Island Queen: A NovelBy Vanessa Riley(William Morrow) “Tu ikiwa uko huru.” Dorothy “Doll” Kirwin Thomas’ mantra in Vanessa Riley’s historical novel, Island Queen, means, “Only if you’re free, then you can be.” Born into slavery in the colonial West Indies, the real Thomas fought for freedom at a time when she was barely seen as human. “I’m luckier, I guess. My black is beautiful,” Doll says, in response to the suggestion that she—a dark-skinned Creole woman with an Irish father—should feel cheated that she can’t pass...

 Ann Wilson is lead singer and songwriter of the band Heart, which she has fronted for over 40 years with her sister Nancy, earning them a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The first hard rock band fronted by women, Heart has sold over 35 million albums, and their hits, including “Barracuda,” “Crazy On You,” and “Magic Man,” are undisputed classics. As a solo artist, Ann released the  2007 album Hope & Glory and 2018’s Immortal, along with multiple singles. And this...

Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting By Mary Gauthier (St. Martin’s Essentials) Saved by a Song, the new book by beloved folk singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier, is part memoir, part how-to guide. In each of its 13 chapters, Gauthier opens with lyrics from a song in her catalog (save for two, which borrow from John Prine and John Lennon), then weaves together memories of the life events that inspired those lines with notes about her process and the techniques she honed while working on...

Set in Worcester, Massachusetts, Allison (Emmy winner Annie Murphy of Schitt’s Creek) is a childless, 30-something, who longs to get out of the small, stifling life she has with her cable-guy husband Kevin (Eric Petersen). You wouldn’t know the premise is that grim though as the show welcomes viewers into Allison’s home with a familiar scene straight out of sitcoms-past: Kevin plays beer pong in the brightly lit living room while his friends joke along.  Allison walks in holding a basket of laundry before getting hit...

Lydia Lunch has always been a fierce provocateur. After over 40 years of pushing boundaries both artistically and personally, the film and video maker, Beth B, has taken on telling Ms. Lunch’s fascinating and enthralling story in her documentary "The War Is Never Over." For those unfamiliar, Lydia Lunch has been recording as well as making Indie and underground films and videos since 1979. She has never been on a major record label nor had any mainstream success in the US despite her volume of work...

On her third album, London-based musician Billie Marten takes her minimalist acoustic foundation and grows a verdant, beautiful landscape all over it. Like the single, “Garden of Eden,” Flora Fauna is an exemplar of growth: Marten’s signature breathy, tender vocals swim amidst rich, abounding instrumentation including horns, strings, toe-tapping beats, and drums and bass which enliven these pop songs. She strikes a cunning balance of play and contemplation, joy and longing. And her lyrics, which always express quiet truths about her inner experience, now sparkle with optimism....

Earlier this month, Twitter entered a new discourse on which character is the real villain of The Devil Wears Prada. The consensus? Nate (Adrien Grenier). He effectively makes Andrea (Anne Hathaway) quit her job because she’s not spending enough time with her boyfriend. The film tries to tell the story of a big, bad boss that is the antagonist, but Miranda (Meryl Streep) is just super driven and likes things the way she likes them. We can all relate.    Streep’s iconic character is not the only...

It is hot girl summer, yes. But maybe it is also blasphemous babe beach season? (Question mark intended to be read aloud for emphasis.)  Rarely can you find a more interesting and profound mix of religion, sex, and love than in the music that artists of past and present have blessed us with. Included below are songs for you to meditate on the power and practice of love, lust, and longing, in whatever form they may take this summer.  1. “Like A Prayer” by Madonna (1989) Like a...

SPELLLING has spent her last few projects solidifying her work as an electro-pop goddess. With The Turning Wheel, she takes on a whole new creative task, by curating (and self-producing) a brand new musical experience. Swapping synths for richer instrumentation, SPELLLING offers highlights including melodic opener “Little Deer,” a soulful title track, and the moody “Queen of Wands.” The songs shift as effortlessly as their sounds, proving just how deeply SPELLLING is focused on mastering a cohesive project. The Turning Wheel offers a new spin...

The Mother of Dragons, a.k.a. Game of Thrones actor Emilia Clarke, is set to release the first issue of her three-part comic book series, M.O.M.: Mother of Madness, on July 21st. Far from simply starring as the quintessential male fantasy in the most successful fantasy series of all time, the move to writing is perhaps a natural one for Clarke, who told Variety about her love of the genre from a young age: “I read a lot of fantasy novels full of rich worlds as a child,...