‘Mutual Interest' carries echoes of Edith Wharton
In her introduction to 'The House of Mirth' (1905), Edith Wharton explained that she was determined to expose New York high society in the late 1800s as a 'hot-house of tradition and conventions.' Olivia Wolfgang-Smith, in her sharp and lively second novel, 'Mutual Interest,' is after much the same thing. The plot, though, turns on matters that Wharton would have blushed to consider.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Veterans Park event will mark US Army's 250th birthday
TUPELO – On Tuesday, June 3, attorney Jak Smith had an idea, and in the days that followed, he put fast action to it. In a week's time, Smith has planned a gathering to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States Army. All are invited to pay homage to the U.S. Army on Saturday, June 14, at Veterans Park. The party will begin at 9 a.m. "I figured I might not make the Army's 300th birthday," Smith said. "So, I decided I was going to do something for the 250th. We may have five people attend; we may have 50. But this is something I wanted to do." Here's what's on tap for Saturday morning's celebration: The Tupelo High School ROTC will be on hand for the posting of the colors; Sabrina Ganaway will sing the National Anthem; and a bagpipe player will provide music. Also, there will be a birthday cake. Speakers, all Army veterans, will include Bro. Chester Harrison, Col. Roger Johnson, Brigadier General Kelly Mims and Smith. "Chester Harrison is a pastor who married my wife and I on Lebanon Mountain in Prentiss County in 1993," Smith said. Harrison will give a benediction and share some of his own Army experiences. "He was a machine gunner who served on the front line in Vietnam," Smith said. Col. Roger Johnson is senior Army instructor of Tupelo High School's Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Circuit Court Judge Kelly Mims served in the Army National Guard 34 years and retired as a brigadier general. Smith, a 1970 graduate of West Point Military Academy, spent eight years in the Army in Colorado and in the 11th Cavalry in Europe as an artillery officer. He's more than a history buff; Smith can fire off dates and events from farther back than most can even remember. And he especially knows the U.S. Army, in which he proudly served. It was May 10, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia and delegates resolved to create an army that would represent not just New England, but all the British colonies in North America. "In June of that same year, George Washington was unanimously chosen as the commander-in-chief," Smith said. "Washington really set the tone for what the Army should be."
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Stephen A. Smith Names 2 Political Figures 'Trying To Coax' Him Into Presidential Run
Stephen A. Smith is once again teasing a potential run for the White House. The ESPN sports analyst was asked in an interview published Tuesday if he would rather win an Oscar or a presidential election, and while he firmly chose the trophy, Smith hasn't shut the door on politics — and said some people have already 'been trying to coax' him into running. 'I've had strategists reaching out to members of my team … so they could talk to me about it,' Smith told The Hollywood Reporter. 'Ro Khanna, I will give you that name, is a [progressive Democrat] representative out of California and has spoken publicly about me.' 'Steve Bannon on the right, which I'm not flattered by this, but he's throwing my name out there,' he continued, referring to the former Donald Trump adviser. 'It's not something I'm pursuing. I just signed a hefty new contract with ESPN. I'm not trying to give up my money. I'm a proud capitalist.' The clincher: 'But I keep my options open because you never know what would happen.' The sports analyst ultimately acknowledged that he isn't 'qualified to be a politician' and claimed he's never 'had any interest' in being one. He also said America's political duopoly can't even 'come together for a cup of coffee' and that this has to change. Smith has openly pondered a foray into politics before, and earned 2% of the vote in a recent McLaughlin & Associates poll asking 414 people to choose from a list of hypothetical Democratic candidates ahead of 2028 — only 1 percentage point behind Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats' 2024 vice presidential nominee. Even President Donald Trump publicly endorsed the idea of Smith entering the race. While Smith decried the poll results at the time as a sign of how 'pathetic' the Democratic Party is today, he said Tuesday there's 'nothing but chaos and deprivation in the streets of America' — and spoke like he might want to throw his hat in the ring to change that. 'I'm a moderate, and my objective would be trying to pull both sides closer to the center,' he said. 'Let's stop with the MAGA, right stuff. Let's stop with the progressive left. Let's start with everybody from the extremists on the right, to the AOCs and Jasmine Crocketts on the left.' While Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) are rarely described as 'extremists' by non-Republicans, Smith argued that the country must ensure 'that the interest of the majority is served instead of surrendering to the fringes.' He also slammed the Democratic Party as a whole, however, and said party members 'manipulate' primaries to ensure 'their candidate' gets nominated. Smith pointed to the 2016 primaries, which some pundits and politicians have said were 'rigged' to favor former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). An official announcement, if it were to come, seems to be a long way off, though Smith appears to be pondering politics. 'I don't mind having a big voice and ruffling feathers, because contrary to what most elected officials are accustomed to dealing with, the negativity and controversy and all of that stuff doesn't faze me one bit,' he told THR. 'I live with it every day of my career.' 'It's a walk in the park for me,' Smith continued, 'so I don't worry about it one bit.' 'Can We Swear Here?': Nicolle Wallace Drops F-Bomb On 'Colbert' Over Big Trump 2.0 Change 'Absolutely Despicable' Trump-Troops Rally Moment Sends Chill Down Critics' Spines John Bolton Calls Out Most 'Troubling' Aspect Of Trump's 'Performance Art' In LA
National Geographic
7 hours ago
- National Geographic
Telling the story of humanity's origins in Africa—this time, for kids
Smith surrounded by his original canvas paintings for The History of We. Photograph By Vanessa Crocini You've probably heard that we can all trace our roots back to Africa. It's a fact that most people learn about briefly in a history class or find out through 23andMe. Still, this shared origin story often feels like a blip in our consciousness compared to other time periods. It's a commonality we're willing to acknowledge but not always explore. Picture-book author and film illustrator Nikkolas Smith fills in this curiosity gap with his latest book, The History of We , which he both wrote and illustrated. The self-described 'artivist' has dedicated much of his career to rendering crucial moments and people in Black history through expressive paintings, from portraits of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor to a comic-book treatment of the Obamas. One of his most well-known projects is The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, the children's adaptation of the New York Times venture led by Nikole-Hannah Jones, which he illustrated. With The History of We, Smith continues this tradition of documenting Black history in a way that's accessible, honest, and completely mesmerizing. 'What does 'the beginning look like?'' Smith asks at the start of his new book. The answer he proposes is pretty fantastical, so much so that he reminds readers the story is 'not a fairy tale.' The book's timeline begins in 233,000 BCE, the date of some of the oldest human fossils found in Ethiopia , and ends with civilization's expansion out of Africa in 90,000 BCE. It depicts how modern humans learned to survive while creating music, language, architecture, and medicine—giving credit to Africa's inhabitants before they were supposedly 'discovered' by others. National Geographic spoke to Smith about researching and writing The History of We, a project he calls a 'monumental undertaking.' (Explore the birthplace of humankind) How did your experience illustrating The 1619 Project: Born on the Water influence your decision to write The History of We? Or did you have the idea previously? Both. It was definitely an eye-opener for me to be able to go back 400 years to the kingdom of Ndongo and Central West Africa and illustrate my ancestors. That was a dream project. Being a Black person, especially in America, there's a lot of gaps and historical information that we just don't have. But The History of We is the 'we all come from Africa' picture book I always wanted to do. I've always heard this growing up that we all come from Africa . It's something that has always been there in my mind, but The 1619 Project helped sparked that. Artist Nikkolas Smith in his home studio working on an interior painting from The History of We, this one depicting the first Modern Human musicians. Photograph By Vanessa Crocini What was it like to research this time period? Bulgaria's cultural capital On one hand, it was very tough to collect all the information. But at the same time, it was frustrating because it was so easy to get all of the information. There's so many books about the middle Paleolithic era and African migration patterns . I was finding documents about the Juniperus Phoenicia plant [used for ailments.] I also looked up facts from [paleontologist] Mary Leakey , who dedicated her life to this. She wrote the book, The Sediments of Time. Once I finished the book, my publisher told me it was going to be vetted by the Leakey family. And they gave the book their blessing. They also helped with pinpointing certain dates. (A mysterious human species may have been the first to bury their dead) Did researching and writing the book help you understand why this part of history is so often overlooked? It definitely deepens some theories. I feel like this book is what I call educational justice. When I was growing up—for reasons that I feel like are connected to systemic racism—there was really no mention of this 200,000-year gap of innovation, culture, and civilization. We would learn about the cradle of civilization in Mesopotamia that happened 10,000 years ago. But further back than that, there was a lot happening. So this book literally starts at the dawn of modern humanity , 233,000 years ago. There's tons of innovation around astronomy, medicine, and architecture that wasn't in the history books. Most likely, the reason for that is the fact that we were a society of Black people. Smith in his home studio adds finishing touches to the canvas for one of the paintings that makes up The History of We. Photograph By Vanessa Crocini How did you decide to approach this book as a painter? I was documenting the first artists from the Blombos Cave in South Africa and showing how they crushed ochre and rocks and mixed it with water and made their own paint and started to tell these visual stories on the walls. I felt like, what better time than now to create my first hand-painted picture book? I wanted to really have all of those emotions, those feelings of joy, fear, and exploration. I was literally throwing paint on the wall, on the canvas, using sticks and leaves, brushes, sponges, my hands, finger paint—whatever I could to really get that feeling onto the canvas. It was very experimental. (How a molar, jawbone and pinkie are rewriting human history) This book is great for children wanting to learn about history, but it also feels appropriate for adults. How did you find that balance? I consider my books to be picture books, not necessarily children's books. But they can be for any age. I did want to make it very poetic with some words that are bigger than some kids might be used to. I think when they have someone who can explain it to them and show them the visuals, it kind of sinks in. I hope that this book can be one of those moments where you can have a grown-up and a kid just bond over their family ancestry because it's literally the ancestry of everyone on Earth. This interview has been condensed and edited for brevity.
