Muneefa Abdullah is the Kuwaiti author of the children’s book “New Fairy Tales.” In her newest ebook “LORDOFSPIES,” she writes about William Shakespeare, the English playwright, poet, and actor who is widely considered as the greatest writer in the English language. (Muneefa Abdullah, 2023)
“LORDOFSPIES” – Shakespeare’s lost years are explained, revealed, the lost queen of England, the fair youth, all in the shadow of one man Robert Poley. The son of Stratford upon Avon who became the spy. The book started as a research and ended with a ghost of three men; two like beacons in the night and one like a shadow. This is an ebook about the famous poet William Shakespeare’s missing seven years, the secret identity, and why he chose to be in shadows. It will explain all the contradictions in his life.
Wolf Garden was released last month and is available on digital and On Demand. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
In today’s movie news, there is a new horror/thriller movie out: Wolf Garden. Directed by Wayne David, it stars Wayne David, Sian Altman, Grant Masters, and Jake Wood. It is available for streaming on Amazon Video and Vudu on Roku. (October Coast, 2023)
Wolf Garden– William has gone into hiding in the countryside following horrifically violent events. Struggling to come to terms with reality, he flashes between past, present, and fantasies involving the woman he loves, Chantelle. As his sanity crumbles and he continues to feed an unseen creature locked inside a shed in the woods, he begins having apparitions of a ghostly Visitor who pushes him to kill the creature and discover a terrible truth about Chantelle before the next full moon.
Jessica Medina blends merengue and salsa in her new single Locura, available now for streaming. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Jessica Medina is a singer-songwriter born in New York to a Dominican mother and Puerto Rican father. Their voices were the soundtrack of her formative years. She studied jazz and rights at Hunter College in New York City and she was influenced from a very young age by merengue, specifically the merengue sounds of the 80s. By having the musical wealth of two cultures, her sound is a mixture of both. (Vesper Public Relations, 2023)
Jessica Medina broke barriers with her previous single “Back to Black,” an exemplary song by Amy Winehouse, approached from a completely new style. NPR regards her as “a new artist that you cannot stop listening to.” Constantly taking risks, she breaks barriers that the music industry imposes on language, offering bilingual lyrics and attracting the new generation called “Latinx,” Latinos raised in the United States.
Her new single Locura is now available for streaming. She once again demonstrates her passion for fusions, this time bringing together the rhythms of merengue and electronic synths with samba. Locura is part of her upcoming EP entitled Rosa, which will be released this April. In this EP she dives deeper into her Dominican and Puerto Rican roots and the different types of love from a woman’s perspective. Rosa is a project which includes women in all aspects, such as compositions, musicians, visual arts, musical arrangements, and production. Merengue is having a resurgence and Jessica Medina has decided to celebrate love with this romantic merengue.
Locura depicts an empowered woman with passion, sensuality, and joy. This track will make us all dance and celebrate love. Locura translates as craziness and captures that period of infatuation we all know. “Let’s start the year dancing merengue and being crazy in love.” Award-winning composer Alex Cuba composed Locura with musical arrangements and production by Janina Rosado. It was recorded in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Dr. Ife Akanegbu has written a series of books for children focusing on promoting positive mental health. Photo: Google
Ife Akanegbu has always had a lifelong passion for telling stories. He completed his medical training in Nigeria before achieving a Master’s in Health Management at the University of Leeds. Upon observing the alarming rise in depression, anxiety, and self-harm rates, he felt compelled to take action and he knew his gift for storytelling could make a difference. That is when he combined this talent with his more than fifteen years of medical expertise to create Motivating Our Champions, a game-changing children’s book series designed to help our precious little ones take good care of their mental health. The books in the series include “My Grandpa Is A Hero,” “Janel’s Struggle,” and “Lila And The New Bully.” (Ife Akanegbu, 2023)
Ife’s charming life story is full of inspiration, adventure, and compassion. In fact, he has mastered the art of captivating storytelling by sharing his experiences with others. Ultimately, this motivated him to use his skill to impact current mental health trends, an issue that concerns him deeply.
“My Grandpa Is A Hero”– Tyler spends all his free time in his room playing video games and does not even want to join the family for dinners. His siblings come to the table and play on their devices all through mealtime. Grandpa is staying with the family and is not happy with the lack of interest the kids have in being part of the family. Grandpa decides to do something about it and finds fun and engaging activities for the kids, they begin to live healthier, more well-rounded lives, and their mental health improves.
“My Grandpa Is A Hero” can teach kids and parents the value of family activities and how it affects the quality of life. Parents learn about setting limits for TV and electronic devices and kids learn they can have fun by not engrossing themselves in their electronics.
Courtesy photo, used with permission.
“Janel’s Struggle”– Janel is going through a tough time because she is overweight and feels she does not fit in. No matter what she does, she cannot lose weight. She is bullied at school and feels she does not have any friends. After many attempts to try to lose weight, it begins to affect her mental health. Janel does not even want to look at herself in the mirror. Only the love and support from her mother helps her find the real reason why she cannot lose weight.
“Janel’s Struggle” will take you and your child through a heartfelt journey of how people’s perception and bullying of an overweight child is harmful to their mental health. It helps parents teach children about mental health as well as accepting who they are and asking for help when they feel something is wrong. It also teaches children how much making fun of someone hurts. “Janel’s Struggle” informs parents that when things are not right, there is not always an obvious answer.
Courtesy photo, used with permission.
“Lila And The New Bully”– Lila’s mother moves her to a new school because Lila is being bullied. On the first day of class, Lila is confronted with the same issue from one of her classmates, Kima. Instead of being discouraged, Lila demonstrates empathy for Kima and wants to be her friend, so she comes up with a plan.
“Lila And The New Bully” will help your child realize that sometimes people are mean because they are hurting inside and their mental health is not good. Lila’s compassion and kindness show kids a positive way to handle someone who is mean to them and the importance of mental health. Sometimes showing love and kindness is better than acting out in a non loving way.
Adriel Favela presents his new single En Este Amor. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Adriel Favelais an internationally celebrated singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist in the northern Mexican Regional genre known as norteño. Adriel Favela gives free reign to his free spirit and does not hold back. Once again, he surprises the musical scene with the release of En Este Amor, a heartbreak song written by Gussy Lau and Tamayo Aguilera, who through their lyrics try to explain what it means to be that special person, who meant everything and takes away your entire life when they leave. (Adriel Favela, 2023)
En Este Amor was recorded in Sonic Ranch and is the first preview of his next album in the mariachi genre, different from his previous releases, and to which he has invited a renown group of industry collaborators, such as Kiko Cibrian (mix and vocal director), Marco Ramírez (Masterization), Daniel Valenzuela (head producer in Esperanto debuting as “Tipo Country Productions”) along with David Valenzuela, Jared Vacapiz and Ervey Vargas in the musical ensemble.
The release of En Este Amor comes with an official video, which through pictures, showcases a beautiful sunset in the desert of Sonora, Mexico. This is the perfect setting to convey the melancholy in the message of the song, while also representing the singer, composer, musician and producer roots, Adriel Favela.
“Everything has been a happy accident because this song was aimed for another person, but at the end of the day, God has a purpose for us all and the song conveyed a lot. I loved it! It has a beautiful essence which I think will differentiate itself from everything we’ve done before and we’ve obviously put a lot of heart into it and we hope the audience receives it the same way.” – Adriel Favela.
“This is one of the most personal songs I’ve ever written. I started composing it while sitting on my bed, before going to sleep, thinking about the two perspectives of this love, it was self-criticism because I gave it everything and the other person didn’t give anything, and when my heart told me that I had to continue trying, I realized that wasn’t a very smart decision.” – Gussy Lau, composer
The San Antonio Museum of Art’s latest exhibition Roman Landscapes: Visions of Nature and Myth from Rome and Pompeii runs through May 21, 2023. Photo: Google
The San Antonio Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, Roman Landscapes: Visions of Nature and Myth from Rome and Pompeii, opened February 24 and continues through May 21, 2023. During its run, the Museum will offer a variety of related programming in collaboration with community partners including lectures in conjunction with Trinity University, a performance by OPERA San Antonio, a fashion show with custom clothier Limatus Bespoke, inspired menu items at Tre Trattoria, and a tasting with the San Antonio Botanical Garden. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2023)
Self-Guided Audio Tours Exhibition visitors will have the opportunity to take a self-guided audio tour that offers in-depth knowledge of landscapes and their impact and importance to the community. Audio will be provided by local experts in environmental issues, indigeneity, geology, flora and fauna, and more.
Tre TrattoriaExhibition-Inspired Menu Items Inspired by Tuscan hillsides, Tre Trattoria – housed inside SAMA – will offer a special menu throughout the exhibition. Offerings will include Deviled Eggs “Carbonara,” consisting of Kewpie mayo, Parmigiano-Reggiano, black pepper, crispy guanciale and white truffle oil; Gnocchi Cacio y Pepe; Spaghetti All’Amatriciana; and a refreshing Strawberry Campari Spritz.
Limatus Bespoke x SAMA Fashion Show Thursday, March 2, 2023 | 6p.m. – 8p.m. | Tickets: $35 | Front Row VIP: $60
Fashion meets art at this exclusive showing of Limatus Bespoke’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection inspired by the exhibition. Attendees can enjoy sips, art, music by Steven Lee Moya, and a one-night-only fashion show.
Evening for Educators: Reimagining the World Around Us Tuesday, March 7, 2023 | 4:30p.m. – 6:30p.m. | Free Enjoy a guided gallery experience with Dr. Leticia Rodriguez, visiting assistant professor of classical archaeology at Trinity University, connect with colleagues from throughout the city, and experiment with hands-on art activities to share in your teaching practice.
Free Spring Break Family Day: Roman Landscapes Tuesday, March 14, 2023 | Free Museum and Exhibition Admission 10a.m. – 7p.m. Art activities: 10a.m. – 3p.m. Explore art-making experiences, story times, food vendors, performances, and more as part of SAMA’s Spring Break Family Day celebrating Roman Landscapes.
Concert with the Yale Whiffenpoofs Sunday, March 19, 2023 | 11a.m. – Noon | Free with Museum Admission Join the Yale Whiffenpoofs for a morning of music at SAMA. Every year, fourteen senior Yale students are selected to be in the Whiffenpoofs – the world’s oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella group. Singing a mixture of old Yale tunes, jazz standards, and other hits from across the decades, the Whiffenpoofs perform more than 200 concerts across six continents each year.
Landscapes by Boat with San Antonio RiverFoundation’s Frates Seeligson Sunday, March 26, 2023 | 1p.m. – 2p.m. | Members: $25 | Non-Members: $35 In celebration of Roman Landscapes, SAMA has partnered with the San Antonio River Foundation for a special river boat tour. Frates Seeligson, executive director of the foundation, will lead an hour-long excursion focusing on the San Antonio River and how the natural landscape has shaped our community. Arrive early to experience Roman Landscapes before the tour and make connections between the ancient Romans’ relationship with the environment and our relationship with the South Texas landscape.
Lennox Seminar Lecture Series The Lennox Seminar Lecture Series brings nationally recognized speakers to Trinity University’s campus for a variety of topics. This year, the series has partnered with SAMA and will feature lectures focusing on art, nature, and myth in Roman landscapes.
Lectures include: Beyond the Picturesque: Personification as Landscape in Roman Visual Culture Friday, March 31, 2023 | 6p.m. – 7p.m. Members, Educators, and Students: Free | Non-Members: $5
Join Jaś Elsner, professor of late antique art at Oxford University, for a lecture examining the place of personification in Roman landscape imagery.
Additional Lennox Lectures at Trinity University: Bettina Bergmann, Professor Emeritus of Art History at Mount Holyoke College Caitlín Barrett, Archaeologist and Associate Professor of Classics at Cornell University Rachel Foulk, Professor of Art History at Ferris State University
Ancient Roman Recipeswith the San Antonio Botanical Garden Sunday, April 16, 2023 | 2p.m. – 3:30p.m. Museum and Garden Members: $40 | Non-Members: $45 San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place
Learn about the flora and fauna featured in the works in the special exhibition Roman Landscapes and partake in dishes that bring together true Roman ingredients and a local spread of foraged greens, jams, winter pickles, meats, breads, and luxury desserts. Adult beverage included. Ages 21+.
Texas Scholars Dig Roman Villas Tuesday, April 18, 2023 | 6p.m. – 7p.m. Members, Educators, and Students: Free | Non-Members: $5
Join scholars John R. Clarke (University of Texas at Austin) and Thomas Noble Howe (Southwestern University) for a presentation about their work exploring, documenting, and preserving luxurious Roman villas destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
SongScapes of Opera Friday, May 12, 2023 | 7p.m. | Members: $15 | Non-Members: $20 The performance will highlight pieces from the standard classical repertoire as well as songs by composers from traditionally underrepresented populations. Opera singer and recitalist Bronwyn White will provide a short lecture about each piece before it is performed, including a brief translation, an interesting aspect of its history, musicality, subject, or place in the composer’s life, and how each song ties into the theme of SongScapes.
SA Examiner 