Blog No. 261: Michelle Obama, Architect Frank Gehry, Holiday Songs from the Whitt Brothers

Michelle Obama The Look, Winter Trees by William Carlos Williams, Holiday Songs Playlist by the Whitt Brothers on wrfr.org

Michelle Obama

How could I not write about Michelle Obama after hearing her interview with Jonathan Capehart on ms.now (formerly msnbc.com) a few days ago. Her new book The Look is out and although ostensibly about fashion--the clothes she has worn over the years and the evolution of her style, in reality it is much more than that. She digs below the surface to show how we present ourselves has deeper meaning.--the people who helped her along the way. But in reality it is much more than that. She digs below the surface to show how we present ourselves has deeper meaning--how we view ourselves and the cultural messages we give by our look.

It tells the behind the scenes stories of her most iconic looks and the thoughts and considerations behind how she chose to present herself over the years...as first lady, as a black woman, and as the first black woman in the role of first lady...

Poem by William Carlos Williams

Winter Trees
by William Carlos Williams (1883 –1963)

All the complicated details
of the attiring and
the disattiring are completed!
A liquid moon
moves gently among
the long branches.
Thus having prepared their buds
against a sure winter
the wise trees
stand sleeping in the cold.

Holiday Songs

Brothers Bill and Eddie Holm, The Liner Notes by the Whitt Brothers

My friends, brothers Eddie and Bill Holm, host a weekly radio show on a local community radio station in Rockland, Maine entitled Liner Notes with the Whitt Brothers (Dim and Half, as stated in their typical self-deprecating humor). They have been producing it for over three and a half years and I usually try and tune in when I am home on a Tuesday night. They both love music and have a huge library between them of favorite songs, musicians, and genres, playing a true eclectic mix of songs. This is the playlist they put together last week for the holidays and I enjoyed listening. Maybe you will too and it might get you into the holiday mood... Their two hour show is on wrfr.org every Tuesday night, 6-8pm, for the best in music and story...

And just because Christmas is a season that Jews often feel left out of, I have included two of my favorite
Chanukah songs:

Maoz-Tzur

"Sevivon

Painting of the Week

House im Snow, mixed media on canvas, 54” x 80” $8500

Charity of the Week:
ACLU

Book of the Week

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About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.