Non-Fiction Excerpts
Interview with Toni Buzzeo
"Toni is a prolific children’s author, having published twenty-nine children’s books and eleven more for librarians and teachers. Her works include fiction and nonfiction picture books with many characters and topics. Toni got her love of reading from her mother and grandmother and has passed it along to others through her books, which have earned many awards, including a 2013 Caldecott Honor for One Cool Friend. The former elementary school librarian and high school and college writing teacher uses her experiences in creating her stories and when speaking with children at schools and libraries. Her next book, Pa, Me, and Our Sidewalk Pantry, is scheduled for a spring 2023 release."
More here at: Author Interview: Toni Buzzeo - Only Picture Books
Picture Book Review: Mommy's Hometown by Hope Lim
"Lim narrates a gentle, heartfelt story that I absolutely loved reading. It reminds me a lot of my hometown, Duluth, Georgia, and how it continues to evolve from a small Atlanta suburb into a prosperous, diverse community, rich in its own history. Mommy’s Hometown captures how places may appear different than described. It’s wonderful when a picture book taps into a timeless theme. I look forward to one day reading this story with my own curious child."
More here at: Picture Book Review: Mommy's Hometown by Hope Lim - Only Picture Books
Media Essay: Crypto-CommoditizeEverything: NFTs and the Meme Economy
"NFTs also result in alienation. They can cause social-digitalalienation, which is when the process of engineering or creating a product/artobject is obscured by technology, opening a wide gap between the creator of thegood and the one who consumes it. Going back to Tjiputra’s claim about fineart, NFTs have become less of an experience but more of a transaction, makingthe NFT artwork less about the meaning behind it but more about the status orvalue associated with owning it and the speculation that it may increase incapital value. One could also argue that NFTs cause alienation from oneself ascreativity defines part of who we are as humans. When art no longer connectsthe artist and owner on some emotional or ideological level, people do notconnect with creativity, resulting in alienation from oneself and others."
Image by: Behance
A Tuscan Truffle Experience - Travel Article Excerpt
"Hearingsomeone mentions truffles immediately brings to mind all the delicious foodsthat include this delectable, umami-flavored fungus. Still, most peopleprobably don’t appreciate the complicated process of obtaining these raredelicacies, even less know that a common truffle can cost upwards of $300apiece. As a self-professed foodie, I’ve always been a fan of truffle dishes,so I was shocked to learn that in the United States, most menu items with“truffle” in their names contain none of this tasty morsel. Most are flavoredwith an artificially created essence. This led me to wonder what a freshtruffle taste like? What would it smelllike? I would need to travel to Siena, Italy, and get up at 4:00 am voluntarilyin my quest to answer these questions."
Essay Regarding “Artemisia and theOther Women in Agostino Tassi’s Life" - Art History Essay Excerpt
"Cavazzini also points out that somemight misinterpret Artemisia’s separation from her husband as he was constantlyin debt throughout their marriage, admiring her for perhaps casting him aside.However, it appears that he actually left, as having “problems with the law”(Cavazzini 41) may have forced him away. Closer examination reveals thatArtemisia was just as guilty as him in failing to pay her debts and livingbeyond her means. She was even complicit with him, threatening a servant withdeath for requesting payment for services rendered. This behavior does not fitwith the modern view of Artemisia as one who would perhaps empathize with aservant and try to pay her debts; instead, it just seems hypocritical."
Painting by: Artemisia Gentileschi