wide variety of other performers, from steel bands to dancehall artists. In addition to the music, the Notting Hill Carnival is also known for its colorful costumes and vibrant atmosphere. So whether you're looking to dance the day away or just soak up the culture, the Notting Hill Carnival is the place to be in August 2023. Tickets & More Info> nhcarnival.org/ Escape 19 Aug Big brand festival company, Climax Live are going all out to host one of the biggest mash ups in Swansea Wales, this summer.  Taking things up 10 notches, party loving people going to this danceathon can get their groove on to some of the biggest current names in House, Trance, Drum & Bass and more.  It’s a one dayer for the hardcore stayer making the most of every moment.  Think rave to the grave! With expectations to dance to the hotest tunes from the packed dancefloor clubs to the field of dance music dreams.  EDM heaven.  With all the festival paraphernalia making this one raver one stop until ya pop n drop. It’s a time for the great dance music Escape! Expect a line-up of DJ royalty for the marathon rave up. Including Alex Kidd, Ben Hemsley, Born on Road, Bryan Kearney, DJ Isaac, Danny Howard, David Rust, Disrupta, Ellie Cocks, Faze 2, GW Harrison, Gally & Jusice, Ilario Alicante, John O'Callaghan, Judge Jules, Juliet Fox, Kanine, Kings of the Rollers, Layton Giordani, Marco Carola, Marco Faraone, Maria Healy, NOIZU, Nicole Moudaber, Paul Clark, Paul Clark, Paul Woolford, Sander Van Doorn, Shy FX, Wilkinson, Will Atkinson, Will Rees, Zatox Tickets & More Info> escapefestival.co.uk Green Man 17 – 20 Aug Long standing independent festival, returns each year bigger and better in beautiful Welsh surroundings of Breacon Beacons South Wales.  Offering a mixture of arts, music and also includes literature, film and children's entertainment, as well as stalls and organic foods on the 'village green'. It’s such a good festival, its loyal 25,000 festival goers always leave happy yearning for next year.  The festival has sold out Expect live music from bands, solo artists and a mighty selection of DJS including Confidence Man, First Aid Kit, Devo, Spiritualized, Amyl And The Sniffers, Slowdive, The Walkmen, Young Fathers, The Comet Is Coming, Lankum, Snail Mail, Squid, The Delgados, Horace Andy, Daniel Avery (LIVE), Sudan Archives, Obongjaar, Courtney Marie Andrews, Dur-Dur Band, Alabaster Deplume, Beth Orton Tickets & More Info> greenman.net Trentham Live 17 – 20 Aug Trentham gardens in Staffordshire hosts its annual live music events across this weekend in its amazing location.  The line-up for the weekend’s entertainment features sells out tours from some of the UK and Global most favourite bands, well-known singers and legendary DJs whichever night you choose to go. You’ll be met by a crowd of people who are up for a great time with likeminded people. The line-up includes McFly, The Hoosiers, Feeder, Jake Bugg, The Feeling, Chase and Status, Sigma, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, Olly Murs, Natalie Imbruglia Tickets & More Info> trentham.co.uk Beautiful Days 18 – 20 Aug The Levellers' Family Music Festival, orchestrated by DMF Music, stands as an independent labor of love, free from sponsorship or funding. Welcoming all to Devonshire's divine Escot Park in 2023, it offers diverse stages, Site Art, a Children's Area, Healing Village, Walkabout Theatre, family camping, and real ale bars. The coveted lineup includes Suede, Primal Scream, Levellers, Johnny Marr, The Waterboys, Indigo Girls, The Dead South, The Proclaimers, Gaz Coombes, Reef, and Gok Wan. Don't miss this enchanting, sold-out event uniting music, art, and celebration. Tickets & More Info> beautifuldays.org Hospitality In The Woods 19 Aug Returning to magnificent surroundings of Beckenham Place Park London. One of the biggest and best drum n bass DJ line-ups on the UK summer festival calendar.  It’s time to get your best rave on for the supreme d'n'b brand, Hospitality records festival. Promising to deliver big on every aspect. All you have to do is show up in your best happy vibe. Featruing a stellar line-up of d'n'b elite to feast ya dance music feet on this is going to be one very special one-dayer that its festival lovers have been waiting all year for.  Hot on the line-up is Netsky, High Contrast, Camo & Krooked, Ayah Marar, Metrik, London Elektricity, Roni Size, Calibre, LTJ Bukem, Etherwood, Harry Shotta, LTJ Bukem, Sub Zero, Bladerunner, Goddard, Kasra, Disrupta, Bryan Gee, 2Shy, MC GQ, Nu:Tone Tickets & more> hospitalityinthewoods.com Read the full article

[haroldgross]

New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

New Post has been published on https://literaryends.com/hgblog/dicks-the-musical/

Dicks: The Musical

[3 stars]

If you’re a fan of Cannibal! The Musical, All About Mormon, Orgazmo! or The Book of Mormon (yes, those are all connected by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and are unequivocal inspirations for this musical) this flick’s for you. From the very beginning it’s clear it’s intended to be as absurd as you imagine and as funny as you might have hoped. And with the support of Nathan Lane (Only Murders in the Building) and Megan Mullally (The Disaster Artist), and a dollop of Bowen Yang (Fire Island), the absurd becomes fun and even poignant at moments. They even got Megan Thee Stallion to join up for a spotlight number.

Who are the “they” in this effort? The answer is the relatively unknown duo of Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson who adapted their previous stage effort, “Fucking Identical Twins: The Musical” into this bawdy and hilarious and weird distraction. Also, much like Parker and Stone’s stories, it all makes a point as well. Seinfeld alum Larry Charles directed it on a knife edge to get that across without ever losing the energy or comedy of it all.

This is most definitely adult fare, at least to get all you can out of it. Older teens would probably find it funny and younger teens would watch it with secret glee… and miss most of the points until they were older. But while it is certainly “in your face” it isn’t preachy. You extract the points from cloud of insanity and experience. And most of that is from the utterly outrageous finale.

When you need something truly off the wall but delivered with complete commitment, this should be something you consider. Just keep in mind the situations and language aren’t for everyone.

Where to watch

[virtualmemoriespodcast]

Episode 534 - Noah Van Sciver

Live from MoCCA Fest 2023, it's an Artist's Spotlight feat. Noah Van Sciver! I host a live session with Noah (with audience Q&A) to talk about his career in comics, his return to autobiography with his new Maple Terrace comic (Uncivilized Books), what his graphic biography of Joseph Smith taught him about comics, when he realized/accepted he was Alt and not Mainstream, and the great wisdom his father gave him about comics (and how his dad named one of his sisters about a character from a Conan comic). We also get into looking at 40 and how it compares to the comic he did about turning 30, why ex-Mormons appreciate his Joseph Smith bio, the challenges of getting work done as a father, how the American Splendor and Crumb movies set him on his path, the influence of Kerouac and the Beats on his writing and art, the original comic art that made him plotz, his sense of obligation to share the work of older artists, and a lot more. Follow Noah on Instagram and YouTube and support his Patreon, and listen to our 2022 conversation • More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Patreon or Paypal and via our Substack

Check out the new episode of The Virtual Memories Show

[onestowatch]

10 Artists You Should Celebrate This Cancer Season

Ladies and gentleman… It’s Cancer season. From June 21 to July 23, Ariana Grande to Kevin Abstract, Cancers everywhere will be turning a year older and taking in their season in the spotlight. Before we celebrate some of our ten favorite musically-gifted water signs, let’s discuss what will be going down in July.

With a new moon in Cancer, it’s time to start something new. Since this new moon is an eclipse, any new projects can grow and flourish over the next six months rather than the typical four. On July 7, Mercury will be in retrograde until July 31. Don’t panic! Just be wary of making big decisions and keep your schedule flexible. There will also be a partial lunar eclipse on July 16.

This Cancer season means: let your emotions flow, talk to your mother, and follow your instincts. I think it’s time we all tap into our inner Cancer and reflect on some of our favorite artists born under this zodiac.

Solange – Born on June 24, 1986

Solange embodies one of Cancer’s most defining traits – strong familial affairs. Between signing with her father’s Music World Entertainment label at a young age, to working with her sister Beyoncé on multiple projects, family – along with her southern roots – are what make Solange Solange. Home is where the heart is for Cancers, and the R&B singer manifests that.

Solange’s latest project, When I Get Home, transports listeners to her hometown of Houston, Texas. The album is an ode to her roots, and is the perfect listen during this astrological season.

Cuco –  Born on June 26, 1998

Cuco’s latest single, “Feelings,” says it all. The 21-year-old Cancer makes introspective, emotional music full of synth sounds and captivating lyrics. Between songs that dive into love/hate relationships like “Bossa No Sé” to drawing inspiration from impactful experiences in “Hydrocodone,” the bilingual singer never fails to draw from his heart in his music. Like a true Cancer, he uses his vulnerability as a strength rather than a weakness.

Ariana Grande –  Born on June 26, 1993

Ariana Grande exemplifies so many key traits of Cancers – she’s loyal to friends, fans, and family. She is also unafraid to share her emotions through her music, but she doesn’t let her feelings stop her from hard work. Her ability to deal with stressful and life-altering experiences, while also continuously releasing new music and touring, makes it hard not to praise this Cancer for her drive and ambition. Cancers have strong persistence to overcome obstacles, and Grande is a figure who is a symbol of that strength. 

With her latest album, thank u, next, Grande encapsulates the importance of connecting with yourself, family, and friends; and how these ties invoke growth. Watch this Cancer’s creative, comedic, and glamorous video for her track “thank u, next” below:

H.E.R. –  Born on June 27, 1997

In typical Cancer fashion, H.E.R. is not afraid to be vulnerable, and we are so thankful for that. As one of the zodiac’s most feminine, receptive signs, this Cancer dives deep into her music, full of sensuality and passion.

Cancer’s are a highly compassionate sign with deep emotional intelligence, and those vibes are woven throughout this artist’s music. H.E.R.’s music is a unified voice for women. Cancer rules the fourth house of women, home, and family, so not only are people thinking more about their families during Cancer season, they should take time to pay respect to all females everywhere.

H.E.R.’s feminist voice makes her discography the perfect listen for this Cancer season. And if you want to listen to some music about love and loss, H.E.R. is the one for you. 

Oliver Tree –  Born on June 29, 1993

Where do I begin? Oliver Tree is undeniably chaotic, but don’t judge a book by its cover. This artist encapsulates a major trait of those born in Cancer season – he has a wide imagination. He makes his vivid creativity a strength of his in order to shock fans with his projects.

Though this Cancer is often declared as an alt-rock goofball, his music dives into serious topics such as concern for loved ones and criticism of one self. He’s actually pretty empathetic and really in touch with his emotions, like those born during Cancer season.

Unwind and and let loose with Tree’s catchy yet meaningful music. You can watch the video for his track “Miracle Man” below and read what we have to say about it here.

Saweetie –  Born on July 2, 1993

Saweetie is unapologetic when it comes to assessing her feelings, needs, and wants. Cancer is a sign that values self-nurture, and Saweetie makes decisions based off of what is best for her growth.

Cancer’s spread good vibes and so does this singer’s music. Cancers are known for being extremely helpful and caring, but sometimes they are overwhelmed with a strong need for some alone time. Saweetie loves intimate studio sessions because she said sometimes, you just have to get the job done with little frills by yourself (and maybe one other person). Saweetie says that she leans towards creative people who are genuine and honest because those are the best people to work with.

Bibi Bourelly –  Born on July 14, 1994

Bibi Bourelly says she has a very good sense of judgement, something Cancer’s often have, and she moved to Los Angeles from the east coast by herself with limited connections in the city. By taking risks, Bourelly has become the artist she is today.

Cancers are creative forces, so it is to no surprise that Bourelly has written bangers for Rihanna's album Anti, along with pursuing her own solo career. She’s worked with artists such as Kanye West, Lil Wayne, GoldLink, and more. Bourelly takes risks in her songwriting and is unafraid of discussing sensitive subjects and opinions in her music. Her risks result in heavenly, passionate R&B magic.

Kevin Abstract – Born on July 16, 1996

Kevin Abstract makes music that is deeply personal and poetic. Abstract is the founding member of Brockhampton, a rap/R&B group that put out a dizzying number of albums in a short amount of time. The group was quickly catapulted into the spotlight as they continuously released new projects. In 2019, Abstract decided to shift his focus on his second full length solo project Arizona Baby. In the album, Abstract covers topics such as growing up gay in a Mormon household, broken relationships, overcoming obstacles, and more. 

In true Cancer fashion, Abstract hustles to get stuff done. When a Cancer is working on a project, they will roll up their sleeves and work as hard as they can to produce something they are proud of. Abstract is not only afraid to write about music that taps into his deep emotions and past, but he seamlessly produces evocative music that is endlessly catchy and undeniably relevant.

Kali Uchis –  Born on July 17, 1994

This Cancer season, taking a few minutes to sit down and listen to Kali Uchis’ music might help bring out those emotions you’ve been waiting to pour out. The singer’s latest track “Time” is all about taking time for yourself to grow, and with a feature from Mac Miller, how can you not be emotional? The artist has worked with many artists, from Tyler, the Creator to Steve Lacy. 

Cancers are a paradoxical – they are known as caretakers and nurtures but you would also definitely hit their line to accompany you on a fun night out. Uchis may seem like a gentle, caring Cancer at times, but she’s also the type of person you would want to hangout with at a club. 

There’s never a bad time to listen to this Cancer’s music because she has a song for every mood. Watch the video for “After The Storm,” featuring Tyler, The Creator and Bootsy Collins below.

Maggie Lindemann –  Born on July 21, 1998

Cancers are full of love and care, as well as a high intuition. Maggie Lindemann isn’t afraid to speak her mind, whether that be reading people like in her song “Obsessed” or opening up in her latest track “Friends Go.” Like a typical Cancer, her music touches themes of the importance of relationships. Uncertainty is also dabbled in a few of her songs, which is typical of those born during Cancer season. So let’s hope Lindemann is treating herself this month and indulging in her feelings positively!

Watch the video for this Cancer artist’s song “Friends Go” below, and read what Ones to Watch has written about the track and video here.

[thequeereview]

Exclusive Interview: Outfest LA 2021 spotlight artist Angelo Madsen Minax "my fellow queers are ready for a little more nuance in their representation & they'll get that in North By Current"

Exclusive Interview: Outfest LA 2021 spotlight artist Angelo Madsen Minax “my fellow queers are ready for a little more nuance in their representation & they’ll get that in North By Current”

Award-winning artist, performer, musician, and filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to Outfest this month with his deeply personal feature North By Current, following its world premiere at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival, where it was nominated for both Best Documentary and a Teddy Award. The raw, unflinching portrait of his Mormon family reeling from tragedy was shot over five years in his rural…

[newdayfuns-blog]

Making  Arrangements With Entertainers Make Sure Discuss Everything

When making your preparations with the artists, be sure to discuss the whole thing:

Time and duration of the overall performance. Bands commonly work four hours, with a ten-15 minute smash every hour. Talk to them about your breaks and how much beyond regular time will price. Some bands deliver recorded track throughout their breaks.

Put the fee in writing. I might hesitate to pay a deposit on the spot, even though a few artists and bands require it. I am a licensed agent, so one act knows that after I put up the agreement, your payment is guaranteed. Both you and the artist are appearing on a belief not but validated. The artist wonders if they may pay him, and you wonder if he's going to appear. 

It is the simplest device we've

Way to pay. Acts continually expect to be paid in full after the overall performance. If different arrangements want to be made, please no longer handiest speak with them, however, include your letter of agreement.

An occasion will want to know its agenda. What time is it for cocktails, dinner, and so forth. And this increases a thrilling subject matter: feeding the act. Usually, in case you simplest have one guy doing an after-dinner display (for instance, a magician or a singer, you have to invite them to enroll in this site for

more information

any time they need.However, you will now not be anticipated to feed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Even the bands hardly ever feed. If you put on the band for cocktail hour, over dinner, after which take damage whilst giving out prizes or doing different commercial enterprise, then it's suitable to feed them in the course of that hour. However, it isn't obligatory. Keep in mind that a meal is a great solace for the occasion if you are being given a special spoil on the fare.

Who materials the public cope with the machine? Bands usually have their personal group; other acts cannot. A making a song guitarist can also require microphones. Four singers may also want microphones and wait if you want to deliver them. If you're in a lodge or other dinner party facility, you could get everything you need from them. Extensive sound structures should come from an expert sound business enterprise. Be sure to speak about this along with your performer and put it in writing.

 Again, your facility may additionally have what you want. Spotlights with an operator can be rented for around $ 350. Large live shows would require the offerings of a professional lighting company.

A banquet of fewer than 50 humans might not even need elevators

 While it starts offer evolved to jump in numbers, you will want to take your artists wherein the audience can see them. A catering or motel facility will commonly have four 'x eight' elevators at numerous heights so that you can build a platform or level in your leisure.

Are you exterior? What happens if it rains? You simply have to specify what you'll do. Will you keep it inside? The act or artist has blocked that day for you and possibly rejected some other activity. They actually are entitled in your rate, even supposing the program is going down, except you have got made different arrangements.

It may be very tough for an artist to have a dance ground between himself and the general public. If you're dancing after a comedian or different artist, speak to the act about how close the seats or tables ought to be. Maybe he/she can work on the dance ground.Does the regulation need a place to trade garments or deploy equipment? Does the law sell albums or other products on the presentation? Some musical acts offer albums after the show. Do you suspect it's OK?

Parking and unloading. How fine it is for an artist to forestall in the front of the YMCA and find a "Reserved for the Artist" signal. You can not always do this, but recall that a few acts have plenty to carry. If the best parking to be had costs cash, you need to reimburse the artists. Talk about it and consist of your decision for your letter about the settlement.

There is much stuff to ask approximately. Take the time to imagine for your mind precisely how things can be. If you've got a question in thoughts approximately something, ask. Ask the hotel, the crowd, the act, the agent.

Conclusion

Well, surely, that became easy. Just spend months looking acts and days negotiating and a few weeks wondering if you screwed it up. (Or name a capable skills agent and allow him to worry approximately difficult things!)

Perhaps an awesome rule to don't forget is "you get what you pay for". A friend called me and desired mariachis for a Mexican church birthday celebration. I quoted him a rate for five mariachis for 2 hours, however, he went out and employed him for much less. Later he called me simply ill about it. He had called a marketed institution somewhere and got a low charge. And coffee nice. It isn't a brand new story.

[lauraramargosian]

LOVELOUD 2019: Positive Celebrity review! Oh, the emotions, performance, and survivors!

LOVELOUD 2019: Positive Celebrity review! Oh, the emotions, performance, and survivors!

LOVELOUD 2019 POSITIVE CELEBRITY RATING: 10/10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND EVEN IF YOU TRAVEL!

LOVELOUD 2019 not only attracted music lovers, but it was also an excellent way to help raise money for all charities benefiting LGBTQ communities.

In fact, each of the artists took time out of their to spread nothing less than a joy to every soul in the sold-out event.

Dan Reynolds took the stage to welcome all early arrivals to the festival he founded

“It’s not because our LGBTQ youth are broken,” Reynolds shared and pleaded that those who identify as LGBTQ youth “not take your life from us.”

Kesha: Rich, White, Straight Men belongs in a movie!

“We need you. We need every one of you. Your life is always worth living, always. There’s cool things that happen. Things get better.”

Truthfully, Utah has a lot of political control and while it might be difficult to digest, the Mormon church absolutely disagrees with those who have LGBTQ intentions. As far as to kick their own children out of their homes.

Leaving them homeless because they are “sinners,” and other man-made precepts that are not only harmful to one’s self-esteem but false.

“It has to do… with man-made precepts that are just false — that you can tell your neighbor how to live and who to love.”

Further, LOVELOUD was created to help, it’s an event to say “hey we got you.” And sometimes, blood will never be as supportive as your fellow LGBTQ friends and supportive talent.

Matt Easton also attended the event and never imagined he would be up on that stage inspiring other people after he bravely came out during his valedictorian speech at Brigham Young University.

In case you didn’t know, Brigham Young University is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Easton shared his coming out story and how many friends he had who thought of suicide as an option because they were told often “you are not normal.”

Of equal importance, this year LOVELOUD 2019 festival is celebrating their third year of success.

It has always been less about the lineup and more about the cause to help all those that identify as LGBTTQQIAAP (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, pansexual).

Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds opened up about the ultimate goal.

“The goal is to destigmatize, and in order to destigmatize something, we talk about it, we talk about it, we talk about it. We educate,” Reynolds told the Daily Herald in a red carpet interview before the festival. “I hope that it’s started to penetrate the culture a little bit.”

The singer was accompanied by a pianist, finished the festival with a sincere acoustic set including a few Imagine Dragons hits, an “I’ll Walk With You” duet with Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees and “Stand By Me.”

Kesha Sebert was the headliner for the event, joined by Elias Millan and her amazing dancers were on point.

Setting quite the energetic set singing songs including Tik Tok, Praying and Your Love is My Drug.

With that in mind, Kesha shared that LOVELOUD was important to her because of how she views the LGBTQ community and their well-being.

“It’s something I feel so strongly about,” further she stressed how important it is to love yourself for who you are and never listen to people who put you down in life.

In fact, Kesha even broke down during some of her general conversation with the crowd.

“I just want to encourage everybody here to not only love yourselves but love the person next to you and love the people around you,” Kesha told the audience. “You do not know what they’re going through. You do not know what they’ve been through.”

Kesha headlined the event, performing an energetic set featuring songs like “Tik Tok,” “Praying” and “Your Love is My Drug.” The singer said LOVELOUD was an important gig for her “because it’s something I feel so strongly about.”

Further, she even gave us the opportunity to strip while singing “Take It Off.” Our shirt landed right by her, picking it up she finished the song with it dangling off her guitarist’s gear!

One of her memorable performances was “Praying.”

Many know, Kesha stood up for what she felt was right after being violated in many ways. Most importantly, it seems this is Kesha’s anthem to that piece of crap (yea, we said it, Gotwald is a piece of crap).

The tears she sheds each time she sings that song (this is Positive Celebrity’s 2nd time seeing her perform LIVE) is emotional, you feel with her not for her and if you can relate it’s even more intense.

Throughout the start of LOVELOUD, many artists took the stage with their own stories including Glenn, AJR, Tegan and Sara, Daya, K.Flay, PVRIS, Laura Jane Grace, Paul Cardall, VINCINT, Parson James and former Brigham Young University Cosmo mascot Charlie Bird with former BYU Cougarettes.

Beyond those attending, other high profile celebrities chimed in including P!nk, Kristin Chenoweth, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco, Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars and some of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” cast also recorded short video messages that were shown at the festival between sets.

Kalen Allen told the Daily Herald how “amazingly excited he felt to host at LOVELOUD 2019.

“These are things, opportunities that I never would have thought I would have been able to have because of my sexuality, and so the fact that I am surpassing anything that I would have ever dreamed of, I just want to be an example to these kids that dreams do come true.”

He also shared how he felt the event has “opened some minds.”

“We’re coming at it with love, and so people feel OK to ask questions and explore it,” Glenn said. “I came out as gay in 2014 and personally left the LDS faith a few years ago, and I think from then to now, I’ve seen massive strides in taking down walls, and I think that’s what it’s about.”

With that in mind, we can’t forget the other organizations in town that have been doing their best for longer than LOVELOUD festival.

Yup, that’s my shirt hanging on their guitar. Haha. Excellent performance for “Take it Off!”

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“Between Encircle and LOVELOUD and all the other organizations in town that have been at it much longer, the compassion has grown, and I think that the community has evolved,” Barbara Young said. “It’s really fun now because you’re seeing people who get it and you’re seeing hearts grow and now you get to just enjoy in all the love and acceptance that’s going on.”

In fact, they have achieved zero mortalities since it began.

“Encircle, since it’s started a couple of years ago, they’ve had no suicides of any of the kids that have come to Encircle, so super powerful,” Steve Young stated, body language spoke volumes as his eyes welled up with emotion.

Encircle in Utah is dedicated to leaving this world better than they left it with one goal.

“To Bring The Family And Community Together To Enable Our LGBTQ+ Youth To Thrive.”

The mission state itself is powerful.

“Encircle seeks to deepen and enrich the conversation among communities of faith and LGBTQ+ people. By teaching individuals to love themselves and empowering families, Encircle helps cultivate an environment where LGBTQ+ individuals can thrive. Our programs and services meet people wherever they are in their lives with cultural competency and sensitivity, using community partnerships, best practices, and innovative techniques.”

Most importantly, you can volunteer to make an even bigger impact, you never know who you are going to meet and become a big part of their life.

On their official website, you can check out services, friendship circles, programs, therapy, resources, our resources, their community calendar, locations including Provo, Salt Lake City, and Saint George.

Kesha gives a strong and emotional performance and speech!

If you don’t have enough time, do considering donating. The smallest amount can make a huge difference.

However, a simple Facebook share can go a VERY long way.

There are some great life-changing programs, one that stuck out for PCG is their Friendship Circles which provide opportunities for individuals to get together grouped by gender identity/sexual orientation and/or age to find a community of people going through the same things.

The talent on their line-up was beyond words.

K. Flay opened up with such energy even though it was so hot on that stage. She performed “Sister,” which was released prior to revealing her relationship with fellow performer Miya Folick.

It’s never easy to come out to family and friends as it is, can you imagine coming out to a complete world where the spotlight is always on you?

Imagine Dragons sang “Believer,” which is also the title of Reynolds documentary regarding the Mormon church and their attempts of treating LGBTQ youth. In fact, its the protest anthem, talent love singing this song with their emotion.

Truly, it has to be one of the best songs to sing at festivals. This one is all truth.

Tegan and Sara sang “BWU,” and it truly made us all stand up and dance, celebrating everyone who was there for who they were, not only did they sing amazing, their stage presence was on the spot, with light comedic teasing.

Daya sang “Insomnia”

The song dropped in the 2000s and talks about clubbing and forgetting your ex. The beat makes for a great crowd-pleaser.

Kesha sang “Rainbow”

The gorgeous lady just changed her hair from blonde to brunette. As a matter of fact, she looks fantastic and truly got the crowd singing, jumping and feeling that very emotion she felt on stage.

She even gave out bracelets that were triggered during her performance and the whole crowd lit up.

It only took one word for Kesha to describe everyone at LOVELOUD 2019.

“Beautiful.”

Rainbow was made for her LGBTQ fans and talks about life being hard but at the end of the trials in your life, there will surely be a rainbow.

PVRIS sang“No Mercy”

Headbanging was strong during PVRIS “No Mercy.” There wasn’t a mosh pit but there were people dancing in circles and having fun. It was literally PLUR for a hard-rock track.

Isn’t it amazing that the environment truly changes the effect of the song on those at LOVELOUD versus at a headline rock concert?

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We stand corrected: if you’re going to headbang to one song at LOVELOUD, it’s “No Mercy.” This hard-rock track from the pop-rock outfit is guaranteed to get at least one moshpit going.

Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers sang“Apocalypse Now (& Later)”

What’s better than a fun upbeat song about having those blissful moments with the person you love, even if the world around you is crumbling to the ground.

LOVELOUD 2019 was one of the biggest shows since its birth and we are completely proud of those who showed up and stood up for what the believe, “just love.”

We interviewed Jaden Holly who opened up about his past with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He shared his thoughts on compassion and the lack of it during the time of his life where he was active in the Mormon faith.

“I wouldn’t have been able to feel the compassion I’m feeling right now had I been active. During my time being active in the church, it was always “wrong,” and my parents didn’t help. Adding to the whole topic of gay marriage and other topics that truly don’t make sense. Even with the straight evidence supporting the church and its false doctrine, they continue to think it’s a “sin,” and people should be saved (maybe through therapy, you know pray the gay away).

LOVELOUD brought a lot to light and I’m thankful I can feel and love endlessly now without a fogged view of the world.

Love who you want to love, be with who you want to be with, stand proud and remember who you are because you are perfect.

Everyone here looks happy and I’m happy and it’s been fun.”

Honestly, Holly’s opinion was nothing less than the truth. It has been fun and sometimes we feel so judged and held back from the world.

It’s hard to know that there are still people who don’t live their life and experience the world because of judgment, recommendations, and other false misconceptions.

Unfortunately, Salt Lake City, Utah loves to attend church on Sundays and then harass those who were celebrating pride month.

Saddening, don’t you think? Oh, and let’s not forget hypocritical.

Most importantly, it doesn’t matter what “God,” you believe in or what you follow in life. You should always treat all people with love and respect.

Positive Celebrity Exclusive: Duo Transcend talks about AGT, charity and more!

What’s the use in hate, rejecting your children and basically f*cking some of us up to the point where heavy therapy and healing is needed?

The world can be a dark place but LOVELOUD 2019, it’s sponsors and those who have devoted their lives to helping those who have been affected…

That right there… is the reason we all fight for what’s right.

Did you attend the festival?

Positive Celebrity News handed a select few cards so be sure to stay tuned for the full photo album and Spectacles by Snapchat videos in HD!

Let us know what you thought and felt throughout the day in the comments below.

Dan Reynolds announces star-studded LOVELOUD Festival lineup

Made a new friend? Shout them out? Want to tell a celebrity something, post a comment, you never know who might be lurking.

Lastly, here’s a huge shoutout to the whole LOVELOUD team, you guys did amazing and we cannot wait to return next year.

Honestly, Kesha and others who are interested should always be considered as they make the show even more powerful.

LOVELOUD is meant to grow, inspire and create a community and so far, they’ve done nothing less than help people all over the world.

Inspiring, it’s exactly what the world needs, more love.

Great line-up, great time and great new friends!

Stay tuned, each day we will be updating each talents album! Feel free to let us know if you’d like to use any of these images for your own stories!

Blessed be

KESHA at LOVELOUD 2019

Celebrating 3-years since it’s inception! Go LOVELOUD!

Dan Reynolds opens up about LOVELOUD 2019!

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Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

Laurara Monique is known by various celebrities as the youngest and kindest celebrity blogger. PCG has been described as a "celebrity safe zone."

Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

My goodness, LOVELOUD 2019 was absolutely amazing. The environment was positive, fun and very inspiring. Thank you Loveloud Fest 2019 for all your hard work, the crew, the talent, everyone getting things together to celebrate who we are is people did a phenomenal job. I am proud of everyone who came and let their light shine! Albums are being updated daily! Enjoy what we had to share and stay tuned! Kesha K.Flay Daya AJR Tegan and Sara PVRIS Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers Dan Reynolds #KallenAllen #LOVELOUD2019 #kesha #DAYA #KFLAY

LOVELOUD 2019: Positive Celebrity review! Oh, the emotions, performance, and survivors!

LOVELOUD 2019: Positive Celebrity review! Oh, the emotions, performance, and survivors! Check it out right here on PCG magazine!

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[michaelgogins]

Nostalgia Tour of Salt Lake

The back of the Cathedral of the Madeleine on South Temple. I dream about the interior of this place fairly often, about the sanctuary and apse, about the mysterious rooms and spaces behind and above the apse (which do not actually exist).

The apartment building on 1st Avenue that my first wife Elaine and I lived in for a year.

The second story windows here were where Elaine and I lived. I built some of the furniture myself.

The alley to the side of the building, where we could walk down steps to South Temple.

Time jump. This used to be a small grocery as well as a parking garage, and my first wife, Elaine Constable, and I lived in the apartment building to the right. We got married when I was 20. It was a bad idea.

At the age of about 10, when my parents began to obviously not get along, my character changed. I used to be aggressive and outgoing, I became passive and introverted. I remember getting into a fight on the little strip of lawn to the left of this house. The kid was sitting on my chest and pummeling me. I grabbed his biceps and knew I could squeeze them hard enough to get him off me and then I could beat him up. But I didn’t want to do it, I remember thinking I didn’t want to be like him, or be like that, or something. I was probably about 10.

This house is on 4th Avenue between C and D streets, directly behind the house we lived in. It was occupied by the DeSpain family. Mr. DeSpain was working class and was a laborer or foreman at a cement block factory. He had 10 children, from a baby in diapers on up to a young man studying for his master’s degree in architecture at the University of Utah. At that time the house was painted white. In the parlor, what we would call the living room now, there was a reed organ, a harmonium, as well as a player piano. I used to play with the DeSpain children who were my age. Mrs. DeSpain used to make us sopapillas, which she called “scones.” In the basement of this house was a two weeks’ supply of water, food, and toiletries in case of disaster, as called for by the Mormon church.

This mansion on the corner of 5th Avenue and D Street... Will Fehr’s son and I lay on this lawn one summer night and imagined that spotlights traversing clouds were really flying saucers.

This is the front of the apartment building that has replaced the old white mansion that we lived in on 5th Avenue from 1956 through 1964

This house, across 5th Avenue from our house, was occupied by Will and Cynthia Fehr. She was a friend of my mother. I still have a small watercolor by Cynthia Fehr. Will was a reporter. I used to play with their son but I have forgotten his name.

The tennis courts on the corner of C Street and 5th Avenue are still there, just as they were when I was a boy. However, the modern apartments behind the courts used to be another fine old house broken up into apartments. My family had a second story apartment in that house. The landlady was German and had survived the bombing of Dresden or something like that. 

The house was white and had imitation plantation-style columns (of wood covered with painted adobe or something crazy like that). Above the entrance was a glassed in porch, part of our apartment, that our parents used as an artist’s studio and to teach painting classes. We had a black cat named Felix that I adored, but used to torment by whipping with a wet washcloth. I know that evil exists, because I knew that what I was doing was wrong, but I went ahead and did it anyway. So it is not true what my religious studies teacher held, that everyone does only what she or he thinks is good. At this time my parents were very unhappy and my mother sometimes pushed me away. I was 8, 9, and 10.

Looking at the north side of 5th Avenue between B and C streets. Blocks in Salt Lake are large and often feature alleys, inner streets, and so on. I occasionally dream of traveling up and down lots in this very space. I had forgotten entirely that this space actually exists, even though I dream about it.

C Street between 5th and 4th avenues. When I was a boy this was a small grocery store where I would buy penny candy.

Fourth Avenue. It has not changed that much in 60 years.

These stairs continue 4th Avenue up the side of City Creek Canyon where it is too steep to drive a car. I used these stairs both as a child living on 4th Avenue and as a young man living on Capitol Hill.

I lived in the house on the left, in the upstairs attic apartment, when I was ages four through five. I remember my mother sterilizing baby bottles and dealing with buckets of dirty diapers for my sister Wendy. My father had bought a new red MG sports car which he parked in this driveway. Later, he cornered too fast and was thrown from the car to land on his head, which nearly killed him. I have often wondered if his character flaws derived from brain damage. I played with neighbor kids from the house on the right, and remember throwing an iron curtain rod at the head of one of my playmates, right where concrete slopes down from the picket fence.

When my family was living just up 4th Avenue to the left from this house, it belonged to Ranch Kimball, the owner of the Lagoon Resort north of Salt Lake City that I very much enjoyed going to.

At that time, this was the house of Peggy Nugent, a friend of my mother. Peggy’s husband was a doctor.

[interludepress]

What’s next?

What’s left for 2017? We haven’t revealed all of our cover art yet, but we thought we would at least give you a sneak peak at the stories headed your way through the rest of 2017.

The Seafarer’s Kiss

By Julia Ember

Publication Date: May 4, 2017 Price: 15.99 / 6.99 Pages/Word Count: 224 / 59,378 LGBTQ-YA; Fairy Tale Adaptation; Mermaids

Mermaid Ersel rescues the maiden Ragna and learns the life she wants is above the sea. Desperate, Ersel makes a deal with Loki but the outcome is not what she expects. To fix her mistakes and be reunited with Ragna, Ersel must now outsmart the God of Lies.

From Duet Books

 And It Came to Pass

By Laura Stone

Publication Date: May 18, 2017 Price: 15.99 / 6.99 Pages/Word Count: 222 // 67,300 Contemporary Romance; LGBTQ fiction; Religious

Adam Young is a devout Mormon following the pious path set forth for him by his church and family. But when his mission trajectory sends him to Barcelona, Spain, with a handsome mission companion named Brandon Christensen, Adam discovers there may be more to life and love than he ever expected.

Grrrls On the Side

By Carrie Pack

Publication Date: June 8, 2017 Price: 15.99 / 6.99 Pages/ Word Count: 250 / 60,500 LGBTQ-YA; Coming of Age; 20th Century Historical

The year is 1994, and alternative is in, except for high schooler Tabitha Denton. Uninterested in boys, lonely, and sidelined by former friends, she finds her escape in a punk concert zine: an ad for a Riot Grrrl meet-up. There, Tabitha discovers herself, love, and how to stand up for what’s right.

From Duet Books

After the Sunset 

By Lilah Suzanne

A digital novella

Publication Date: July 6, 2017 Price: $2.99 Word Count: 28,000 Contemporary romance, M/M, romantic comedy

Caleb Harris and Ty Smith-Santos are two struggling, obscure actors who have never crossed paths, until their lives take a turn for the bizarre when they learn that a farm in Sunset Hollow, Washington has been bequeathed to both of them after the owner’s recent death. Intent on selling the property, Caleb and Ty head to Washington state to clear out the cluttered farmhouse, but soon find themselves falling for the winsome farm nestled between two misty-topped mountains, the lonely misunderstood man who left it to them, and each other. So when a real estate developer offers them a hefty payout, will they take the money and run? Or keep the farm, and their budding new relationship, instead?

Brush Strokes

By E.S. Karlquist

Publication Date: TBD  Price: 15.99 / 6.99 Pages/Word Count: 230 / 68,473 (not final) Contemporary Romance; LGBTQ fiction; M/M; New Adult

College art student Todd Navarro is busy trying to save the art gallery he loves from closure when he learns the recent object of his affections—fellow student and swimmer Daniel Berger—may have a competing interest in its future.

  Absolutely, Almost, Perfect (Sucre Coeur, Book Three)

By Lissa Reed

Publication Date: August 3, 2017 Price: 16.99 / 6.99 Pages/Word Count: 256 / 69,513 LGBTQ fiction; Contemporary romance; M/M; Interracial romance

Craig Oliver loves his bakery and boyfriend Alex Scheff. Everything is perfect, until Craig receives a wedding invitation from his long-estranged brother, and they find themselves traveling to a tiny English hamlet, where boisterous mothers, smirking sisters, and uneasy ex-boyfriends await.

 Blended Notes (Spotlight Series, Book Three)

By Lilah Suzanne

Publication Date: August 17, 2017 Price: 16.99 / 6.99 Pages/Word Count: 275 / 65,027

Contemporary romance; LGBTQ fiction; M/M; Interracial romance

Grady Dawson is at the top of his music career and planning his wedding with boyfriend Nico when his past shows up, news of his nuptials is leaked, and his record company levels impossible demands. Can he make the ultimate choice between a private life with Nico and the public demands of his career?

 The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths and Magic

By F.T. Lukens

Publication Date: September 7, 2017  Price: $16.99 / 6.99 Pages/Word Count: 286 / 72,500 LGBTQ-YA; Action & Adventure; Lgends, Myths & Fables

When Bridger Whitt learns his eccentric employer is actually an intermediary between the human world and its myths, he finds himself in the center of chaos: The myth realm is growing unstable, and now he’s responsible for helping his boss keep the real world from ever finding out.

From Duet Books

 Fortitude Smashed (The Camellia Clock Cycle, Book One)

By Taylor Brooke

Publication Date: September 21, 2017  Price: 17.99 / 6.99 Pages/Word Count: 312 / 92,000 (not final) LGBTQ fiction; Contemporary romance; Science fiction

Science can now foretell the moment when two soul mates will meet. But when Detective Shannon Wurther finds himself face-to-face with art thief Aiden Maar, they are both stunned. Their Camellia Clocks have timed out, and the men are left with a choice: love one another, or defy fate. 

Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad, Book Two)

By C.B. Lee

Publication Date: October 5, 2017 Price: 16.99 / 6.99 Pages/Word Count: 286 / 71,818 (not final) LGBTQ-YA; Super heroes; Romance

Bells Broussard thought he had it made when his superpowers manifested early. Being a shapeshifter is awesome. He can change his hair whenever he wants, and if putting on a binder for the day is too much, he’s got it covered. But that was before he became the country’s most-wanted villain.

After discovering a massive cover-up by the Heroes’ League of Heroes, Bells and his friends Jess, Emma, and Abby set off on a secret mission to find the Resistance. Meanwhile, power-hungry former hero Captain Orion is on the loose with a dangerous serum that renders meta-humans powerless, and a new militarized robotic threat emerges. Everyone is in danger. Between college applications and crushing on his best friend, will Bells have time to take down a corrupt government?

From Duet Books

Olympia Knife

By Alysia Constantine

Publication Date: November 2, 2017 Price: 16.99 / 6.99 Pages/ Word Count: 212 / 63,433 (not final) LGBTQ Fiction; Literary Fiction; Magical Realism

Born into a family of flying trapeze artists, Olympia Knife has one small problem: When her emotions rise, she becomes invisible. Everyone in the traveling circus has learned to live with this quirk; they banded together to raise Olympia in a loving environment when her parents vanished midair during their act, never to return. But the same fate befalls Arnold, the world’s shortest man, followed by one act after another, until the show is a crumbling mess of tattered tents and terrified troupers. Into this chaos walks Diamond the Danger Eater. Olympia and Diamond forge a friendship, then fall in love, and, together, resolve to stand the test of time, even as the world around them falls apart.

Beulah Land

By Nancy Stewart Publication Date: November 16, 2017 Price: 15.99 / 6.99 Pages/Word Count: 250 / 62,000 words LGBTQ-YA; Coming of Age; Literary Fiction

Seventeen-year-old Vi Sinclair’s roots run deep in the Missouri Ozarks, where, in some areas, it can still be plenty dangerous to be a girl who likes girls. Her greatest wish is to become a veterinarian like her boss, Claire Campbell. Fitting in at school wouldn’t be so bad, either. Only one obstacle stands in the way: She may not live long enough to see her wishes fulfilled.

With help from her only friend Junior, Vi unravels a mystery that puts her in conflict with a vicious tormentor, a dogfight syndicate, and her own mother. Vi’s experience galvanizes her strength and veracity as she overcomes the paradox of mountain life, in which, even today, customs and mores seem timeless, and where a person can wake up dead simply for being   who she is.

From Duet Books

If the Fates Allow

Authors: Killian B. Brewer, Lynn Charles, Erin Finnegan, Pene Henson, Lilah Suzanne Publication Date: December 14, 2017 Price: 16.99 / 6.99 Pages/Word Count: 212 / 60,000 (not final) LGBTQ fiction; Romance; Anthology

During the holidays, anything is possible—a second chance, a promised future, an unexpected romance, a rekindled love, or a healed heart. Interlude Press authors Killian B. Brewer, Lynn Charles, Erin Finnegan, Pene Henson, and Lilah Suzanne share their stories about the magic of the season.

Gracious Living Magazine Says it Has to Be a Live Tree by Killian B. Brewer Shelved by Lynn Charles Last Call by Erin Finnegan True North by Pene Henson Halfway Home by Lilah Suzanne

[cmvogs]

The article starts off by saying the Billboard Music Charts got rid of the Christian rock category for the charts because religious integration into music now is so common that Billboard decided to remove the category. It also highlights musical groups affiliation that I had not known before. From the Killers and Imagine Dragons being identified as Mormons to Evangelical groups like Mumford and Sons to 21 Pilots. Instead of signing with historically devout Christian labels, Hip hop artists now regularly sign with mainstream labels that also support religious music. It is hard to find an artist who does not mention God or some mystical, religious phenomenon in the stories they tell through song. Some artists do not identify as religious but still ask God things in songs or curse the life they were given and question to who’s authority did that happen through. Two years ago, Chance the Rapper performed “How Great is Our God” at the Grammys and no one batted an eye. It goes to show the religious presence music has in everyone’s life. It is so prevalent, no one thinks twice about it. Also the fact that Christianity is narrowly the most popular religion in this country helps the normality of its presence too. Hip Hop’s brand has a lot to do with religion anyway. Most artists mention their faith, religious opinions or congregation in songs. In black communities, various denominations of Christianity are a prevalent aspect in their lives. With black culture’s growing presence in music, God’s place on stage has grown to accommodate the strong faiths carrying the music industry. As time goes on, tolerance also grows, allowing various beliefs and religions to take the Grammy stage spotlight. It’s a beautiful acceptance of all music genres that allows Hip Hop’s core values to be on display for the world to see. 

[whatsonmedia]

Thursday Thrills: Dive into the Summer Festival Extravaganza!

August has arrived, and the festival frenzy is on fire! From beats that move your soul to moments that make you whole, this month is a symphony of experiences waiting to unfold. Let the rhythm of August lead you to unforgettable adventures, where music, magic, and memories collide in a spectacular dance of life. Step into the spotlight and let the festival season ignite your spirit! Edinburgh Festival 5 - 29 August With over 3,000 shows taking place, there is something for everyone at the Edinburgh Festival 2023. Headline acts include Sir Cliff Richard, TV presenter Gail Porter, film director Ken Loach, comedian Rhod Gilbert, playwright Alistair McDowall, and the musical "The Book of Mormon." There will also be a number of special events taking place, such as the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The festival is a celebration of the arts and culture from all over the world, and it is a great opportunity to see some of the best performers in the world. The lineup is diverse and eclectic, with something to appeal to all tastes. Whether you are a fan of theater, comedy, music, dance, or something else entirely, you are sure to find something to enjoy at the Edinburgh Festival 2023. So what are you waiting for? Book your tickets today and experience the Edinburgh Festival 2023 for yourself! Tickets & More Info>edinburghjazzfestival.com Stowaway Festival 18 – 20 Aug This is another standout independent festival which has made its big phat mark on the festival calendar. Giving you a chance to take your festival friendship to a whole another level.  Stowaway Festival is an open-air event where you can let your hair done and forget your woes, anything goes, it’s a festival off having a go time on a grand scale.  Where you can get your best rave and one for the truest raver, the new raver and the little ravers dancing all night long under the stars to sets from top DJs and live music artists.  Thrown into the festivals magical mix are the hidden parties, a woodland spa, wild swimming and canoeing, wellness & relaxation, and kid’s activities.  Let your imagination run wild as you discover the secret world of Stowaway.  A must for newbies and returners, it’s a highlight of festival season with full on festival thrills for a goodtime With a big line-up to keep you toe-tapping all weekend which includes Crazy P, Dan Shake, David Rodigan, Eats Everything, Soulworks, Nicky Blackmarket, Roy Ayers, Easy Star All-Stars, House Gospel Choir, Irvine Welsh, Jamz Supernova, Joe Goddard, Little Dragon, Todd Edwards, Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy, Junior Jungle, Balearic Ultras, Ben Virgo, A For Alpha, Harvey Skipper, Jono McCleery, Dr Dubplate, Diego Soundsystem, Alabaster, Llewellyn Brothers, Robots With No Soul and more Tickets & More Info> stowawayfestival.co.uk Notting Hill Carnival 27-28 August The Notting Hill Carnival is back in 2023, and it's going to be bigger and better than ever! With over 2 million people expected to attend, this is the ultimate celebration of Caribbean culture. The lineup for 2023 is still being finalized, but you can expect to see some of the biggest names in Caribbean music, including Machel Montano, Beenie Man, and Spice. There will also be a wide variety of other performers, from steel bands to dancehall artists. In addition to the music, the Notting Hill Carnival is also known for its colorful costumes and vibrant atmosphere. So whether you're looking to dance the day away or just soak up the culture, the Notting Hill Carnival is the place to be in August 2023. Tickets & More Info> nhcarnival.org/ Escape 19 Aug Big brand festival company, Climax Live are going all out to host one of the biggest mash ups in Swansea Wales, this summer.  Taking things up 10 notches, party loving people going to this danceathon can get their groove on to some of the biggest current names in House, Trance, Drum & Bass and more.  It’s a one dayer for the hardcore stayer making the most of every moment.  Think rave to the grave! With expectations to dance to the hotest tunes from the packed dancefloor clubs to the field of dance music dreams.  EDM heaven.  With all the festival paraphernalia making this one raver one stop until ya pop n drop. It’s a time for the great dancemusic Escape! Expect a line-up of DJ royalty for the marathon rave up. Including Alex Kidd, Ben Hemsley, Born on Road, Bryan Kearney, DJ Isaac, Danny Howard, David Rust, Disrupta, Ellie Cocks, Faze 2, GW Harrison, Gally & Jusice, Ilario Alicante, John O'Callaghan, Judge Jules, Juliet Fox, Kanine, Kings of the Rollers, Layton Giordani, Marco Carola, Marco Faraone, Maria Healy, NOIZU, Nicole Moudaber, Paul Clark, Paul Clark, Paul Woolford, Sander Van Doorn, Shy FX, Wilkinson, Will Atkinson, Will Rees, Zatox Tickets & More Info> escapefestival.co.uk Green Man 17 – 20 Aug Long standing independent festival, returns each year bigger and better in beautiful Welsh surroundings of Breacon Beacons South Wales.  Offering a mixture of arts, music and also includes literature, film and children's entertainment, as well as stalls and organic foods on the 'village green'. It’s such a good festival, its loyal 25,000 festival goers always leave happy yearning for next year.  The festival has sold out Expect live music from bands, solo artists and a mighty selection of DJS including Confidence Man, First Aid Kit, Devo, Spiritualized, Amyl And The Sniffers, Slowdive, The Walkmen, Young Fathers, The Comet Is Coming, Lankum, Snail Mail, Squid, The Delgados, Horace Andy, Daniel Avery (LIVE), Sudan Archives, Obongjaar, Courtney Marie Andrews, Dur-Dur Band, Alabaster Deplume, Beth Orton Tickets & More Info> greenman.net Trentham Live 17 – 20 Aug Trentham gardens in Staffordshire hosts its annual live music events across this weekend in its amazing location.  The line-up for the weekend’s entertainment features sells out tours from some of the UK and Global most favourite bands, well-known singers and legendary DJs whichever night you choose to go. You’ll be met by a crowd of people who are up for a great time with likeminded people. The line-up includes McFly, The Hoosiers, Feeder, Jake Bugg, The Feeling, Chase and Status, Sigma, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, Olly Murs, Natalie Imbruglia Tickets & More Info> trentham.co.uk Beautiful Days 18 – 20 Aug The Levellers’ family music festival organised by DMF Music is an independent festival born out of sheer hard work with no sponsorship or funding.  2023 is a welcome to new and old friends to Escot Park to perform, work and celebrate in what going only be described a divine location of Devonshire.  As well as several stages including our seated Theatre Tent, the festival has Site Art installations, a huge Children’s Area, Healing Village, Walkabout Theatre, family camping, real ale bars. This is a sell-out festival. Featuring an alternative music line-up of bands, solo music artists and a sprinkling of DJ magic including Suede, Primal Scream & Levellers Plus Johnny Marr, The Waterboys, Indigo Girls, The Dead South, The Proclaimers, Gaz Coombes, Reef, Gok Wan & Lots More! Tickets & More Info> beautifuldays.org Hospitality In The Woods 19 Aug Returning to magnificent surroundings of Beckenham Place Park London. One of the biggest and best drum n bass DJ line-ups on the UK summer festival calendar.  It’s time to get your best rave on for the supreme d'n'b brand, Hospitality records festival. Promising to deliver big on every aspect. All you have to do is show up in your best happy vibe. Featruing a stellar line-up of d'n'b elite to feast ya dance music feet on this is going to be one very special one-dayer that its festival lovers have been waiting all year for.  Hot on the line-up is Netsky, High Contrast, Camo & Krooked, Ayah Marar, Metrik, London Elektricity, Roni Size, Calibre, LTJ Bukem, Etherwood, Harry Shotta, LTJ Bukem, Sub Zero, Bladerunner, Goddard, Kasra, Disrupta, Bryan Gee, 2Shy, MC GQ, Nu:Tone Tickets & more> hospitalityinthewoods.com Read the full article

[iabsolutelyresentthiswebsite]

so my parents are totally douches rn. I just told them that David Archuleta is scheduling a tour and I intend to go. 

I’m almost 20-years-old, I have a license, a job, and have a 3.9 GPA in college. I have very little happiness in my life as a result- on top of my depression- okay? 

So David Archuleta is scheduling a tour and I informed them and they immediately went buck-wild. 

Mind you, in the past 4 years, I’ve spoken of him a grand total of maybe 10 times. That ain’t a lot, not nearly as much as the 6 years prior. 

I admit...I used to be unhealthily obsessed with David, mainly because I was very unhappy with myself and I was 10-16 and in love. I’m still unhappy with myself, but I’ve learned to cope a little better and take care of myself. Actually, my clinical depression helped me get to know myself a lot better. A part of me, admittedly, will always be in love with him. He was my first love.

But I’ve spoken very little of him, mainly because I remember how I used to be. I’m ashamed of who I was and how I acted on occasion. 

But I realized today, that after all these years, I still need to protect him. And this is NOT my fangirl issues. 

My parents seem to have some kind of vendetta against him. Like I brought up his tour and how I wanted to go and they just started IN like, “What the hell has he been doing? Why did he take so long/ That Mission really fucked him and his career up! He’s been back for so long and has done almost nothing and now he’s scheduling a tour? I mean, what does he expect? He’s irrelevant now. I got news, if he doesn’t come within a reasonable distance, you’re not going. Who do you expect to take you?!”

Like the sheer fucking mention of David Archuleta’s name puts them in rage mode for some reason. 

Was the Mission a good idea? For him, yes. For his career, hell no. For his songwriting? Most likely because his music post-Mission is so honest and vulnerable. That’s what we’ve all wanted to hear! Not that bubble gum pop crap 900 other artists can produce and recycle in a never-ending cycle! We want to hear David because he’s a good person with a good heart and a lot of wise and beautiful things to say. 

Was the Mission a mistake? It depends on who you ask. In my opinion, no. He was so young in the spotlight and it would have been so easy to be a Bieber or 1D, but he chose to be David. Choosing to go on the Mission was choosing to be himself, was choosing a path for him to learn more about himself, and was choosing to do something he’s always wanted to do for a Higher Power. He’s being true to himself and to God. That doesn’t sound like a mistake to me. I have mad respect for David Archuleta. I maintained that respect from the moment I knew he was going on a Mission, which I suspected far earlier than his announcement. Part of me..knew. At the time, I was actively investigating Mormonism (I’m still doing it passively) and part of me...knew. 

I just desire to know what about David triggers such a negative response in my parents, but especially my mother. I don’t know if it was my investigating that did it. Like I’m so mad and so upset about it and I don’t know what to do.

[lodelss]

What struck me about Leaving Neverland, the harrowing, two-part, four-hour HBO documentary about Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck’s sexual abuse allegations against superstar performer Michael Jackson, is the mechanical similarity of the men’s stories. Almost play-by-play, their accounts of what happened, how they, along with their families, became dazzled and then ensnared in Jackson’s web, hauntingly mirror each other. I noticed the same thing while watching both Surviving R. Kelly and Kidnapped in Plain Sight — predatory techniques to woo most often follow a similarly uncreative, toxic formula. During Oprah’s follow-up interview special, Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed called the film a deep look into “what grooming child sexual abuse looks like.”

Unique to Robson’s and Safechuck’s dilemma is the sheer magnitude of their accused perpetrator’s fame. As Robson said to Oprah, “the grooming started long before we ever met him.” Michael Jackson entered the national spotlight as lead singer of the Jackson 5 in 1969. Thriller, from 1982, remains the second best selling album of all time in the US. After 50 years in entertainment, the reach and influence of Jackson’s music cannot be overstated: it is difficult to listen to any pop radio and not hear him in its melodies or harmonies, to watch any pop star dance and not see his movement in the shadows.

After a police investigation into allegations brought forth by then 13-year-old Jordan Chandler in 1993, Jackson wasn’t formally charged, and he was acquitted on multiple counts related to child sexual abuse in 2005. In both cases, he settled out of court with his accusers.  Before his 2009 death, Jackson denied all allegations of misconduct. His estate and family have issued vehement denials in Leaving Neverland’s wake.  Still, no one defending Jackson would go as far as to say he did not behave inappropriately with children: he admitted to some unconscionable behavior himself. Robson’s and Safechuck’s accounts are detailed, credible, and difficult to bear in one sitting. To make sense of the story, and to begin to make sense of  how we, the public, fell short,  a selection of readings follows, about Jackson, Leaving Neverland, genius, and the toxic cult of celebrity.

1. A Complete Timeline of the Michael Jackson Abuse Allegations. (Kyle McGovern, February 28, 2019, Vulture)

McGovern details every public allegation against Jackson dating back to 1993 — Robson and Safechuck appear and reappear multiple times among many other young men in Jackson’s orbit.

2. ‘Leaving Neverland’ Reveals the Monster We Didn’t Want to See in Michael Jackson. (Niela Orr, March 1, 2019, BuzzFeed)

Orr, a Jackson fan while growing up, says watching Leaving Neverland produced “the shock and pang of betrayal,” and was “a visceral reveal of insidious behavior.” She reckons with Jackson’s duality: the harmless childlike mythos versus his ability to shapeshift into monstrosity.

3. It’s Too Late to Cancel Michael Jackson. (Carl Wilson, February 27, 2019, Slate)

Wilson says Jackson, “was to modern popular music and dance what Dickens was to the Victorian novel” and ponders whether he is “too big to cancel.”

4. Michael Jackson Cast a Spell, ‘Leaving Neverland’ Breaks It. (Wesley Morris, February 27, 2019, New York Times)

I’ve stared at a lingering shot of a photograph of Jackson, who would have been around 30 and Safechuck who was about 9 or 10, and Jackson is beaming in sunglasses and a military jacket, flashing a peace sign, and James, in a too-big baseball cap, is turning to the camera, looking alarmingly ruminative for someone whose life should be rumination-free.

5. He’s Out of My Life: Letting Go of Michael Jackson. (Kierna Mayo, March 6, 2019, Afropunk)

Eye-spying racism should never be the reason we don’t call a predator by his name.

Mayo reckons with the denial and protectionism offered to Jackson and his memory by some in the black community.

6. ‘Leaving Neverland’ Asks an Uncomfortable Question: How Culpable Are the Parents? (EJ Dickson, March 4, 2019, Rolling Stone)

Some have interpreted Leaving Neverland and Abducted thusly, arguing that the parents of Jackson’s victims are just as culpable as Jackson in perpetuating the abuse. And to a degree, Robson and Safechuck seem to share that view: as Safechuck says, he has never fully forgiven his mother for allowing the abuse to continue. “Forgiveness is not a line you cross, it’s a road you take,” he said at the Sundance Festival earlier this year.

Yet Leaving Neverland and Abducted can be seen less indictments of bad parenting than as a condemnation of the cultural mechanisms that allow the individual power of personality to go unchecked. Even though Jackson was a pop superstar hailed as a musical genius, and Berchtold a small-town salesman and Mormon dad of five, both were, by all accounts, men who knew exactly how to wield their charisma as a weapon; both were highly skilled at disarming and seducing adults (in Berchtold’s case, literally) in order to gain access to their children.

Dickson teases out some of the similarities between Leaving Neverland and Netflix’s Abducted in Plain Sight.

7. She Wrote the Book on Michael Jackson. Now She Wishes it Said More.  (Anna Silman, March 7, 2019, The Cut)

So if he is guilty — what do we do with the music? What do we do with Michael Jackson? There are two aspects. One is what kind of restitution is needed. If it’s financial, that’s fine by me, but is that sufficient? I just don’t believe the art should be quote “banned” forever. But if banning, let’s say, R. Kelly’s work for a certain amount of time from the radio, is a way of getting money from his estate, to help give those girls and young women some kind of settlement, that’s absolutely fine with me. I feel the same way about the Jackson estate.

As for what we do with the music — that “we” splits into just millions of people, doesn’t it? There’s no one way to answer that. I got an email from an editor who just said in passing “My God, I’ve loved him all my life. I still do. Would I feel comfortable buying his videos or even his music around my 8 or 9-year-old child? Right now, no.” We’re all sifting through that.

The larger question  with every one of these artists is how do we simultaneously keep in our heads and hearts this information and this material and at the same time continue to respond as we feel their art justifies. Those two processes aren’t mutually exclusive at all. And it’s going to keep happening so we need to start finding language and feelings as well as practical, legal ways of coping with it.

The Cut speaks to Margo Jefferson, author of On Michael Jackson, two days after she watched Leaving Neverland. 

8. No One Deserves as Much Power as Michael Jackson Had.  (Craig Jenkins, March 1, 2019, Vulture)

It’s hard to explain the relationship between the superstars of the ’80s and their fans to people who weren’t alive or old enough to remember the decade. They were like demigods. They sang about love, peace, politics, and matters of planetary significance. Their art paused time and advanced culture. Their shows incited hysterics. It all seems religious in retrospect. Belief was the core of the bond, belief that these figures acted in the interest of bettering the world no matter the cost, belief that people who do good aregood. Their methods and their presentation were questioned, but the idea that pop stars were out to save the world was quite often taken at face value. This was not wise. We didn’t know any better.

More on the art and crimes of dangerous men:

“Mad at Miles,” from Mad at Miles: A Black Woman’s Guide to Truth, Pearl Cleage, 1990, Cleage Group

What Do We Do with the Art of Dangerous Men, Claire Dederer, November 20, 2017, Paris Review