A couple of weeks ago, acclaimed author Carmen Boullosa, the voice behind Texas, the Grand Theft, or A Narco History (both published in English) among others, visited Dallas brought by Deep Vellum Publishing to make some presentations. Amongst her busy agenda, we had a chance to chat with her about her work, reading and inspiration.
Eclectic, that’s the best description for the Supersonic Lips sound. A mix of punk guitar, strong beats, melodic synth and powerful vocals, the Dallas based band fights against labels, seeks a broad and diverse public with great results so far.
If we are what we read, shouldn’t we ponder about our reading diet, how do we choose our authors, how do stories become our own? Recently, I’ve been wondering about books, about how they get to our hands, how do we choose them… or do they choose us? In the long process that starts with a voice and a story to tell, the editor becomes a key to the door to an author’s world. That is precisely why Pepitas de Calabaza, a Spanish grassroots editorial, is so important and to have the opportunity to glance into their worlds is nothing short than a gift.
They did it again. I don’t know how, but The Wild Detectives bunch keep managing to surprise us and improve the experience you get when you cross their doors on 8th Street.
A provocateur, the Oak Cliff Film Festival is exactly that. The OCFF stands out far from the conventional festival circuit, with a torch in its hand stirring, provoking. Just take a look at the program and you’ll understand what I mean.
Music has power, it’s a fact. It has the power to sooth, shake, and stir something inside of us, reaching deep into our souls, awakening, healing us. Music is Our Weapon knows it. That’s why armed with MP3 players and songs, they go around North Texas calling us to fight loneliness and abandonment.
Ingredients for a memorable night: beautiful spring like weather, soft breeze, perfect temperature, blue evening light, the sound of timbales rising, the melody of a son Cubano calling you to the dance floor. Oh… and the authority asking the band to stop.
Wine, who doesn’t love wine. Wine is dinner with friends talking your hearts out, lunch at the family table solving the world, or the perfect companion at the end of a long, long day. I’m Argentine, so I know my basics, I like my Malbecs and Cavs, red is for meat, white is for fish. But to be honest, wine is also that mysterious and tempting stranger hard to figure out; so when I attended my first wine tasting, I was both excited and nervous.
Like the day before Christmas, or like a kid in front of a candy store, that’s the feeling I get when I have in my hands the guide to the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF). The DIFF ninth edition offers 11 days and nights of film; hundreds of movies, and the unique opportunity to watch handpicked worldwide features.
Excessive, unsettling, cathartic, the Argentine film Wild Tales aims for nothing less. Damian Szifron’s Oscar nominated movie opens in Dallas theatres on March 13th., posing the puzzling question… what if we loose control, what if we forget our good boys and girls behavior, what if we forsake the rules, what if. Warning it’s not for the faint of heart.
ALSO
314 W Eighth St. Oak Cliff.
Dallas, TX 75208. T: 214-942-0108