Constantin Brancusi, is often regarded as one of the most important sculptors of the 20th Century and one of the greatest founders of modern abstract sculpture.

Two American artists showing in neighboring galleries in Los Angeles present unique views of color and of a fantastic world peopled by familiar, yet strange creatures.

The recent “rear-view mirror” look at Los Angeles’s urban development proposed by the Getty Research Institute explores its architectural legacy, as it attempts to reframe the public’s perception of Los Angeles as a model of urban chaos, espousing instead that the city’s development was the result of a planned and deliberate endeavor to deal with the extraordinary pace of economic and population growth.

I met Dr. Mic Hunter at a recent event hosted by Shari Belafonte, benefiting the Military Rape Crisis Center. The event also marked the launch of the documentary Women of War, a disturbing expose of the alarmingly high statistics of sexual assault in the military, produced by the award-winning filmmakers of the 2009 documentary Who Will Stand.

Larry Fondation’s compact sentences pack a punch, and his portrayals mix poetry with the staccato rhythm of gunfire. Not without a reflective note, his narratives are often tinged with dark humor: “We had left the man alone among the rubble, with the rubble, in the rubble. As rubble. Like rubble. Blameless, struck no more, but there by himself (a man unfamiliar with Beckett, but waiting for Godot nonetheless).”

Last week, thanks to the weather, I had to extend a business trip to Chicago by two days. In a sheer twist of occurrences that often make you wonder how much is really left to coincidence, I attended an art opening at the State Street Gallery. It’s not often that one gets to see the creative side of collegiate faculty and presidents.

Michael Hayden’s encaustic works, recently on display at the Art.Life show in Los Angeles, draw you in with their intricate play of texture and color. Michael’s successful career as an artist is an inspiration for anyone to follow their passion. . . . Originally from Memphis Tennessee, he started an apartment painting business in New York, then went on to San Francisco to hone his decorative painting skills at The Day Studio with JoAnne Day.

Paper Farms’ publishing debut features three novellas published under the Black Hills Press imprint. Defined as “a distinctive, mid-length fiction often overlooked as a literary genre,” the novellas have often fallen out of place, being too long to be a short story, and too short to be considered a full-blown novel.

Romain Court, founder of USeduce.com, is a Seduction Coach who trains his willing students in the art of French Seduction. He discusses his work and overall philosophy in the following interview, ending with some useful seduction tips for both men and women.

In February 2013, the Pan African Film Festival, America’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival, celebrated its 21st anniversary, as it screened more than 150 films representing 34 countries: U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific, and Canada, with entries from Egypt, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania, Guadeloupe, South Africa, Kenya, and Brazil. The films include 23 documentaries, 13 short documentaries, 67 narrative features, and 51 narrative shorts.