All posts tagged: movies

Strange Happenings in September

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Happy September! I’ve been away on a blogging summer vacation, but I’m excited to be back with a whole new list of things to look forward to this month. All eight Harry Potter Movies are streaming on HBO Max this month, and I really want to watch the early ones and envelope myself in some back to school nostalgia. There are several exciting horror books coming out this month to read and get in the spooky season spirit, and a couple movies that will help as well. Lastly, I’m anticipating the start of fall. It has been blazing hot in the Carolina’s all summer, and I am pining for cooler temperatures, crunchy leaves, and rain. September 1st If you subscribe to HBO Max, sink into some back to school nostalgia with all eight Harry Potter movies. September 6th Celebrate Fight Procrastination Day, “an unofficial holiday that encourages people to take charge of their procrastination problem and to find ways to combat the never-ending urge to put off important tasks for another day.” September 7th Weird …

Dear God, It Has Teeth

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I’ve been enjoying working from home for the last six months, and it’s been a fantastic change for me. The one thing I do miss about working in an office is all of the strange encounters I had with clients at my last job. Many of them served as inspiration for my flash fiction and poetry, like the one below, which I originally posted a few years ago. ********* Every story and poem I write is in some way inspired by a real life experience, none more so then a short story I wrote earlier this month. I work for a company that sublets office space, and part of my job is to drop off mail to each tenant in those suites. We have one new tenant that received a huge shipment of medical supplies when they moved in, boxes of all shapes and sizes. Including one, heavy man sized box. A few weeks after that shipment I stopped by the suite to drop of a small amount of mail. No one was around, and …

Strange Happenings in June

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June is here, bringing whole list of spooky books, movies, and poetry to look forward to, along with the summer solstice! What are you looking forward to? June 1st The Shape of Darkness on shelves “A struggling silhouette artist in Victorian Bath seeks out a renowned child spirit medium in order to speak to the dead – and to try and identify their killers – in this beguiling new tale from the queen of Gothic fiction, Laura Purcell” June 8th World Oceans Day. Celebrate virtually with the United Nations, a beach walk if you live near the ocean, or enjoy some ASMR ocean waves. June 15th The Vault by Andrés Cerpa on shelves. “Andrés Cerpa’s sophomore collection grapples with loss, grief, and the disassociation that can come with being a survivor. Everything normal becomes slightly strange, things feel far away and unsteady. In these poems, Cerpa exhibits restraint and care, each thought purposefully positioned on the page. His work is somber, reflective, and deeply moving.” June 19th Juneteenth. Also known as Freedom Day and Liberation …

Strange Happenings in April

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April 1st NaPoWriMo begins today. If you want to join in on this month long challenge, visit the unofficial homepage. Creator Maureen Thorson provides daily prompts and ideas for participating poets. April 6th The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon on shelves. This book has such an interesting premise, it’s definitely going on my TBR. “Growing up, Lex and Jax were inseparable, spending summers at their grandmother’s estate in Vermont, known for its underground springs rumored to grant wishes … but also take things in return. When Lex dies in the pool, Jax returns home and begins to learn more about the house’s supernatural history, including the story of a woman in 1929 desperate to have a baby.” April 7th This is a Robbery: World’s Biggest Art Heist streaming on Netflix. “In 1990, two men dressed as cops con their way into a Boston museum and steal a fortune in art.” I’m really looking forward to this deep dive into the case, having been to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum many times. April 17 International Haiku …

Winter’s Last Gasp at Elk Knob Park

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Technically, I visited Elk Knob Park three days after the start of spring. The weather however, was all winter. A cold wind swirled a misty haze through the woods, and the landscape was still bare, devoid of any greenery. Dispute clamoring for warm weather, I didn’t mind the fog and sparse surroundings. The misty atmosphere was quiet and peaceful, and highlighted an ongoing project. As hazardous trees are removed from the trail, art from students attending Appalachian State University are being mounted into the stumps.

Searching for Springtime Scares

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I like to align a lot of my writing with the seasons, since I take a lot of inspiration from nature. Spring is usually a challenge for me, as I prefer darker themes and imagery. How do you make sunshine and budding flowers scary? I might be able to take some tips from a hugely successful horror movie that premiered in March. Jordan Peele’s Us featured warm weather, picturesque settings, and children. Peele contrasts these elements with dark tunnels, and a nighttime confrontation between the protagonist’s family and terrifying, murderous versions of themselves. I can also take  literary inspiration from some classic short stories.  Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is centered around a sunny room. And of course, Shirely Jackson’s famously unsettling The Lottery, detailing the horrifying tradition of a small New England town each June. What’s your favorite springtime scare?

13 stunning poetry scenes in movies

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I was toying with creating a list of great films featuring poetry, but then I found this one over at Pick Me Up Poetry. It’s better than anything I would have created, and has a few films I haven’t seen yet. Number 6 is one I really want to check out, and number 7 is one of my all time favorites. The first time I watched Coach Carter was back in 2008 at my high school leadership team-building retreat in … 13 stunning poetry scenes in movies

Strange Happenings in March

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March 3rd Moxie available for streaming on Netflix. A shy teenager transforms into an activist that uses her voice to call out the school for sexism with some inspiration from her mother’s rebellious past to start a revolution. I wish a movie like this came out when I was in high school. Murder Among the Mormons available for streaming on Netflix. “The murders sent further shockwaves through the community when a trove of early Mormon letters and diaries were found destroyed in the vehicle of the victim, Hofmann, a renowned collector of rare documents, including the infamous “White Salamander” letter – an artifact whose contents threatened to shake the very foundations of the LDS Church.” Both of the directors for this documentary, Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite,” “Nacho Libre”) and Tyler Measom (“An Honest Liar”) were raised LDS, so having their perspective on the murders and ensuing controversy will be interesting. March 11th New York City Ballet is hosting a digital spring season, with the first event, Three Sides of Balanchine, set to run from February …