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).”

Without doubt, the hit TV series Pit Boss has helped many revise their opinions about pit bulls, and has dispelled many myths about this much-maligned dog breed. The docudrama series, starring Shorty Rossi and his rescue staff, Sebastian Saraceno and Ronald Clark, recently concluded its seventh season on Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet.

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.

Hollywood and fashion, from present and bygone eras, all came together for one night at Raleigh Studios as costume designer Greg Lavoi debuted his Fall/Winter 2013 collection for the House of Irene.

International Pillow Fight Day celebrates its 6th year in 2013. Happening on the first Saturday in April, it has now taken over the world, with pillow fights in over 30 cities around the world.

It was an energy-filled day when Oleander band members Thomas Flowers, Doug Eldridge, Ric Ivanisevich, Rich Mouser, and Steve Brown showed up at Ash Gupta’s studio while they took a break from recording their new CD, Something Beautiful.

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.