Mary Jo Robertiello's Blog, page 9

A BUSY WEEK

NYMYSTERIES.COM

March 18, 2022

What a busy week! Tuesday, March 15 was Trinity Irish Dance Company at the Joyce. I adore the Joyce. You never know what you’re going to see. The first act of the Trinity Company was so boring. I felt like a chaperone at a junior prom. The guys strummed violins and guitars and hung together. The girls jiggled around. Something happened during intermission. The girls learned how to dance and the boys learned how to play their instruments. The second act was spellbinding. Billed as a hybrid of Irish step and American tap, the stage and the audience were alive, dancing together. 

Thursday, St. Patrick’s, a friend and I went to Highlights in Jazz at Manhattan Community College. As its creator, Jack Kleinsinger, never tired of reminding us, its New York’s oldest running jazz concert. Ellington Everlasting was the show. It was tired jazz. You had to be at least eighty-five to appreciate the memories of long ago. 

I have borrowed  text and an image of a remarkable Ukrainian woman from Sotherans, the fancy-schmancy London bookstore.

Lesia Ukrainka (1871-1913) was an extraordinary Ukrainian woman. She spoke all major European languages, was well-versed in the Classics and wrote pro-Ukrainian poetry and poetic dramas. She reached her literary heights in her poetic dramas. Ukrainka’s first drama was Blakytna troianda (The Azure Rose, 1896), which describes the life of the Ukrainian intelligentsia. In further dramatic works she developed a new genre, that of the ‘dramatic poem.’ The first such work was Oderzhyma (A Woman Possessed, 1901). Particularly important among her works are the dramatic poems on the subject of prisoners in Babylon, which were meant to serve as symbols of the imprisonment of Ukrainians within the Russian Empire’ (Encyclopedia of Ukraine, online). 

A little bragging and a lot of hope…I’ve edited D. M. Barr’s email. 

The New York Chapter of Sisters in Crime released an anthology of sixteen short stories titled, Justice for All: Murder New York Style 5.. 

The anthology is eligible to be nominated for the Anthony Award, to be given out at Bouchercon later this year. If you are eligible to vote, please consider nominating this book for Best Anthology. The information is:

Justice for All: Murder New York Style 5

Edited by D.M. Barr and Joseph R.G. DeMarco

Published by Level Best Books

If you especially enjoyed some of the stories, please consider nominating them for best short story. Here are the titles and authors, in the order the stories appeared in the book:

LEADING LADIES – Lori Robbins

THE TEACUP – Catherine Siemann

THE ART OF PAYBACK — Cathi Stoler

THE NEW GUY–Anne-Marie Sutton

A TRIAL FOR THE BOOKS–D.M. Barr

DAVID AND THE GARMENTO–Roz Siegel

THE THANKSGIVING RAGAMUFFIN–Kathleen Marple Kalb

RISKY ASSUMPTIONS–Ellen Quint

FAMILY MATTERS–Mary Jo Robertiello

WHEN THE CAGED BIRD FLIES–Catherine Maiorisi

WHAT MATTERS MOST–Nancy Good

WINDY WILLOWS–Nina Mansfield

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO LUCY–Susie Case

INJUSTICE IN BROOKLYN–Stephanie Wilson-Flaherty

LAUNDRY AFTER MIDNIGHT–Nina Wachsman

HARBOR LIFE AND CITY SILT–Elle Hartford

Also, please encourage your friends to read the anthology and leave a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. It would go a long way in helping us bring well-earned kudos to the contributing authors.

March Memories and events

NYMYSTERIES.COM

March 12, 2022

 We’re in the month of mad March hares, Caesars in fear of Ides, and St Patrick to quote Sotherans, an upscale English book store.

At about three a.m. I  was pulsing through my cell’s  photos and came across Dr. Willie Parker’s 2017 visit to Judson. Dr. Parker is a Black southern physician who aids women who want/need abortions. His book, LIFE WORK: A MORAL ARGUMENT OF CHOICE, says it all.

The one thing it doesn’t do is extol Dr. Parker’s courage and modesty. 

Dr. Willie Parker and Judson guests 1917

Last Friday I raced to the Met to see the Walt Disney exhibit, Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts.  There’s nothing like art history to dampen enthusiasm. The early Disneys – I’m thinking of Pinocchio, Bambi, Snow White – were fun, full of adventure and gaiety. The exhibit was weighted down with ponderous expositions on the influence of French design on the early films. Bored yet?

Snow White and Dopey cutting a rug. Is that Grumpy on the horn? 1937 movie

Yesterday, my museum pal and I stumbled upon the Met’s Costume exhibit. Such fun. Like the elderly teenagers we both are, we had a fine time criticizing and praising the various costumes. Here’s one of my favorites. 

A little bragging and a lot of hope…I’ve edited D. M. Barr’s email. 

The New York Chapter of Sisters in Crime released an anthology of sixteen short stories titled, Justice for All: Murder New York Style 5.. 

The anthology is eligible to be nominated for the Anthony Award, to be given out at Bouchercon later this year. If you are eligible to vote, please consider nominating this book for Best Anthology. The information is:

Justice for All: Murder New York Style 5

Edited by D.M. Barr and Joseph R.G. DeMarco

Published by Level Best Books

If you especially enjoyed some of the stories, please consider nominating them for best short story. Here are the titles and authors, in the order the stories appeared in the book:

LEADING LADIES – Lori Robbins

THE TEACUP – Catherine Siemann

THE ART OF PAYBACK — Cathi Stoler

THE NEW GUY–Anne-Marie Sutton

A TRIAL FOR THE BOOKS–D.M. Barr

DAVID AND THE GARMENTO–Roz Siegel

THE THANKSGIVING RAGAMUFFIN–Kathleen Marple Kalb

RISKY ASSUMPTIONS–Ellen Quint

FAMILY MATTERS–Mary Jo Robertiello

WHEN THE CAGED BIRD FLIES–Catherine Maiorisi

WHAT MATTERS MOST–Nancy Good

WINDY WILLOWS–Nina Mansfield

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO LUCY–Susie Case

INJUSTICE IN BROOKLYN–Stephanie Wilson-Flaherty

LAUNDRY AFTER MIDNIGHT–Nina Wachsman

HARBOR LIFE AND CITY SILT–Elle Hartford

Also, please encourage your friends to read the anthology and leave a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. It would go a long way in helping us bring well-earned kudos to the contributing authors.

Art Celebrating the ukraine

#

NYMYSTERIES.COM March 4, 2022

Jason Tseng gave me permission to copy his portrait and description of two Ukrainian women.

#queersaints #queersaintsproject #lgbthistory

St. Lysia Ukrainka & St. Olha Kobylianska. Blessed be their names.

Ukrainka and Kobylianska are both important Ukrainian women writers who helped cultivate Ukrainian national identity, advocated for gender equity, and whose works espoused feminist ideals. They were also in love, as revealed by years of intimate correspondences. Read more at www.queersaints.com

When the Russian invasion started a few days ago, I wanted to find a way to uplift a Ukrainian queer ancestor, but I didn’t know anything about Ukrainian queer history. It’s a fascinating and rich topic, and it continues to prove that queers are everywhere, making moves, creating history, and making the world better. This is my first time doing a duo icon featuring two saints, but I was so moved by Lysia and Olha’s love story: two fiercely creative minds, bonded by art but separated by illness.

#queersaints #queersaintsproject #lgbthistory

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TWO GREAT WOMEN

Let’s honor two women: Janet Sobel and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Am I right in assuming most of us can identify the second woman?

So who’s the first one?

She’s Janet Sobel (May 31, 1893 -1968), a Ukrainian-American painter who fled to the USA after her parents were assassinated. Her drip paintings influenced Jackson Pollack.

Janet Sobel’s Untitled is in MOMA

Janet Sobel

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman to be nominated to the Supreme Court. Yippee! It’s about time. 

Paul Ryan, a Republican and Former Speaker of the House tweeted, “Our politics may differ, but my praise for Ketanji’s intellect, for her character, and for her integrity, is unequivocal.” 

Republican Maine Senator Susan Collins said,”“Ketanji Brown Jackson is an experienced federal judge with impressive academic and legal credentials.”

Wake up, you other Republicans.

Well done, President Biden.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

GENERATIONWOMEN

NYMYSTERIES.COM February 19, 2022

Notable death: P.J. O’Rourke dead at 74. The funniest writer in the world.

On Wednesday, February 16, my friend and I attended the first Generationwomen held at Joe’s Pub, a snazzy nightclub in the Public Theater building on Lafayette Street. Generationwomen is Georgia Clark’s creation. She gathers together women aged between twenty and eighty, gives them a topic to discuss and presents them to a lively audience. When I performed, my group’s topic was a secret. It took place at Caveat, a cool nightclub down a million stairs at Clinton Street. I represented a particular age and revealed my secret. The enthusiastic audience listened to women representing the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s,70s, 80s. I forget the time limit for each participant. We began at 7 p.m. and ended around 9 p.m. 

Georgia Clark presenting Generationwomen at Joe’s Pub

To quote Georgia Clark, founder, writer, entrepreneur extraordinaire: “Wit and wisdom from ladies of all ages.”

NYMYSTERIES.COM February 13, 2022

Yesterday a friend and I went to the Whitney. It’s on Washington Street. Where’s that, you say. It’s across the street from the West Side Highway and three blocks south of Fourteenth Street.  The Whitney moved downtown a few years ago. On one side is the High Line. On the other side is the highway and the Hudson. The Meatpacking District, as it’s still called, was once associated with vagrancy, violence, and theft. It’s now a funky, cobblestoned neighborhood teeming with ritzy clothing stores and high end restaurants. We went to the 5th Floor and paid homage to Jasper Johns. Then to the 6th Floor exhibit: Craft in Art 1950 -2019. The minute we stepped off the elevator my spirits soared. Glorious, witty, modern art was on display. I heard a little girl say she never wanted to leave. She had the right idea.

Claes Oldenberg Giant BLT 1963Liza Liu Kitchen 1991-96Sculpture in the 1950- 2019 Craft in Art Whitney Exhibit

Congress at play

NYMYSTERIES.COM February 5, 2022

I’M GOING TO TACKLE MY TAXES. 

THOUGHT YOU’D BE INTERESTED IN WHAT CONGRESS IS DOING. 

Biggest stock traders in Congress in 2021 From MarketWatch 2.1.22

LawmakerPartyStateRep. or sen.Total amount transactedBuysSellsBuys/sells ratioMcCaul, MichaelRTXRepresentative$66,665,000$31,442,500$35,222,5000.89Khanna, RoDCARepresentative$52,697,000$33,567,000$19,130,0001.75Green, MarkRTNRepresentative$52,588,500$26,165,500$26,423,0000.99DelBene, SuzanDWARepresentative$46,141,000$15,391,000$30,750,0000.50Fallon, PatRTXRepresentative$19,690,500$11,351,500$8,339,0001.36Harshbarger, DianaRTNRepresentative$16,152,000$7,680,000$8,472,0000.91Hern, KevinROKRepresentative$13,063,500$12,606,000$457,50027.55Pelosi, NancyDCARepresentative$12,000,000$12,000,000$0–Newman, MarieDILRepresentative$5,779,000$2,729,000$3,050,0000.89Suozzi, TomDNYRepresentative$5,435,397$2,795,000$2,640,3971.06Meijer, PeterRMIRepresentative$4,823,000$72,000$4,751,0000.02Hagerty, BillRTNSenator$4,285,500$56,500$4,229,0000.01Tuberville, TommyRALSenator$3,837,000$2,626,500$1,210,5002.17Hickenlooper, JohnDCOSenator$3,770,000$172,000$3,598,0000.05Gottheimer, JoshDNJRepresentative$3,646,500$1,605,000$2,041,5000.79Hollingsworth, TreyRINRepresentative$3,537,500$3,537,500$0–Franklin, Scott*RFLRepresentative$3,145,734$0$3,145,7340.00Jacobs, SaraDCARepresentative$2,455,500$162,500$2,293,0000.07Lee, SusieDNVRepresentative$2,368,500$1,368,000$1,000,5001.37Langevin, JimDRIRepresentative$2,204,000$1,189,000$1,015,0001.17Blumenthal, RichardDCTSenator$2,033,500$32,500$2,001,0000.02Schrier, KimDWARepresentative$1,913,000$1,125,000$788,0001.43Lamborn, DougRCORepresentative$1,702,500$851,000$851,5001.00Foxx, VirginiaRNCRepresentative$1,608,500$1,153,000$455,5002.53Malinowski, TomDNJRepresentative$1,415,500$617,500$798,0000.77Schrader, KurtDORRepresentative$1,170,000$657,000$513,0001.28Wyden, RonDORSenator$1,091,000$176,500$914,5000.19Lowenthal, AlanDCARepresentative$969,488$499,745$469,7431.06Frankel, LoisDFLRepresentative$912,000$488,000$424,0001.15Greene, Marjorie TaylorRGARepresentative$900,000$665,500$234,5002.84Beyer, DonDVARepresentative$872,500$328,000$544,5000.60Luria, ElaineDVARepresentative$766,000$391,000$375,0001.04Spartz, VictoriaRINRepresentative$725,000$0$725,0000.00Lofgren, ZoeDCARepresentative$704,000$640,000$64,00010.00Moore, BlakeRUTRepresentative$678,000$603,000$75,0008.04Scott, AustinRGARepresentative$636,500$346,000$290,5001.19Clark, KatherineDMARepresentative$632,500$200,000$432,5000.46Sessions, PeteRTXRepresentative$631,000$281,000$350,0000.80Manning, KathyDNCRepresentative$626,000$361,500$264,5001.37Allen, RickRGARepresentative$569,500$350,500$219,0001.60Curtis, JohnRUTRepresentative$505,000$200,000$305,0000.66

Source: Capitol Trades analysis of disclosures filed from early 2021 through mid-January 2022 covering stock trades made in 2021, as well as MarketWatch reporting

THE AMERICAN DREAM AND OTHER FAIRY TALES

NYMYSTERIES.COM January 30, 2022

I streamed Abigail Disney’s The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales. 

Ms. Disney, known to all as Abby, is Walt Disney’s granddaughter. The video begins with Abby explaining that she’s wealthy because of Disney. For years she turned a blind eye to the workers living in poverty. When a worker contacted her and showed her how he and his wife, another Disney employee, and their two child live, sleeping in their car, surviving hand to mouth, not able to live in Anaheim because of the rent, Abby went into action. She started with courteous emails to the then CEO, Bob Iger. In return she received nothing. Bob Iger’s net worth is about $690 million. Abby appeared before Congress and was accused of promoting socialism. Her video is brilliant and heart breaking. She points out it’s all about money. There’s no concern for people. 

Many of the employees love working at Disney Land. It brings back memories of their childhood – meeting Mickey and Minnie and Pluto and Donald Duck and Daisy Duck. Many of them hold two jobs. Not Bob Iger.

Lenapehoking and El born

NYMYSTERIES.COM January 23, 2022

Bean Tapestry, Bandolier Bag, Turkey feather cape. Joe Baker’s photo

Yesterday I went to Brooklyn to see a jacket made with turkey feathers…A small band of determined Judsonites met at the Greenpoint Library’s Lenapehoking exhibit. It was given in a dark room on the top floor, six people at a time. The exhibit included several articles of clothing made from wool, feathers and beads. They date from 1830 to 1850. There were displays of bean tapestries and of different kinds of corn and beans that the Lenapes introduced to the area.

For lunch we went to nearby El Born, 651 Manhattan Avenue. The food was based on Barcelona cuisine. We had many, many tapas of dates wrapped in bacon, brussel sprouts, grilled octopus, chorizo. A delicious outing.

NYMYSTERIES.COM

NYMYSTERIES.COM January 15, 2022: Central Park Photos

Central ParkFall in Central ParkSummertime in Central Park

Walking across Central Park yesterday didn’t happen. Warmly dressed and for once welcoming my mask’s coverage, the wind convinced me to take a bus to the upper west side.

One cynical note…