Blogcritics Author: Kanani Fong

Accessory Trend For Fall: Gloves

Kanani Fong — Wed, 3 Sep 2008 08:05:57 EDT

Our Literary Fashionista has her arms and hands cloaked in fine leather.
Call it rediscovering something old. What gives polish to an outfit for fall is a pair of fine gloves. Hot on the runway were gloves of all length --short, long, and in all colors, giving the wearer a bit of feminine sophistication. From designers showing their first runway collection such as Chris March and Sweet Pea, to veterans such as Ralph...

Interview with Novelist Patricia Wood, Author of Lottery

Kanani Fong — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 18:52:28 EDT

Shortlisted for the Orange Broadband Prize For Fiction, Patricia Wood's novel "Lottery" challenges perceptions.
I don’t want to be paraded as an expert,” says Patricia Wood, author of the novel Lottery. “An expert is a mother or father who work day-to-day to understand their kid and to get the world ready to welcome him.” Wood knows a thing or two about the challenges of special needs children and adults. As a special education...

Movie Review: Smart People

Kanani Fong — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:53:55 EDT

Our literary fashionista heads for the movies and slips off a snow-covered road on an unoriginal drive through academia.
The trailers for the movie Smart People, from director Noam Murro, shrewdly play up the producer connection between this movie and the well-written, finely paced Sideways. The draw here for fans of Sideways is Thomas Haden Church, who won an Oscar nomination for his turn as the fianceé looking for a last fling. For anyone younger, it's...

Writer Impossible: The Scent Of A Good Scene

Kanani Fong — Fri, 2 May 2008 12:48:33 EDT

Add depth to your writing by describing smell.
In writing, we use details to create a vivid and believable scene. Characters or scenes that fall flat usually lack specific details, or the chosen details are so clichéd the reader glances over the writing and eventually closes the book, disgusted.One of the most underused sensations in writing is scent. When I smell lavender, I think of my...

The Mommy Mobile Grinds To A Halt

Kanani Fong — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 09:51:48 EDT

How not to create transportation tyrants in your own family.
Dear Kid,Lately, I've come to the conclusion that all this driving around parents do for their kids is a really bad thing. Not only does it wreak havoc on the family schedule, but parents are tired and poorer and too many fast-food meals are consumed en route. The result is that not only have the cars gotten bigger, so has our girth. Now, I...

Satire: Jane Austen At SmashBox, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Kanani Fong — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:44:21 EDT

Weary of another season in Bath, Jane Austen accompanies B.C.'s Literary Fashionista to the collections in Los Angeles.
Dear Cassandra,It’s been almost a fortnight since I returned from visiting Miss Fong, who bid me to accompany her to view the latest fashions at a show sponsored by a Germanic family. As of late, I have been unwrapping parcels, given to us gratis to reciprocate our having been there. So-called "swag bags," I suppose, to connote the...

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week: A Runway Of Black, Grey, and Greyer

Kanani Fong — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:27:54 EDT

Is color dead? BC's literary fashionista finds out at Fashion Week.
Last week, at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smash Box Studios during Fashion Week L.A., it happened over and over again. Over the course of five days of fashion shows, a parade of models strutted down the runway in black after black outfit. If the designers were feeling really creative there was grey over black, a black and white shemagh, an ochre...

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week: How Green Is Green?

Kanani Fong — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:10:35 EDT

Eco-fashion hits the runway in image-conscious Los Angeles.
A gathering of designers, fashionistas, celebrities, editors and journalists converged at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (MBFW) at Smash Box Studios for five days during L.A. Fashion Week. MBFW featured four collections per day from designers around the world. On Wednesday, eco-fashion was presented at The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show the...

Satire - Of No Consequence: The Fictional Diary of Margaret B. Jones

Kanani Fong — Fri, 7 Mar 2008 03:47:32 EST

Margaret B. Jones lied to the publishing world, but that was the least of her worries.
2/26/08Dear Diary,Call me Margaret.It took me years but I wrote the book of dreams. For three years, I worked with my editor over the phone, talked to the agent, the PR people and finally... finally my book Love and Consequences is being published!!! Michiko Kakutani has given me a rave review in the NY Times. She called it "raw and...

Treading The Waters Of Blogosphere Reviews

Kanani Fong — Wed, 5 Mar 2008 07:35:27 EST

What your fifth grade teacher didn't tell you about book reviews.
Another late night. Time to peruse book reviews written by bloggers. I've found a mixed bag. Mostly what I've seen are people confusing a critique, an opinion (usually a recommendation), and a report. I know, I'm quibbling here. But there is a difference and how the blogosphere has changed things is that everything now is considered a...