Interview with Melanie Hawthorne
Jun 11
Poet Renée Vivien, wild child of the Belle Epoque, turns 143 in time for Pride Month. In homage: a new cocktail club to get you through the empty-handed hour.
The Socially Distanced Romaine Brooks
May 1
May 1, 2020 The Heroic Feminine and other characters from “A Night at the Amazon’s” Romaine Brooks Turns 146 Romaine Brooks was a voracious reader. One hundred years ago today in 1920, when she would have been waiting impatiently for Natalie Barney to turn up with birthday cake so they could celibrate, I
Modern, Then and Whenever
Apr 23
April 23, 2020 Her Second Pandemic The Red DUchess COMES OUT AGAIN at 145 Elizabeth de Gramont turns 145 today, a bit late for her second pandemic but just in time for the e-launch of No Modernism Without Lesbians by Diana Souhami. This book brings us closer to a few women we almost
Romaine Brooks 145, Stonewall 50
May 1
“what a dump” More conversation with Cassandra Langer Born today in 1874, painter Romaine Brooks celebrated her birthday every year with writer Natalie Barney, her partner for life after they met in 1916. In search of evidence of their secret adventures, my traveling companion is Brooks biographer, Dr. Cassandra Langer. Cassandra Langer: In 1929, Natalie
April in Paris Again
Apr 30
(c) Eliza Jackson
APRIL IN PARIS AGAIN
This American life, 1937
If you find yourself stuck on an SNCF railway platform, a new book about Natalie Barney and her circle will take you back to a more civilized era when appointments could actually be kept: We Met in Paris: Grace Frick and her Life with Marguerite Yourcenar
Rénee Vivien Turns 139
Jun 11
Renee vivien turns 139 June 11 is the birthday of France’s best dressed Symbolist poet, Renée Vivien. Never mind that she was Anglo-American. Never mind that her real name was Pauline Tarn. She was all the rage on both sides of the Atlantic. Her fictions of Sappho fired up le tout Paris where she settled
Interview with Christina Schlesinger
Oct 1
Mother of all Tomboys artist Christina Schlesinger on Romaine Brooks October 2 is D-day for Cassandra Langer’s new biography of Romaine Brooks (you can buy it here), for which I furnished translations. Readers will soon take a fresh look at the Thief of Souls. Christina Schlesinger started incorporating Brooks into her self portraits in the
Artist’s Statement by Christina Schlesinger
Oct 1
ARTIST’S STATEMENT The Peter Paintings On a cool late summer evening when I was young, the taste of fall in the air, my mother took me and my best friend, Marylyn, to Provincetown for an evening out at the Fine Art Cinema to see “Expresso Bongo.” It was an occasion to go to Provincetown from
Fixed Gaze to Produce Romaine Brooks Book Trailer
Jan 24
Fixed Gaze to Produce Romaine Brooks Trailer With the relaunch of RomaineBrooks.com, the book blog of biographer Cassandra Langer, I’m pleased to announce that Fixed Gaze Films will produce the trailer for All or Nothing: Romaine Brooks (1874-1970). The biography will be published in Fall 2015 by University of Wisconsin Press. Romaine Brooks has been in the
Interview with Artemis Leontis
Oct 31
31 October 2014 life as a greek revival “she was the only ancient greek i ever knew” a conversation with artemis leontis Suzanne Stroh: Artemis, thanks for stopping by today on Natalie Barney’s 138th birthday. Here, have some cake. Lemonade? Artemis Leontis: Thank you! Virtual cakes have essential vitamins to keep memories alive! To augur many