We've Moved!

Thanks to all the support and growth I've gotten with this blog, I've moved all of the old content over to UptownLiterati.com! I'll also be posting all of the new stuff over there too, so I'd love for you to follow.

If you follow UL on Google Reader, you might consider subscribing to our Website (just click here), following us on Twitter (@UptownLiterati) and/or joining the Facebook group so that you can keep up.

Oh, and if you ever need to contact us for anything, just send an email to uptown.literati@gmail.com.

Happy Reading!

--Whitney, UptownLiterati.com

SheReads: mmmetropolis' Melanie

SheReads looks at the reading lists of cool chicks. If you want to be featured, send an email to uptown.literati@gmail.com.

Lately by Sara Pritchard

"I love this book because it is both hilarious and sad. Pritchard populates her fictional Cook County with strong, unconventional characters, who look back over their lives and wonder at how it deviated from what they expected. There’s Maggie, whose “divorce party” is the subject of one story, Jack, whose house is filled with paint-by-number illustrations of the last supper and Fanny, whose father may or may not have left her family to join the circus. Lately is a short story cycle, so each story is linked to the others, which means you get the pleasure of figuring out how the various characters are connected as you move through the stories. Reading this book has made me want to track down anything and everything else Pritchard has written – it’s that good!"

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

"I love all of Salinger’s work, but especially this book, which shows the author at his best – written after The Catcher in the Rye and before his later, longer, more digression prone stories. The book’s two stories complement each other beautifully and illustrate some Salinger's main concerns, particularly, the problem of getting along in the world while maintaining one's ideals and sensitivity. There's a number of endearing details in this book, particularly Franny and Zooey’s father, Les, who tries to help Franny recover from her nervous breakdown by serving her a tangerine."

Masked Men: Masculinity and the Movies in the 50s by Steven Cohan

"I was assigned this book a few years ago for a class, but found myself unable to put it down. Cohan’s book is an examination of masculinity in 1950s American films, but despite the academic subject matter, the book is very readable. I see it as a smarter alternative to other books on movies from that era – which tend to be light on substance. A highlight is the chapter on the rise of boyish rebel stars like James Dean and Montgomery Clift, who became popular as a reaction to the uncomplicated WWII hero types who previously dominated the screen. Another chapter that stands out is called “The Age of the Chest,” discussing the era’s obsession with male chests on film and in movie posters. If you have an interest in old movies, I highly recommend this one."

Melanie lives and works in Washington, D.C. She writes mmmetropolis, a blog about books and food.

Oh Snap! Kate's Books

When I open emails from accessories retailers, I don't expect to see gorge images of women reading, but sometimes I do. This arrived in my email this morning from queen of the cute person, Kate Spade.

And, really, we all know love of reading and great style go hand-in-hand, right?

--Whitney

Uptown Literati X Clutch Weekly Reading Recommendation 1.29.10

Who: Activist and Author Beverly Bell; Foreword by Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat

What: Walking on Fire: Haitian Women’s Stories of Survival and Resistance, a diverse collection of istwa, Haitian Creole for “both story and history.” After a proud, rousing foreword by Haiti’s high priestess of Literature, Krik? Krak! author Danticat, Bell sweeps readers into the multi-layered ’90s world of Haitian women. While Bell’s introductory passages are more academic, with passages on the island’s political history and women’s movement, they create a perfect balance to the often emotional stories of the 38 Haitian women storytellers.

The women represent the full range of Haiti’s ethnic and economic diversity, from Lise-Marie Dejean, former Minister of the Status and Rights of Women, to “Tibebe,” the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy man and a maid, who was given away and raised as a restavék, a child slave. Full of hope and the unyielding résistance that led their ancestors to rebel centuries ago, these women walked on fire and lived to tell the tale.

Why: Any story or book or historical knowledge that helps us understand the people of Haiti and their spirit, right now and in the futire, is a good thing.

Recognize! Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Voices: Learning the Rules in 'Girls in Trucks'

Sarah Walters is a woman who has followed the rules her entire life, like most of us. Unlike most of us, her rules were passed down over generations of Camellias, women at the top-most rung of Charleston's social ladder. It's a public society that's anything but Democratic. Camellias are born, not made: If you're mother is one, then you are. For life. No matter what.

"'Never chase men or buses,' my mother told me. 'Another one will always come along,'" writes Sarah, whose struggles meeting expectations are what make this book by first-time novelist Katie Crouch so relatable and interesting.

With a slow start that follows Sarah and the three other Camellias her age, Bitsy, Charlotte and Annie, through middle-school Cotillion training, it's clear as the story develops why Crouch spent so much time developing the traditional South Carolina enclave of Sarah's youth.

Sarah as a heroine is a little bland and things happen to her, not with her or by her. She observes the increasingly bizarre sequence of experiences that happen when her domineering older sister moves to Yale, when she and wild-child Charlotte met country boys who lure them away from high-society duties and even when she goes away to a no-name Northern college.

The novel moves into familiar coming-of-age territory when Sarah moves to New York to work in journalism, joined by Charlotte, now in the fashion industry, and Bitsy. This is where she searches for love and where Crouch explores the frighteningly submissive personalities of her heroines. Sarah dates a man who changes her life and accepts, if not encourages, his violent sexual behavior. Bitsy marries a wealthy older man, who is later revealed to be selfish, uncaring and unfeeling. Annie dates men who don't love her. Charlotte, the most sensible, falls in love with mind-altering substances.

I wonder if these women are supposed to represent some aspect of femininity that exists in every woman because something, the fear of being alone or the fear of not being enough or the fear of being unloved, keeps all of them from searching for or choosing healthy relationships.

At one point Sarah remembers what her mother taught her about men, "that no mater what, there's always something. Fall in love and you'll find it. He will steal, or drink, or dress up in your clothes, or die on you at dinner. That's love, she says. That's what you sign up for."

Sarah is at her best when she is honest and feeling about the emotions that most of us only occasionally stumble upon. After almost screwing up her sister's wedding she tells her, "'There's a lot wrong with me,'" before continuing with, "I tell her I'm sorry again, which she waves off. I am sort of always sorry. I am sorry for being drunk on her wedding day and for not being good enough for Max and for not being smart enough for her friends and for breaking her toe with a hockey stick when I was twelve. God, I am sorry. I am sorry for so many things that I should go outside and swim to Cuba."

Emotionally numb, our heroine stumbles through the rest of the novel looking for electrifying love to shock her out of her numb funk. She finds it, in an unexpected place, and ends up right where she started: among the mama, baby and grandbaby Camellias of Charleston.

-- Whitney Teal

Lit Talk: Melissa Hart, Author of 'Gringa'

Author Melissa Hart's complex and dynamic childhood is the subject of her latest book, Gringa: A Contradictory Childhood. She spoke with The Urban Muse about the inspiration:

Urban Muse: Tell us about the inspiration behind Gringa.

Melissa Hart: Inspiration comes to me in the form of images--in the case of Gringa, I recalled a pack of Spanish flash cards that my mother had when we took language classes together at the local library. I couldn't get one image--a line drawing of a disembodied ear--out of my head. Really, it was that flash card that provided the initial inspiration to sit down and write the first chapter. I'd told part of my story--about my mother coming out and losing custody of me and my younger siblings--in my first memoir, The Assault of Laughter. However, I didn't feel that I'd written the story as eloquently or thoroughly as I could have, and so I set out to write it once more and expand upon it with more sophisticated prose and a greater sense of how the dissolution of my family affected me as a young adult. I'd also been reading memoir and fiction with recipes--Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate, Diana Abu-Jaber's The Language of Baklava--and as food provided comfort and intrigue for me as an adolescent, I structured each chapter around a key recipe.

UM: Was it difficult to write about events that are so deeply personal?

MH: It is difficult to write about personal events. After almost thirty years, I still have a lot of pain regarding what happened to my family. Many women with kids who came out during the 1970s and 1980s lost custody of their children, and most don't want to discuss this. However, I think it's a critical period of history that needs to be explored, and while I shed many tears during my writing of Gringa, I also feel confident that this book offers insight into LGBT families and their value. The hardest scene for me to see in print is the sex scene in "Young Americans." I didn't want to include it, but my editor thought it was important. It's not erotic--more "theater of the absurd"--but I blush to think that my journalism students and my grandparents have read it.

UM: In addition to two memoirs, you've published a number of essays. Any tips on writing compelling essays? How is it the same (or different) from writing a memoir?

MH: Essay writing can be so much fun. It requires a lot less time commitment and research than a book-length memoir; however, many of the writing techniques are the same. You have to go into an essay with a compelling introduction, and the whole piece is guided by a thesis (that is, a topic and a point you wish to make about that topic). I think it's important to include research, so that readers learn something about a subject, and you also need to include sensory details, stylish writing, vivid imagery, and a conclusion that really leaves people thinking. I get a lot of my ideas from what I'm thinking about or learning about at the time--for instance, I've just finished an essay exploring Jim Henson's "The Muppet Show," which was so important to my family in the 1980s, and which my three-year old daughter now adores. The trick was to make it personal, while exploring a universal truth and offering readers insight into the program and its influences on audiences then and now.

UM: Since you also teach journalism, what is the single most important thing that you impart to students each semester?

MH: I think the single most important thing I impart is that publication doesn't have to be this far-off dream that one spends years pursuing. It's something that can happen within a few weeks of learning a few crucial skills, such as constructing a compelling short essay and submitting it to specifically-targeted editors with a succinct cover letter. My Feature Writing 1 students regularly get published in places including The Washington Post, The Oregonian, Horizon Air Magazine, and High Country News. They're amazed that editors are willing to publish their work, but why not, if they've worked hard at multiple drafts and submitted a polished piece?

UM: What books would you say should be required reading for aspiring essayists and/or memoir writers?

MH: I'm an evangelist for Sue William Silverman's Fearless Confessions: A Writer's Guide to Memoir [ed. note: Sue has also shared her insights on this blog]. It's simply the most thorough and inspiring book I've found for memoir writers, regardless of the level of experience. And I regularly read and assign the "Best American" series to my students; in particular, I like "Best American Magazine Writing" and "Best American Essays." I also really enjoy the writing in the literary journals "Creative Nonfiction" and "Fourth Genre." They're essential reading for memoirists.

-- Whitney Teal

Recognize! Happy Black Girl Day

Are you on Twitter? We are (@UptownLiterati) and we follow an amazing "twibe" of folks, mostly women, and largely women of color. Today, one (@SisterToldja) declared January 7 #HappyBlackGirlDay. How much do we love that?

If you're looking to celebrate offline, check out some of my favorite #HappyBlackGirlDay books:

What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage. What would you do if you found out you were HIV-positive? For the heroine in my absolute favorite Cleage novel, you'd move to Idlewild, fall in love with an honest-to-God Black Adonis and raise a little bald baby girl. Happy Black Girl game proper.








Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I read this book in high school and was so moved by Janie's determination to be a happy Black girl amid a town and culture that ignored and continually stepped on the dreams of her kind. In the words of Alice Walker, "There is no book more important to me than this one."









The Accidental Diva by Tia Williams. Inspired by shows like "Sex & The City" and the exploding Chick Lit genre of the '90s, Tia (who is currently Essence.com's Beauty Director) wanted to show that brown girls were there, living the life too. This book is very cute and funny and full of hot, steamy Black love. (Check the Clutch review, too).





For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange. A classic celebration of Black girls in all their glory: Triumphs and Tribulations, Hurts and Happiness.

Twibe-member @MlleMitchell tweeted this amazing line from the play: "I found God in myself/and I loved her/I loved her fiercely." (via @sherealcool)







Black Girl in Paris by Shay Youngblood: Travel with this young Black woman all the way to Paris in pursuit of her passion, following in the footsteps of literary geniuses like James Baldwin, whom she revered. It reads like poetry, walking you through the protagonist's amazing journey and drawing you in with every intense emotion along the way. -- Nikita Mitchell







--Whitney Teal

Happy Holidays!

Hope you're enjoying the holidays (and the extra time to read) with the people that you love!

--Whitney

SheReads: Bessie, The Fabulous Do-Gooder

SheReads looks at the reading lists of cool chicks. If you want to be featured, send an email to uptown.literati@gmail.com.

We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Inner Light in a Time of Darkness by Alice Walker. "This book is a beautiful collection of essays and speeches by Walker that reflects wisdom, compassion, and social activism. This book took me on a journey with Alice Walker as she wrote about everything from childbirth, to love, to womanism, sexism, and life."

When Chicken Heads Come Home to Roost: A Hip Hop Feminist Breaks It Down by Joan Morgan. "I read this book in college but I still pick it up and read it every now and then, that is how much of an impact this book has had on my life. This book speaks on the reality of being an African-American woman and touched on male-female relationships in the African-American community. I was definitely able to see myself in several of the chapters."

A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown. "This book about redemption chronicles the life of the author as she goes through abuse, neglect, prostitution, and then on to college and law school to become a successful lawyer and, now, author. I love stories of redemption, because in life we will all enter a season that will end in redemption at one point or another."

Bessie is an Atlanta-based young women's advocate and social entrepreneur who's equal parts fabulous and philanthropic. Catch up with her at Twitter.com/FabDoGooder or via her Web site, TheFabulousDoGooder.com.

Voices: The Egalitarian Chick on 'Push' by Sapphire

We came across this review of Push by Sapphire, which is now a Golden Globe-nominated film. Check it out:

I love it when a book--any book--is hot property. This is certainly the case these days for Push, which I bought from a book vendor on 125th street. because the title was so popular the weekend Precious came out he had to summon another vendor who came sprinting down the street, book in hand.

So is Push any good, hype aside? Yes. It's a quick read, and a painful read--Sapphire doesn't pull any punches and her heroine suffers every kind of tribulation imaginable--but I found it incredibly worthwhile first as an example of experimental narrative, second as an incredibly real window into a place and time and a person's psyche.


Read the rest at The Egalitarian Bookworm.

--Whitney

Uptown Literati Gift Guide, Part I: For the Ladies

It's here! Part one of the official Uptown Literati Gift Guide is dedicated to all the fly gals in your life: mom, sister, aunt or maybe your best friend. A good book is always the perfect holiday gift, especially if you choose one of these:


Changing My Mind, Zadie Smith ($17.79, Amazon): Smith's latest is a collection of essays by the award-winning novelist. It's great for the woman that appreciates witty discourse in short chunks (i.e. a train or bus commuter). We haven't read the book yet, but Amazon.com says the subjects range from "literature, movies, going to the Oscars, British comedy, family, feminism, Obama, Katharine Hepburn, and Anna Magnani."

Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat ($14.61, Amazon): Cupcakes are huge these days, with designer creations going for upwards of $4 a pop. With everyone tightening their belt and everyone and their mama thinking their something of a domestic goddess, why not gift your favorite girl with a guide to whipping up these simple pleasures?

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz ($10.08, Amazon): According to many, Diaz is the best young writer this side of the pond. If you love his writing, pass it on! Oscar Wao, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, is a great introduction to his amazing talent. And, in the words of book tweeter @TatianaRichards: "@uptownliterati The Alchemist, Oscar Wao & Daddy Was a Number Runner are my faves to give!"

Girl Trouble, Holly Goddard Jones ($10.19, Amazon): After reading a great review from Oprah.com, this short story collection immediately made its way to our Wish List. The site describes the books with "the eight stories collected here poignantly dissect a group of trapped people—mothers, lovers, students, dads—all doing the best they can."

Other books to consider:

Girls in Trucks, Katie Crouch

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer

To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism, Foreword by Rebecca Walker

Nanny Returns, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (will be released on December 15)

What do you think of the list? Tweet your reactions to @UptownLiterati!

--Whitney Teal

Oh Snap! McCainin' It

Actress Rachel True got a dose of inspiration from Meghan McCain's now-infamous Twitpic while reading Feminista.

Photo: The Feminista Files

-- Whitney Teal

SheReads: Christina: Not-So-Mad Scientist

SheReads looks at the reading lists of cool chicks. If you want to be featured, send an email to uptown.literati@gmail.com.

Christina's favorites...

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

“Give me anything in this whole fu*king world that is exactly what it looks like. Flash.” Chuck Palahniuk is one of my all time favorite authors; I am strangely attracted to dark comedies where nothing is as it seems at first glance and nothing is as it should be. Invisible Monsters definitely fits this description. This freak show features a horribly disfigured fashion model, a transsexual who is one operation away from becoming a “real woman” and a two-faced pedophile police officer. Together, they embark on a road trip through the U.S. …let the fun begin!"

• Delaying the Real World: A Twentysomething’s Guide to Seeking Adventure by Colleen Kinder

"I have to hide this book on my bookshelf because otherwise I end up flipping through the pages and daydreaming of adventures in faraway places, rather than doing anything I am actually supposed to be doing. Consisting of practical advice, organization and program resources and inspirational stories from others, it’s the perfect book to read if you just graduated from college, are not going straight on to a professional job or grad school and everybody in your life is asking 'So, what are you doing now?'"

• Less than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

"'I want to see the worst.' If you thought Catcher in the Rye was depressing, then you must have never read Less Than Zero. The novel follows Clay, the young protagonist, as he returns home from college to L.A. for the winter holidays. All his rich and spoiled friends and former classmates are on drugs, having lots of risky sex and generally up to no good. As the days drag on, Clay is faced with several decisions about getting back together with his girlfriend, rekindling old friendships and continuing his education. Even though I am not as wealthy as Clay and his friends, I experienced many similar thoughts, feelings and situations upon returning home from school."

..and her current reads:

• Secrets of the Model Dorm by Amanda Kerlin and Phil Oh

"Drama, drama, drama! Basically, this book is America’s Next Top Model in literary form. I am more than slightly embarrassed to be listing this book as one of my current reads, but it is a welcome escape from the monotony that has become my life as of late."

• On the Road by Jack Kerouac

"Okay, so I admit it… I lost this book in the midst of cleaning my room. I started reading it when I began planning my escape to London. I loved the endless adventure that the group of friends experienced and it made me long for simpler times (before I was born) when our country (and the world, for that matter) seemed like a less dangerous place."

• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

"Being a huge Vonnegut fan, it may seem odd that I have not read this particular book yet, but I was too lazy to request it at the library (their copy was always checked out) and too broke to pay more than a few dollars for it. Finally, I had a bit of luck finding it at Half Price Books."

Christina is a twenty-something grad school hopeful (she wants to study public health and psychology) who obsesses over her growing hair, daydreaming about far-off places, rediscovering her sewing machine and pomegranates. She can be found at Last.fm.

SheReads: Toni: Reader, Writer, Sewer

SheReads looks at the reading lists of cool chicks. If you want to be featured, send an email to uptown.literati@gmail.com.

Feminista by Erica Kennedy

"At first glance, you might think this is another chick-lit book, but upon closer inspection you realize this is much more. The main character, Sydney, already has it all: a well-paying seemingly glamorous job, access to the hottest clothes & celebrities. But she wants more - deeper relationships and a more meaningful career. Along the way she works to reconcile her feminist side with that of her fashionista side. Hence Feminista!"

Daughters of the Stone by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa

"Beautifully written saga of five generations of Afro-Puerto Rican descent that shows all of their power, resilience and vulnerability. The stone in the title, along with some powers of magic are passed along from female to female among the descendants of Fela, an African women sold into slavery in Puerto Rico. Relationships between mothers and daughters are fully explored here with all the complications that entails. While some turn their back on the magic and "old ways" of their ancestors, the stories and the stone always endure and the generations are brought full circle in their journey."

Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

"Great book by a first time novelist. Wife of The Gods is a mystery set in a small village in Ghana. A young female med student is murdered in Ketanu on her way home from distributing information about AIDS. Her murder is pinned on a local boy widely thought to be a troublemaker. Darko Dawson, an investigator in Accra, is called in from the big city to help solve the crime. When the Chief of Police, who resents having him there, is convinced that it is an open and shut case, Dawson must continue to pursue the truth on his own. If you like The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, you will like this also."

The Island of Eternal Love by Daina Chaviano

"I love any and all things Cuban and am always on the lookout for fiction about the island. I initially picked up this book at work because the cover was so pretty! Cecilia is a Cuban-born Miami resident who still hasn't made peace with her new home. Longing for her past in Cuba, she befriends an old woman in a bar in Little Havana. The woman enthralls her with stories of their homeland that wind through history and weave in all of the cultures, African, Spanish & Chinese, that make up the people there. These stories also hold a clue to Cecilia's restlessness."

On the nightstand now...The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

"He is not the greatest writer, and I thought I was done with him after The Da Vinci Code. But this book takes place in D.C. and that's my hometown, so I feel kind of obligated to read it."

Toni is a an avid reader, blogger, Twitterer and all around fab chick. Check her out on her site, Sew Transformed , on GoodReads and at Twitter.com/mshoni.

--Whitney Teal

Lifestyle Gumbo: No Bookshelf, No Problem

Julia Roitfeld, a New York socialite who happens to be the daughter of French Vogue's editrix, is featured on photographer Todd Selby's site, The Selby. Among her other treasures, the photog snapped her books, which are stacked neatly on the floor, no bookshelf needed.








-- Whitney Teal

Lifestyle Gumbo: Books Over My Head

One of our favorite blogs, Apartment Therapy, recently posted a few ideas on how to turn an overflowing book collection into inspiring home design.

Check out some of our faves:






Here's what they wrote:

No crazy styling ideas, just books in their myriad of colors and sizes. Having shelves above doors and windows is one of my favorite ways to utilize otherwise under utilized space. If you are lucky enough to have built in ones, fantastic. If not and you desperately need more room for books — take a gander above your doors and windows. Could you put a shelf up there?

--Whitney Teal

SheReads: Annemarie, Travel Goddess

SheReads looks at the reading lists of cool chicks. If you want to be featured, send an email to uptown.literati@gmail.com.

"Books featuring plucky girls making it in the Big City never appealed to me. When you’ve already snuck into NYC’s hottest clubs and pulled all nighters at Grey’s Papaya by age 17, you fantasize about the exact opposite: jetting out of town on a whim. Maybe that’s why I love travel so much…

These four books all agree. So, whether you live on the quiet farm and yearn for New York, or were born a hard-edged city kid who needs a break, these books present the ultimate fantasy of running away and finding yourself."

A Cook’s Tour by Anthony Bourdain: "Bourdain is an animal; a glutton. He doesn’t see the world through fanny packs full of maps, bus tokens, or recommendations from a top-notch Four Seasons concierge. In A Cook’s Tour, Bourdain brings us along as he just figures it out. It’s almost tragic, totally exciting, and always hectic, and with each stop on the No Reservations tour, the glutton becomes less animal and more complete man."

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: "After a messy divorce, Gilbert leaves to experience the world through three different cities. She finds life in hot young men and gelato in
Rome; meditates in India; and gives up her heart in Indonesia. It’s funny and comforting to experience this type of dream getaway honestly, both the good and the bad, while Gilbert slowly rebuilds her life with better understanding of self."

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer: "Learning about our future through our past. In this Safran Foer book, our lead character does just that. In the search for a woman who saved his families life during World War II, he hops a plane to a near desolate section of the Ukraine and is led on a goose chase by a boy and his 'seeing eye bitch, Sammy Davis Jr., Jr.' On their many mishaps, our boy finds himself through ancestry and the religion he thought he gave up years ago."

[See UL's review of the book]

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella: "What happens when the big city life you’ve devoted your entire soul to blows up in your face and leaves you with nothing? You learn how to bake pies. After making a horrific mistake at her job, Samantha Sweeting walks out of her office terrified, hops on a train to the countryside, and takes residence as a housekeeper. Without BlackBerry Messenger, she finds a tanner, healthier, happier version of herself who can truly survive in either country or city."

Annemarie is a budget travel maven, and she has the awesome blog, FrillSeekerDiary.com, to prove it. She produces Web sites to pay the bills, often wears awesome hipster glasses and does a little lifecasting at Twitter.com/TravelingAnna.

--Whitney Teal

Lifestyle Gumbo: Skateboard P hears 'The Ear'

Pharrell is adding actor to his diverse resume, which includes producing and performing music and modeling, according to Sister 2 Sister. He stars in a short film directed by Yi Zhou, based on a short story by Russian writer Nikolai Gogol.




The film was inspired by "The Nose." In that work, a government officer finds that his nose has left his face and is living an independent life.


--Whitney Teal

Recognize! Herta Müller Scores Nobel Prize for Literature

Here's another chick to add to your Girl Power! list. Herta Müller, a German poet and essayist, was recognized by The Swedish Academy for "the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed," reports the Associated Press. The Nobel Prize Laureate frequently writes about her experiences under the oppressing Romanian government, where she was raised.

Prior to today's announcement, Joyce Carol Oats and Philip Roth, both well-known American novelists, were thought to be the favorites for the Nobel Prize in Literature, along with Israeli writer Amos Oz. The last American to win the $1.4 million award was Toni Morrison in 1993.

Müller will receive her prize at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10.

--Whitney Teal