Culture Street mural for Grenfell Tower, with poem by Ben Okri, North Kensington, London, image courtesy of IranWire and #PaintTheChange. London-based writer Malu Halasa canvasses the Middle Eastern and North African culture scene in London, where even in lockdown, there’s still much to experience. London makes travelers think of high tea and empire. For those of us who live here and have a passion for and write about the Middle East, London has emerged, more than New York or Paris, as a capital of Arab and Iranian culture outside the region. London has emerged, more than New York or Paris, as a capital of Arab and Iranian culture outside the region. It was not always like this. In the 1990s, relatively few Middle East–related events took place in London. Yet in the past twenty years that I’ve lived here, London has been transformed. The change started taking place in the 2000s. In part, political events, 9/11, and, ten years later, the 2011 Arab Spring or Awakening, as well as the wars in between and after 2011, prompted writers, journalists, and activists to forgo the usual conversation about winners and losers of regional conflicts. Instead, we began to look to creative expression from these countries and in the diaspora for a different kind of understanding and engagement. It was an approach that continued the conversations many of us were having with the people and voices that came onto the streets and in the squares... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2021-04-19 19:22:28 UTC ]
Snippets of Michelle Williams’s narration of Britney Spears’s new memoir have proved explosively popular online. But what goes into selecting a celebrity reader for an audiobook? Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-11-01 22:47:54 UTC ]
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Stephanie Land's second memoir, 'Class,' a sequel to her blockbuster debut, 'Maid,' follows her journey to get an education — and holds readers at a distance. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-31 10:00:21 UTC ]
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San Jose children's bookstore Hicklebee's has a new owner for the first time since its founding in 1979. As of midnight on October 31, sisters Monica Holmes and Valerie Lewis are handing the reins to Laura Gahrahmat, a newcomer to bookselling. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 90s were a decade of carefree optimism and comically low stakes. Matthew Perry’s death brings us crashing back into the now In 2004, the author Damian Barr published Get It Together: Surviving Your Quartlerlife Crisis. Barr would go on to write poignant and beautiful books (including the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-30 18:37:24 UTC ]
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In “The Woman in Me,” the pop star mines her extraordinary story for generic lessons. But the details speak for themselves. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2023-10-29 19:33:11 UTC ]
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The celebrity memoir is booming. But while such books have become part of entertainers' brand management, the focus on salacious details poses risks. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-10-28 08:00:00 UTC ]
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Britney Spears’ memoir illustrates once again the potential lifelong damage that can be caused by being a child star. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2023-10-27 11:37:38 UTC ]
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“I know my limitations, but I would still invite William Shakespeare,” says the actor, whose new memoir is “Being Henry: The Fonz … and Beyond.” “I would also invite Daniel Silva and definitely Larry David!” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-26 12:16:08 UTC ]
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In Myriam Gurba’s latest essay collection Creep, the Mexican American author interrogates both those who deceive, exploit, and oppress others as well as the culture that enables them. “People who hurt other people can be charming,” Gurba notes in the title essay. “It works in their favor.” In... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-10-26 11:00:00 UTC ]
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“Welcome to the ‘Bad Ass Women Memoir Club,’” Pinkett Smith wrote in a cheeky note to the fellow first-time author. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2023-10-25 17:27:27 UTC ]
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Michelle Williams' impression of Justin Timberlake as she narrates Britney Spears' memoir is going viral as 'the greatest clip of audio since Watergate.' Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-25 01:06:01 UTC ]
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“The Upstairs Delicatessen,” a memoir by Dwight Garner of The New York Times, traces his life’s twin passions. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-24 09:00:14 UTC ]
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As my debut memoir plowed towards print publication, I suddenly remembered that my agents had negotiated the audio book rights with my publisher. Although I had the option to try out for the role of narrator (essentially to audition to be myself) my agents suggested that I should consider... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-23 08:50:26 UTC ]
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From her Louisiana roots to the quasi-imprisonment of her conservatorship, Britney Spears' 'The Woman in Me' paints the pop star's life as a Victorian nightmare. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-20 20:46:28 UTC ]
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Get a backstage pass to the lives of Madonna, Tupac, and George Harrison in these biographies, which hit bookstore shelves this week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The book shares secrets – Mantel’s own alongside those of the writers, historical figures and places she describes. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2023-10-19 14:40:38 UTC ]
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The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City doubles down on supporting Drag Story Hours following a bomb threat, and is preparing to launch a new venture, Mosaics Community Bookstore and Venue. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The tennis champion has signed a two-book deal with Penguin Random House, saying it will be the first time she has paused and reflected on her remarkable career Serena Williams is set to publish two books, the first of which, a memoir, will take an “intimate” look at her childhood and remarkable... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-18 14:56:05 UTC ]
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The pop star explains in her new memoir how control and sexism left her “feeling like a shadow of myself." Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2023-10-17 17:25:20 UTC ]
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This essay isn’t about World War II. But like any historical fiction writer publishing in 2023, it’s impossible to ignore the recent wave of WWII novels that fill bookstore shelves at the moment. As someone who reads and enjoys many of these books but has no desire to write one, I have a theory... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-17 08:45:05 UTC ]
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