Summer Reading

Every time I had the fortune of meeting many bands and writers that I greatly admire, I kept my cool; however, this behavior quickly changed when I met Chilean author Isabel Allende.

To promote her newest novel La Isla Bajo de Mar (Island Beneath the Sea), the story about nine-year-old Zarite who is sold into slavery in 18th Century Haiti, Allende paid a visit to Union Square’s Barnes & Noble bookstore May 3.

I had first been exposed to her writing on my 16th birthday. My father, Chilean born and bred, gave me a translated copy of her bestselling novel, La Casa de los Espiritus (The House of the Spirits). I was hooked instantly by the fluidity of her words and her in-depth description, but mainly I enjoyed the vivacious and strong willed women depicted in her novels. After reading The House of the Spirits, I picked up Daughter of Fortune, Eva Luna, Of Love and Shadows, among others of her works. Every story was as captivating as the first.

So when the opportunity came to meet her, I couldn’t jump on the train faster.

I arrived in time to hear Allende read an excerpt from Island Beneath the Sea. The top floor of Barnes & Nobles was packed with filled seats and people standing anxiously listening to the main character Zarite’s story.

After Allende had finished the first chapter of her work, she had addressed the audience’s questions, stressing particularly with every question that she felt “ready for this book.” Although the topic could be a touchy subject, she stated that “Zarite came to her” and she was prepared for any problems her book might present.


Allende made it clear that people are so similar. To paraphrase her words, “I don’t think my feelings are any different from someone who is black or white. We are all humans and experience grief and happiness and pain in the same ways.”

Isabel Allende is captivating not only in her writing, but her demeanor.

Allende stayed an extra hour signing everyone’s books, including this diehard fan’s book. With every stroke of the pen she spoke to each person, asking questions beyond “what is your name” and “where are you from.” She got to know each person as best she could in the 30 seconds she had available. This is what makes a true artist.

The New Wolfman on Campus

"Dracula" is a tale that has been told and retold throughout generations. It is a story that even the youngest have learned about. However, the plight of the Talbots’ curse and “The Wolfman” is a legend audiences may not find so familiar.

Benicio Del Toro portrays Lawrence Talbot in Joe Johnston’s new adaptation of the 1941 classic “The Wolfman.” Accompanying Del Toro is the brilliant Anthony Hopkins and the stunning Emily Blunt as supporting actors.

The film opens with a familiar rhyme by the gypsy, Maleva: “Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” It then quickly snaps to the title, The Wolfman, engraved in stone, a fine touch of recognition for the previous film.

When Ben Talbot, played by Simon Merrells, is brutally murdered, his estranged brother Lawrence Talbot returns to aide his father (Hopkins) and his brother’s fiancé, Gwen Conliffe (Blunt) with the funeral. However, once he learns of his brother’s involvement with the gypsies passing through their small village, Lawrence decides to do his own investigation into the mystery of his brother’s death.

Unknowingly, Lawrence walks straight into destiny. The gypsy camp is attacked by a werewolf and he is “bitten by the beast.” Soon thereafter, Lawrence uncovers family secrets darker than any nightmare he ever had.

When “The Wolfman” was first released in 1941, it was the first time audiences experienced an onscreen transformation of a character. Previous films and TV shows cleverly hid scenes unrealistic to the eye, but “The Wolfman” broke new ground with its technology.

The 2010 Wolfman is an exact replica of Lon Chaney’s groundbreaking performance, with 21st century enhancements of a bone snapping, blood curdling transformation.

For fans of the classic monsters, there will be no issues in including the new Wolfman. This film was not only exciting, but added an underlying story to the Wolfman and its origins without losing its original essence.

Remaking a classic is not an easy task to take on , but with the right casting and the right director a success like The Wolfman can be achieved.

Oh Herro

So it's been a long time. I haven't forgotten to think, only to write, I promise to be back with fresh writing soon. =-)

Pink

Past your nearly adult face,
I still see the round, pudgy baby
Sister,
Reaching towards me.
I was only five;
Barely big enough to hold you,
But to ask me to
Let go
Was like asking the ocean
"Please, ocean, make your waves less fierce."
Mother nature cannot be controlled.
And now you pound against the window,
Anxious to see the world for yourself.
Try as I may to hold you back,
To protect you,
Every year
You look less like the baby I carried
So closely to my chest.

Old magnetic poetry

Forget Time and Go For a Walk

Fear the mystical basement
Where fairies watch over my
Ethereal life.
Vindicated smiles capture
Weak morals.
Enemies work to break free
Among patient spirits.
Keep the cancerous mountain away,
The warmth of comforting violet lights.



I Call it Blind Faith

I sleep through the night
Gathering faith,
Trusting you completely.
Who am I to question love now?
I delve into uncertainty,
Chaos right behind me,
Not once
Do I look back

Little Girls- Laughing.

I could see her stiff blonde head poking out
from underneath the covers.
That plastic smile,
Mocking me from whatever distance.
I convinced him, more easily than I had expected.
"Let me tear your doll apart for you."
And I did.
Piece
By
piece
Her laugh turned my veins to ice,
But no one heard?
And I continued, believing
This would end her taunting blue eyes from
following me.
Until the alarm clock shook me to--
"WAKE UP."

Son of Picasso

Creativity smeared blue onto his already lumpy canvas.
He chose blue, because that was the color of her room,
And the one she liked best.
"Mom will love this picture," he thought.
She'd yell in suprise and hang it on the fridge
Next to the other paintings of splotched colors and stick figures.

Blue was for her room and because she liked it,
Green because it's pretty and so is she,
Yellow because it's happy, and she likes to smile a lot,
Red because it's the color of hearts,
And he hearts her more than any painting in the world.

He finished with a purple basketball (because she's lots of fun)
And delicately hung his painting to dry.
"Another masterpiece," he sighed, satisfied by his intense abilities,
And began his next work of art for a very special man-
Beginning with brown: for the tree house they built last summer.