“Story is to human beings what the pearl is to the oyster.” - Joseph Gold

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/241038824/oyster-story-joseph-gold-quote-poster-a4?ga_search_query=oyster&ref=shop_items_search_1

My favourite stories are those when someone takes a problem and overcomes it so creatively that everyone else stands back in awe…

FILM 1840: THE INSTITUTE

FILM 1840: THE INSTITUTE

A documentary on the Jejune Institute, a mind-bending San Francisco phenomenon where 10,000 people became "inducted" without ever quite realizing what they'd signed up for.

(Find more information (preferably after you’ve watched the documentary as it gives away a lot) here: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/jp54ky/game-or-cult-the-alternate-reality-of-the-jejune-institute)

https://www.behance.net/gallery/60431633/Donkey-skin-Book-illustrations

BOOK 182: SEX CRIMINALS, VOL. 1: ONE WEIRD TRICK: MATT FRACTION & CHIP ZDARSKY

BOOK 182: SEX CRIMINALS, VOL. 1: ONE WEIRD TRICK: MATT FRACTION & CHIP ZDARSKY

Sex Criminals is an ongoing, monthly comic book published by American company Image Comics. It is written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Chip Zdarsky. The first issue was published September 25, 2013 and the series received positive reviews.

Sex Criminals was nominated for two Eisner Awards in 2014 including Best Continuing Series and won Best New Series. On February 25, 2015, it was announced that Matt Fraction made a deal with Universal TV to turn Sex Criminals into a television show.

Critical reception

Time honored Sex Criminals as the #1 comic series/graphic novel of 2013.

IGN tagged the work as "amazing", and said that the story is "so addictive, you'll find yourself staring at the last page in horror when you realize you'll have to wait another month to find out what happens next".

Paste called the first issue "splendid", with "an immediately likable character", specifying that although one "wouldn’t trust most comic creators to turn a sexual awakening into compelling pulp fiction (...) Fraction and Zdarsky pull it off masterfully.

WhatCulture.com called Sex Criminals a "masterpiece", with "an adorable cast, virtuoso writing and stunning art,", and Sciencefiction.com called it "entertaining", "witty", and "very fun", while emphasizing that the sexual content is "tastefully presented."

The first compilation, Sex Criminals: One Weird Trick, was nominated for the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.

PODCAST: DIRTY JOHN

I decided to start listing recent podcasts that I’ve listened to. This week I finished Dirty John. I totally binge-listened to this and finished it within a few days. Here’s some info:

Dirty John is an investigative journalism podcast hosted by journalist Christopher Goffard and created by Wondery and Los Angeles Times.

The podcast was downloaded over 10 million times within 6 weeks of release.

The podcast was named Dirty John which was one of John Meehan's nicknames given to him by his classmates during his time at the University of Dayton. Other nicknames from this time included Filthy John, or just Filthy. The exact nexus of these nicknames was never divulged during the podcast.

Dirty John is a true crime story focusing on the life and exploits of John Meehan. L.A. Times Journalist Christopher Goffard first heard of Meehan when he learned that the police were investigating a possible murder in Newport Beach. Upon investigating, Goffard discovered a bizarre web of deceit and abuse.

The main focus of the story is Meehan's relationship with businesswoman Debra Newell, who he met via Internet dating, as well her immediate and extended family. The podcast deals with themes of abuse and manipulation, as well as the behaviours of those being abused.

MY VERDICT:

I absolutely loved this podcast, it reeled me in immediately and was extremely well written and paced. The ending (which I won’t spoil) is even more shocking because of the way the story is expertly structured.

It was especially interesting to me because I too have been in a relationship with a manipulative and talented liar and a lot of the things that were said about John rang true for me. It was a cathartic experience to hear these tales and know that my troubles are over and that I wouldn’t be fooled by someone like this again.

Every podcast I listen to I compare to Serial, mostly because it was the first one I really listened to but also because it’s still one of the best, this was not quite as good as Serial but still very interesting and enjoyable to listen to.

https://wondery.com/wondery/shows/dirtyjohn/

http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-dirty-john/

There are even more items now in my ***SUPER SALE***!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ClaireHefferDesign

FILM 1679: THE FEAR OF 13

TRIVIA: Competed for "Best Documentary" at the 2015 London Film Festival.

Originally the filmmakers wanted to include live-action reenactment of the scenes that Nick was telling, but soon realized that his narration was more than enough to tell the story.