Category Archives: New Utopia

A visit to one of the franchises traditional allegory-filled worlds holds a mirror up to the real one.

Strange New Worlds continues to spin the roulette wheel of classic Star Trek tropes. The pretty smile with an ulterior motive. The idyllic community with a dark secret. The devious foes who turn out to be an offshoot of the good guys society. This new series deploys these concepts with aplomb, but like so much in this inaugural season, they are certainly familiar to longtime fans.

The fun begins when the Enterprise helps rescue a shuttle under attack in the Majalah system and Captain Pike (Anson Mount) is drawn into a local conflict and reunited with an old flame. Her name is Alora (Lindy Booth), and shes the Malajan Minister, tasked with ferrying along her peoples chosen one, a child dubbed the First Servant (Ian Ho), as he waits his Day of Ascension.

The Majalans are a very private people, declining to join the Federation and trying to handle threats on the First Servants life internally. But that doesnt stop Pike and Alora from making goo-goo eyes at one another. Nor does it prevent the childs father, Elder Gamal (Huse Madhavji) from curtly availing himself of the ships sick bay. Its all a sound setup, albeit nothing especially novel for Star Trek.

Yet, its the late-breaking twist in the narrative (another trope deployed by the original series and its successors) that distinguishes Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach. The story takes its time to reach the punchline, and not every scene and set piece the show offers in the meantime is worthwhile. But by the end, the seasons sixth episode leaves the audience with plenty to reflect on and mull over, which is what fans should demand from Star Trek in all its forms.

Before that though, you need mystery, romance, hope, fancy tech and, of course, senior officers giving their subordinates the business! That last part is the most undercooked of the episode, but still enjoyable.

Cadet Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) is on her security rotation and must survive the infamous training routine of Lt. Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong). Theres a steady enough mini-arc at play: from Uhura struggling with her superiors demanding rules, over-performing on difficult tasks, earning the right to present her findings to the captain, and ultimately gaining Laans approval when she demonstrates how shes taken her mentors lessons to heart. But the connective tissue between these beats isnt particularly strong, and the story thread serves more of a mechanical purpose to the plot than something that firmly speaks to either character.

The other subplot focuses on Dr. MBenga (Babs Olusanmokun) and his hidden daughter, Rukiya (Sage Arrindell). Lift Us picks up from the glancing introduction to MBengas sympathetic secret in the shows third episode. Rukiya drops hints to her father about feeling trapped by having to stay in the transporters pattern buffer to prevent her illness from advancing. Dr. MBenga himself puts up a good front, but is clearly pained at only having these intermittent-at-best moments with his child. Their scenes together sell the hardship of the arrangement in a way Ghosts of Illyria, an episode already filled to the brim with story, really couldnt .

But Lift Us raises the subplot anew because the Majalans have remarkable medical technology. Seeing Elder Gamal heal maladies using quantum mechanics and other science-as-magic, MBenga is naturally inspired to wonder whether these techniques could halt his daughters illness. The closed-rank Majalans dont share their technology with outsiders, but in the end Gamal relents, providing his counterpart with the first steps toward a cure, as the two men commiserate over trying to protect their children.

Theres merit to that personal shift in beliefs and the mercy that results. But the episode doesnt really show Dr. MBenga so much as arguing strenuously for the need here, given the secrecy of his situation. Nor does it depict him privately wrestling with the prospect or bouncing it off a confidante like Number One (Rebecca Romijn). Worse still, given Gamals role in the A-story, the episode plays his true motives close to the vest until the end, so theres not much of a before and after with him either.

Strange New Worlds continues to spin the roulette wheel of classic Star Trek tropes.

The love of a parent for their child doesnt need much development to be believable. Commiseration and camaraderie between fathers trying to save their children is an easy thing to sell. But despite the clear stakes and opportunity for salvation the Majalan technology provides, this subplot also feels underbaked and incomplete.

But the main plot is solid, even if it spends too much time spinning its wheels before diving into the thrust of the story. Despite needing to bend a few Majalan norms in the process, Pike tries to help Alora and her people protect the First Servant and uncover whos trying to kidnap him. That mystery fuels the episode well enough, and provides an excuse for Alora and Pike to flirt, swoon, and make good on the romantic feelings they didnt explore the last time they crossed paths.

The trajectory here is no surprise. The two lovebirds get the vapors the moment they reunite. And any Trekkie worth their salt vampire will suspect that the old flame who suddenly returns probably wont be sticking around, particularly when they hail from a closed-off community rife with cryptic hints that somethings amiss. But Mount and Booth have fun chemistry together, and SNW harnesses Pikes knowledge of his own grim fate to add meaning when Alora invites him to stay with her permanently on Majalah. Her offer represents the possibility of averting his bleak destiny, or at least making the most of the limited time he has.

The problems that the nuts and bolts of the mystery Pike tries to unravel are less than outstanding. The action sequences are choppy and border on nonsensical in places. Standard clichs suggest the Majalans arent so noble and their enemies arent so dastardly long before the episode acknowledges it. And the why behind the attempts to steal the First Servant and what he means to the Majalan people take too long to unveil.

But once they do, its a doozy. It turns out that Majalans power their whole society, an idyllic paradise floating above a lake of fire, using the neural network of a childs mind. The precocious kid designated as the First Servant who bonds with Mr. Spock (Ethan Peck) and MBengas daughter while aboard the Enterprise is expected to give his life to preserve his people. The mantra of the Majalans Science, Service, Sacrifice takes on a chilling new meaning when that last word comes into focus via a sinister light. And the resistance leaders pursuing the child come from what turns out to be a hardscrabble nearby colony of former Majalans with moral objections. They are, in fact, trying to save the child, with the help of Gamal, rather than let him be used as fuel for an opulent societys splendor.

The mechanics of it all are a little silly. It requires one of those standard, TOS-style We use a machine our founders constructed long ago to support this implausible setup thats mainly allegorical explanations. But the impact of the reveal abides. Even if the ultimate twist is predictable, even if the truth turns Pikes stomach, the speech Alora offers in response to his revulsion outlines the piercing metaphor at the center of this story.

She challenges Pike. The Majalan minister admits that their methods may seem harsh to outsiders. To the same end, the audience can and should reasonably question whether a minor, even a precocious one, can willingly consent to such a sacrifice, regardless of what may be gained from it. Lift Us practically invites viewers to recoil at the barbarism dressed in ritual and spiritual celebration that powers the Majalan way of life.

But Alora makes a fair point to her shocked beau can he fairly say that no children suffer for the Federations blessings? Maybe he could, depending on how closely Star Trek is hewing to Gene Roddenberrys doctrinaire view of utopia this week. Nevertheless, we cant, and thats the point.

Its easy to look on in horror as a ten-year-old child is fed into a machine that keeps his civilization thriving. But its harder to acknowledge the young boys and girls no older than the First Servant, working in sweatshops to sew our clothes and build our electronics. Its tougher to reckon with the kids in cages punished for wanting to avail themselves of American security and opportunity. Its more painful to face the fact that some children get to grow up watching Star Trek and dreaming of a wondrous future while others die of preventable diseases.

It takes too long for Lift Us to get there, but that final speech is a gut punch and elevates the episode. Aloras point resonates. What her people do seems wrong, savage, and horrifying. But what our society does to maintain its standard of living is no better, only more indirect. The Majalans bear witness to their sacrifice, honor the service and memory of the child who provides for their largesse. Our comfort and luxury is born on the backs of young people whose suffering is no less. And yet, too many of us, your humble critic sadly included, do little more than look away.

Link:

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds & the morals of a world resigned to suffering - The Spool

TW: Child abuse, suicide, murder, sexual assault.

Netflixs latest true crime, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, has brought to light one of the most terrifying cults of recent years. Using religion as an excuse for his own sick desires, Warren Jeffs abused children, controlled women and organised child sexual exploitation among his friends.

Many people have called the documentary traumatising but if you think you can stomach it, here are five other cults you need to read up on after finishing Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey.

Also known as The Peoples Temple, this genuinely tragic story began with a conman called Jim Jones.

Jones originally started out as a harmless Methodist minister, with dreams of starting a diverse, socialist commune. As his following began to grow, the leader started to suffer paranoia and delusions of grandeur. He truly believed a nuclear strike on the US could happen at any point, so he moved his home, family and entire sect to a bit of land in Guyana which he named Jonestown.

While based in Guyana, Jones became increasingly addicted to several different drugs. He was constantly scared he was losing his grip on the group, so turned to manipulation and abuse tactics in order to maintain his position as leader. The once-beautiful utopia quickly began to crumble at his feet, as sexual and physical abuse started to become the norm for his congregation.

In November 1978, a journalist investigating Jonestown was shot and killed by Jones himself. Fearing the US military would raid the commune and put an end to his power, Jim Jones instructed all 909 men, women and children to commit revolutionary suicide. Tragically, they did exactly as they were told.

Jones laced cups of Flavour Aid (commonly misreported as Kool-Aid) with cyanide a highly toxic substance. Various members of the cult drank it down, while most were forcibly injected. Jones later shot himself. This was, and still is, the largest loss of American life outside of natural disasters, terrorist attacks and war. And while it used to be thought of as a mass-suicide, we now know it to be a mass-murder.

Charles Manson radicalised a number of women most from middle-class backgrounds to join his family, also known as a commune or cult. Together, the Mansons murdered seven people, including actor Sharon Tate.

Manson was caught in 1970, and his was the longest murder trial in US history, lasting nine-and-a-half months. He was initially sentenced to death, but this was changed in 1977 to a life imprisonment. He died on 19th November 2017.

Youve probably never heard of this cult by name but youll almost definitely know about the Waco Siege of 1993.

The Branch Davidians were lead by David Koresh an expelled member of the Southern Baptist Church. Hed been thrown out for attempting to convince his pastor that God wanted Koresh to take his daughter for a wife. Stranded, he decided instead to join the Branch Davidians a new religion cult based in Waco, Texas. He changed his name from Vernon Wayne Howell to David Koresh, and became leader in 1983.

Just like Warren Jeffs in Keep Sweet, Koresh allegedly physically and sexually abused a number of children within his congregation, as well as marrying several of them. Authorities began investigating Koresh for his crimes in 1992, just one year before Waco.

Government agents, Texas police and the US military began searching the Waco ranch with a warrant on 28th February 1993. This caused a gunfight between everyone involved, resulting in the killings of four officials and six Branch Davidians. The authorities failures led to a 51-day siege which ended in the FBI attacking the ranch, attempting to gas the Davidians out.

David Koreshs Waco ranch blew up in flames killing 76 Branch Davidians. Two pregnant women, 25 children and Koresh himself each died at the scene.

Sources dispute the actual cause of the fire some say it was the gas itself, others say Davidians secretly started it in a counter-attack.

Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles known to their followers as Ti and Do started a cult based on the idea that its followers could transform themselves into immortal aliens. Originally, they believed theyd manage to get to heaven alive, on a spaceship. But after Nettles died from liver cancer in 1985, they changed their minds.

Followers of Heavens Gate were then told the body was just a container for the soul, and theyd ascend to new levels of immortality after death.

In 1997, Applewhite recorded an hour-long video called Dos Final Exit, in which he detailed the groups plans to commit mass-suicide. They truly thought their souls would be taken straight to heaven on a UFO.

Sadly, 39 members of Heavens Gate were found dead in March 1997, including Marshall Applewhite. The BBC was among those who received Applewhites suicide note as Louis Theroux had actually pitched an episode of Weird Weekends surrounding the cult.

David Berg also known as King David and Father David founded the Family International in 1968. This cult allegedly runs on child sexual exploitation, promoting free love between people regardless of age. Rose McGowan and the Phoenix family (including River and Joaquin) were brought up in the cult, and subsequently escaped.

Former member Verity Watt told BBC News: It actively encouraged sexual activities among minors as young as two or three years old.

The cult is still going today, but David Berg died on 1st October 1994.

Featured image via 7News/60 Minutes Australia/ABC before edits.

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Five horrifying cults to read up on after you finish Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey - The Tab

From fantastical childrens books to heart-rending memoirs, take a look at whats new this week

Fiction

1. Vladimir by Julia May Jonas is published in hardback by Picador, priced 14.99 (ebook 12.99). Available now

Vladimir is an interesting take on the #MeToo movement told not from the perspective of the survivor or victim, but from someone else. Our narrator is an English professor at a small college in New England, who despite having an open relationship and knowing about the affairs is grappling with her husband coming under investigation for historic relationships with students. Things become even more complicated when a new, young professor joins the college, and the unnamed narrator becomes increasingly obsessed with him. While the book initially feels edgy and nuanced, by the end, it veers into melodrama which somewhat takes away from the realism, and it ultimately feels like Jonas hasnt quite decided what she wants the books message to be. While its an interesting, readable and prescient take on issues society is still dealing with, it perhaps couldve done with a lighter touch and a clearer vision.7/10(Review by Prudence Wade)

2. Ungrateful by Angela Chadwick is published in hardback by Dialogue Books, priced 18.99 (ebook 7.99). Available now

Ungrateful tells the story of Cat, a woman who missed out on university as a teenager, and now, in a relationship that is comfortable but unfulfilling, finds herself trying to make up for lost time. This is a book that tries to be many things a tale of second chances, relationships and a social commentary. At times it feels bogged down in unnecessary detail. Cat is a complicated, flawed and interesting protagonist, but some of the secondary characters could do with further exploration. While the reader feels for the plight of some, such as Cats alcoholic mother Bernice and her colleague Laura, there is a sense of wanting to know more about their backstories. The novel is readable, but unlikely to stay in the readers mind after it is finished.6/10(Review by Alison Kershaw)

3. The Men by Sandra Newman is published in hardback by Granta Books, priced 14.99 (ebook 14.99). Available now

Feminist science fiction has long been gripped by the concept of a utopian society without men. Sandra Newmans latest novel, The Men, explores just that. When all of the men suddenly and inexplicably vanish from the face of the earth, a new society emerges, and is unnervingly enthralled by an evolving series of video clips that show the men acting peculiarly in a strange alternate world. Focused on the harrowing, intertwining past and present of Jane Pearson and Evangelyne Moreau, Newman ambitiously delves into disturbing themes of racism, sexual assault, police violence, and coercive control. Yet her wonderful prose is let down by a meandering narrative that seems lost in its own confusion. Jane and Evangelyne arent especially likeable, and the purported feminist utopia is thwarted by female violence against trans men and a morally questionable emerging political entity. Add to that a mind-bending conclusion, and youre left wondering whether you should feel offended, terrified, or beguiled.5/10(Review by Rebecca Wilcock)

Non-fiction

4. Black Sheep: A Story Of Rural Racism, Identity And Hope by Sabrina Pace-Humphreys is published in hardback by Quercus, priced 16.99 (ebook 9.99). Available June 9

From growing up feeling out of place in a small town, to becoming pregnant as a teen, battling bigots and running ultramarathons, Sabrina Pace-Humphreyss anti-racist manifesto is deeply personal. A blend of storytelling and direction, Pace-Humphreys shares the darkest lows of her life and the incredible ambition she had to push through them, overcoming her circumstances in a world that tried to marginalise her while also clearing the way for other black women along the way. This is a brilliant exploration of what it means to be mixed-race in Britain, and how our trauma shapes us. Although sometimes overcrowded, and often too fast-paced, it is an excellent non-fiction debut.8/10(Review by Imy Brighty-Potts)

Childrens book of the week

5. Escape To The River Sea by Emma Carroll is published in hardback by Macmillan Childrens Books, priced 12.99(ebook 7.49). Available June 9

Escaping the Nazis before the Second World War was never going to be enough adventure for Rosa Sweetman. Living in an English stately home with a group of other evacuees, she craves fresh excitement and she gets rather more than she bargained for when she comes across the Nazis again, this time in the South American jungle. Escape To The River Sea weaves together the hopes and fears of a young girl, giving a fascinating insight into the life of the indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest and the deadly world of international espionage. It takes the reader on a colourful and thrill-packed journey, as Rosa and her young friends battle to thwart the bad guys. The book pays fitting homage to the late Eva Ibbotson, whose own work and life inspired this story.8/10(Review by Roddy Brooks)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING JUNE 4

HARDBACK (FICTION)1. Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus2. The Murders At Fleat House by Lucinda Riley3. Lion by Conn Iggulden4. Book Of Night by Holly Black5. With A Mind To Kill by Anthony Horowitz6. Elektra by Jennifer Saint7. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart8. One Of The Girls by Lucy Clarke9. Bad Actors by Mick Herron10. People Person by Candice Carty-Williams(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)1. Hope by Tom Parker2. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith3. Good Pop, Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker4. House Arrest by Alan Bennett5. Russia by Antony Beevor6. The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight7. Buried by Alice Roberts8. Lilibet by A.N. Wilson9. Life Time by Russell Foster10. The Queen: 70 Glorious Years(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)1. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith2. Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus3. From The Oasthouse by Alan Partridge4. I Dont Take Requests by Tony Marnoch & Michael Hennegan5. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman6. Sparring Partners by John Grisham7. With A Mind To Kill by Anthony Horowitz8. Atomic Habits by James Clear9. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman10. The Couple At No. 9 by Claire Douglas(Compiled by Audible)

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5 new books to read this week - NewsChain

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Deane transforms The Iliad in this masterful retelling starring Achilles as a trans woman. The novel opens with Achilles on the island Skyros, which provides sanctuary to trans women like her. She has no intention of joining Odysseus and fighting in the Trojan War, but when Athena, her mother, appears to her in a dream bidding her to accompany Odysseus and join the Trojan War, and in exchange grants Achilles her most ardent hope for her body to be a womans Achilles changes her mind. In Troy, she reunites with Patroklos and his Egyptian wife, Meryapi, and the three become fast friends. A bloody war plays out while, behind the scenes, Achilles grapples with dismantling masculine-based hierarchies. Meanwhile, the vengeful, bloodthirsty gods watch, greedy for the kind of entertainment war brings. This is a bold, necessary retelling, brilliantly imagined.

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This delightful mix of fantasy and science fiction set among the classical violin scene revolves around three main characters. Famed violin teacher Shizuka Satomi, known as the Queen of Hell in the violin world, made a pact with the devil to deliver seven souls. Once she has, she'll be able to perform her music once more. She's already delivered six souls and is struggling to find her seventh. Katrina Nguyen, whose most cherished possession is her violin, flees her home because her abusive family doesn't accept her as a trans woman. She has no safe place to escape to. Lan Tran, an alien starship captain, fled an intergalactic war with her family across space and landed in a donut shop which they bought and now run. When these three characters meet, they form their own found family, but with the devil knocking, their relationships and their lives are in peril.

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Written in brief excerpts, My Volcano is an absurd and moving examination of peoples reactions when the unexpected happens. A volcano suddenly appearing in Central Park and growing over the next two weeks to a massive size sparks a series of surreal occurrences worldwide. A giant insect consumes a woman in Russia, but no one notices. An 8-year-old boy is transported from the present to Tenochtitlan before the arrival of Cortez. A white trans man in New Jersey attempts to write a utopia set on another planet while the giant volcano looms nearby. Buildings sprout animal legs, and dreams become haunted. These stories unfold and build to a bigger narrative of the present.

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This mind-blowing collection of six dystopian short stories grapples with a future of surveillance, racism, and police states from the lens of queer people of color. Despite the dystopian setting, the queer characters demonstrate ways of being and viewing the world that focuses on community building and freedom of expression, suggesting a possible utopian future, a utopia briefly glimpsed in the closing story. Unsurprisingly, music plays a big part in community building, with an underground music scene providing safe spaces for queer folk and people of color, much like in Mones albums. Its a stunning collection of short stories written with a group of collaborators that include award-winning authors and sociologists.

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The Tensorate series combines all four of Neon Yangs expertly crafted silkpunk novellas. In this world, children decide their gender and, until they make a decision, use they/them pronouns. The first two novellas follow twins Mokoya and Akeha. As children, their mother, the Protector, sold them to the Grand Monastery, where they are raised. While there, Mokoya who decides shes female discovers a talent for prophecy, while Akeha who decides hes male learns to read people and their political maneuvering. Fed up with his mother, Akeha leaves the monastery and joins the rebels, but in doing so he leaves his sister behind. Meanwhile, Mokoya, disturbed by how her prophecies never seem to affect the future, abandons her husband and the monastery in search of the naga that killed her child. The last two novellas focus on political threats to the Protectorate. Also watch out for Yangs forthcoming space opera The Genesis of Misery, which releases in September.

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This trans vampire romance is super charming. Trans male vampire Sol has the perfect job as an archivist. He sifts through the artifacts of peoples lives in a windowless basement, secretly living there at night without his employers knowledge. When fan writer and organizer Elsie walks in wanting to donate her deceased wifes papers, Sol immediately falls for her. However, their budding romance is anything but easy as Sol tries to navigate blood lust, anti-trans discrimination, finding a new home, and a mystery thats destroying the archives. Its a weird but delightful read, and I especially enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Dani Martineck.

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This super-fun space opera features numerous LGBTQ+ characters in a queer normative future. Max Carmichael (who is asexual) has just joined the crew of Zumas Ghost, a ship in the Near-Earth Orbital Guard. With the annual boarding games coming up, the crew needs to be in tiptop shape and ready to work together as a team, but Max throws a wrench in their plans. At first nervous about joining the tight-knit crew, Max soon develops a rapport with everyone on board. When it becomes clear someone is targeting the crew of Zumas Ghost and wants them dead, the crew moves to investigate. They discover a far-reaching plot that puts Max and many more at risk. Also check out the second book in this series, Hold Fast Through the Fire.

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This lovely and surreal metanarrative novella is like nothing else Ive ever read. The city Ora uses a living network called the Gleaming to maintain peace. Anima (who uses /r pronouns) is an extrasensory, nonbinary human who can plug into the Gleaming to watch its inhabitants and its borders. When a mysterious visitor with a trunk arrives, Animas equilibrium is disrupted. Within the trunk are various seemingly mundane objects, and as Anima explores the stories behind each object, begins to question r part of the Gleaming and to wonder if maybe wants something more.

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Jebi is a nonbinary artist hired by the Ministry of Armour to paint magical sigils onto masks for the conquering government's automata. Jebi doesnt consider themself political, but after befriending a pacifist dragon automata, Jebi decides theyll do whatever it takes to keep the dragon from becoming a weapon of war used to kill and subdue their people. Unfortunately, Jebi discovers that sometimes you have to choose a side. Rich in character development, this inventive stand-alone fantasy is a beautiful look at art and pacifism in a time of war.

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Ivy Gamble is perfectly happy, thank you very much. She has her own place, albeit empty, and a 14-year career as a P.I. that barely sustains her drinking habit. Shes also a liar who lies as much to herself as to others. Sure, shes not magical like her estranged twin sister Tabitha, a professor at Osthorne Academy for Young Mages, but that doesnt make her any less important. The two havent spoken to one another in years. All of that changes when a murder at the Academy brings Ivy to the school to investigate. Her investigation to uncover the murderer forces Ivy to confront her real feelings about magic and her sister. This is a super-fun fantasy mystery set in the contemporary world with many queer characters.

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Callender sets their first adult novel in a dark and vivid fictional world based on the colonization and enslavement of the Caribbean islands and their peoples. Sigourney Rose is the child of one of her islands noble-born conquerors who practice magic and one of the enslaved women. After her entire family is murdered, she devotes herself to planning her revenge. When the childless king invites all the nobles to attend to him so he can choose an heir, Sigourney leaps at the chance to attend and possibly avenge her familys death. King of the Rising is the second and final book in the duology. Callender has won numerous awards for their fiction, including a Stonewall Book Award and a Lambda Literary Award.

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In an alternative, contemporary Britain, war has left the magical community in shambles. Her Majesty's Royal Coven (HMRC), once the primary magical force protecting the monarchy and country, is now far weaker than it once was. Friends Helena, Leonie, Niamh, and Elle once happily joined HMRC and pledged to protect the Queen and Britain's government, but now the friends have split and gone their separate ways. Helena still very much believes in rejuvenating the HMRC and seeing it reach its former glory. Meanwhile, Elle is a housewife, Niamh a magical veterinarian, and Leonie the leader of a new coven dedicated to welcoming witches from marginalized backgrounds. Conflict erupts between the friends and covens when a powerful teen warlock is discovered in an orphanage, and everyone has differing ideas on how to deal with him. This intriguing first book in a series grapples with some of the problems in modern feminism and its lack of intersectionality and rejection of trans women.

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Dimos Horacki, a 23-year-old queer Borolian journalist, is sent to write a report on a Borolian general on the front after the Empire declares war on a new group of supposed savages called the Hron. None of the soldiers like him much, which is fair because he doesnt like them either. When Hron rebels kill the general and capture Dimos, he at first fears for his life. However, the longer he stays with the Hron, the more problematic the Borolian Empire seems. The anti-capitalist Hron have built a realm based on utopian principles, but, as Dimos tells the villages as he travels through them, that doesnt protect them from the Borolian. This utopian fantasy reminiscent of Ursula K. Le Guin is a thought-provoking read.

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In this queernormative Persian-inspired world, nonbinary healer Firuz must keep their past as a blood magic practitioner secret from everyone in their new home in the Free Democratic City-State of Qilwa. Despite needing to keep such an essential part of themself secret, they enjoy the safety their new home in Qilwa provides as well as their work with the healer Kofi. When a young and powerful blood-magic user Afsoneh arrives at the clinic, Firuz agrees to train her in blood magic secretly and adopts her into their home where they live with their son. Firuzs secret is threatened when he and Kofi discover a new illness that appears to be caused by inept blood magic. This lovely character-driven novella gently explores weighty themes of identity, colonialism, refugee status, illness, and more.

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This slow-burn romantic fantasy with a heavy dose of political intrigue is rich in world-building and emotional angst. Prince Kadou of Arasht has always had anxiety and panic attacks, and this leaves him often feeling shy and awkward at court, where his sister is queen. After his sister gives birth, Kadou vows to help with the infant and to take more responsibility in court. However, when an altercation with his sisters husband leaves several bodyguards dead, he loses his sisters trust. His new bodyguard, Evemer Hokadem, clearly dislikes Kadou and considers him cowardly. When someone breaks into one of the kingdoms guilds, Kadou decides to investigate in the hope of winning back his sisters trust. He brings along his new bodyguard, and the two discover a plot that could destroy both queen and kingdom. Rowland sets A Taste of Gold and Iron in a queernormative fantasy world.

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In all their fiction from the fascinating Birdverse world, Lemberg centers marginalized identities: queer, trans, neurodiverse, elderly, and more The Unbalancing is Lembergs first novel-length book to take place in the Birdverse. Its a poetic and magical Atlantis-esque novel and a perfect introduction to the Birdverse. The Star of the Tides brings magic to the islands of Gelle-Geu, but the star is dying. New starkeeper Ranra Kekeri maps the increasing tremors on the islands with worry and knows she must be the one to unravel why the Star of the Tides is dying, and how much time is left. Nonbinary poet and recluse Ergra Liln can spin a poem from a sliver of an idea. When their ancestor bids them to become a starkeeper, theyre forced to leave behind their preferred quiet and join Ranra in her quest to save the islands.

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This YA postapocalyptic novel depicts queer perseverance and hope in the face of overwhelming odds. Years ago, a cult called the Angels cleansed the Earth by creating a virus that wiped out most of the Earths population. This became known as the Flood. The Angels raise trans boy Benji Woodside, now 16 years old, as the viruss perfect host, turning him into a bioweapon. Benji manages to escape the cults experimentation and abuse and joins a group of queer teens at the Acheson LGBTQ+ Center in their rebellion against the Angels. Meanwhile, the cults virus begins to eat away at his body, transforming him into a monster. Its a powerful read.

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This innovative YA science fiction integrates figures from Chinese history into a futuristic, feminist plot. Eighteen-year-old Zetian based on Empress Regnant Wu, the only woman ever to rule China (during the Tang dynasty) plans to avenge her sisters death. She volunteers to become the concubine-pilot to the man who killed her sister in the hopes of assassinating him. Pilots defend Huaxia from aliens by using giant robots called Chrysalises. Psychic energy powers these robots. Male pilots channel the concubine woman pilots psychic energy to battle the aliens, and sometimes those women pilots die in the process. However, when Zetian goes into battle as the subservient woman pilot, she drains the male pilots psychic energy. She emerges from the Chrysalis as the Iron Widow, a woman who can suck the psychic powers of men and steer the Chrysalis herself. Officials try to force her into compliance by pairing her with the strongest male pilot, but Zetian refuses to be a tool for any man.

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Every 10 years, the Sunbearer Trials are held in Reino del Sol. Ten semidises compete in magical trials, with the winner bringing light to the temples of Reino del Sol and the looser sacrificing themselves to help power the sun and keep the cruel Obsidian gods at bay. Teo a 17-year-old trans semidis and son of Quetzal, the goddess of birds has no expectations of being chosen for the trials. Instead, he worries about Sol choosing his talented friends to compete in the trials. Teo is a mere Jade semidis, after all, and Sol always chooses from the Golds. However, this year, Sol chooses two non-Gold semidises to compete: Teo and 13-year-old Xio. Now Teo finds himself competing for his life in a game he never expected to be a part of. This first book in a new Mexican-inspired YA fantasy series from the author of The Cemetary Boys is such a fun, super-queer read.

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This sapphic dark academia is full of twists, romance, unreliable characters, nods to classic literature, and all the gothic feels. After Felicity Morrow's girlfriend died in a tragic accident, she took a year off from school for therapy. Now she's back at the prestigious all-girls Dalloway School, living in her old room in Godwin House. Godwin House has a history of witches and murder, and before the accident, Felicity was obsessed with that history and dabbled in witchcraft. Now she's sworn off all of that, but when the attractive teenage prodigy Ellis Haley moves into Godwin House to write a novel about the houses history and the witches who died there, Felicity finds herself drawn back into the dark magic she swore she'd never do again. I listened to this on audio, and it was excellently narrated by Lindsey Dorcus. As a Southerner, I especially appreciated her Southern accent for Ellis Haley's character, which wasn't too over the top.

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Sideways Pike is a classic high school goth. Shes a self-proclaimed witch and lesbian whos always clad in black and on permanent outsider status at school. When the three most popular girls in school invite her to spell cast at their party for $40, she takes them up on their offer and to Sideways surprise, the girls befriend her. Together, the four form a patriarchy-busting coven that gets into tons of trouble. This YA fantasy is a snarky, witchy, queer blast. The second book in the series, The Scratch Daughters, releases in October.

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Jam is a Black trans girl who lives in the utopian city of Lucille, where the angels vanquished all the monsters long ago, or so Jam and her best friend Redemption are taught in school. Then one day, a creature climbs out of a painting and tells Jam theres a monster in her midst. She names him Pet, and the two must find the monster before its too late. This engaging and heart-wrenching read shows how sometimes the monsters are the ones that appear to be the safest. The second book in the series, Bitter, was released earlier this year.

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This lovely YA fantasy centers two neurodiverse trans nonbinary Mexican American teens. Bastin creates alebrijes (Mexican animal sculptures) to help calm their spinning thoughts and relieve their anxiety. Their alebrijes populate Lakelore, the towns lake, and form a magical landscape there. While initially, the alebrijes and magical world was a place of solace for Bastin, as the novel progresses, the alebrijes act more and more erratic. Meanwhile, Lore has recently moved back to town. After an incident with a bully when they were a child, they experienced the lakes magic. Another violent incident has forced Lore and their family to move once more, but the incident haunts them, and they struggle with PTSD. When the lakes magic explodes and begins to haunt Bastin and Lores steps, the two must find a way to come to terms with their past traumas and embrace their unique ways of looking at the world.

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In this YA romp, Wyatt, a teen trans man hiding from the fae in the human world, is a witch. After accidentally setting fire to much of a town in the fae kingdom, he escaped and has now been pseudo adopted by an Indigenous American family who embrace his trans identity. While living in the fae kingdom, the fae prince Emyr bonded with him, and the two were engaged to be married. Four years later, Wyatt thinks he's safe in the human world, but then Emyr shows up and demands he return to the fae kingdom as his fianc. Wyatt feels he has no choice but to accompany Emyr, but this time he brings an ally, his best friend and sister by adoption, Briar. The audiobook read by Dani Martineck is a blast to listen to. The second book in the series, The Fae Keeper, was released earlier this year, and its just as fun as the first.

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The Hope Juvenile Treatment Center may claim to rehabilitate juvenile delinquents, but their treatment of the teens in their care is borderline abusive. When a plague sweeps the world, instead of informing the teenagers of the problem, the guards and every adult associated with the center abandon them, leaving them with very little food or medical supplies. When a group tries to leave the center, one of them is shot out of fear that they might be contagious. The defiant Grace is appointed as de facto leader of the center, while Leah, nonverbal and autistic, takes over food distribution after her twin sister is the first to come down with the plague. Emerson, a nonbinary violinist kicked out of their home by their strict Catholic parents, takes up the responsibility of burying the dead. This compulsive YA postapocalyptic novel shows how the "problem" teens, whom society would rather forget, can step up and make things better when given the respect they deserve.

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This YA space opera takes human teens into a galactic world where being queer is normal. Soon after she was born, aliens brought Tina to her adoptive human mother, telling her that one day Tinas internal beacon would alight and the aliens would come back for her. Now Tina is a teenager, and shes begun to have flashbacks from a previous life when an assassin was trying to kill her. Shes also started to glow. Part of her wants to fulfill her destiny and finally discover who she really is but another part doesnt want to leave her friends and family and face the dangers of an uncertain, alien future. This compulsive read perfectly captures teenage voices and feelings even as it travels from a normal teenage life on Earth to galactic battles. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Hynden Walch, who made it feel like Tina was sitting beside me and telling me her story. I also loved the second book in the series, Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, which was released earlier this year.

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26 Science Fiction And Fantasy Novels By Trans And Nonbinary Authors - BuzzFeed News

I have to say here and now, that no artist like Skeng will ever come again into this country.

Thats the word from Guyanas Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn, who has effectively banned the Protocol deejay and many other Dancehall artists from performing publicly in the country. The Minister said he has directed his Ministry and the Guyana Police Force to withhold their consent and approval for any future public performances featuring Skeng or any artist, whose lyrical content promotes the type of behavior seen at the Baderation show held in May.

Benn was speaking at the opening of the Community Relations Department of the Guyana Police Force on Friday morning when he made the announcement.

If they want, they can go into a private club and behave as badly as they want. But we will not sign off on any such artist or any artist who has a record of promoting vulgar and lawless behaviour including the firing of gunshots in public places. We reject it completely, Benn declared.

Benn has also indicated that he intends to get Skengs music taken off the airwaves in Guyana, after the artist supposedly called the countrys capital Gun Town.

I was sent this morning a video of the fellow putting out a new line about Georgetown as the Gun Town, Benn said. Im going to move to have it taken off the airwaves and removed from social media. We want to hand over to our children a better country and better life than we have had. That is what we want.

Skengs latest song is Gang Bang, the video for which was shot in Trinidad.

We are ambushed by situations where people take advantage of opportunities provided for them, for the entertainment business, where they bring in artists into this country and put on a public stage, disgraceful music, words, and behaviour. And it engenders perhaps the only type of behaviour, one would expect from what was seen on the stage from one called Skeng, recently, the Minister had also said.

Besides Skeng, the Minister did not name any other artists.

However, Crocodile Teeth deejay Skillibeng is reportedly expected to perform in Berbice, Guyana in August, according to News Room Guyana. We are going to try to put systems in place for persons who are carrying licensed firearms to have those firearms secured at a convenient location where they can be retrieved after the event, Regional Commander Kurleigh Simon said earlier this week.

We have taken note of the last public show they had at the National Park and what transpired and we dont want to be caught up in that, so we are putting systems in place to ensure the region is policed before, during, and after that particular event (Guyana Cup), Commander Simon explained.

On May 27, 2022, Skengs Baderation Dancehall concert at the National Park came to an abrupt end after several patrons began recklessly firing gunshots in the air and throwing bottles.

Shaneil Muir and Young Bredda also performed at the show, which was organized by Hits and Jams Entertainment as part of their lineup of Genesis X Utopia events.

According to videos that made the rounds on social media, Skeng, whose given name is Kevaun Douglas was performingProtocolfor the sizable crowd, which influenced supporters to buss literal shots to show their approval. The Jamaican entertainer, who was fully immersed into his set, was then whisked away by members of his entourage as some patrons scampered for safety.

The Police Force reported that they had launched an investigation into the incident and one person was arrested with an illegal firearm at the event. Following the show, the promoters met with other stakeholders and changes were implemented for future concerts including a ban on glass bottles and the use of security scanners.

Skeng is not the first Jamaican artist to be banned in Guyana.

In 2008, Mavado was briefly blacklisted based on his then association with Bounty Killer, who had headlined a show at the National Park that was marred by sporadic gun salutes, two weeks prior.

In 2011, Vybz Kartel was forbidden from being played on the local airwaves for some of his more obscene and hardcore lyrics. In retaliation, Kartel said he would never return to the country.

I refused to go there before the ban was imposed so that ban wasnt necessary. I banned myself. Big up the Guyanese Gaza fans but I would sooner tour Iraq than go to Guyana, Kartel was quoted as saying by the Jamaica Star.

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Skeng And Many Dancehall Artists Are Now Banned In Guyana, Says Minister - DancehallMag

"Ms. Marvel" opens by presenting the world as the superhero-obsessed Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) sees it a place overflowing with infinite possibility. Graffiti dances on the walls of buildings around her and emojis float through the air, taking shape in the stars or neon lights.

Kamala is an artist who transforms her doodles into vlogs, where she illustrates her visions of superhero exploits starring her role model Captain Marvel. She thrills at knowing a woman single-handedly took down Thanos' invading alien fleet, proving that girl power is real.

"Ms. Marvel" may be directly connected to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, but if it feels like it's in a class by itself, credit its unique means of giving life to Kamala's unfettered imagination. The premiere directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (credited as Adil and Bilall) sets the tone for the show's punchy, chromatic visual style, a reflection of Vellani's irrepressible incandescence. Where most heroes brood or snark, she makes Kamala a beacon of genuine happiness and measured confidence.

RELATED: Who is Kamala Khan, aka "Ms. Marvel"?

But if you were to catch her in a candid moment, Kamala might say that the main thing in her way is her doting but strict mother Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff), who bemoans her daughter's wild imagination.

Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba and Mohan Kapur as Yusuf in Marvel Studios' "Ms. Marvel" (Daniel McFadden/Marvel Studios/Disney+)

"This is my fault. This is all my fault. These are my genetics," Muneeba mutters as she and Kamala's father Yusuf (Mohan Kapur) chauffeur their daughter home from failing her driver's license exam. "I mean, I come from a long line of fantasizing, unrealistic daydreamers. My mother was one."

Ever heard the adage/complaint about mothers loving their sons and raising their daughters?

Every superhero is only as powerful as their greatest allies and their most challenging obstacles. Since the woman raising her serves as both, that means Kamala Khan is already on her way to becoming one of the Earth's mightiest heroes. But as tough as she is, Muneeba isn't meanspirited or undermining.

She cares deeply for her daughter, which translates to constant worry. She also lets Kamala's brother Aamir (Saagar Shaikh) get away with anything since he's both an adult and the eldest male child. Ever heard the adage/complaint about mothers loving their sons and raising their daughters? This show puts that saying in action while (somewhat) redeeming it.

Often on TV, where the ideal mother is often gentle, permissive, and only truly angry for a few moments when their child's misbehavior comes to light, stern moms get a bad rap. "Ms. Marvel" lead writer Bisha K. Ali doesn't intentionally write against that type in creating Muneeba, drawing instead on what I'll surmise is experience.

Being a daughter of such a mother makes it easy to relate to Kamala's frustrations. Many of us know a mother like Muneeba. Many of us have or had a parent or guardian like her.

This is also why Kamala's Muslim identity, while central to her life and naturally celebrated in the series, is simply one part of who she is, and is far from the most interesting thing about her. Nor is "Ms. Marvel" simply an all-ages-appropriate show about a young hero discovering her superpowers. In the main, this is the story of a 16-year-old girl trying very hard to embrace her unique gifts without disappointing her mother or break her father's heart.

Kamala does both in the first episode, where her wild imagination runs her all the way to AvengerCon with her technologically gifted best friend Bruno (Matt Lintz). She only wants to show off among fellow geeks and be cool for once. But Muneeba has an imagination, too. She pictures AvengerCon as a party full of leering boys and drinking. "There will be a lot of haram going on there," she warns Kamala before ultimately forbidding her from attending. It doesn't stick, of course, and predictably Kamala's "genius" plan to sneak out without her parents busting her doesn't work.

Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel / Kamala Khan and Matt Lintz as Bruno in Marvel Studios' "Ms. Marvel" (Daniel McFadden/Marvel Studios/Disney+)"I'm not recognizing you," Muneeba says when she catches Kamala sneaking after 11 p.m., speaking of activities that qualify as haram. "Who is this rebellious girl sneaking out, lying to Abbu and me?"

"I'm not trying to be rebellious," Kamala whispers.

"And I'm trying to protect you from yourself!" Muneeba replies and if you're an adult who has lived some version of that exchange, it may land like a body blow. That also speaks to its veracity, since in that same scene, and in life, we eventually get that such conflicts are the product of misunderstanding.

Kamala is at a time in her life when she's sure that everyone else is having more fun than she is. Muneeba is one of those mothers who constantly frets about where the road through too much fun can lead. As teenagers, we're encouraged to dare and dream bigger; parents like Muneeba are the stalwart anchors tethering us to Earth while frequently misinterpreted as holding us back.

"I wish that you would just focus on you," a frustrated Muneeba explains to Kamala, elaborating what a mother like her believes a teenager like Kamala should be obsessed with: "Your grades. Your family. Your story. I mean, who do you want to be in this world, huh? Do you want to be good, like we raised you to be? Or do you want to be, you some, you, this cosmic head-in-the-clouds person?"

When "Ms. Marvel" premiered, many celebrated the title character's status as the first major Marvel superhero who is Muslim and Pakistani-American, and certainly, those are points of pride. Vellani has said in interviews that she gravitated towards the comics years ago out of excitement over seeing a brown girl who looks like he who behaves like a teenager, and who happens to wield preternatural forces.

But another extraordinary quality about Kamala that mustn't be discounted is the fact that her mythology is intricately connected to a positive, honest relationship with caring parents, including a watchful mother.

This isn't unusual in the Disney universe, which made mother-daughter conflict and bonding the backbone of stories such as "Brave" and the recent movie "Turning Red."

As teenagers, we're encouraged to dare and dream bigger; parents like Muneeba are the stalwart anchors tethering us to Earth

Few female Avengers in the theatrical side of MCU are shown interacting with their mothers as meaningfully, though. There's Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne, who reconnects with her mother in "Ant-Man and The Wasp." This only happens after Hope fulfills the unspoken rule that heroes are born of trauma, since her mother disappeared during a mission when Hope was very young. Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, lost both of her parents in a war. Natasha Romanoff, as far as we know, has no recollection of her birth mother, and in the false family assigned to her by Russian intelligence, she's emotionally closer to her fake father.

Shuri in "Black Panther" is an exception, but everything about T'Challa's family is ideal. They're an extension of Wakanda's utopia, after all. Closer to the real world is the relationship "Hawkeye" dead-eye archer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) has with her mother, who worries her heroic exploits will bring her harm. Kate's also a college student who owns an apartment in New York City and is fabulously wealthy.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Kamala is a brown girl living in Jersey City. She's also a dreamer, and while American culture encourages bold dreamers, moms like Muneeba especially brown and Black moms, and immigrants know this country puts up walls between their children and their dreams.

Raising her daughter to be the best version of her that she can imagine, then, become her superpower. And if you are or were fortunate enough to have a mom like that you're bound to find that much more affection for this refreshing and wondrous origin story.

The premiere of "Ms. Marvel" is streaming on Disney+. New episode debut on Wednesdays.

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"Ms. Marvel" and the dawn of the strict supermom - Salon

This years Tony nominations have already made history. On May 9, 2022, Lynn Nottage became the first playwright ever nominated for Best Play and Best Book of a Musical in the same season (for Clydes and MJ); L Morgan Lee became the first openly trans performer to be nominated with her performance in A Strange Loop; Adam Rigg became the first agender nominee, recognized for their scenic design of The Skin of Our Teeth; and Toby Marlow became the first nonbinary composer to earn a nod with SIX just to name a few trailblazers. Still, the 2022 Tonys have the chance to break even more records during the live June 12 broadcast on Paramount+ and CBS. Here are the milestones and potential record-breaking wins to watch for on Broadways biggest night.

A Little ContextThe Tony Awards turn 75 this year. In April 1947, the inaugural celebration of Broadway took place as an intimate dinner at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. Back then, there were only seven categories and none of them were competitive, meaning there werent nominations prior to the ceremony. Over the seven and a half decades since, the Awards have evolved into 26 competitive categories plus special honors like the Isabelle Stevenson Award for service (this year going to the Shubert Organizations Robert E. Wankel), the Lifetime Achievement Award (going to the legendary Angela Lansbury), a Special Tony (New York Theatre Workshops artistic director Jim Nicola) as well as a few choice Tony Honors (being presented to the Asian American Performers Action Coalition, Broadway for All, Emily Grishman, Feinsteins/54 Below and United Scenic Artists Local 829). An Excellence in Theatre Education Award will be presented to drama teacher Roshunda Jones-Koumba of Houston, Texas. In less than a week, the industry will celebrate the honorees and reveal the results of the competitive categories.

Production MilestonesOn the books, 2007s Coast of Utopia is the most Tony-winning play in history with seven trophies. This year, The Lehman Trilogy enters the race with eight nods and for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf comes in with seven. Its unlikely Lehman will break the record, as three of its eight noms are in the Leading Actor in a Play category (there would have to be a three-way tie to beat Coast of Utopia or a typical two-way tie to equal the record). However, for colored girls could match the total for Utopia if it wins every award for which it is nominated.

On the musical side, 2008s South Pacific leads as the revival with the most Tonys, at seven. The current reimagining of Company boasts nine nominations. There would have to be a tie between Featured Actress in a Musical nominees Patti LuPone and Jennifer Simard for Company to take all nine, but it could nab eight and still beat the record.

Speaking of ties, there have been 10 in Tony history the most recent in 2009 between Billy Elliot: The Musical and Next to Normal for Best Orchestrations. The timeline reflects that there has been at least one tie per decade since 1958, so it seems the Tonys are overdue for one. Will this be the year to mark the 11th?

The Strange Loop of It AllThe big show to watch this year is A Strange Loop. Leading the pack with 11 nominations, the Michael R. Jackson musical won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2020. Including A Strange Loop, only 10 musicals have ever won the Pulitzer for Drama in the honors 105-year history. Of the nine preceding Strange Loop, six took home the Tony Award for Best Musical: South Pacific (1950), Fiorello! (1960), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1962), A Chorus Line (1976), Rent (1996) and Hamilton (2016). A Strange Loop will either join those ranks or be the fourth to earn the Pulitzer without the Tony, joining Of Thee I Sing (1932, prior to the establishment of the Tonys), Sunday in the Park with George (1984) and Next to Normal (2009).

To date, there are only five Tony winners for Best Musical that have book, music and lyrics written by the same person: Meredith Willsons The Music Man (1958, with a shared story credit for Franklin Lacey), Rupert Holmes Mystery of Edwin Drood (1986), Jonathan Larsons Rent (1996), Lin-Manuel Mirandas Hamilton (2016) and Anas Mitchells Hadestown (2019). If Strange Loop takes home the top prize, Michael R. Jackson will be the sixth solo author to win this prestigious prize.

The list of artists who wrote the book, music and lyrics for their show and won Best Book of a Musical and Original Score is similarly slim. To date, Holmes, Larson, Miranda, Mel Brooks for The Producers and the trio behind The Book of Mormon Robert Lopez, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are the only ones to do it. If Jackson walks away with Book and Score, he will be the eighth member of this club.

LGBTQIA+ HistoryWhen it comes to individuals, this years prizes might shatter precedent. If Lee, Rigg or Marlow win in their respective categories, any one of them would be the first non-cisgender person to win a Tony Award.

BIPOC RepresentationIt could also be a landmark year for Black artists. If for colored girls helmer Camille A. Brown collects Best Choreography, she will be the ninth woman to win, the ninth Black choreographer to win and the first Black woman (though Sonya Tayehs victory for Moulin Rouge! The Musical cemented her as the first female choreographer of color to win in the category). A win for Brown would also mark the first time a play, rather than a musical, triumphs in this category.

Brown is also contending for Best Direction of a Play. She and Lileana Blain-Cruz (The Skin of Our Teeth) as well as Lucy Moss (SIX), nominated for Direction of a Musical are in contention to become the 11th woman to score a statue for direction. Marianne Elliott is the other female directing nominee, but she has prevailed for direction previously (the only woman to win twice). If Elliott comes out on top, she will be the first woman to accept three Tonys for direction and the sixth director overall, regardless of gender. A trophy for Blain-Cruz or Brown would mark the first win for a Black female director and the third Black director of any gender to win (Lloyd Richards and George C. Wolfe were the first two, respectively.)

Of note: The aforementioned Jackson and Nottage, or Christina Anderson (of Paradise Square) would be only the second Black winner to take home Book of a Musical after Stews victory for Passing Strange (2008). Jackson would be only the second Black winner for Original Score after Charlie Smalls for The Wiz (1975).

In 2016, Daveed Diggs, Rene Elise Goldsberry, Leslie Odom, Jr. and Cynthia Erivo made history as their trophies marked the first time a performer of color conquered all four musical acting categories. The same could happen this year for musical as well as play acting categories.

While representation for Black artists is at a high among this years nominees, there is much room for improvement with regards to representation for Latinx artists, Indigenous artists, artists of Asian descent and more. Still, if either Jiyoun Chang (for colored girls) or Yi Zhao (The Skin of Our Teeth) earns a statue for Lighting Design of a Play, they would be the first lighting designer of Asian descent to win a Tony.

Age MarkersThis seasons Tonys ceremony could also be a record-breaker when it comes to age. Currently, Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) holds the record as the youngest performer to win Best Leading Actor in a Musical on his own. (The three Billy Elliots David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish won the award together in 2009.) At 23, Strange Loop star Jaquel Spivey could match Platts record; but if Myles Frost prevails for MJ: The Musical, the 22-year-old will replace Platt for the title of youngest solo winner in this category.

Nonprofit BreakthroughThe Tony Awards could also be significant for a theatrical institution. A Best Play prize for Clydes or Best Revival of a Play victory for Take Me Out would put Second Stage Theater on the board of Tony-winning New York nonprofits. The longtime off-Broadway company only began producing on Broadway four years ago. (Peer nonprofits Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Roundabout Theatre Company have all garnered Tonys for past productions.) Whats more, if Take Me Out wins, it will be the fifth play in history to win Best Play for its original outing and Best Revival for a subsequent production. Only Angels in America, Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Death of a Salesman and Fences can say the same.

No matter the results of this years honors, the 2022 ceremony will mark the first Tony Awards returning to Broadways usual June schedule since 2019. That alone is a milestone worth celebrating.

Correction: A previous version of the article misstated the number of Tony winners for Best Musical that have book, music and lyrics written by the same person.

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The records that could be broken at the 2022 Tony Awards - Broadway News

Gene Roddenberrys Star Trek offered a glimpse at an optimistic future where humanity came together to take to the stars in the name of exploration and discovery. As time has gone on, however, the beloved sci-fi series has moved further and further from Roddenberrys idealistic vision.

Its curious then that For All Mankind, a series set not just in the future but during the days of the Cold War and in an alternate timeline to boot seems to be taking up the abdicated mantle of the most optimistic science fiction TV series. In case youve somehow missed it, For All Mankind tells the story of Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman), a NASA astronaut living on a world similar to our own but also radically different.

In Eds timeline, the space race played out very differently, with the Soviet Union beating the Americans to the Moon. This galvanised the two superpowers and made space the newest front in the Cold War. The first season dealt with NASA trying to establish the first settlement on the Moon. Meanwhile, the second saw tensions rise between the US and Soviets culminating in a historic meeting of cosmonauts and astronauts that helped avert nuclear disaster.

That superficial description may make it sound like For All Mankind is set in a chaotic dystopia where the Cold War escalated to the point that humanity was fighting wars on the Moon. But as the show moves out of the 80s and into the 90s, as well as its third season, things have started to change.

The show makes clear that the escalating space race has led to new, clean energy technologies, space travel far in advance of what were capable of, and, best of all, a coming together of different people just like in the future Roddenberry envisioned.

Ahead of the For All Mankind season 3 debut on June 10, we spoke to several cast members about the future presented by the show and asked them how they felt about the comparison with arguably the best sci-fi series of all time.

From the very beginning, Ron Moore (one of the shows creators) wanted it to have this aspirational feel, said Shantel VanSanten, who plays Karen Baldwin, Eds ex-wife. Now, that doesnt mean that everything goes as planned. There is a reality within it. But I think theres more of an awareness of civil issues, womens rights and diversity. In many ways, its quite a few steps ahead from where we find ourselves today, even as the show is set in the 90s.

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While VanShanten played down the notion that the shows set in some sort of utopia or in any way preachy an accusation sometimes levelled at Trek she was clear in her hopes that people walk away from season 3 seeing that progress is a huge possibility.

That sense that tomorrow can be better than today and that despite our differences, were at our best when we work together is, of course, central to Star Trek, but its also a subtle theme that runs through the course of For All Mankind.

When we pointed out this clear link between Trek and For All Mankind to VanSanten, she was delighted, admitting she often gets so wrapped up in her character Karen that she doesnt see the similarities between the show.

Thats a very beautiful comparison. Thank you so much. I think we do feature a humaneness, she said. Even with a character like Karen, were not afraid to make choices that people are uncomfortable watching, or that are difficult to see But the one thing is its always redemptive. Theres always a way through where you learn, grow, and youre able to take that and build something better. I think that theres a real resilience to the human story. And that, for me, has always been inspirational and aspirational.

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While VanShanten was pleased by the comparison between the two shows, her onscreen ex Kinnaman took things a little further, saying For All Mankind could be a very unsanctioned prequel to the Star Trek we know and love. Yeah, I think [the comparison is] really accurate, Kinnaman said. I think that there will be a very unofficial handover from where we are [in For All Mankind] to a kind of Star Trek-style future.

We suspectKinnaman was probably being a little tongue in cheek, further confirmed when he laughed at us asking if he just wants Ed to be the next Captain kirk. However, he thinks that the two series fundamentally share a common optimism for the future. I think our show is inherently optimistic, he said. You know, its not perfect, but definitely optimistic. I think For All Mankinds future is one that I would definitely like to live in.

Even Wrenn Schmidt, who plays one of For All Mankinds more down to Earth characters, NASA engineer Margo Madison, agrees that despite the show exploring a version of history where the West lost, it drives humanity on to bigger and better things.

I think the excitement of discovery and seeing how far humans can go is inherently optimistic, Schmidt said. Theres so much science in season three, and in all of our seasons, that its hard to kind of drill down to one thing in particular, but I do think [the science explored] in the show especially is optimistic.

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Ultimately, though, the thing that makes For All Mankind such a strong show is its humanist spirit. The show is fundamentally about people reaching their full potential and although they may stumble (or make it to the Moon second), For All Mankinds central thesis is that its in coming together be that as individuals or nations that we can achieve miracles. We think thats a message Roddenberry could have got behind.

For All Mankind season 3 airs weekly on Apple TV Plus from June 10.

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For All Mankind is the natural successor to Star Trek - The Digital Fix

By: Sean Zak June 7, 2022

Want to fall in love with St. Andrews? Walk the Old Course at dusk.

Sean Zak

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland As you walk through town, here in St. Andrews, the accents begin to change. The closer you get to the Old Course, the more Americans you hear. More Australians, and Kiwis. Canadians, too. Everyone visiting, it seems, is pulled by golf gravity toward Tom Morriss greatest artwork.

For the same reasons tourists feel compelled to visit Mona Lisa in Paris, St. Andrews visitors feel compelled to encroach upon The Old Course, and often for the same purpose: just a look. Its a natural thing to do in a town of about 20,000, but its also the smartest thing you can do as a visiting golfer. Stop here first and spend at least an hour, but maybe six. Ive made it a daily duty. You can learn a lot just by watching.

Things as simple as your intended target off the 1st, the loneliest gorse bush there ever was, out in the distance. Your target on 18, some four hours later, is the big clock behind you, atop the R&A building.

The R&A just had its exterior railing re-painted in time for The Open,with that classic navy blue. The Old Course Shops balcony facade, about 50 yards away, was getting a facelift, too. In-between duties, workers snuck glances at approach shots into 18, because golfers cant help but watch other golfers play. Its the same reason when you hit a bad shot on the range your first instinct is to peek around to ensure no one was watching. People are always watching.

Its tradition on its own that golfers watch golfers on the Old, but unlike other courses where this might be normal, I watched golfers watch golfers at 6:40 a.m. And I watched golfers watch golfers at 10 p.m. At any given point in between, dozens stood along the fence line, or plopped down for a golfy lunch on the grassy hill. An audience of 20 or so, aimlessly tuning in as amateurs grind over 6-footers for bogey.

Not only is it okay for golfers to drink this view in, its best served with a drink in hand. The pro move is clearly grabbing to-go pints from the nearby Dunvegan Bar. No one visits Pinehurst or Pebble Beach just to watch.

Spectators line the green fence along the 18th all day long.

Sean Zak

The most popular spot to watch is the seats behind the 18th green.

Sean Zak

A couple weeks ago, if you watched into the night, you would have caught Euan Smiths magical 71 and the tee-ball on 18 that bounced three times on the road before somehow trickling back onto the course. He made par from there, for his first under-par round on the Old. It took him 91 tries to do it, as a four-year student at St. Andrews University. I almost cried, he said, when that ball came back into play. Do the golf gods live on The Links road? They just might. Tom Morris basically died there, falling down the steps of The New Club.

Its from those bay windows inside The New Club that lies one of the best views of the action at the Old. Spend an afternoon in there and youll realize just how frequent tee shots do end up on the road. You can basically stumble and Im sure many have out of the New Club right onto the 18th fairway. Same for the St. Andrews Golf Club and the St. Rule Club (ladies only).Their members are the lucky ones who possess a Links Ticket, and can make tee times mostly uninhibited year-round. Theyll tell you about the switch that flipped the first week of May, when St. Andrews turned from a college town, once again, to golf utopia. Students moved out of the dorms and golfers move in.

In the run-up to the 150th Open Championship, demand for tee times couldnt be greater. The course has been hosting more corporate outings than usual, which last week meant a group of influencers. TikTok-ers, as one course marshal called them, taking parkour leaps and twirls over the Swilcan Burn.

But even with 12 hours worth of tee times, the search for one of them is a bit chaotic in the final 11 days before it shuts down for a month. Visitors are lining up earlier than ever the night before to sleep comfortably on the pavement or in the parking lot just to ensure a tee time. Whereas it might normally be a midnight or middle of the night commute, one golfer began waiting at 7 p.m. last week. A father and son joined him at 8 p.m., followed by another two at 8:30. They snuck comforters and pillows out of their hotel rooms, and laid sleeping bags down on top of yoga mats. I found the bunch at 5:30 a.m., sheltered from the wind whipping off the sea. Temperature: 45 degrees.Feel: a lot colder.

This crew of committed golfers all arrived before 9 p.m. the night prior, ensuring a tee time on the Old Course the next day.

Sean Zak

Thirteen hours later, I walked the Old for the first time since I arrived, and despite having seen it in 2018, I was surprised how much I had forgotten about the property. Like how massive the shot-rejecting hump in the 2nd green is. Or how pins tucked back right on 3 sit in a tiny bowl. Or how theres a wicked gully before the 5th green, youd better carry it. Or that, on 12, no matter how many bunkers you think are in the fairway, there are definitely more. You cant see them from the tee, one caddie reminded me, so just wail away with driver, he said. Act like they arent even there. All great notes for a course I wont play for another 10 days. Now that theyve been published, perhaps Ill even remember them.

Id like to commemorate this trip with biweekly appreciations of tinier things in town that help explain life in St. Andrews, some of its simplicities, intricacies, and things youd otherwise miss (when pulled toward the golf). For starters, we have these dynamic street signs.

Sean Zak

Sean Zak

Now youve seen it the very first photo I took upon arrival: a pic of the Elderly People sign that I lovingly sent to my parents. A few things I love:

1. The words Elderly People is not enough. We must make these people look elderly.Give the man a cane! The figures are way more animated than their rigid American counterparts.

2. This feels like the equivalent of the SLOW, Children Playing signs found in residential neighborhoods across the States. Only these feel more bustling. More lively. They certainly get the point across more.

In fairness, the signs do feel necessary. Roads are skinny here, with cars parked everywhere. My neighborhood is on the outskirts of town, where many elderly locals and families live.I hope theyre reading along.

Read the rest here:

In St. Andrews, you learn a lot just by watching - Golf.com

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (voc) released to the public on May 24 what it calls the to-date largest and most significant leak of internal documents from directly within Xinjiang police networks. Dubbed the Xinjiang Police Files, the leak was made to voc by an anonymous third party who hacked into Chinas Public Security Bureau. voc verified the information contained in the leak. The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by the United States government in 1993.

Xinjiang is a region in western China populated by Uyghurs, a Muslim Turkic people, who have lived under Chinas rule since the mid-18th century. Many want independenceand Beijing has been doing all it can to stop that. To do so, the Chinese government has turned Xinjiang into one of the strictest police states in the world.

China has launched mass detentions of Uyghurs into reeducation facilities (concentration camps) where they are subjected to torture, brainwashing and other inhumane treatments. Uyghur women have received forced sterilizations and even forced abortions. Families whose men have been imprisoned have received ethnic Han Chinese husbands to take their place. What China is doing to the Uyghurs qualifies as genocide. (You can read more about Chinas treatment of the Uyghurs in What Happened to Never Again? and They Want the World to Bow Down to China.)

Much of this information has been hard to verify. China, as a Communist state, maintains a tight flow of information even in normal times. Xinjiang is in the far northwest of the country, far away from the more populated cities on the coast. The Xinjiang Police Filesavailable for anybody to look throughprovide a rare window inside the inner workings of the police state. The files have corroborated many of the allegations surrounding Chinas treatment of the Uyghurs.

Among the files were 2,884 mugshots of detainees. The photographs contain associated data, including why they were detained. The mugshots were all taken in 2018.

The youngest person in the files is Rahile Omer. She was 14 when detained and about 15 when photographed. The oldest, Anihan Hamit, was 73 in 2018.

Some of the reasons listed for Uyghurs internment show how intense Chinas persecution is. Abdurrahman Abaz, age 50 in 2018, was detained for reeducation because he wore a beard and his wife wore a headscarf. Memtili Hoshur, age 23 in 2018, was apparently detained simply because of his family connections. Dawut Jume, age 32 in 2018, received 10 years because he studied the [Koran] illegally from his mother Bilikzi Toheti for seven days. Reshit Ehet, age 20 in 2018, had written for his reason of internment: Category 5 | People who do not trust.

The Xinjiang Police Files also contain photographs of contraband items confiscated by authorities. These include objects such as Islamic prayer rugs, hijabs (head coverings) and quotations from the Koran.

Photographs were not all the Xinjiang Police Files contain. They also contain transcripts of key speeches delivered by major Chinese government figures. These demonstrate some of the heavy-handedness of Chinas Xinjiang policies.

For example, a 2017 speech from Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo (which voc has only draft translated) has these instructions for people who flee arrest: Shoot him dead if he run a few steps. You see, in such a situation, if they run, just kill them. There will be no problem, because we have already authorized this a long time ago. In Xinjiang, running a few steps for avoiding arrest on account of your beard means you could be shot.

In Xinjiang, to quote Mao Zedong, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

Some of the documents also show how involved Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping is with what is going on in Xinjiang. A 2018 speech by Minister of Public Security Zhao Kenzhi cites the following quote from Xi to set public policy: Xinjiangs ethnic separatist forces have religious extremism as their ideological basis. [F]irst of all, we must cleanse the source and carry out de-extremification work. Zhao reiterated the importance of Beijings involvement in Xinjiang affairs: fully reflecting the great importance, concern and support of the [Chinese Communist Party] Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core for the work in Xinjiang.

None of this is new. Chinas crackdown on the Uyghurs started after Xi gave the orders in 2014. But the documents show how personally invested Xi has continued to be in Xinjiang years later.

The documents also show some of Xis motives for cracking down on the Uyghurs. Zhao quotes Xi: Doing a good job in Xinjiang matters for the overall situation of the whole country, it is definitely not just a matter of Xinjiangthis one regionbut a matter of the whole party and the whole nation. Chen quoted Xi in a different speech: Only when Xinjiang is stable will the whole country be stable.

When motivated by national survival, its hard to get dictators like Xi to change course.

The Xinjiang Police Files are a wealth of information, but they dont actually reveal much that wasnt known or at least suspected. The world has had some knowledge of all of this for years now. They havent done much about it. The Xinjiang Police Files bring Beijings crimes into sharper clarity than ever before, but its unlikely anybody will do anything about it. Corporations from some of the worlds largest economiesthe United States, Germany and many othershave lobbied support for Chinas actions in Xinjiang. Theres too much money to be made in China for many to take a stand. And even if there werent, China has one of the worlds most powerful militaries. In all likelihood, nothing short of war could get Beijing to stop its genocideand nobody at the moment is brave enough to attempt that.

After Nazi Germanys defeat in World War ii, the world woke up to the horrors of the Holocaust. World leaders pledged they would never again allow crimes like genocide to happen. Yet China is accomplishing a genocide on a comparable scale to the Holocaust. In the era of the Internet, we have greater information access than the Allies did in World War ii. Yet the world is content to shove never again under the rug to placate the Chinese dragon.

China is doing everything it can to blot out the Uyghur nation from existence. And despite the growing levels of evidence to Chinas genocide, the Uyghurs have no helper.

Many in authority may try to forget about the evils happening in Xinjiang. But there is one leader who refuses to forget.

Centuries ago, the ancient Israelites were oppressed under Egyptian slavery. The Bible records that the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage (Exodus 1:13-14). In their bitterness the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried (Exodus 2:23).

There was a God in heaven who heard their cry. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land (Exodus 3:7-8). The book of Exodus shows how God supernaturally intervened to force the Egyptians to free the Israelite slaves.

Its true that God freed the Israelites partly because of a promise He made to their ancestors (Exodus 2:24-25), but that doesnt mean He doesnt hear the sufferings of other people around the world. 1 Timothy 2:4 states that God wants all men to be saved. Isaiah 61:1 shows that God wants to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. God hears the cries of the Uyghurs. Andin His timeGod promises to give them real freedom.

You dont have to believe it! late theologian Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in The Wonderful World TomorrowWhat It Will Be Like. It will happen, regardless. It is surethe worlds only sure hope. This advance good news of tomorrow is as certain as the rising of tomorrows sun. Humanity wont bring it aboutit is going to be done to us.

Utopia? Why not. Why should it be an imaginary or impossible pipe-dream? There is a cause for todays world chaos and threat of human extinction. That cause will be supplanted by that which will bring a utopia that is real, that is successfully functioning!

Many people associate Bible prophecy with doom and gloom. There are many prophecies foretelling disasters hitting the world not unlike what the Uyghurs are already experiencing. But the same Bible prophesies of the conclusion to those world troublesa world giving liberty to the captives. A world where they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Micah 4:3).

To learn more about this soon-coming worlda world of freedom for the Uyghurs and all mankindplease request a free copy of The Wonderful World TomorrowWhat It Will Be Like.

Excerpt from:

The Xinjiang Police Files: The Nuts and Bolts of Genocide - theTrumpet.com