Category Archives: On This Day

“I know why the caged bird sings, ah me…” — poet Paul Laurence Dunbar

Posted on June 27, 2026 by sheila

It’s the birthday of poet/novelist/playwright/editor Paul Laurence Dunbar. The child of freed slaves, he was publishing poetry when he was still a teenager, and went on to be the first Black American writer who gained an international reputation. He was … Continue reading →

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“[Poetry is] a way of trying to come to peace with the world.” — poet Lucille Clifton

Posted on June 27, 2026 by sheila

It’s her birthday today. Rita Dove said of Lucille Clifton’s body of work: In contrast to much of the poetry being written today—-intellectualized lyricism characterized by an application of inductive thought to unusual images—-Lucille Clifton’s poems are compact and self-sufficient…Her … Continue reading →

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“The films that I love are very straightforward stories, like really old-fashioned stuff.” — Paul Thomas Anderson

Posted on June 26, 2026 by sheila

There are many good contemporary film-makers doing fascinating bold work but Paul Thomas Anderson is what you might call “touched”. What other filmmaker now would even dare to make something like Magnolia? Who could even think that up? How was … Continue reading →

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A Personal Memory: or: What Dog Day Afternoon Means to Me

Posted on June 25, 2026 by sheila

For Sidney Lumet’s birthday. Update to the below: I got the opporunity to discuss all this on What About Al?, Mark Searby’s podcast dedicated to the career of Al Pacino. When I was 12 or 13, I saw Dog Day … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday, Hediyeh Tehrani

Posted on June 25, 2026 by sheila

I first encountered Iranian actress Hediyeh Tehrani’s work when I covered the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006 (it was my first real “gig”). was assigned to review Fireworks Wednesday. This was my introduction to Iranian film. Fireworks Wednesday was intriguing … Continue reading →

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“All I actually wanted was for my work to be useful.”–Claudius Afolabi Siffre

Posted on June 25, 2026 by sheila

In troubled times, when the heart is weary or scared or tired, a voice like Labi Siffre’s doesn’t just comfort. It heals. Or, at the very least, it creates a space where healing can happen, where healing is possible. To … Continue reading →

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“I knew that I had a facility with words and a power of facing unpleasant facts.” — George Orwell

Posted on June 25, 2026 by sheila

Orwell was born on this day. When Animal Farm was released in a new edition, Christopher Hitchens wrote specifically about the quote from Orwell shown in the title above. Very few people can “face unpleasant facts”. Hitchens: A commissar who … Continue reading →

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“People are always asking me if I thought Elvis was a handsome man and my answer is ‘I am not blind you know’!” — Millie Kirkham

Posted on June 24, 2026 by sheila

Millie Kirkham had an unearthly high soprano voice, and recorded with some of the biggest stars of her era (and other eras and ours). Perhaps most famously, she provided the swoopy woozy soprano part on Elvis’ original recording of “Blue … Continue reading →

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“And the role of the fatal chorus / I agree to take on” — Anna Akhmatova

Posted on June 23, 2026 by sheila

“This I pray at your liturgy After so many tormented days, So that the stormcloud over darkened Russia Might become a cloud of glorious rays.” — Anna Akhmatova, “Prayer” Anna Akhmatova – born Anna Andreyevna Gorenko on this day – … Continue reading →

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“The energy doesn’t end at the hands. I want such intensity that it feels like light is streaming from every finger.” — Bob Fosse

Posted on June 23, 2026 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. His work as a director – in films as diverse as Cabaret, Lenny, All That Jazz, and Star 80 is getting a lot of chatter from film critics, and of course that makes sense. I love … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged , , | 16 Comments