Topic: Arts & Literature

Oceanview Publishing announces the forthcoming release of Spirit Horses by Alan S. Evans. Spirit Horses will be available nationwide on April 1, 2009.

In Spirit Horses, author Alan S. Evans introduces Shane Carson. In the hills of Tennessee, Shane Carson, a gifted, nationally-recognized horseman, is living the good life with his wife and children by his side. When a mysterious mustang shows up on his farm, Shane doesn't know how - or why - the horse appeared, but the horse's distinctive brand identifies her. She is one of the Spirit Horses, a rare, wild herd that runs free on the Shoshone reservation in Wyoming. Watched over for centuries in the tribe's ancestral valleys, these exquisite horses, according to belief, provide a link to the afterlife.

Documentary "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson" takes an in-depth look at the writer who attempted to rewrite the book on journalism.

Hunter S. Thompson, the inventor and almost sole practitioner of Gonzo journalism, was a troubled soul. This does not surprise those of us who came of age in Haight-Ashbury, Berkeley, Toronto's Rochdale, New York's East Village or any of the other hippie ghettos of the 1960s . All of our leaders, all of our heroes, from Lennon to Hoffman to Leary, were troubled souls.

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Drawing of Hunter Thompson by Ralph Steadman, who illustrated many of Thompson's books. Steadman also appears in Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.

"The Dharma King" is a novel that ties a personal spiritual journey to the Tibetan crisis.

The dramatic landscapes of the Himalayas and Tibet have long made travelers' pulses pound, whether they were caught up in this year's Olympics in Beijing (and the accompanying Tibetan drama), dreaming of a high mountain trek, or fascinated by Buddhism's roots in the mysterious monasteries of the region.

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Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde announce the formation of their new Record Label, TBO Records Ltd., for the release of the concept anthology album "ARK-eology," their first new album in 25 years. Along with long time business associate and music industry veteran Bob Heinlein, TBO Records, the bob organization, was formed to market and distribute the recordings of Chad & Jeremy worldwide.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of their last album for Columbia Records, The Ark, Chad & Jeremy now release ARK-eology, a newly recorded tribute to their legendary classic albums The Ark and Of Cabbages And Kings, favorites long sought after by collectors and fans worldwide. Produced by Chad Stuart, the album is the 25th release of the duo, as they revisit eighteen of the most popular recordings from over a dozen worldwide LP releases in their impressive catalog. The new CD, available now, is the first in a series of new releases planned for the Chad & Jeremy catalog.

“Vampires in literature became familiar because they conveyed some broader meaning, not just because they were scary,” explained Peter Logan, associate professor of English at Temple University.

According to Peter Logan, an associate professor of English at Temple University, the popularity of the first fictional vampire, appearing in 1819, rested on its portrayal as a heartless, self-centered, ruthless aristocrat preying on middle-class people. English physician John Polidori based his story, Vampyre, on a published book of folk tales from Eastern Europe that was popular in England at the time. But the vampires in the legends were dirty, smelly zombies that looked a lot like Eastern Europe’s uneducated peasants from the previous century, whereas Polidori’s vampire was an aristocrat who circulated in the highest circles and had mysterious appeal, particularly for women, even though he secretly despised them and everyone else.

Artist Michael Cuffe releases painting that marks the significance of the Obama Presidency, his campaign, and America's quest for hope.

In the final days of Barack Obama's campaign for President, artist Michael Cuffe completed a painting that has received an overwhelming amount of attention from not only within the United States, but across the world. Obama's Hopeful Hearts Club is an inspired nod to The Beatles Sgt. Pepper album cover, updated with individuals who made the Obama campaign a success and other interesting, inquisitive modern day personalities. It has received attention from over 70 countries, the Obama campaign itself, and is currently featured on the artist's Obama art gallery website TheObamaExperiment.com.

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Michael Cuffe and Hopeful Hearts painting.

CD mixes elements of magical realism, myths, and archetypes into deeply personal confessionals , fusing folk, goth, soul, chamber rock and baroque into a truly eclectic sound.

Boston neo-cabaret band What Time Is It, Mr. Fox? plays with love, identity, sexuality, and alchemy on its latest CD, And Other Stories. The band has been a staple in the Boston underground cabaret scene since the early 2000's, sharing stages with bands like The Dresden Dolls, HUMANWINE (in which members of Mr. Fox moonlight) and in the seminal Boston Burlesque Association. On November 15th, the band will be joined by the high antics of Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band, the dark romantic Calycadenia and a quintet from the acclaimed string orchestra, A Far Cry. The night will also feature an animated short from award-winning film-maker Ruth Lingford, numerous special guest performers and various fiends in fox masks. The CD is available for sale at performances, CDBaby.com, eMusic.com and iTunes.

With the approach of Halloween, those seeking a scary thrill might want to watch the classic horror movie "Psycho" instead of modern gore-filled slasher movies.

When it comes to horror films, less gore is more, according to a cinematic studies expert at the University of New Hampshire. Delia Konzett, assistant professor of English at UNH, says although horror films are still very popular, many of her students tell her that today’s horror films have lost their edge because they show too much gore. Instead, students say they are more frightened when the scariest moments take place partially off-screen, leaving what happens to the viewer's imagination.

"The Goddess Prophecies" by Arthurian Scholar D.R. Whitney is picked up for film adaptation by Armand Mastroianni. The series has been compared to Harry Potter and "Lord of the Rings."

In an unprecedented move, filmmaker Armand Mastroianni has picked up the adaptation rights to author D.R. Whitney's new epic fantasy book series, The Goddess Prophecies. "I found it to be innovative in a genre that has had virtually every aspect of the literary fantasy world explored," states Mastroianni. "The book was immediately enthralling, creating a fascinating character involved in a captivating plot."

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Have Zombies Overtaken Vampires as America’s Darkling Darlings? Not exactly, but they could be the country’s monster crush du jour, says a Texas Tech University pop-culture guru.

Are zombies the new vampires?

Not exactly, but they could be the country’s monster crush du jour, says Texas Tech University pop-culture guru Rob Weiner.