Summer is around the corner, and for many people the thought of traveling cross country in a motor home seems like an ideal vacation. Then there are those for whom a vacation is not enough: The lure of the open road inspires some to refurbish vintage Airstreams, camper vans, and even school buses into full-time residences. In the new book […]
Author: A Star-Revue Contributor
Dance to Your Own “Beet”: Dancers Unlimited Receives Funding to Discuss Food Topics Through Dance, by Erin DeGregorio
In mid-March, Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) announced that it would allocate over $1.32 million to 238 Brooklyn based-artists and cultural organizations through its 2022 Community Arts Grants and Creative Equations Fund. It marks the highest number of grantees and awardees, as well as the largest amount of funding, BAC has ever distributed. The council launched the fund last year to […]
Marie’s Craft Corner, by Marie Heuston
Turn empty tea boxes into miniature Easter baskets! The size and proportion of tea boxes make them perfect containers for small keepsakes or individual portions of sweets—like Easter candy. Follow these simple steps to create a tiny Easter basket that can be customized any way you like, from the color and decorations of the exterior to the types of candy […]
Prepare to See Plenty of Pink Petals at Green-Wood’s Hanami Festival, by Erin DeGregorio
Spring is finally here and in the air! And for beautiful, blooming cherry blossoms, look no further than Green-Wood. To kick off the spring season after a quiet, dormant winter and to honor the beauty of the spring season, the 478-acre cemetery and national historic landmark is hosting its second annual Hanami Festival on April 20. Hanami is Japanese for […]
Book Review: The Art of Alice and Martin Provensen , by Marie Hueston
You might know the whimsical artwork of Alice and Martin Provensen without even realizing it. The husband-and-wife illustration team created more than 40 children’s books in a career that spanned the mid- to late-20th century. Some of their earliest works are classics from the Little Golden Books series, such as 1949’s The Color Kittens written by Margaret Wise Brown (one […]
Marie’s Craft Corner | Recycle take-out chopsticks into picture frames.
If you’re like me, you have a drawer in your kitchen where you stash things like take-out chopsticks because it seems wasteful to throw them away. Here’s an easy craft idea to transform those chopsticks into picture frames for children’s artwork, photos, postcards, or whatever you’d like to display. What you’ll need: To make the frames, all you’ll need is […]
Press Pass NYC’s Pilot Program Launches in a Handful of High Schools, by Erin DiGregorio
More students will be introduced to journalism during high school, thanks to Lara Bergen, former children’s book editor and founder and interim director of Press Pass NYC. The idea came to Bergen five years ago when she was teaching English at Louis D. Brandeis High School, which at the time did not have a school paper. “I didn’t know how […]
George and Brian’s Sandwich Odyssey, by George Fiala and Brian Abate
What happened was we decided to find five places in the neighborhood, actually four in the neighborhood and one outside the neighborhood… Brian: but not too far away – George: and check out their sandwiches. This was at lunchtime on different days, and each of us had half the sandwich. The idea was to go to these places and ask […]
Things to Look Forward To: 52 Large and Small Joys for Today and Every Day by Sophie Blackall
By her own admission, Brooklyn-based author and illustrator Sophie Blackall is an optimist, someone who is able to see the silver lining in just about any cloud. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and even the most glass-half-full among us felt the strain. “When things seemed especially grim, I began posting a list of Things to Look Forward To on Instagram, […]
New Risha Gorig film to be featured at Jalopy on March 24
Risha Gorig’s new movie will be premiering at Jalopy Theater this month. The Red Hook filmmaker describes her newest project as “A dark and powerful tale of the passing of existence. The fallen angels watching from another world and beyond watching human suffering and brutality. Their presence and touch are not felt.” Risha continues: “An immediate cult classic poetic and […]