Fangirl

Sometime in the middle of Covid before vaccines when we were completely locked down, I became obsessed with watching videos of Sutton Foster. I’d heard of her in a far-off way—Broadway actress, Tony Award winner, on the show Bunheads. But I really didn’t know her work. Then a friend pointed me toward a 90th birthday tribute to the great Stephen Sondheim, whose plays I’d long adored, with performances by actors who had starred in them. And it was there I first heard Sutton Foster among the other Broadway legends, in her apartment against a plain curtain backdrop singing, from Anyone Can Whistle, “There Won’t Be Trumpets.” At the phrase, “The play isn’t over by a longshot yet,” I held my breath and almost stopped breathing. Sutton Foster’s voice—so pure and authentic–stilled me. By her interpretation of the first chorus, a slower and quieter lyric “There won’t be trumpets or bolts of fire,” I was a forever fan. Stephen Sondheim died this week. His genius lives on in his musicals and performances like this one by Sutton Foster. His legacy is eternal. PS: I recently discovered Foster is an adoptive mom to a daughter named Emily. I loved her before I knew that, but now I love her more. In case you haven’t seen this, watch her singing There Won’t Be Trumpets here. (Thank you for indulging me. It’s just that when I love something, I really really love it and want everyone else to love it too!) “There Won’t Be Trumpets” by Stephen Sondheim Performed by Tony Winner Sutton Foster – YouTube

Sumpango Kite Festival

I know I’ve posted videos before of the Giant Kite Festival in Sumpango, Guatemala for Day of the Dead. But witnessing it some years ago made such a huge impression on me: the beauty of the kites, the feeling of comradery among the builders, the gorgeous lush valley where the festival takes place. I set one of the scenes in my novel Mother Mother at the kite festival. The memory was so vivid I knew I had to incorporate it somehow. This video is narrated by one of the builders. I love the behind the scenes insights.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crxz9X_J8CQ And my post about attending the festival in 2014. xoxo