What's New: Works in Progress

August 2007

I spent the last month or so working on Aretha Franklin research, Madonna, and I just started up reading about Tina Turner. I had planned on working on Diana Ross this summer, but apparently there is a well-reviewed (in the library press) biography that will be released later this month, so I swapped her out for Tina Turner. Luckily, she is one of those artists whose words we have; as with the Queen of Soul, Tina Turner has written an autobiography. One of the eerie things I have noticed while researching the lives of these women is some of them share one terrible thing in common: abusive partners. It's tragic.

I got Madonna's Truth or Dare a little bit late from the library ILL request, but I started watching it this morning. Man, she can be difficult. She admits to loving to take care of her dancers and those who work under her; she fancies herself no doubt in that role because, as she says, she wants to be mothered.

June 2007

Right now I am in the research trenches, trying to make up for lost time with the book I'm working on. This summer's agenda includes Janis Joplin, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and countless sidebars. I've got some fantastic assistance, research and otherwise, from two young women whose knowledge and ideas continue to surprise me.

For the latest in my freelance work, check out Frommer's--I write for them twice weekly, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the calendar. I'm hoping to get to Miami and the Dominican Republic sometime this summer, before school starts again.

May 2007

This month has been pure bedlam. Between the end of the semester at Lafayette, where I teach part-time, and all the activities that entails, I've had little time for anything else. I finished up working on Joni Mitchell, and was surprised to learn that she hasn't sold more records, considering the amount of influence she has had on nearly every singer-songwriter, male and/or female, since she first started putting out records over 30 years ago. I think her career has been one of the more interesting--she's completely uncompromising, dedicated to her vision, and has remained consistently innovative. In my research I came across this site--it's her site, but it's not run by her, per se. I was surprised to find that she had a web presence, because she has said in interviews that she does not use computers. Ditto email and cell phones.

April 2007