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Lana Del Rey And Stevie Nicks To Cast A Joint Musical Spell On Upcoming Album

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Confirmed witch Lana Del Rey and former Fleetwood Mac siren Stevie Nicks have collaborated on a track appearing on the former’s upcoming album, “Lust for Life,” Billboard reports.


No other information is available about the song, which spells were involved in its creation, or whether listening to it backwards reveals a secret message, according to the site. While Del Rey, who recently joined a global effort to hex President Donald Trump, may occasionally delve into blacker arts, it is thought that Nicks, a guest star on “American Horror Story: Coven,” uses her powers only for good.


The album, which features the single “Love,” will be out “soon,” according to an announcement posted March 29 showing Del Rey flaunting her inner Samantha Stephens.





With a less melancholic Del Rey on its cover, it’s set to include a couple other collaborations: one with The Weeknd, on the title track, and another with Sean Ono Lennon, which includes a lyric referencing his famous parents.

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This Report Outlines All Of Trump’s Efforts To Undermine Free Expression So Far

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In an effort to quantify the damage done against America’s constitutional belief in free expression, PEN America released a thorough survey of President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office.


The organization, a nationwide community of novelists, journalists, editors, poets, playwrights and more, chronicled the president’s various statements that undermine the validity of news outlets, his lack of transparency and his choice to defund groups that support artistic expression. The report, titled “Trump the Truth,” explores a total of approximately 60 incidents in which the White House has undermined the press.


The 30-page memo focuses chiefly on how Trump’s administration treats journalists, citing some positive developments ― the administration offers “Skype seats” in its media briefing room for reporters outside of Washington, for example ― but mostly taking the opportunity to home in on the president’s false indictments of “fake news.”


In the document’s introduction, the organization writes:



[...] what this Administration is doing ― the relentless lies, the constant efforts to chip away at public support for the press and trust in their reporting, the dismissal of peaceful public demonstrations as illegitimate ― is not normal.



PEN America concedes that, of course, all politicians “stretch the truth,” but emphasizes that several of Trump’s lies are in service of more malicious aims. Trump’s repeated assertion that voter fraud is widespread, for example, is unfounded, but could result in greater voting restrictions at the state level.


Similarly, the Trump administration’s unsupported claim that protest participants are paid “professionals” serves to “delegitimize the constitutionally-protected expression of dissenting viewpoints,” PEN writes, “and may feed into efforts by states to roll back protections on the right to peaceful assembly.”


The organization also calls special attention to Trump’s threats to loosen libel laws and the limited access he gives press to the State Department, disallowing cameras at press briefings. Moreover, it points out that his proposal to require travelers entering the U.S. surrender their personal devices ― including passwords and social media accounts ― “could have a widespread chilling effect on speech and would violate travelers’ human rights to privacy and free expression.”


When false and contradictory claims, and attempts to obfuscate the truth, are so constantly present, the effect can begin to feel diffuse. This document enumerates the actions the administration has taken to chip away at trust in the media and others whose role it is to hold the government accountable, bringing each of them back into clear focus.


You can read the report in its entirety on PEN’s website.


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'Sheeple' Has Been Added To The Dictionary

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We all know Merriam-Webster rivals Hannah Horvath in being the voice of our generation. The dictionary is also very involved in the Twitterverse, particularly when it comes to politics, subtly throwin’ shade like it ain’t no thang.


So, it makes sense for this to be the latest Merriam-Webster addition: “Sheeple.”






“Sheeple,” a portmanteau of “sheep” and “people,” is defined as “people who are docile, compliant or easily influenced.”


Because, you know, sheep are really chill and can be pretty much herded wherever. It’s similar in sentiment to the word “lemming.”







Merriam-Webster uses the word in a sentence that hits deeply close to home: Apple’s debuted a battery case for the juice-sucking iPhone — an ungainly lumpy case the sheeple will happily shell out $99 for.”


But, despite that iPhone realness, the most-known example of the word is likely “Wake up, sheeple!”


The phrase “wake up, sheeple!” has been around for years, but appears to have become a well-circulated meme after appearing in an “xkcd” web comic from 2012. The comic, according to Know Your Meme, is about “a civilization of sheep-people hybrids who are awakened from their underground slumber after a man yells, ‘Wake up, Sheeple!’”


That’s obviously incredibly literal, but “sheeple” has also been used as a politically-charged word ― apparently since the 1940s.


W. R. Anderson, in his column “Round About Radio,” published this line in 1945: “The simple truth is that you can get away with anything, in government. That covers almost all the evils of the time. Once in, nobody, apparently, can turn you out. The People, as ever (I spell it ‘Sheeple’), will stand anything.”


More recently, in 2004, an Urban Dictionary entry gave a usage example stating that sheeple supported the war on terrorism:



Hmm... By adding “sheeple” to the dictionary now, in 2017, could Merriam-Webster be making another kind of statement? 






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John Legend Adorably Gushes Over Fatherhood

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John Legend is loving fatherhood.


Appearing on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday, the singer gushed over his 1-year-old daughter, Luna.


“It’s a different kind of love. It’s very pure. It’s unconditional,” he said. “But they haven’t earned it yet. They didn’t do anything. They just exist,” he joked.


When Colbert asked Legend about the the first time he held Luna, the artist got sentimental.


“It’s beautiful, it’s very emotional, and it brings you and your wife closer together,” he said. “It’s a very powerful feeling to see the product of your love right there in front of you.”



Happy birthday, Luna Simone!

A post shared by John Legend (@johnlegend) on




Since becoming parents last April, Legend and his wife, Chrissy Teigen, have been very open about their wild ride.


During his “Late Show” appearance, the dad spoke about how having a child changed their perspective on their own parents and how much they loved them. 


“Chrissy says, ‘If (our children) don’t want to come have dinner with us when we’re old and they don’t want to hang out or call us, I’m gonna be so sad,’” he said. “We put so much love into this.”


During the show, Legend also did a segment called “John Legend Makes Mundane Things Sound Sexy,” in which he sang about everyday tasks that parents know all too well ― like doing laundry and going to Costco. And of course, made them sound sexy.





John Legend is totally ... legendary. 

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Powerful Viral Photos Show The Unstoppable #BlackMenOfYaleUniversity

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Akintunde Ahmad has established some great friendships on campus as a student at Yale University, and he wanted to bring together some of his closest peers to capture the beauty of their bond.


So he hired professional photographer Vivian Dang to take images of him and eight of his black male friends. He then posted the pictures to Twitter earlier this week with the hashtag #BlackMenOfYaleUniversity. The tweet, which included four group photos, immediately went viral:






Black students make up just 10 percent of the student population at Yale, and Ahmad, who is a 21-year-old junior majoring in sociology, said he intentionally included the hashtag to make a bold statement about their presence on campus. 


“By no means do we represent all the black men at Yale (there are hundreds of us), but we hoped to just give a glimpse as to what OUR daily lives look like,” Ahmad told HuffPost in a email. “We hope that these photos serve to dispel some of the negative stereotypes surrounding black men, but also act as a positive, uplifting and inspiring image of black men on college campuses.”


Ahmad’s personal story is quite inspiring itself. He grew up in Oakland, California, and graduated from high school with a 5.0 GPA, 2100 SAT score and acceptances into almost every Ivy League school in the nation. But his success did not come without him overcoming much adversity ― growing up, his brother followed a different path and fell victim to gun violence and street crime before he was incarcerated for several years in 2013.


Ahmad says his studies are focused on social inequalities in America, and that he plans to pursue a doctoral degree in sociology and create a new field of research that focuses on the effects of gun violence and trauma in urban education. He also hopes to teach one day and perhaps become a consultant for government and education agencies.


“For me, being a black man on Yale is something that I embrace with pride,” he said, noting how he and the men in the picture all come from different communities and how grateful they are to have each other for support.


“I try to live every day to its fullest potential,” he added, “because I know how so many other black men in America haven’t been afforded the same opportunities that I have.”

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Michael Mantenuto, Star Of Disney's 'Miracle,' Dead At 35

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Actor and hockey player Michael Mantenuto, best known for his role in Disney’s 2004 sports drama “Miracle,” has died. He was 35. 


Mantenuto was found in his car by police after reportedly sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Monday afternoon in Des Moines, Washington, according to TMZ. Seattle’s King County medical examiner’s office told People that Mantenuto took his own life. 


Mantenuto, a former University of Maine hockey player, got his big break playing the real-life figure Jack O’Callahan in “Miracle,” which depicts the events surrounding 1980 Winter Olympics. O’Callahan was part of the winning American hockey team that unexpectedly bested the Soviet Union in a game that became known as the “Miracle on Ice.”


After the sports drama hit theaters, Mantenuto went on to appear in the 2006 TV movie “Dirtbags” and 2008’s “Surfer, Dude.” However, he later left Hollywood to enlist in the Army. 


Col. Guillaume “Will” Beaurpere of the U.S. Army’s 1st Special Forces Group announced Mantenuto’s death in a news release.


“Those of you that knew Mike will remember him for his passionate love for his family and his commitment to the health of the force,” he said. 


Mantenuto is survived by his wife and his two children, as well as his father and three sisters. 

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Ta-Nehisi Coates' Award-Winning Book Is Coming To The Apollo Stage

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Ta-Nehisi Coates’ bold 2015 book exploring race in America is set to make its debut on the Apollo Theater stage. 


On Wednesday, the Harlem theater announced Coates’ award-winning Between the World and Me will be adapted into a multimedia performance for the Apollo’s 2017-2018 season. Directed by Apollo Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes with music commissioned by jazz musician Jason Moran, the performance event will present “excerpted selections, read monologue-style by notable guest artists, interspersed with music and visual projection design,” according to a press release.


In an effort to recreate her personal experience of reading the No. 1 New York Times’ best-seller, Forbes told NYT that she wants the special performance to expand on the book’s “solitary experience.”


“The second I put the book down, I wanted to call everyone who had read the book, and who would stay up with me at 3 a.m.,” she said. “The hope is that we’re taking that solitary experience of reading the book and expanding that to a collective experience.”


Forbes added that Coates will provide “creative guidance” and may possibly appear in the production, which is set to debut in April 2018.


Tickets for the Apollo’s 2017–18 season go on sale May 19. For more info, head to the Apollo Theater’s website.






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Famous Artists Share Their Childhood Art In Support Of Arts Education

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Arts education is currently in crisis, with over 4 million students around the country receiving no creative schooling whatsoever. Given President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts, including slashing the National Endowment for the Arts, the future forecast for art in schools looks grim.


An exhibition called “My Kid Could Do That” hopes to illuminate the importance of art instruction for all kids by showing the work that famed contemporary artists like Cecily Brown and Sanford Biggers made long before they were art world fixtures. 


The show, featuring the work of 24 established contemporary artists, is hosted by ProjectArt, an organization that provides after-school art classes to underfunded communities by turning public libraries into visual art classrooms and studios, offering year-round instruction to students who would not otherwise have access to artistic learning. 


ProjectArt was founded by Adarsh Alphons, who moved from India at 18 years old on a scholarship to study art. “In India, I used to draw a lot as a child and got in trouble because it wasn’t supported by the school system,” Alphons told HuffPost. “I was kicked out of school when I was 7 years old.”



Eventually, Alphons connected with a supportive teacher who nurtured his artistic talent and encouraged him to delve deeper into his creative practice. The effect this mentor had on Alphons, he expressed, was life-changing. Today ProjectArt holds art classes in 32 public libraries in three cities across the U.S., with plans to expand to eight cities over the next two years. 


Through this innovative exhibition, the team at ProjectArt hopes to show that no artist comes out of the womb with their talent and technique fully refined. And yet most artists featured, from a young age, did show incredible curiosity, observation, experimentation and style. 


Some of the featured artists created images as kids that, in some way, reflect the work they’re making as adults. Cecily Brown, for example, displayed an aptitude for capturing movement in paint from the age of 8 years old. Her student canvas, filled to the brim with abstract animals and trees, feels continually in flux, a mirage-effect her adult works contain as well. 


Of course, most of the featured artists have grown a great deal since their earliest creations, including Will Cotton, known for his hyperrealist paintings of sugar-coated wonderlands. Cotton’s 1972 work, created at the ripe age of 7, depicts his house. In a statement, Cotton expressed that the drawing constitutes an early example of his interest in “observed over symbolic representation.” It also features Cotton’s signature clouds. 


What helps an artist like Cotton go from boxy lime green crayon drawings to paintings that rake in over $100,000 at auction? You have one guess. ProjectArt’s show demonstrates in no uncertain terms how crucial art education is to current and future elementary school students. Not only is teaching art in schools proven to yield higher attendance and test scores, and increase likelihood of college attendance, it also ensures that the next generation will be enchanted and challenged by some stellar contemporary art. 



“My Kid Could Do That” takes place on Saturday, April 29, 2017, at Red Bull Arts New York. Visit ProjectArt’s website for more information on attending or volunteering. 

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This Kindergarten Teacher's Students Can Dance Bachata Better Than Us

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One Washington, D.C., teacher is passing on his love for salsa, bachata and more to his kindergarteners ― one dance step at a time. 


KIPP DC Promise Academy teacher Edwin Sorto, who is an experienced salsa dancer, and his classroom of “dancing minis” are viral sensations thanks to the videos he uploads to the Mr. Sorto’s Class Facebook page.


“They work incredibly hard at both academics and dance and they absolutely deserve the recognition,” Sorto told USA Today in an article published Wednesday. “They’re proud of what they do and love to see people’s reactions, comments, and likes on their videos. Their parents are also incredibly supportive. My kids are great, and this is just one more thing that keeps them engaged in school.”


There’s almost no musical genre too difficult for these kiddos, thanks to Sorto. They’ve mastered bachata ...





salsa .... 





and merengue.





“It’s amazing the way they learn,” Sorto told Telemundo’s “¡Qué Noche! con Angélica y Raúl” last year. “The way they enjoy the music, just like we Latinos do.” 


As if that weren’t enough, Sorto is also teaching his students how to read in Spanish. “They’re only 5 but reading with confidence,” he wrote in the caption of a video of two students reading out loud. 


But these students’ claim to internet fame is certainly their sweet moves ― which go far beyond Latin genres.


“[I’m] now focused on building the next generation of dancers through my own students,” Sorto told USA Today.


Can we join in on these lessons? 

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New Sci-Fi Novel Is Set In A World Where Hillary Clinton Actually Won

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In the aftermath of last year’s presidential election ― which turned out differently than most media outlets predicted ― the questions on a lot of minds seemed to be “How?” and “Why?”


Today, William Gibson ― the American-Canadian science fiction novelist behind the 1984 cyberpunk classic Neuromancer, in which he coined the term “cyberspace”  ― is exploring another question in his forthcoming novel: What if?


What if instead of electing President Donald Trump, whose first 100 days in office have in many ways chipped away at the constitutional value of free expression, Hillary Clinton had won instead?


Gibson applied this question to a book he was already working on before last year’s results came in. In an interview with The New York Times, he explained why he didn’t alter his plot after Trump’s victory. “It was immediately obvious to me that there had been some fundamental shift and I would have to rebuild the whole thing,” he said.


The result is a book ― titled Agency and due out in January 2018 ― set on two different timelines: in present-day San Fransisco, but with Clinton as president, and in London 200 years from now, after 80 percent of the human population has been killed off. Those still alive are trying to communicate with 2017, in an attempt to change the past.


Gibson is celebrated for his ability to synthesize what’s happening around him ― especially technological developments ― and take a good guess at what may happen in the near future.


In a 2014 interview with HuffPost about his last novel, The Peripheral, he said, “A shaming crowd, on Twitter, for instance, can feel like something out of Orwell,” predicting, perhaps knowingly, that the platform lends itself to manipulative speech and “very pure crowd dynamics.”


Sound familiar?


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Salma Hayek's Dogs Crashed A Wedding Over Cake And The Story Is Hilarious

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Salma Hayek’s dogs won’t let anything get between them and their cake, not even a bride and groom.


The star stopped by “The Ellen Show” on Wednesday to discuss her new movie “How to Be a Latin Lover” and ended up revealing how her dogs’ love of cake has gotten her into trouble. 


Hayek told host Ellen DeGeneres that one of the “worst” incidents took place at a very luxurious hotel in the Bahamas that didn’t want her to bring her dogs. The actress eventually convinced them to let her and two of her rescued dogs stay, but one night 17-year-old Lupe and her sister weren’t where she expected them to be.


“One day, I arrive and they’re not there,” Hayek said, referencing her dogs. “And then I hear this screaming and big commotion. And I have to tell you that Lupe loves cake more than anything in the world. You don’t know how many birthday parties were ruined ... and I was like, ‘Oh, my god, this sounds like a cake.’” 


After following the screams, Hayek found her dogs crashing a “beautiful wedding” and feasting on the cake. 


“I see the beautiful wedding cake in a little table with two chairs for the bride and the groom,” she said. “Instead of the bride and the groom, there is Lupe and Angie sitting perfectly.”


Watch Hayek describe the scene and how she got her cake-loving dogs to behave in the clip above. 

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Walt Disney's Last Words Were 'Kurt Russell,' According To Kurt Russell

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When it comes to the legend of Walt Disney’s final statement, Kurt Russell has the last word.


Disney Studios has always been a huge part of the actor’s career. He signed a 10-year contract with the studio early on and now Russell is starring as Star-Lord’s dad, Ego, in Disney and Marvel’s upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” Still, his connection to the company goes well beyond business. 


As a kid, Russell had a close, personal relationship with Walt Disney. The industry pioneer thought so highly of the young actor that a legend surfaced claiming Disney’s last words were actually “Kurt Russell.”


In fact, it’s more than legend, according to Russell. It’s true. 


Disney died in 1966 when Russell was still a teen. The actor says he learned about Disney’s last words a couple of years later.


In a recent interview, Russell told HuffPost, “They pulled me into the office a couple years after he died, and this woman — who I don’t believe it was his secretary, but it might’ve been, I don’t know ― pointed to [something he wrote] and she said, ‘Do you know what that’s about?’ And I said, ‘No, I don’t.’[She said], ‘Because he wrote something after it. But then he went back up and he wrote your name. That was the last thing he wrote.’ And I said, ‘Oh gee. I don’t know what it’s connected to.’”


Was it because Disney considered Russell a friend? Was it for a movie role? Who knows?







Russell said he’s been asked about it for years, but he doesn’t know any more than that. “She was pointing out that that’s the last thing he wrote. That’s the only thing I know.”


The actor said Disney was very important in his life and he learned a “tremendous amount” from him. Russell’s stories are even more unbelievable than learning Disney’s last words.


“We did have a personal relationship. We played Ping-Pong at lunch sometimes. He’d come down to set. We’d go watch movies that the studio was making, and he’d come down and ask if I wanted to go see them. He’d took me around and introduced me to all the different departments at Disney, and at one point gave me a bunch of original photo cells that they make the backdrop drawings of the characters and stuff like that,” said Russell.


“There were many, many things that I connected with him [on],” he continued. “He reminded me a lot of my own grandfather. My grandfather was a creative and sort of inventive man, and they were not dissimilar in their demeanor, too.”



Apparently, Disney even liked to give Russell career advice. The actor’s family has a deep connection to professional baseball; his dad, Bing Russell, ended up owning a minor league baseball team — a “unique” minor league baseball team (which is the subject of the documentary “The Battered Bastards of Baseball”). Kurt played pro baseball himself for a while, too. Disney told him early on that he didn’t think it was for him.


“I was very comfortable around him, and I had a great time with him, great relationship, and it was very important. He said to me, ‘Baseball might not be something that you end up doing as a career.’ He said, ‘I think you might want to look at things in this business because I think you’re going to have a long career.’ So he did have a strong effect on me,” recalled Russell.


After an injury reportedly slowed his baseball dreams, Russell became an actor again, and Disney’s prediction of a long career came true. 


“Guardians of the Galaxy 2” is now set to be one of the biggest box-office successes of the actor’s career, and it’s coming on the heels of another one of the his movies, “Fate of the Furious,” which is soon passing $1 billion worldwide


Russell said, “It’s just serendipitous the fact that they’re coming out literally back-to-back, so that’s kind of [an] amazing event.”


Or perhaps it’s just a bit of Disney magic.





“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” hits theaters in May. 


 

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The Alluring Power Of Leopard Print, In Photos From Across The World

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Leopards are carnivorous cats distinguished by their strength, adaptability and rosette-speckled fur, which acts as easy camouflage in their natural environments. If you’ve ever adorned yourself with some sort of leopard print clothing or accessory, you may have felt a certain power in its furry grip ― a connection to nature, a feline poise, the fearlessness of a predator. 


Haitian-Canadian photographer Émilie Régnier has long been fascinated by the eternally fashionable pattern, for both its history and the almost supernatural powers it endows those who don it.


For her series “Leopard,” the artist traveled to Dakar, Senegal; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Johannesburg, South Africa; Paris, France; and a small town in Texas, documenting the diverse individuals who overlapped in their soft spot for the soft spots. 



The project began when Régnier was searching for new models in Paris. She encountered a woman there who showed up for a shoot wearing a leopard print boubou ― a long, African dress. “The image of this woman inhabited me for days onwards,” Régnier wrote in a statement to HuffPost. She then realized how frequently leopard print appeared in the world around her. “It was worn everywhere and by everyone,” she said. 


Leopard print has different connotations depending on the time and place in which it appears. In Africa, dating back to the kings under British colonialism, leopard fur equals power, derived from the image of the leopard as “king of the jungle.” A former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, was known for donning a leopard print toque ― a tight fitting hat ― that henceforth associated the animal template with authority. 


One of Régnier’s subjects is a man named Samuel Weidi, who works as a professional Mobutu impersonator. It is undoubtedly the signature hat that makes Weidi’s identity legible, and it almost feels as if the print’s power makes the wearer stand up a bit straighter. 



The photo series introduced Régnier to a variety of individuals who gravitated toward leopard for very different reasons. For the wealthy fashionistas in Paris, leopard had been a sign of luxury since Christian Dior introduced animal print into his 1947 collection, officially dubbing it “haute couture.”


For a tattoo artist named Larry based in Texas, however, leopard print is literally a second skin. The man posed nude for Régnier, his entire body covered in spots thanks to over 1,000 tattoos.


Ultimately, Régnier’s project follows it single motif around the world, documenting the various individuals who, regardless of age, gender, profession or personal style, are drawn to leopard print’s alluring presence. 



Émilie Régnier’sFrom Mobutu to Beyoncé is on view until June 4 at the Bronx Documentary Center. See our previous coverage of her work here.


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The 20 Funniest Tweets From Women This Week

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The ladies of Twitter never fail to brighten our days with their brilliant ― but succinct ― wisdom. Each week, HuffPost Women rounds up hilarious 140-character musings. For this week’s great tweets from women, scroll through the list below. Then visit our Funniest Tweets From Women page for our past collections.




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This Instagram Account Is Documenting Every Anti-Donald Trump Sticker In NYC

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These small stickers are being used to make a big political point.


Dozens of different anti-Donald Trump labels have appeared across New York City since his presidential election win in November 2016. And the man behind the Resist Trump account on Instagram is on a mission to document each and every one of them.


“They’re basically all over the place, anywhere you would normally see street art,” said the photographer, Tim Olmstead, via email this week. “Phone booths are surprisingly fertile ground, I’ve noticed.”



#resist #resisttrump #trump #trumpmemes

A post shared by Resist Trump (@resistrump) on




Olmstead, 32, said he was inspired to chronicle the often inconspicuous works of art after seeing the message “Fuck Trump” scrawled on New York City’s Manhattan Bridge.


“Since then I have just kept an eye out for it,” he said, revealing that he photographs the stickers as he walks around Manhattan and Brooklyn. He also occasionally features other forms of protest art on his account.


His favorite label is currently the above one with the word “NO” underneath an emblem depicting Trump’s coiffed hair. He prefers the pieces that make you think.



#resist #resisttrump #trump #trumpmemes

A post shared by Resist Trump (@resistrump) on




“I mean, the ones where people just write ‘Fuck Trump’ or ‘Trump sucks’ don’t exactly grab my attention the way, for instance, (Steve) Bannon puppeteering Trump does,” Olmstead said of the above image of the White House Chief Strategist in control of the president.


The underlying theme behind all the stickers he has photographed is “probably the same thing that inspired me to start taking the pictures,” he said. “It’s a way of dealing with and trying to make at least a little light out of a dark situation.”


Visit the account here, see more anti-Trump street art here and check out some of the other stickers below:



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Now You Can Learn 'Game Of Thrones' Fictional Language... For Real

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Even the most dedicated “Game of Thrones” fan probably isn’t fluent in Dorthraki or High Valyrian, the two fictional languages spoken in George R. R. Martin’s epic series. But that’s about to change.


The University of California at Berkeley is offering a summer class in the Dorthraki’s native tongue. And it’s led by Berkeley alum, linguist David J. Peterson, who created both languages for the critically acclaimed HBO show.


Titled “The Linguistics of Game of Thrones and the Art of Language Invention,” Peterson’s class will meet for four days a week during the May 22 - June 30 summer term, according to Berkeley News. 


The show’s seventh season is scheduled to return on July 16. And actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime Lannister on the show, confirmed this week that many of the leaks about the show’s upcoming season are real. 


“Every year, there are huge spoilers online where people find out real stuff and they will post it, and you go, ‘Oh my God, they just spoiled the whole season online!’ But then, because there’s 10,000 other spoilers out there, they’re not real. It just gets lost in the shuffle,” he told HuffPost. “So, it’s all out there by the way ... if you can find it.”

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What Photographers Of The LA Riots Really Saw Behind The Lens

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Few people in their right minds would have stayed outside the night the verdicts came down.


On April 29, 1992, a Los Angeles court found four police officers not guilty in the brutal beating of black motorist Rodney King. Within hours, the city was on fire, and it burned for days, becoming a defining moment for black resistance and the long, dark history of race in America.


Los Angeles was primed to erupt. The video of King’s beating compounded months of tension between the police and Angelenos — and it sparked a nationwide uproar about racial bias and police brutality that made the story of the riots much more complex than black versus white, looters versus shop owners, or police versus the people.


The Los Angeles Times won a Pulitzer for its coverage of the riots, and for good reason: The reporters and photographers it sent to cover them literally dodged bullets to offer a small window into the chaos.


Twenty-five years later, those journalists have plenty more to tell.


We interviewed three former and current LA Times photographers who braved those violent nights to bring back some of the images that defined a broken city.



Jesus, what did I just live through?
- Steve Dykes, former Los Angeles Times photographer


Kirk McKoy


The first few hours after the verdicts, Kirk McKoy almost died a few times.


McKoy, who is black, was standing near the intersection of Florence and Normandie ― which the LA Times dubbed “ground zero of the unrest” ― and he didn’t feel safe. While the rest of the world was watching white truck driver Reginald Denny get beaten by black men on TV, he was witnessing a free-for-all.


In fact, McKoy has a hard time labeling what he saw as a race riot, or civil disobedience, or an uprising. Within the first two hours, he says, he saw all three. It was “mayhem,” he said, and nobody was spared.


He saw a fellow photographer ― a white woman in “a very rough African-American” neighborhood, McKoy said ― lying bloodied on the ground after taking a rock to the head. He traded swings in a fistfight with two guys who were trying to steal his camera.


Then he gave up his first canister of film because a man holding a gun to his head didn’t like that he was taking photos of the looting.



McKoy described the experience to HuffPost:



A guy pulls out a .45 and puts it to my temple and says, “If you take my picture, I’ll blow your head off.”


He’s got the gun, he’s shaking it at me, and I’m saying, “I didn’t take your picture!” And he says, “Yeah you did, I oughta waste you right now!”


And at that point, I just opened up the back of the camera and gave him the film and said, “Here, whatever I just shot, take it.”


It wasn’t worth it. Wasn’t worth arguing with this guy over it. He pulled the film all the way out and went on about his business. At that point, I’m scared out of my mind, hands trembling. I’m trying to figure what I’m going to do.



When he was finally able to get his bearings, McKoy got ahold of his editors back at the office to tell them it wasn’t safe to send other photographers out there.



It’s hard to imagine keeping your wits about you when the city around you is on fire.


McKoy kept his cool and captured moments that helped define the lawlessness that overtook Los Angeles over the course of several days. But he admits that he made plenty of mistakes ― several on that first day:



At some point, around 11 o’clock at night, [Times photographer Mike Meadows and I] were both exhausted, figuring out what’s next ... we’re back on Florence and we’re sitting in the car, buildings are burning on both sides of us, and we stop for a traffic light.


We’re sitting there obeying traffic signals ― and buildings are burning on both sides of us, people are running around ― and we’re sitting there calmly trying to figure out where to go. And then some guy runs up and sticks a gun in the car [and tells] us, “You’re both about to die.”


We both duck, and Mike hits the accelerator with his hand and just shot through the intersection and hoped no one was in front of us. We were not about to wait to find out if that guy was serious.



Later, McKoy recalled standing in front of a crowd photographing some looters outside a store when someone pointed a gun at him and started firing in his direction. He hopped back in Meadows’ car and they got out of there.


“So that was my first day,” he said.



Hyungwon Kang


From the start, Hyungwon Kang was looking to capture context. He saw a inner-city Korean-American community that society had abandoned long before the riots started. And over those few days, he saw it standing on its last legs, getting the rug pulled out from under it.


“In real time, [Korean-Americans] had to decide whether to take this lying down or whether they were gonna stand up for their basic rights,” he said. “Not everybody survived that process.” 


Koreatown was an epicenter of looting and violence during the riots, and Korean-Americans owned many of the businesses in South Central Los Angeles. Some in L.A.’s black and Korean communities point to the case of Soon Ja Du, a Korean-American grocer who was sentenced to probation and community service for killing black teen Latasha Harlins in 1991, as a factor in the riots and a big reason Korean shops were targeted. Korean-owned businesses suffered half of the $1 billion total in damage across the city, and the people there had to fend for themselves when the looting began, Kang said.


They were standing up for their own survival. They were merely trying to protect what was rightfully their own,” he said. “For most immigrant businesses, all of your savings and assets are in the inventory of the stores, and most of those stores don’t have insurance. When their stores went up in flames, they lost life savings; they lost everything.”


Kang, who is Korean-American, captured that fear and upheaval in two sobering photos. The first, a photo of two men carrying pistols and defending shops, reveals how people were left to defend their livelihoods with no expectation that the cops or anyone else would come to help them.



In another photo, Kang captured the killing of 18-year-old Edward Song Lee. Lee was responding to calls over the radio asking for help protecting Koreatown businesses, Kang says, when the car he was riding in came under fire.


“In the absence of police protection, people were calling into Radio Korea asking, ‘Can someone come and help guard our store? We’re being broken into,’” he said. “Koreatown volunteers ― these college students, most without any guns ― went to provide protection to the shops. This group of four kids in one car was one of them. It was unfortunate that they got shot at on the way over there.”


Kang said he arrived to see Lee being pulled out of the car.



Twenty-five years later, Kang says the Korean-American community in Los Angeles is still struggling. Many immigrant families couldn’t get banks to bail them out after the riots; businesses and families were torn apart.


Kang said he hopes his photos tell the story of the “silent victims” of the riots and shed more light on racial conflict and violence that he says is often mischaracterized:



These immigrant families made great sacrifices to build what they have; to be able to educate their children in America, and they were victimized at the expense of the mainstream community turning this into a black vs. Asian fight. It was not. This was a mainstream issue that has been in American history for many generations.


The generations now are expressing that through Black Lives Matter and other movements ― and I hope they’ll study the LA riots and learn from them and the greater society’s mistakes, so we don’t repeat them.



Steve Dykes


The gravity of the story you’re working on doesn’t always hit you right away. All three of the photographers we spoke to noted that their training taught them to be cautious, but also obligated them to keep shooting.



Steve Dykes was driving alongside a fellow journalist with the Oregonian to shoot the Lakers/Trail Blazers playoff game, when the pair got their first taste of what was to come.


I looked in the rearview mirror and I could see two African-American men pointing to where my car was at a stop light,” Dykes said. “I went up over the grass near a library, between a telephone pole and a guideline, and got away. I never heard the gunshots but I found a bullet hole in the tailgate of my company car.”


He remembers looking up at the Lakers game and watching video of Reginald Denny getting beaten half to death. He remembers radioing his desk at the LA Times for assignments, and then realizing that the Times building itself was under siege. In particular, he remembers one of his best shots from the riots, because it was the one that humbled him.



When Dykes captured a photo of an officer collapsing as he chased a bloodied looter, he said he wasn’t thinking about the riots or the implications or the danger popping off all around him. He was in full photographer mode; he was thinking of his shot.


While you’re in it, you never really think about it,” he said. “I was thinking, ‘That picture, if it was on any other corner, the background would have been a burning building.’ It was a park fence. But I remember thinking, ‘If it was on any other corner, it would have been a more impactful photo.’”


But whatever switch kept his emotions at bay on the job eventually got flipped:



I remember driving home the second day and driving over the Hollywood freeway, and down past the Capitol Records Building, and the radio was playing a blurb of a Martin Luther King speech, and then right after, they played “Under The Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.


When I hear that song, it still gives me chills, because I was looking south and just remember seeing 20 fires at least, scattered everywhere … and then it was just like, “Jesus, what did I just live through?”



That moment still makes the hairs on his neck stand on end.


“I was going home to see my family, I mean, I was alive,” he said. “I remember thinking, ‘Well, shit, this will go down in history.’”


This article has been updated with information about the killing of Latasha Harlins.

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John Ridley's New Film Revisits The LA Riots At An 'Exceptionally Important' Time

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The Rodney King Riots” didn’t start with Rodney King, at least according to John Ridley’s new film “Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992.”


Written and directed by Ridley, the ABC News docu-flick includes both archival footage and original interviews with local LA residents and officials chronicling their experiences in what became an uprising in L.A. county on April 29, 1992.


It’s been 25 years since the 1992 acquittal of four police officers involved in the brutal beating of Rodney King, which sparked the week-long civil disturbance, injuring over 2,000, killed more than 50, and estimated over $1 billion in damages to buildings in the area. The film traces back a decade before the massive unrest and examines the deep-rooted effects of racial tensions in the city.


In an interview with HuffPost, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker said that it’s “exceptionally important” to showcase a methodical case study of the social-political issues that plagued Los Angeles in the 80s and early 90s, especially now.  



“We find ourselves in very similar circumstances. And it becomes more and more clearly every day that there’s systemic issues that are pervasive and continued in many cities and many places,” he said. “I do think it’s very important as well for people not to walk away from this documentary assuming that they have the answers for things that are happening in places like Ferguson or Baltimore, or elsewhere. All of these spaces and people deserve a very particular examination.”


“Obviously there’s similarities, obviously there’s systemic issues, but our solutions, our engagement really need to be tailored for each individual community,” he continued. “So I hope that in watching this film people will become more aware of issues, but within that I hope they have a renewed desire to engage their own communities and their own spaces individually.”


Beginning with the 1982 chokehold death of 20-year-old African-American James Mincey Jr., the film delves into the various policies instituted by former LAPD police chief Darrell Gates. During the length of his 14-year tenure as police chief, Gates was often criticized by black and Hispanic residents for his aggressive tactics to combating crime in Los Angeles. 



What we want to express to individuals is that this was not one moment, not one event, not one incident that happened to one person. This was something that built up over time."
John Ridley


Ridley’s film explores a direct correlation between the implementation of LAPD’s chokehold submission tactic, the violence birthed from the city’s crack-cocaine era and the militarization of the police force as contributing factors that eventually provoked the ‘92 riots.


“People may not see the connectivity, but when we line up these events, with the benefit of hindsight as a subject in the documentary says it’s like lining up dominoes and sometimes at some point you tip one and they’re all gonna fall,” Ridley said.


“And that goes to the title itself. What we want to express to individuals is that this was not one moment, not one event, not one incident that happened to one person. This was something that built up over time. It was a cascade effect. It was very important to see how these incidents seemingly unconnected were hyper connected,” he added.


Of course, Ridley’s film is just one of many events and projects ― including those by Spike Lee and John Singleton ― that are scheduled to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the acquittal.


And in addition to the 92-minute abbreviated ABC network broadcast of “Let It Fall,” the film has also received a bi-coastal theatrical release of a two and a half-hour extended version, making it ABC News’ first theatrical production and release.



While Ridley admits showcasing two versions of the project is “a storyteller’s dream,” he said each film will offer a uniquely personal and urgent perspective on the ’92 LA Riots. 


“This is really about creating a space where people can recollect with very personal memories, very personal experiences,” he said. “The rawness of their emotions across the board was really surprising. It’s 25 years later. It’s a quarter of the century, but so many of the individuals that shared their stories, we’re telling these stories as if these events had happened just yesterday.”


“So in that regard, I think that’s how we tried to differentiate ourselves,” he continued. “This is a very, very personalized narrative of these events from people who lived through them, were intimately involved in them, and have chosen to share them with us, and by extension share them with an audience.


“Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992” airs April 28 on ABC at 9pm/est.






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50 Of The Best Indie Bookstores In America

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“Indie Bookstores are Back,” The New York Times proclaimed early last year. “People Are Still Buying Books At Indie Bookstores,” Forbes announced a few months later, somewhat incredulously. A quick piece from The New York Post on the “indie-bookstore boomlet” this month seems to seal the deal: independent bookshops are definitely not dying. 


Those who tolled the death knell too early are probably just as happy as everyone else. No one wants to see a neighborhood bookshop suffer. Who can resist the pungent smell of old novels, the shadowy intimacy of packed aisles, or the incredibly satisfying feel of a heavy tote bag filled with staff picks? If anything, we’re buying more books than we can actually read, which is hardly a problem for the brick-and-mortar booksellers still threatened by behemoths like Amazon.


If the mere mention of book odor makes you want to sprint into the shop around the corner, your timing couldn’t be better. April 29 is Independent Bookstore Day, and in honor of the occasion, we asked people across the HuffPost newsroom to nominate a few stores they’ve grown to love over the years. After days of waxing poetic, we came up with a mega-list of incredible indie bookstores that are alive, well and deserving of your patronage on this most holy of literary holidays. 


Behold, 50 of the best indie bookstores in America:


1. John K. King Used & Rare Books (Detroit, Michigan)



”One of the most unique bookstores in the Midwest, John K. King is one of the hidden jewels of Detroit. The shelves are filled with books you can’t find anywhere else. The bookstore holds around 1 million books in stock.” ― Philip Lewis, Front Page Editor


Check out John K. King here.


2. Taylor Books (Charleston, West Virginia)



“Taylor Books is a beloved spot on a quaint street in West Virginia’s capital city that offers a good read, beautiful art, a solid cup of coffee and a quiet place to enjoy it all. Taylor doesn’t just have a great selection of books ― the store hosts live musicians, holds book signings with notable authors and even serves as a place for creative types, like creative writing and improv groups, to meet. I love that they make sure to feature authors, artists and publications based in and around West Virginia and work to promote other arts-related businesses in the community.” ― Paige Lavender, Senior Politics Editor


Check out Taylor Books here.


3. Literati (Ann Arbor, Michigan)



”A great bookstore for a great college town, Literati sits right in the middle of Ann Arbor’s downtown shopping district. It’s the perfect place to spend an hour ― or two or three ― browsing the staff recommendations, which are reliably excellent.” ― Jonathan Cohn, Senior National Correspondent


Check out Literati here.


4. The Strand (New York, New York)



“I worked at The Strand when I first moved to New York City and it truly embodies so much about what makes this global city so amazing. Not only have numerous influential creatives worked here at some point in their careers, but the space itself is a defining part of the history of New York City. The last remaining staple of the historic ‘Book Row’ ― a massive area of 48 different bookstores dating back to the late 1800s ― The Strand is now the second-biggest used bookstore in the entire country. Go get lost in the literal miles of books while you discover some of the rich history of the store itself.” ― James Michael Nichols, Deputy Queer Voices Editor


Check out the Strand here.


5. Left Bank Books (St. Louis, Missouri)



”When I was going to college in St. Louis, Left Bank Books was a short bike ride from my apartment. The shop has incredible new and used book selections, ingeniously themed reading groups, impressive author events, and just a generally inclusive vibe that makes it seem like a neighborhood spot for anyone and everyone.” ― Katherine Brooks, Senior Arts & Culture Editor


Check out Left Bank Books here.


6. Old Tampa Book Company (Tampa, Florida)



“Old Tampa Book Company is this little store in downtown that usually gets overlooked, but the second you step in it’s the best place you’ve ever been. All the shelves are filled to the brim and you can find so many out-of-print or unique editions of books. And the entire place just smells like books ― overwhelmingly so.” ― Doha Madani, Associate Trends Reporter


Check out Old Tampa Book Company here.


7. Women & Children First Bookstore (Chicago, Illinois)



”Women & Children First is the kind of indie bookstore that belies an easy, convenient characterization. Sure, it’s a feminist bookstore with a name eerily similar to a certain Portlandia sketch. But it’s not some caricature. This place has a real heart and cares about their neighborhood and city, hosting regular community events spotlighting both emerging local and established international names. And their handwritten book recommendations throughout the store have never led me astray. It’s the real deal.” ― Joseph Erbentraut, Senior Reporter


Check out Women & Children First here.


8. Dickson Street Bookshop (Fayetteville, Arkansas)



“Dickson Street Bookshop is located just a short, lovely walk from the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, so it’s a huge draw for college students and bibliophiles alike. Its towering, overstocked bookshelves wind in and out of rooms, almost as if they go on for miles. As an undergraduate, I needed a copy of Arthur Miller’s ‘Death Of A Salesman’ for a theater class I was taking that semester, and the shop owner knew exactly which room, which shelf and which precise stack of books was home to the one I needed, leading me right to it. I still have the tattered, out-of-print copy to this day.” ― Brittany Nims, RYOT Studio Editor


Check out Dickson Street Bookshop here.


9. Powell’s Books (Portland, Oregon)



“If there’s a list of great wonders of the literary world, Powell’s sits at the top. They call it ‘Powell City of Books’ for a reason ― it occupies a full city block and supposedly contains more than a million volumes.” ― Jonathan Cohn


Check out Powell’s here. 


10. Farley’s Bookshop (New Hope, Pennsylvania)



”Farley’s is nestled on the Delaware River in the historic and queer enclave of New Hope, Pennsylvania. There’s always an angelic cat that greets you (and every good independent bookstore should have that). It feels like a quintessential Americana place that could’ve easily been in a scene in ‘Hocus Pocus’ or something.” ― Melissa Radzimski, Social Media Editor


Check out Farley’s here.


11. The Book Barn (Niantic, Connecticut) 



“I never miss a chance to visit the Book Barn when I’m up in Connecticut. I could spend hours perusing the shop’s collection, which is actually spread out over four small locations in the coastal town of Niantic, which is worthy of exploring in its own right. Every visit is an adventure!” ― Curtis Wong, Senior Queer Voices Editor


Check out the Book Barn here.


12. The Last Bookstore (Los Angeles, California)



”Part bookstore, part art collective and sculpture, this shop has a solid selection of indie new stuff plus an extensive user collection that is worth checking out. A beautiful place.” ― Robb Monn, Head of Engineering


Check out the Last Bookstore.


13. Prairie Lights (Iowa City, Iowa)



”It’s everything you could want in a bookstore. A staff that knows their stuff? Check. A kids section that feels like a secret hideaway? Check. Coffee, cookies, and booze upstairs? Check. A secondhand books section so you can splurge? CHECK.” ― Chloe Angyal, Senior Front Page Editor


Check out Prairie Lights here.


14. The Children’s Bookstore (Baltimore, Maryland)



“This little bookstore is tucked away on a side street in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, and it’s so great. The staff is super knowledgeable, and they have a great selection of books for all different ages. Back when Harry Potter books were still coming out, The Children’s Bookstore would host a huge celebration leading up to the midnight release. They’d close off the street and have tons of activities for all of the dressed-up wizards and witches. You could get your book there at midnight, or they had a delivery service that would drop books off to the houses in the neighborhood (starting at midnight). It’s a great bookstore and community.” ― Hollis Miller, Associate Voices Social Editor


Check out the Children’s Bookstore here.


15. Elliott Bay Book Company (Seattle, Washington)



”I love reading staff recommendations, and this enormous bookstore had way more than I could skim in one visit. There’s a comfy coffee shop inside, so it’s the perfect zen stop, whether you’re working in the city or visiting from out of town. Grab a book, relax and people-watch.” ― Katherine Brooks


Check out Elliott Bay here.


16. Books Galore (Erie, Pennsylvania) 



“Independently owned and operated, I’ve frequented the place since I was a kid and continued to do so until I moved to Louisiana last year. When I was a kid, I liked going there every week to get my favorite comics. As I got older, they were a great resource for old books ― especially rare and hard-to-find books. They are great people and always friendly. They also do a lot of things for kids in the community, such as hosting games, having folks dress up as superheroes and hosting a free comic book day.” ― David Lohr, Senior Crime Reporter


Check out Books Galore here.


17. J. Michaels Books (Eugene, Oregon)



“A cozy and colorful fixture of one of Americas most colorful small cities. The owner is usually behind the counter, obscured by his curated selection of new releases. His arrangements never fail to compel even this most casual of bookworms to purchase. On your way out, take a peek at first editions and antique copies of many of Americas greatest writers. My wife and I once drove a Penguin Books–branded Mini Cooper across America, visiting indie bookshops all along the way. There is none quite like J Michaels.” ― Isaac Schmidt, Software Engineer


Check out J. Michaels here.


18. Westsider Rare & Used Books Inc. (New York, New York) 



“If there were a car air freshener called ‘Used Bookstore’ they would go to Westsider Rare & Used Books Inc.” ― Marc Janks, Multimedia Platforms Manager


Check out Westsider Rare & Used Books here.


19. The Iliad Bookshop (North Hollywood, California)



”Iliad Bookshop is a place you can get lost in ― and if you’re a book lover like me, you might suddenly discover that hours have elapsed while you were blissfully exploring that rabbit hole. They specialize in literature and the arts and have an impressive collection of rare books, in particular. If you somehow tire of the endless maze of books, you can take a break to play with the shop cats (yes, literal cats, not just cool people) or chat with the very friendly staff.” ― Antonia Blumberg, Religion Reporter


Check out the Iliad here.


20. The Montague Bookmill (Montague, Massachusetts)



“You know those bookstores where you can spend a whole afternoon? The Bookmill is like that, but more like days, or weeks ― I’d rent a room there if I could. The 1800s gristmill is home to thousands of used books, thoughtfully organized and sprawled out in room after room designed for wandering and hiding out among the shelves. If you somehow get bored of book buying, you can take a picturesque stroll by the Sawmill River or bring your finds to the Lady Killigrew Cafe, order a local beer and start reading.” ― Kate Abbey-Lambertz, National Reporter


Check out the Montague here.


21. Green Apple Books (San Francisco, California)



“Green Apple is the kind of bookstore that reminds you what an otherworldly escape reading is and makes you wonder why you spend so much time watching Netflix. It’s sizable but divided up into smaller rooms and alcoves you’ll want to hole up in for hours. It was named Publisher’s Weekly bookstore of the year in 2014, but it’s remained a humble neighborhood spot exactly as I remember it as a little kid growing up around the corner.” ― Lydia O’Connor, Reporter


Check out Green Apple here.


22. Maxwell’s House of Books (La Mesa, California)



“Maxwell’s has a lot of rare academic and scholarly titles as well as other hard-to-find titles. The owners are happy to engage in deep conversations about the books. It’s in a cozy neighborhood in a San Diego suburb and I feel like everyone is stopping by to say, ‘Hi.’” ― David Moye, Reporter


Check out Maxwell’s here.


23. Chamblin Book Mine (Jacksonville, Florida)



“I used to get lost in this place when I was a nerdy high school kid in Jacksonville. The aisles go on forever, and it’s basically impossible to leave empty-handed. It’s a great place to sell your old books, too. Highly recommended.” ― Kate Palmer, Lifestyle Editorial Director


Check out Chamblin Book Mine here.


24. Book Culture (New York, New York)



“This is everything a modern bookstore should be. It has something for everyone. Best Part: They have mystery books wrapped up so you can have a blind date with a book.” ― Marc Janks


Check out Book Culture here.


25. Books and Books (Coral Gables, Florida)



“Every author who’s done a tour knows about Books and Books, because it’s practically a South Florida institution. Worth visiting for the architecture alone, but it’s the reading that will keep you coming back.” ― Jonathan Cohn


Check out Books and Books here.


26. William Caxton Ltd Books (Ellison Bay, Wisconsin)



”This is one of the finest book stores I’ve ever been to, made even more incredible due to its location, completely off the beaten path on the Wisconsin peninsula. The owner is a retired professor and collector of rare books. This is a place you go to find books you’ve never seen before.” ― Andy McDonald, Comedy Editor


Check out William Caxton Ltd here.


27. Relay Bookhouse (Bethel, Connecticut) 



“It literally has tunnels of books from floor to ceiling — it’s like a maze. Books are piled up on the floor, you can hit dead ends and you can spend hours in it. I didn’t know bookstores like this still existed. Whenever I’m in the area I always stop in and walk around for a bit.” ― Samantha Tomaszewski, Associate Social Media Editor


Check out Relay here.


28. Inquiring Minds Bookstore (Saugerties, New York)



“In upstate New York, nestled in the quaint town of Saugerties, lies Inquiring Minds Bookstore. During a recent weekend stay in the area, I stumbled upon this cozy independent shop, filled to the brim with both new and used books. There’s a coffee shop inside, and you can get lost wandering around and browsing the journals, CDs and toys, which are also for sale. Inquiring Minds has a sister shop in New Paltz, New York.” ― Lauren Moraski, Entertainment Editorial Director


Check out Inquiring Minds here.


29. Skylight Books + Art Annex (Los Angeles, California)



”The most solid new bookstore for fiction and art books. Great staff picks and great staff. I’ve found many gems here that I’d never have known existed.” ― Rob Monn, Head of Engineering 


Check out Skylight here.


30. McNally Jackson (New York, New York)



“This is my favorite bookstore in the city ― it’s really well-organized and I love all of the recommendations from the staff. They also have a great magazine section, and they even have a little cafe where you can grab a coffee and read your newest purchase.” ― Hollis Miller, Voices Associate Social Media Editor


Check out McNally Jackson here.


31. Book Revue (Huntington, New York) 



“Growing up on Long Island surrounded by lacrosse bros and meatheads, Book Revue served as an oasis of art and literature. Big-name authors came to town for talks there. The 17,500-square-foot space is flanked by book shelves in nearly every possible space, a café with Korean candies and decent loose-leaf tea and a used book section where I bought my first W.H. Auden book for just $1. It’s always amazed me that, even as the record stores and other shops I loved folded, this place remained open. Thank God for that.” ― Alexander Kaufman, Business & Environment Reporter


“I usually force whichever family member I’m visiting on Long Island to make a stop at Book Revue, located in the picturesque, walkable downtown of Huntington. The store is expansive enough to easily kill an hour or two browsing, and they have a nice selection of inexpensive literary remainders — useful for anyone wishing to build up their classics library. With ample readings and events, they’re a good resource for the bookish who don’t want to travel all the way into Manhattan.” ― Jillian Capewell, Entertainment News Editor


Check out Book Revue here.


32. Little City Books (Hoboken, New Jersey)



”It’s a super-friendly atmosphere with welcoming staff, and carries a diverse range of novels and nonfiction. It’s also has a vast children’s section. It frequently holds readings and Q&As with authors and hosts a variety of book clubs focussing on different genres and writers.” ― Will Tooke, Producer


Check out Little City here.



33. Main Street Books (Saint Helena, California)





“Tucked between pricey boutiques and wine shops, this tiny gem of a bookstore was a saving grace for me growing up in a small Napa Valley town when I was too young to enjoy the tasting rooms and vineyard tours the region is famous for. I’d spend hours in this little shop (roughly the size of a small bedroom), picking up dozens of used novels (better for my babysitting-fund budget) while always eyeing the new titles with envy. I still make a point of dropping in when I’m home for a visit, particularly to check out the latest additions to the well-curated cooking section or ask for a recommendation. And if they don’t have a book in the shop, the owner will happily order it for you. I’ll forever be grateful for when she pre-ordered Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix for me and let me pick it up before the store opened for the day.” ― Mollie Reilly, Deputy Politics Editor


Check out Main Street here.


34. Prospero’s Bookstore (Kansas City, Missouri)





“As a high school kid in Overland Park, Kansas, Prospero’s was an oasis. Its basement smells like centuries-old book pulp ― it’s where I found one of the strangest used Cold War history books I’ve ever read and will never get rid of. On the main floor, you can find more precariously stacked books, plus work from students at the Kansas City Art Institute, or see performances from local musicians and poets. It’s much more than a bookstore, as it should be.” ― Katherine Brooks


Check out Prospero’s here.


35. Book Beat (Oak Park, Michigan)





“A short drive outside of Detroit, Book Beat was one of my favorite destinations as a kid. From the inconspicuous storefront ― they’re located in an outdated suburban strip mall ― you’d never guess that inside it’s warm and lively, with thousands of books are crammed into every inch of available space, stacked up to the ceiling. Friendly staff members are always happy to help you locate a title in the piles, or recommend a book you didn’t know you wanted. They carry a wide range of subjects, but their children’s book collection is truly unbeatable.” ― Kate Abbey-Lambertz


Check out Book Beat here.



36. Karma (Amagansett, New York)



”Karma (with locations in NYC and Amagansett) is both a gallery and a bookseller. They boast a beautiful collection of contemporary art books, many of which they publish themselves.” ― Willa Frej, Reporter


Check out Karma here.


37. Faulkner House Books (New Orleans, Louisiana)



”This teeny, tiny bookstore is housed in a building that was constructed in 1840. William Faulkner lived there in the early 20th century — hence the name — and wrote his first novel Soldiers Play. The space is as charming and mythic as any bookstore lover would hope, with low-slung chandeliers and books lining the walls, ‘Beauty and the Beast’-style. It has a great selection of New Orleans-centric books, from history to cookbooks, for people from out of town.” ― Priscilla Frank, Arts & Culture Writer


Check out Faulkner House here. 


38. Book Thug Nation (Brooklyn, New York)



“So intimate, so cozy and so friendly. I don’t know how they get by selling books for $2.50, but I try to always check out their selection first before I go anywhere else. And Book Thug gets new books every day, so there’s always something to discover.” ― Allison Fox, Lifestyle Trends Editor


Check out Book Thug Nation here.


39. Linden Tree Children’s Books (Los Altos, California)



”You won’t find the children’s books tucked away in a corner here. It’s the entire store. Linden Tree has a friendly and helpful staff, great selection and plenty of in-store events.” ― Ed Mazza, Reporter


Check out Linden Tree here.


40. Half Price Books (Dallas, Texas)



”Half Price Books might be a chain, but it’s family-owned, and, more importantly to some readers, it lives up to its name. Like any used bookstore, visiting comes with the wonder of discovery, a sensation absent from, say, shopping on Amazon. But the flagship store in Dallas is essentially a vast warehouse of books, and getting lost in its aisles is half the fun.” ― Maddie Crum, Books & Culture Writer


Check out Half Price Books here.


41. Haslam’s Book Store Inc (St. Petersburg, Florida)



“Finding refuge in stacks of books from the humidity of Florida and losing track of time was a common occurrence for me at Haslam’s, a massive new and used bookstore established in 1933. I’d take short vacations to St. Petersburg while studying in university to visit friends and wander through the expansive bookshelves, read excerpts on the back of book covers and then flip through pages upon pages of poetry, fiction, memoirs and essays. The science collection in Haslam’s is astounding, and this bookstore helped nurture my love of science out of the classroom. It has an unassuming facade but, as with most good bookstores, once you step inside you are transported into another place and time, lost in your own thoughts, to a place just waiting to be explored.” ― Madeline Wahl, Associate Editor


Check out Haslam’s here.


42. Book Woman (Austin, Texas) 



“In its annual collection of book review and book reviewer data, VIDA has shown that gender parity still hasn’t been achieved when it comes to literature. Women are less likely to get reviewed in several major outlets than men, and they’re less likely to win awards, too. Which is why the concept of the simply named BookWoman is so great. The store showcases women writers, and particularly women writers working in Austin — and it hosts intersectional reading events, too.” ― Maddie Crum


Check out Book Woman here.


43. Off the Beaten Path (Steamboat, Colorado)



”I’ve approached the staff at Off the Beaten Path with as little info as: ‘I’m looking for a really good book. Like, really, really good.’ And I always walk out with something I can’t put down and that I insist pretty much every friend and family member read. The people who work here are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about books and will keep pulling titles until they find something you’re excited to sit down with. They support local authors, and the ‘staff picks’ are the best way to find out about little-known writers and remember why you should go back and read the classics from high school. And the coffee ... OMG, amazing.” ― Eleanor Goldberg, Impact Editor


Check out Off the Beaten Path here.


44. Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (New York, New York)



“Housing Works, a smallish yet well-stocked two-story shop in Manhattan, is more than a bookstore. The organization takes seriously its role as an advocacy group for people with HIV/AIDS, and raises funds through events to that end. This alone makes it a worthwhile place to buy books, but the spot itself is charming, too, with winding stairways and high ceilings and timely author readings.” ― Maddie Crum


Check out Housing Works here.


45. Stone Soup Books (Camden, Maine)



“Stone Soup is a tiny used bookstore that sits at the top of a creaking staircase in an almost comically narrow building in Camden, Maine’s downtown area. Inside, it feels like the kind of place where the protagonist of a children’s movie would find a long-lost book that unlocked a portal to some sort of fairy tale world. It’s packed with books, most of them well-loved, extremely affordable paperbacks, lining every available inch of wall space and occupying numerous other shelves and piles throughout the store. Every time I’ve been there, one of the owners has been there behind the desk reading, and is exactly the kind of of older gentleman you’d hope to presiding over a charming secondhand bookstore.” ― Hilary Hanson, Reporter


Check out Stone Soup here.


46. Parnassus Books (Nashville, Tennessee)



“I stopped into Parnassus Books during a trip to Nashville a few years ago, and, like many of the city’s other small businesses I visited with friends, it felt like a place that really serves the local readers, both in terms of book recommendations and community space. Fun fact: The store is co-owned by author Ann Patchett.” ― Katherine Brooks


Check out Parnassus here.


47. Source Booksellers (Detroit, Michigan)



“Source Booksellers opened just a few years ago, but it’s thriving, with tons of readings and events ― probably because owner Janet Jones has been collecting and selling books since 1989. Her compact but extensively curated selection of nonfiction books ― with great titles on local subjects, history, culture, art and spirituality, are chosen with an eye toward educating people and enhancing their lives.” ― Kate Abbey-Lambertz


Check out Source Booksellers here.


48. 2nd Edition Books (Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina) 



“An independent bookstore in an airport? Yup. You’ll find 2nd Edition in the terminal at Raleigh-Durham International, past security near the gates. They sell only previously used books, but they have a wide selection (and many are barely used). They’ll even ship to your destination if you want.” ― Jonathon Cohn


Check out 2nd Edition here.


49. Books on the Square (Providence, Rhode Island)



"As a college student in Providence, I had the opportunity to explore some great local spots, and Books on the Square was a true highlight. Located in Wayland Square, it’s welcoming neighborhood shop with a cozy atmosphere and loyal customer base. The staff is very friendly and they often host events and speakers." -- Caroline Bologna, Parents Editor


Check out Books on the Square here. 


50. Politics & Prose (Washington, D.C.)



”No roundup of indie bookstores would be complete without mentioning Politics & Prose, the D.C. institution that, beyond selling books, hosts open mics, nerdy trivia, teach-ins and conversations with politicians, authors, filmmakers and more. When I first visited D.C., I knew enough to add this shop to my itinerary, squeezing it in between tourist spots. And it was worth it.” ― Katherine Brooks


Check out Politics & Prose here.


There are many other indie bookstores that we didn’t write about, but are excellent destinations you should probably check out. Including...



  • Myopic Books in Chicago, Illinois

  • Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

  • Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, Colorado

  • Bluestockings in New York, New York

  • City Lights Book in San Francisco, California


Share this post, tag us on Facebook, and we’ll add more indie bookstores to the bonus list!

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13 Comics About Life In Your Late 20s That Tell It Like It Is

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Teenage angst has nothing on “oh, crap, I’m almost 30 and I need to get my life together” angst. 


In her comics, Los Angeles-based illustrator Mo Welch depicts the struggle to “adult” and balance your work life with your personal life (or lack thereof): 



Me. #Blair #happystpattys

A post shared by Mo Welch (@momowelch) on




In an interview with HuffPost, Welch said she likes to explore how challenging it can be to follow your dreams while also knocking out traditional “adult” things, like buying a house or having kids.


“For instance, millennials are getting married later or not at all, having kids later or not at all, so we have the luxury of spending our time with ourselves ― but maybe luxury isn’t the right word considering I had cereal for dinner three nights in a row,” she joked. 




Check out more of Welch’s hilarious illustrations below and follow her on Instagram for new comics.



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