January 2010
19 posts
Excerpt from "Sucker"
I took my place and settled down on a shoddy, wobbly stool by the sticker coated bar, lying in wait. I watched skinny little punks in tight pants and scribbled on shoes, with swooping hair and Sharpie tattoos, posing in corners for pictures and tweeting to each other. Barely 23 and I felt like the old Babushka watching over the kids in the neighborhood or like Willy Wonka keeping check on the...
Excerpt from "Polaroid"
She stood there, back pressed against the wall of the grocery, the brick picking at the threads in her sweater, staring at the phone booth not three feet in front of her. The light from the street lamp illuminated the inside, but a small square taped to the side cast left a dark void in the yellow glass. The wind swept into the half open door, flittering the shape and creating a soft tapping...
Excerpt from "How to Construct a Relationship for...
Scratching at his beard, he wandered around like a lost little boy in a larger than life candy store, overwhelmed and drooling over all the ideas and plans lurking in the back of his brain. This place was like a labyrinth, only there was no glittery glam rock god taunting him, unless you counted his conscious, which he often personified by envisioning some 80s hair band lead singer waggling his...
Excerpt from In(sanity)
“And then, he just disappears.”
I sat in the booth telling Kirsten the story. I thought about what I had just said. It sounded like I was telling a ghost story, a myth, something unreal, but this was very real. I think. Maybe I’m just going crazy from the loneliness, and I’m hallucinating. But could I really dream up someone like this? Someone so beautiful? Someone like…him? Him. I don’t even...
Excerpt from "Thought Process"
I stared at you through the foggy glass window of the van. You stood straight and proud, with one hand on your hip, the other gesticulating wildly. One of the few things that made me wish you dead. The girls giggled at your every word, fawning over your beauty, the untamed hair swirling carelessly into those baby blue killers, and your pillowy, pierced lips. Their ignorance is disgusting. They...
I Beat Up Girls Like You In Middle School
Ha!
your menial laugh
that snort emitting from a pig’s snout
found in the wrong place
Miss Piggy
sashay and scarf down some slop
all of that garbage you spew from your mouth
it’s a pity everyone hangs on your words
like whores clutch onto men
drinking them in with every ounce of energy
so that when they get them alone
it’s passive play
My hatred for you is too complex
I get off track
...
Messy
Once upon a time, I was in love. Now, let’s not get all mushy about this; the situation was far from it, so why make it that way now? It was a less than glamorous relationship, and doomed from the start, but damn it, you caught me, hook, line, and sinker.
Remember that night? I do. It’s burned into my brain. I had never acted that way before; something about the way you performed, held your...
The class-y side of Brandon Kirkley
It isn’t anything new and trendy for bands to sprout up on college campuses, but what does seem to be a fresh idea is the fact many are looking to actually take this pastime further than a keg party or jam session in the dorms.
College bands are beginning to think more lucratively, instead of just trying to win over some girl’s fleeting affection (though that girl could be the topic...
Review of The Working Title's "Bone Island"
The Deal: Front man and founder of ex-major label band The Working Title attempts to keep the music alive all by his lonesome and with little cash to back it up.
The Good: Going from being on the American Wedding soundtrack to self-producing CDs, the break from the corporate world gives Joel Hamilton the freedom of creativity he needs. Hamilton has what could possibly be one of the most...
Are plus-size markets getting skinnier or plumper?
As a big girl myself, I’m quite familiar with the treasure hunt for fashionable clothing that actually fits more voluptuous figures. It doesn’t help my search when upon entering a fashion-forward store or boutique, I’m welcomed with stares, whispers, and even the occasional, brave, greeting of “What is she doing in here?” It’s like I’m Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, only I’m fat, not a prostitute....
Going handmade for the holidays
The scent of peppermint and pine needle, the warmth of the crackling fires, and our wallets beginning to feel light — these are all signs of the holiday season charging toward us, full-speed ahead.
Even if you are waiting for good deals, Black Friday isn’t the only chance to find affordable gifts for your loved ones. If you are one of the few who has managed to hold off on your holiday shopping,...
Review of Silhouettes of a Woman fashion show
When I heard that the Queen City was going to be hosting its 1st Annual Full Figured Fashion Week, I knew I had to check it out. The event started last Wednesday, but I was only fortunate enough to catch the last piece of the action at the Silhouettes of a Woman fashion show, held at The Blake Hotel on Saturday. Hosted by the comedian Kashauna from Chicago and with performances by Giselle Greyson,...
Charlotte NC Fashion Week Day 3 Recap
This past weekend, the Mint Museum of Art held the 2nd Annual Charlotte North Carolina Fashion Week right outside its front door. Pulling up to the parking lot, seeing the white tents billowing in the wind, women and men running frantically carrying garment bags filled with fabulous clothes, I felt a surge of excitement rush over me. I was about to partake in the viewing of some of Charlotte’s,...
Katie Stein, a goldsmith, an artist, a designer
In such a time of economic unrest, with adverts claiming that they’ll buy your old gold jewelry, it’s amazing that someone could even thrive in the art of goldsmithing. Katie Stein would like to prove all of the skeptics wrong. She has chosen the life of a goldsmith, an artist, a designer … certainly three occupations that no one would flock to for the chance to receive a hefty paycheck, but she...
Moazen Jewelry is all about balance
Sure, Charlotte has hundreds of people peddling their handmade wares, hoping to make a buck in this economic mess, and while Moazen Jewelry is a part of that figure, there is something that is setting Moazen apart from the rest. With the yin and yang twin dynamic, and such a personable, inviting atmosphere, the business is making waves in the Charlotte boutique scene. Blame it on the location...
Another dimension of oddity in jewelry
When most people think of incorporating wool into their accessories, jewelry does not necessarily spring to mind. Scarves, hats, gloves, sure, but necklaces and rings? Earrings and bracelets? As surprising as this pairing may first seem, the unique and absolutely stunning outcome is phenomenal. Zorica “Zoe” Djukic takes the awkward pair and gives them yet another dimension of oddity. Her jewelry...
Kim Bell: A (jewelry) master in the making
Could it simply be a case of beginner’s luck, or sheer talent that brings us to examine the detailed and intricate jewelry designed by local artist Kim Bell? She may still be in the learning process, but she’s already becoming a hit in the salons. With her designs selling to women in two hair boutiques (Looking Glass Salon in Uptown and The Artisan Studio in Tennessee), and through her Etsy store,...
An interview with local jewelry artist Karen...
Karen Landis is planning to make a name for herself in the world of jewelry, despite the trying times. Her gorgeous wire-wrapped gemstones and 3-in-1 necklaces offer stunning, timeless, and affordable options for ladies who still want to look and feel special even without a lot of cash to spare. Her dive into retail may have been more than she imagined, but one thing is for sure: Seeing people...
Charlotte’s multi-tasking gem: Jewelry artist...
There is something special about being able to say that something you own is handmade. It instantly possesses a certain quality unattainable by something you just pick up at the local mall, and it certainly is quite unique. It is no surprise that there seems to be a large surge of jewelry artists popping up everywhere, and Charlotte surely has no shortage.
Ginger Wagner knew she was destined for...