Asghar Farhadi’s Film, A Separation – A Universal Film and Story
I saw Asghar Farhadi’s film, A Separation, the week before it won best foreign film at the Oscars. Shot in a very intimate fashion—no panoramic shots of city or country—this film…
This Mobius Strip of Ifs – A Remarkable Book
When I opened the book This Mobius Strip of Ifs by Mathias B. Freese, I had no idea what to expect. The cover gave me no clues, as for starters…
The Power of Dreams
As I continue to wrestle with sleep, the power of dreams is on my mind. The fact that I don’t have enough of them lately attests to a sleep disturbance.…
Love and Inner Beauty
On Valentine’s Day, love is in the air. It’s what makes the world go round. We all crave it, we all need it, and we all suffer at times for…
Dreams That Work Overtime
Do you ever feel as if your life has taken a dramatic turn, as if you are part of some cosmic shift? That’s the feeling I woke up with late…
For The Love Of Books
Two writers–Rosemary Carstens, editor of the online magazine The Feast, and Shari Green, a Y/A author who writes compelling prose—recently sent me this video, which enthralled me for obvious reasons. …
Storytelling In THE ARTIST and THE DESCENDANTS
I started off the new year by seeing THE ARTIST, superbly directed and written by Michel Hazanavicius. It’s a curious film, since it’s mostly silent—except for the musical score and a…
Making Magical Memories at Christmas
I’m feeling particularly nostalgic this time of year, as my mother passed away at the end of October. She left behind a lot of magical memories, hers and mine, that…
The Help: Black and White and Red All Over
The 60s was a time when the relationships between the Blacks and the Whites grew embarrassingly red for many. The shame of it all is brilliantly captured in Kathryn Stockett’s…
The Many Paths of Inspiration
I’ve written about inspiration before, but I gave it short shrift. The Encarta dictionary defines inspiration as: “stimulation for the human mind to creative thought or the making of art”.…