tara is represented by DNA model management.
she appears editorially for the january 2010 issue of flare canada.
im not into the wet look but the accessories are incredible.
photographic credit to max abadian.

imagesource |  tfs

So I’ve been busy getting some writing done but not for the novel. Unfortunately I decided to put the novel on hold for now as I’ve had some other writing opportunities present themselves. Immediate paying writing opportunities with a deadline next month. So I’ve flipped the script a bit. I’m still working to churn out 50k words (which is the spirit of the competition) but it’ll be for my writing endeavors.

In other news, I just signed a contract and one of my stories will be featured in an anthology tentatively scheduled to be released next Spring.

More details to follow as they develop.

I’ve been busy doing administrative writing stuff with submissions, contracts and whatnot. Between that and the day job I’m staying busy. Handling my business, but busy just the same.

I’ve also decided that in December I’m taking a much needed break. I’m getting burned out. I’m going to do nothing but watch DVDs, play video games, blog, and I’ll write when I feel inspired. Come January, it’s a whole new ball-game but for now I need a much-needed break.

Don’t worry I’ll continue to update here. ;D

tanya dziahileva is represented by elite model management.
photographic credit to marcus ohlsson.
styling by claudia scholtan.

imagesource | tfs

I’m pleased to announce my next book will appear in Fall 2010 with ECW Press. It’s a book of aphorisms, which you don’t see too often these days, but they’ve been building up for a few years and the response to them at readings and such has been great. At some point I’ll post some here as a sample.

katie fogarty is represented by next models ny.
she appears editorially for issue no. 4 of tush magazine.
i love the almost battery acid dripped look of the edit images.
photographic credit for this spread to txema yeste.

imagesource | tfs

the 2010 covers are coming out, im so fuckn juiced.
lily cole is represented by the marilyn agency, paris.
she appears on the cover of canadian elle, as seen above.
stay tuned for the rest of the upcoming 2010 issues.

imagesource | tfs

Même si je triche.
Je ne savais pas trop dans quel sens écrire cet article (les résultats du concours arriveront ce soir)
Allais-je revenir sur tout ce qui s’est passé ici depuis deux ans, les bons passages comme les mauvais (bizarrement je ne me souviens quasiment que des mauvais) ?
Allais-je réussir à trouver le moment-clé où j’ai trouvé le bon équilibre entre vie privée (distillée de plus en plus entre les lignes), vie culturelle et travail littéraire ?
Allais-je donner des chiffres ? Moyenne de visiteurs à 30 par jour, des fois beaucoup plus, rarement beaucoup moins. Articles les plus lus : Twilight et, un temps, The Lost Room.
Cela fait presque dix ans que je tiens un blog et je suis passée par toutes les étapes : vie privée étalée plus ou moins au public (blogs ouverts à un moment où il y avait vraiment peu de lecteurs, puis blogs fermés), textes publiés pour être lu avec des succès très mitigés parce que le surfeur du net est, par définition, zappeur et paresseux… Je me rappelle avoir découvert les premiers frissons d’un “vrai” blog, un blog tel que je l’entendais, ici, en décortiquant la construction des Bracelets d’Emeraude, mon grand projet steam-punk. Là je tenais quelque chose : tenter d’expliquer à mes lecteurs anonymes toute les difficultés que j’éprouvais à créer une nouvelle histoire sans me mettre tout de suite à l’écrire.
D’ailleurs c’est à partir de là que je pense avoir eu mes premiers commentateurs “non amis”, des vrais lecteurs virtuels, inconnus à mes yeux mais que je ne désespère pas de rencontrer un jour.
C’est peut-être ce que m’a apporté ce blog, au final : des gens. Les personnes qui ne sont pas familières du monde virtuel ont souvent du mal à voir ce qu’une rencontre sur le net peut apporter une fois qu’on commence à se connaître et, surtout, une fois que l’ont s’est rencontré “en vrai”.
Ca va un pe udans tous les sens mais finalement, comment fêter cet anniversaire ?
Peut-être tout simplement en montrant où j’en suis, aujourd’hui.

Déjà là :

Petit souvenir de Convention, à relire à chaque fois que je déprime, et que je compte bien remplir de tous ceux qui n’étaient pas là et de tous ceux qui étaient déjà partis.

Ensuite, je serai bien en dédicaces avec Hydromel au Salon du Livre de Lunéville ce dimanche 29 novembre. Je suis super excitée et comme je sais déjà que je vais vouloir renouveler l’expérience, il va falloir recommencer à bosser plus sérieusement et plus longuement sur mes textes.

Mes perles angéliques sont parues au milieu d’autres plus belles les unes que les autres ! Cela fait quelques semaines maintenant mais je n’avais pas vu passer le message ! Donc vous pouvez télécharger le document pdf sur le site du collectif Hydrae. J’en profite pour faire un peu de pub à deux auteurs du recueil, Marie-Anne Cleden (que vous pouvez aussi retrouver dans l’anthologie Hydromel) et Maëlig Duval qui, en plus d’être immensément douées, sont deux grenouilles des plus adorables ^o^

Je pense qu’en matière d’anniversaire, ça le fait assez bien non ?

Spotted at Gucci Life.

The other day I received a call for entries for a typographic competition involving three-dimensional experimental letterforms. UK-based Flat 33 is looking for surprising and inventive ways to interpret the alphabet, ranging from beautiful and humorous to poetic, witty and conceptual for their upcoming book: ABC Dimensional (working title).

DEADLINE: Wednesday, 6th January 2010

Background on Project: (from website)

The ongoing fascination with three-dimensional letterforms – found, arranged and/or created from unique materials and then exhibited and/or photographed to be ‘flattened’ for two-dimensional print – is as ‘now’ in contemporary typographic design as it appears to be timeless. Graphic design students and professionals alike create an endless stream of variants of a similar theme with the alphabet and its 26 letters (plus a few numbers and signs here and there) at the centre of attention. An amazing amount of innovative, playful and inspirational projects are continuously being produced by emerging and established talents from around the world and the latest book by FL@33 – provisionally entitled ABC Dimensional – will document the best of the best.

To get full project description, go to stereohype’s page.

Typography is one of my favorite things about design – and lately it’s been Arabic calligraphy. I’m a major type geek. I’ve already forwarded the competition to a few of my type-obsessed friends, and I might send something too if I have time. I’ll post what I come up with..

The following bit of dialogue was part of a conversation (political debate?) I overheard recently at a local diner. The brief fragment that I caught, while standing and waiting for my lunch buddy to show up, involved the recent publication of a very popular book by an unsuccessful candidate for high office. My friend arrived and we were seated several booths away from the young couple in question, but as we ate I could still hear their voices, now coming through as only a soft rumble. From the tone I surmised that the Young Woman continued to dominate, as she had in the snippet that I had earlier overheard. Here it is:

Young Man: What I can’t understand is why the press gives that jerk so much attention.

Young Woman: Well, let’s say that Katie Couric and all those other news hounds  had ignored her — how would you have known that she’s a jerk?

Copyright © 2009 Jim Sizemore.

This is a double spread layout that  I created for the University project, we had to interview Illustrator/artist Oliver Jeffers and then create an article about him and publication design layout. I looked at some of his books and tried to find a simmilar type that he uses, I noticed that he likes to use quite a lot of blue colour in his paintings , so the paint marks on the page kind of goes well with his illustrations. The whole idea of the layout was to come across between Book, Art, and illustration.  The spray paint gives that  art kind of look, the  typewriter font creates the old vintage,hand made book effect, and the logo ‘Oliver Jeffers’ at the top has illustrative feel to it. Tell me what you think. X

oliver jeffers layout

Women bear the disproportionate burden of climate change, but have so far been largely overlooked in the debate about how to address problems of rising seas, droughts, melting glaciers and extreme weather, concludes The State of World Population 2009, released today by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

“Poor women in poor countries are among the hardest hit by climate change, even though they contributed the least to it,” says UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid.

The poor are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and the majority of the 1.5 billion people living on $1 a day or less are women. The poor are more likely to depend on agriculture for a living and therefore risk going hungry or losing their livelihoods when droughts strike, rains become unpredictable and hurricanes move with unprecedented force. The poor tend to live in marginal areas, vulnerable to floods, rising seas and storms.

The report draws attention to populations in low-lying coastal areas that are vulnerable to climate change and calls on governments to plan ahead to strengthen risk reduction, preparedness and management of disasters and address the potential displacement of people.

Research cited in the report shows that women are more likely than men to die in natural disasters — including those related to extreme weather — with this gap most pronounced where incomes are low and status differences between men and women are high.

The State of World Population 2009 argues that the international community’s fight against climate change is more likely to be successful if policies, programmes and treaties take into account the needs, rights and potential of women.

The report shows that investments that empower women and girls — particularly education and health — bolster economic development and reduce poverty and have a beneficial impact on climate. Girls with more education, for example, tend to have smaller and healthier families as adults. Women with access to reproductive health services, including family planning, have lower fertility rates that contribute to slower growth in greenhouse-gas emissions in the long run.

“With the possibility of a climate catastrophe on the horizon, we cannot afford to relegate the world’s 3.4 billion women and girls to the role of victim,” Ms. Obaid says. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to have 3.4 billion agents for change?”

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect. http://www.unfpa.org

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/women-central-to-efforts-to-deal-with-climate-change-says-new-unfpa-report-70362017.html

ji-hyun jeong is the female model seen in this edit. in my continued effort to bring fourth industry & fashion details; i was not able to find which agency in which she is represented. she appears editorially for the december issue of numéro korea shot by jono. in cases like this, i wait until the information i have gets combed out & is finalized before it appears before you all- but in this case, i cannot hold these images. i love the styling from head to toe, pink hair & all. in a dream, this is what fashion is & even greater is the fact that this is real life. the lighting & soft focus set these pages on fire. should i ever get the opportunity to be photographed editorially, this is how i’d like to be shot.

jacob is represented by ford model managment.
he appears editorially for the japanese mens style publication, huge.
outfitted completely in givenchy’s autumn/fall collection, its all perfect.
very minimal, very chic- very much everything i love about style.
the way things are presented editorially is almost obsessively clean.
photographic credit for this spread to satoshi saikusa.
styling executed by tsuyoshi noguchi.

imagesource | tfs

erin is represented by tess model management, london.
she appeas on the cover of the december issue of korean harper’s bazaar.
encased in plastic, the issue supports children’s charities, internationally & i love the effect.
photographic cover credit to jeon seunghwan.

imagesource | tfs

The Lost Dog Wash Trailhead project is located in Scottsdale Arizona and featured in this months Green Source  publication. It’s rare that this much attention is put into public restrooms but it’s proof that everything should be thoughtfully considered and well designed. 

Building Section

“Located at the heart of this seven-acre site, the Trailhead Gateway Structure totals 4,000 square feet and includes public restrooms, composting operations, and maintenance facilities, as well as covered seating and a sunrise viewing area. Nearby lies the Desert Amphitheater and the Equestrian Staging Area, while separate parking areas serve hiking and horseback riding trails. The design of the site and outlying structures accommodate guest lectures and field-based classrooms, along with providing opportunities for bird watching, picnicking, and guided interpretive hikes so participants can learn about local history.”-G.S.

Check out the slideshow for more great images!

Even though, it is my personal opinion that Rob got the short end of the stick on his new umm… title via People Magazine.  In this month’s special issue, you can read that he was awarded in The Vampire Awards with “Best Hair” in the “Sexist Man Alive” publication.

Better luck next time, Rob, hmm?  You don’t need no stinkin’ magazine to let you know you’re sexy!  HA!  Like you even care, right?! LOL

Source.

Special Thanks:  RP Life

Oh, God.. not that picture.. of allll pictures, we are reminded of this one again… Yeah, you know the one I’m talking about.

Source.

I checked my calendar, ladies & YES!  It is STILL Robvember, indeed it is.

Check out these lovely new outtakes of Rob from his Vanity Fair magazine.  Thank you, VF, my new best friend LOL  Keep the outtakes coming, my friend! LOL

Source.

Special Thanks:  RP Life

This is a little behind the times, but I sat down and made notes. And damned if they aren’t going to be referenced!

Issue 2 of The Doom Seeker came out a couple of weeks ago, so most likely nothing I have to say will be anything fantastically new or timely. But, the purview of this blog is to cover all Warhammer that I come across, so here we go.

With most webzines it is around issue 2 that you can start to get a feel for where it is headed. Issue 1 is always the introduction. The staff are so full of ideas and energy and that translates into the issue. Issue 2 is where some of the shine has worn off, and everyone involved has discovered that the hard work just starts all over again. Conversely, issue 3 is about where half the contributors jump ship.

So how is the Doom Seeker looking?

Honestly, from the outset, it is looking very unfocused. Where the first issue had a definite flavour and audience, this issue seems a lot more general. Which is disappointing. The internet at large provides the ‘general’ Warhammer vibe, while the webzines allow a more succinct look at a specific area. So in regards to the overall content of the issue it is very disappointing.

This isn’t helped by the fact that the Doom Seeker never really seems to say who exactly this is targeted at. I wasn’t sure if the first issue was directed at Slayer armies, Storm of Chaos armies as a whole, or Mercenaries. This issue just adds to my confusion.

Thats not to say the content is bad. The articles are easy to read, if a little bland, and there is a good selection of them. It does, however, have an air of desperation about it. Like many of the articles are not fully formed concepts or just not entirely finished. Which is a shame.

The design has improved from last issue, but only marginally. The clipart is way down, but the use of colour is still off. There are also some very ordinary illustrations. Given the popularity of the Warhammer setting for amateur illustrators it shouldn’t be that hard to pull in some original works. And for the love of all that is sacred, ditch the half page adverts. The digital medium basically demands full page promotions, and it just makes your articles look a lot better.

A special mention goes to the editorial piece, too. It reads like a glorified forum post. And that isn’t a good thing. While the points raised are all valid, the tone it uses is just all wrong. It reads like a thirteen year olds whine, rather than an impassioned call to action.

The overall verdict for this issue isn’t good. Download it if you are a staunch supporter of the Warhammer community, especially the creators of webzines. Otherwise this has nothing of real value to offer the general reader. And that isn’t easy for me to say, but it’s better the creators of the Doom Seeker know the problems now rather than later. This way they can correct this issue now and bring out a better product for us.

At least, that’s the idea.

rachel is represented by women management, paris.
you may recognize her from the SS09 diesel ad campaign.
taking it a few years back, you may remember her from the FW06 D&G campaign.
the cover shot styling is so over the top with texture. fuxwidit!

imagesource | tfs

what yo’ name iz? daul kim, han hye yeon & eugenia mandzhieva

daul kim was shot editorially for the latest issue of korean vogue. due to her tragic death last week, this is some of her last work. im not sure of how much work was shot prior to her death or if her agency will choose to run the last bit of work she managed to get under her belt. editorials like this are a constant reminder that even amidst the depths of beauty, sadness can still alive. images shot by tyen. daul kim was represented by next models ny. continually, she is recognized for her contribution to the modeling industries avenue for asian female models. an incredible loss as daul was very much a trendsetter.

imagesource | tfs

Vient de paraître, un collectif dirigé par Jocelyne Cesari, Muslims in the West after 9/11. Religion, Politics and Law. Routledge, 2009 (264 p., ISBN: 978-0-415-77655-4).
1: Overview: Muslims in Europe and the US
- Securitization of Islam in Europe, Jocelyne Cesari
- Muslims in America, Jane Smith
2: Anti-Terrorism and International Constraints
- The War on Terror and the Muslims in the West, Mahmood Monshipouri
- Bush’s Political Fundamentalism and the “War” against Militant Islam: The US-European Divide, Dirk Nabers
- The Liberal Roots of the American Empire, Michael C. Desch
3: Influence of International Constraints on Politics, Law and Religion in the West
- Welcoming Muslims into the Nation: Tolerance Politics and Integration in Germany, Frank Peter
- Shari’a and the Future of Secular Europe, Jocelyne Cesari
- American Muslims at the Dawn of the 21st Century: Hope and Pessimism in the Drive for Civic and Political Inclusion, Louise Cainkar
- The Concept of the Muslim Enemy in the Public Discourse, Reim Spielhaus and Yasemin Schooman
- Islamic Radicalism in Europe, Farhad Khosrokhavar

BBC News – Climate ‘is a major cause’ of conflict in Africa. Interesting findings