Category Archives: Culture

Reading Well: Some Sing, Some Cry by Ntozake Shange & Ifa Bayeza

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Some Sing, Some Cry (2010) is a novel by Ntozake Shange and her sister (and playwright) Ifa Bayeza that belongs to a long tradition of explorations of the African-American experience through the eyes of a single family (in this case, the Mayfields). They are a … Continue reading →

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@The Movies with PopPop: Chi-Raq

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

We saw Chi-Raq, Spike Lee’s most recent “joint” a couple of weeks ago. I’ve delayed trying to write about it as I’m still not sure I can get it right! We’ll see… I think Chi-Raq is Spike’s strongest movie to … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Blackout and All Clear (both published in 2010) by Connie Willis are really one story, but each book is sizable (400 pages plus), so I can see how publishing them as a duology made sense. The core premise of the novel is a future … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

All Our Names (2014) by Dinaw Mengestu is a book about loneliness, isolation, and dislocation. It tries to be a love story, but the strength of the book lies in the other stuff. The novel unfolds in two parallel parts: one is set … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Mercy, and Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Ann Leckie‘s Ancillary Trilogy is among the most imaginative science fiction debuts you will find. They are very much of the genre, so if spaceships and alien cultures aren’t your thing, you should probably pass on this one. But, if they are, it’s … Continue reading →

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@The Movies with PopPop: The Story of the Weeping Camel

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

And now for something completely different… The Story of the Weeping Camel, a 2003 award winning documentary by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni, follows the life of a contemporary nomadic Mongolian family in the Gobi desert who raise camels and … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: Last Call by Tim Powers

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Last Call by Tim Powers mixes many of my favorite things: neo-Egyptian mythology, tarot cards with the power to fundamentally disrupt reality, and, of course, poker. Or, in this case, a pseudo-poker game called Assumption, played with a full deck of tarot … Continue reading →

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@The Movies with PopPop: Spotlight

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Daniel (@MKNN)

If you haven’t seen Spotlight, do! It’s a very well made movie that will keep you focused all the way through. Spotlight is about the team of Boston Globe journalists who uncovered the depth and breadth of sexual abuses in … Continue reading →

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@The Movies with PopPop: If I Were You

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

The 2012 film, If I Were You, directed by Joan Carr-Wiggin and starring Marcia Gay Harden, Leonor Watling and Joseph Kell is one of those movies that while not great, is delightful and an amusing and diverting couple of hours. … Continue reading →

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Reading Well: The Girl in the Road by Monica Byrne

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

The Girl in the Road, Monica Byrne‘s debut novel, carries with it one strikingly unforgettable image: a boardwalk across the ocean from India to East Africa. The path moves up and down on the waves, and the energy from that motion … Continue reading →

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