Over the years, I've come to the conclusion that what's generally referred to — often disdainfully — as "women's fiction" (not quite literature, not quite romance, definitely not Fifty Shades of Grey) is really a catch-all category into which almost any literary genre will fit.
Karen Russell has a new short-story collection out, her first book since 2011's best-selling Swamplandia! The stories range from senior citizen vampires sucking lemons and wondering about their future, to a war veteran whose wounds are both locked up inside, and bright and bold across his body.
Sampson Davis was born and raised in Newark, N.J. He is an emergency medicine physician and a founder, with two childhood friends, of The Three Doctors Foundation.
When Sampson Davis was in high school, he and two of his friends made a pact that they would someday become doctors. All three of them did. Along with those friends — and now fellow doctors — George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt, Davis co-authored a 2003 book called The Pact, about that promise and the way it shaped their lives.
There are a lot of places these days to look for all kinds of love, especially online. But what's an aging intellectual who loves William Gass, Philip Glass and a good merlot to do?
The distinguished New York Review of Books celebrates its 50th anniversary this month. It is noted for its rigorous writing and stellar cerebral lit stars — and its personal ads.
Laurence Olivier, whose interpretations of Shakespeare's signature roles were often considered definitive, adapted several of those roles for film. He wrote and directed widely praised versions of Hamlet, Henry V and Richard III.
Frank Ocean is set to take a victory lap at this year's Grammys. He's up for six awards for his album Channel Orange, including best new artist, and he'll be performing as well. But just a few months ago, Frank Ocean's music wasn't the story — his sexuality was.
To review: After a listening party for Channel Orange last July, a BBC journalist pointed out that a few of the love songs referenced a "him" where you might have expected to hear "her."
Cristobal Balenciaga was known as a perfectionist, especially when it came to sleeves. Blume says, "It was perhaps a sign of real personal attention if you were one of the rare clients that he had lunch with, and at the end of the lunch he ripped out [your] sleeve and reset it."
Credit Courtesy Balenciaga Archives
Balenciaga debuted his baby doll dress in 1958. Blume writes, "all women benefited — and benefit still — from the principal achievement of [Balenciaga's] 1950s lines: the elimination of a tight nipped-in waist and the smoother, more yielding silhouette."
Credit Richard Drew / AP
Balenciaga hired Alexander Wang as its new creative director in December 2012. While the fashion house's namesake was known for staying out of the public eye, Wang's public image is very much a part of his designs.
As New York Fashion Week looks ahead to fall 2013, we're taking a moment to look back at one of the 20th century's most well-known designers — and how life as a designer has changed since his time.
When news broke that the musical stage play "Fela!" was scheduled to hit Charlotte (specifically the Belk Theater) February 25 and 26, folks familiar with the Tony-winning production undoubtedly jumped for joy.
