Shifting The Images of Women In Film To My Favor

I was stoked over the weekend to find out Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, author of two of my favorite chic lit books, is campaigning to bring Dirty Girls Social Club to the big screen! What?

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Well, yeah. But in my 20s, I devoured Alisa's books. The parallels to my life experiences were uncanny. My involvement with a Latina-based sorority, metering the conflict between family and social preferences, the struggles with finding a professional identity in a cubbie hole driven society, yeah, Ms. Valdes knocked all the drama out the park. Seeing Ms. Valdes' work on the big screen, integrating American values in a fun, feminine style, would be a welcome upgrade to the depiction of women in film. And it's good karma too! I've started following Ms. Valdes on Twitter @MizAlisa and I encourage you to do the same. She launched a Kickstarter campaign and put out a hilarious parody of a Hollywood pitch on her website.

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I gotta update you on my Summer Book Challenge. Reading the works of Ian Fleming have been an eye opener. I am approaching these works as comparative to what we've experienced in film. I'm on Moonraker now, and it's taken me three weeks to get through the first sixty-five pages! Not because it's complex, but it's sllllllllllooooowwwwwwwwww...

As a practiced social scientist, I find that Mr. Fleming's work would be difficult for anyone who identifies as a woman, or as Black, to enjoy without being insulted. I keep in the forefront when the works were produced, the point of view of the author, and the frame of mind he was in at the time of producing his works.

I take away from this experience thus far as, well, this is what passed as a fast paced action series. It's a bit of an uphill pedal right now, but nowhere near the incline of last year's Summer Book Challenge, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.

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Would you like to meet Johanna Saucedo? I'm reading from my first fiction novel, I Blew Up Juarez, tonight at Irene's. Here's her invite straight from the Inbox:

YOU'RE INVITED! JOIN US... BRINGING GOOD VIBES TO OUR COMMUNITY! 

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POETRY READING & OPEN MIC....WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12th, 2013, 
EARLY SIGN IN AND POT LUCK DINNER AT 6:00 pm WE WILL START PROMPTLY AT 7:00pm 
THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL GUEST AUTHOR **is... 
**VON SIMEON reading from her upcoming book: I Blew Up Juarez 
 Come to ST BART'S ........ To read your favorite POETRY, tell a STORY , sing a SONG or PLAY your INSTRUMENT......We have a DRUM and PIANO.........ORIGINAL POETRY and SONGS featuring our favorite published POETS..., Come and be a part of something special. See you there.!

DATE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12th,, 2013

TIME: 7:00pm-9:00pm.

PLACE: ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

3747 - 34th STREET SOUTH

ST PETERSBURG, FL 33711

REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED. FREE WILL OFFERING

for more info:(727) 452-2369

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BOOKLOVER'S CAFE

for more info: call Irene 727-452-2369

Irene@bookloverscafeonline.com