Tag: Literature: Biography

On motivation, love, and the Roaring Twenties: Some reflections on F. Scott Fitzgerald

September 5, 2012

Q&A WITH SCOTT DONALDSONLiterary biographer of many, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Winfield Townley Scott, John Cheever, and Archibald MacLeish You mentioned in an interview this year that Fool for Love is the best writing you’ve ever done. Why? A couple of reasons. One is that I felt a greater kinship with Fitzgerald than … More On motivation, love, and the Roaring Twenties: Some reflections on F. Scott Fitzgerald

Diane Fujino tackles new, explosive claims that Black Panther Party member Richard Aoki was an FBI informant.

August 23, 2012

Democracy Now!: Diane Fujino, author of Samurai among Panthers: Richard Aoki on Race, Resistance, and a Paradoxical Life, appears on the show with Seth Rosenfeld, whose new book Subversives claims that Aoki informed on his colleagues. San Francisco Chronicle: An op-ed piece, published today, in which Fujino asks, where’s the evidence? Fred Ho weighs in: … More Diane Fujino tackles new, explosive claims that Black Panther Party member Richard Aoki was an FBI informant.

Diane Fujino: Remembering Richard Aoki (Nov. 20, 1938 – March 15, 2009)

March 15, 2012

BY DIANE C. FUJINOAssociate professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara It’s been three years since Richard Aoki passed away. I was in Berkeley, California, that weekend in March 2009 celebrating the 40th anniversaries of UC Berkeley’s Third World Liberation Front strike and the formation of the Asian American Political … More Diane Fujino: Remembering Richard Aoki (Nov. 20, 1938 – March 15, 2009)

Opening this weekend at the History Theatre: Coco’s Diary

March 1, 2012

This screenshot from http://www.pegmeier.com shows the actresses that will play the role of Coco Irvine at the History Theatre this month. The play is based on the diary of Coco Irvine, who was a young teen living on Summit Avenue in the 1920s—the era of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s time living there. BY PEG MEIERProlific author … More Opening this weekend at the History Theatre: Coco’s Diary

George Lipsitz: Why Johnny Otis’s death hits so hard.

January 23, 2012

BY GEORGE LIPSITZProfessor of black studies and sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara I knew something was wrong the second I answered the telephone and heard Tom Reed’s voice. Although it has been decades since Tom ruled the airwaves in Los Angeles as the city’s most popular disc jockey — as “The Master … More George Lipsitz: Why Johnny Otis’s death hits so hard.

100 Years: The life and "times" of jazz luminary Papa Jo Jones

October 5, 2011

“Papa Jo exists on the level of folklore, myth and parable; the cracker-barrel philosopher; teller of tall tales; venerable keeper of our oral traditions.”—Chip Stern, “Papa Jo Jones.” Modern Drummer, January 1984 BY PAUL DEVLINFreelance writer (Slate, the Root, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others), doctoral student at Stony Brook University, and editor of … More 100 Years: The life and "times" of jazz luminary Papa Jo Jones

Understanding iconoclastic filmmaker Nicholas Ray: A Q&A with Susan Ray on the Centenary Project and much more

August 8, 2011

Legendary American filmmaker Nicholas Ray (perhaps best known for Rebel Without a Cause) was born August 7th, 1911. In honor of Ray’s 100th birthday this month, several exciting projects are in the works, including the Centenary Project and an upcoming film premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Here to tell us a little bit about … More Understanding iconoclastic filmmaker Nicholas Ray: A Q&A with Susan Ray on the Centenary Project and much more

From the often-unnecessarily-shunned performer Henry Wood to the now-impossible Charlie Sheen: My, how times have changed.

May 11, 2011

A circa-1900 image of Grand Theatre in Buffalo, New York. While vaudeville as an art form peaked around 1928, Wisconsin’s Henry Wood, who began his life in traveling medicine and tent shows around 1910, continued to promote small-town films, shows, and carnivals almost to the end of his days. He passed away in October 1983. … More From the often-unnecessarily-shunned performer Henry Wood to the now-impossible Charlie Sheen: My, how times have changed.

Peg Meier: Unearthing Coco Irvine (1914-1975) from the MHS archives

March 16, 2011

Clotilde “Coco” Irvine Moles (1914-1975), daughter of a lumber baron, grew up with sister Olivia Irvine Dodge in a mansion on fashionable Summit Avenue at a time when music, art, and women’s social status were all in a state of flux and the economy was still flying high. Here, popular Minnesota author Peg Meier recounts … More Peg Meier: Unearthing Coco Irvine (1914-1975) from the MHS archives