Sunday, November 15, 2026

Born on this day – Mary Maurice:


Mary Maurice


Actress

November 15, 1844 – April 30, 1918

Credits:

The Little Runaway (1918); Over the Top (1918); The Woman Between Friends (1918); Who Goes There? (1917); I Will Repay (1917); For France (1917); Transgression (1917); Mary Jane's Pa (1917); Her Secret (1917); Womanhood, the Glory of the Nation (1917); Battle Hymn of the Republic (1917); Whom the Gods Destroy (1916); Rose of the South (1916); The Mainspring (1916); The Dollar and the Law (1916); The Price of Fame (1916); The Heart of a Fool (1916); Black Friday (1916); Phantom Fortunes (1916); The Redemption of Dave Darcey (1916); Carew and Son (1916); The Supreme Temptation (1916); The Man He Used to Be (1916); Is Christmas a Bore? (1915); Sam's Sweetheart (1915); The Gods Redeem (1915); The Man Who Couldn't Beat God (1915); On with the Dance (1915); Rags and the Girl (1915); The Lesson of the Narrow Street (1915); Dorothy (1915); The Good in the Worst of Us (1915); A Keyboard Strategy (1915); The Battle Cry of Peace (1915); The Scar (1915); The Goddess (1915); The Closing of the Circuit (1915); Between the Two of Them (1915); The Return of Maurice Donnelly (1915); Twice Rescued (1915); A Madcap Adventure (1915); The Barrier of Faith (1915); Wanted, a Nurse (1915); The Man, the Mission and the Maid (1915); Mother's Roses (1915); The Sins of the Mothers (1914); Mr. Santa Claus (1914); The Greater Love (1914); Hope Foster's Mother (1914); The Man Who Knew (1914); The Apple (1914); The Awakening of Barbara Dare (1914); The Girl from Prosperity (1914); Memories That Haunt (1914); An Old Man's Love Story (1913); The Portrait (1914); A Pair of Frauds (1914); The Spirit of Christmas (1913); The Ancient Order of Good Fellows (1913); A Game of Cards (1913); In the Shadow (1913); Luella's Love Story (1913); The Lost Millionaire (1913); The Tiger (1913) (1913); When Women Go on the Warpath; or, Why Jonesville Went Dry (1913); Father and Son: or, the Curse of the Golden Land (1913); The Intruder (1913); The Troublesome Daughters (1913); The Only Way (1913); The Diamond Mystery (1913); O'Hara as a Guardian Angel (1913); The Carpenter (1913); An Unwritten Chapter (1913); A Sweet Deception (1913); Song Bird of the North (1913); Her Sweetest Memory (1913); The Coming of Gretchen (1913); One Can't Always Tell (1913); Tricks of the Trade (1913); Bingles Mends the Clock (1913); O'Hara and the Youthful Prodigal (1913); Checkmated (1913); The Modern Prodigal (1913); O'Hara's Godchild (1913); The Final Justice (1913); The Locket; or, When She Was Twenty (1913); Ma's Apron Strings (1913); O'Hara Helps Cupid (1913); The Wings of a Moth (1913); Adam and Eve (1912); Mrs. Lirriper's Legacy (1912); O'Hara, Squatter and Philosopher (1912); The Model for St. John (1912); Captain Barnacle, Reformer (1912); In the Garden Fair (1912); Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgers (1912); Her Choice (1912); Saving an Audience (1912); Her Grandchild (1912); Vultures and Doves (1912); The Cross Roads (1912); Martha's Rebellion (1912); Conscience (1912); Aunty's Romance (1912); The Church Across the Way (1912); When Roses Wither (1912); An Eventful Elopement (1912); The Picture Idol (1912); Their Golden Anniversary (1912); Captain Jenks' Diplomacy (1912); The Seventh Son (1912); His Mother-in-Law (1912); His Mother's Shroud (1912); The Diamond Brooch (1912); A Mother's Devotion; or, the Firing of the Patchwork Quilt (1912); Her Boy (1912); Umbrellas to Mend (1912); The Younger Brother (1911); One Touch of Nature (1911); War (1911); The Life Boat (1911); An Innocent Burglar (1911); Wisteria Memories (1911); Their Charming Mama (1911); Her Hero (1911); The Three Brothers (1911); My Old Dutch (1911); The Second Honeymoon (1911); The Bell of Justice (1911); Two Wolves and a Lamb (1911); Treasure Trove (1911); The Sky Pilot (1911); The Old Folks' Sacrifice (1911); The Battle Hymn of the Republic (1911); A Quaker Mother (1911); The Sleep Walker (1911); The Sacrifice (1911); His Mother (1911); A Dixie Mother (1910); The Legacy (1910); Convict No. 796 (1910); Conscience (1910); Les miserables (Part II) (1909); The Poor Musician (1909).

Recommended reading - American Short Fiction (2011):


American Short Fiction

Edited by Jill Meyers.

Short story anthology.

Paperback.
First published FALL 2011.
Vol. 14. Issue 53.
Published by American Short Fiction, Inc.

Front cover photograph: Roberta Bayley, Deborah Harry Chris Stein New York Subway 1976.

Contents: Editors Note. Signs, by Bess Winter; The Duck of Your Life, by Katherine Valentine Jaeger; Crook, by Amanda Goldblatt; Pilgrim Life, by Taylor Antrim; Rodgers and Hart, by Sam Allingham; Signifier, by Susan Steinberg; Paradeability, by Bret Anthony Johnston; Contributors.

Introvert insight:


If there were a little more silence, if we all kept quiet ... maybe we could understand something.

– Federico Fellini.

Introverts dislike small talk, but are fluent in the language of ideas and dreams.

– from The Irresistible Introvert by Michaela Chung.

Sometimes I go out and hear people talk about irrelevant things, and then I tell myself this is why I don't go out. 

– Keanu Reeves.

When an introvert is quiet, don't assume he is depressed, snobbish or socially deficient. 

– Laurie Helgoe.

Sylvia Plath, on being a writer and an introvert:


We stayed at home to write,
to consolidate our outstretched selves.

- Sylvia Plath.

Saturday, November 14, 2026

On this day in the Blade Runner universe:


Blade Runner: Black Lotus
Season 1. Episode 1.
Episode entitled: City of Angels.
Released November 14, 2021.
Developed by Kenji Kamiyama, Shinji Aramaki.
Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, Shinji Aramaki.
Written by Brandon Auman, Margaret Dunlap, Eugene Son, Alex de Campi.
Based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
Opening theme: Feel You Now by Alessia Cara.
Music by Michael Hodges, Gerald Trottman.
Cast: Jessica Henwick, Will Yun Lee, Wes Bentley, Barkhad Abdi, Charles Halford, Elias Toufexis, Jason Spisak, Zehra Fazal, Anna Vocino, Shinshû Fuji, Takayuki Kinba, Takehito Koyasu, Tony Nakajima, Arisa Shida.

Blade Runner: Black Lotus
Season 1. Episode 2.
Episode entitled: All We Are Not.
Released November 14, 2021.
Developed by Kenji Kamiyama, Shinji Aramaki.
Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, Shinji Aramaki.
Written by Brandon Auman, Margaret Dunlap, Eugene Son, Alex de Campi.
Based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
Opening theme: Feel You Now by Alessia Cara.
Music by Michael Hodges, Gerald Trottman.
Cast: Jessica Henwick, Will Yun Lee, Brian Cox, Wes Bentley, Barkhad Abdi, Samira Wiley, Gregg Henry, Ray Chase, Sunil Malhotra, Jim Pirri, Laura Post, Jason Spisak, Stephen Root, Shinshû Fuji, Takaya Hashi, Takako Honda, Takayuki Kinba, Takehito Koyasu, Tony Nakajima, Arisa Shida, Masane Tsukayama, Kazuki Yao, Hôchû Ôtsuka.

Recommended reading:


Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
By Philip K. Dick.
Filmed as Blade Runner (1982), directed by Ridley Scott.
ASIN: 0586036059
Published by Voyager.
First published 1968.
Paperback.
ISBN-10: 0006482805
ISBN-13: 978-0586036051
Description:
21st Century Bounty Hunter.
Through the mean streets of a grim 21st century megalopolis, bounty hunter Rick Deckard stalked, searching out the renegade replicants who were his prey. But this assignment involved Nexus-6 targets and as a result Deckard quickly found himself involved in a nightmare kaleidoscope of violence and subterfuge – and the threat of death for the hunter rather than the hunted…
“A marvelous and complex book, simply written but leaving all kinds of resonance in the mind.” – Brian W. Aldiss.


The Art of Blade Runner: Black Lotus
By Roland Kelts.
Published by Titan Books.
Published 2022.
ISBN-10: 1789097142
ISBN-13: 978-1789097146
Description:
The Art of Blade Runner: Black Lotus is a study and celebration of the artwork that went into making the first ever Blade Runner animated series. Concept art, sketchwork, pre-viz, animation tests, final frames and more, are paired alongside interviews with the masterminds behind the show to give fans the full story of Black Lotus.
Respected co-directors Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama provide an exclusive, in-depth interview that explores their relationship with the Blade Runner universe, and their intimate analyses of and inspiration behind the characters. Alcon producers describe the creative journey, that spans many years prior, behind what they envisioned for the story, how Black Lotus would fit in the wider Blade Runner narrative, and who they wanted the protagonist to be. The writers explain how they conceptualised the characters and the voice actors share their personal journeys and light-hearted anecdotes on how they brought those characters to life. The lighting and animation team also share how they captured Blade Runner’s cyberpunk visual and auditory palette in a new medium for the franchise: anime.
Written by Japanamerica author Roland Kelts, this book is illustrated to the brim with concept art that is beautifully vivid and presented in a gallery format throughout the book; organised chronologically by character, location, and event as they are introduced in the show. Readers will be able to breeze through this companion guide as they watch the show for a deeper, richer, and more personal viewing experience. At the back of the book, you’ll find never-before-seen sketches of the Black Out short films that accompanied Blade Runner 2049.


Blade Runner Black Lotus: Leaving L.A.
By Nancy Collins.
Illustrated by Enid Balam and Marco Lesko.
Published by Titan Comics.
Published 2023.
ISBN-10: 1787737381
ISBN-13: 978-1787737389
Description:
[An] enjoyable spin-off in the Blade Runner universe. Fans who can’t get enough antics of rebel androids will appreciate this unexpectedly colorful trip back into the film’s conceits. – Publishers Weekly.
Black Lotus offers plenty of potential and compelling characters to start this journey as a fun ride. – Set The Tape.
It’s a post apocalyptic thriller at its finest. – Get Your Comic On.
A Cowboy Western feel, and Collins expertly establishes the supporting cast with distinctive voices and clear motivations. – Comical Opinions.
If you liked the anime, and are itching to see where the story goes from there, check out Blade Runner: Black Lotus. – Comics Beat.
Based on the all-new acclaimed Anime series: Black Lotus.
This officially sanctioned graphic novel heralds an all-new saga in the Blade Runner franchise, one whose ramifications will ripple throughout the Blade Runner universe.
Set in the year 2032, Blade Runner: Black Lotus features an all-new cast of characters and introduces Nia Wallace, heir to the Tyrell empire and future creator of the JOI hologram and the Replicant Love, as seen in the smash hit 2017 movie Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Revealing a world of Blade Runner not previously explored, this all-new graphic novel collects together the four-issue mini-series and features a new type of Replicant, not seen before – the deadly Nexus 9.

On this day in music history - A Celtic Dream, by Michele McLaughlin (2008):


A Celtic Dream

Album by Michele McLaughlin,
released November 14, 2008.

Track list:

Summer Solstice; Slainte; Celtic Dream; Irish Rain; Across the Burren; Finn McCool; Lament; North Sea; Druid’s Prayer; Clurichaun; Glenveagh Castle; Causeway Coastline; For the Lambs; From Where We Came; Carrowkeel.

On this day at The Pie Hole:


Pushing Daisies

Season 1. Episode 6.
Episode entitled: Bitches.
Released November 14, 2007.
Directed by Allan Kroeker.
Written by Chad Gomez Creasey, Dara Resnik Creasey.
Series created by Bryan Fuller.
Music by Jim Dooley.
Narrated by Jim Dale.


Cast:

Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Jim Dale, Kristin Chenoweth, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz, Christine Adams, Mark Harelik, Lydia Look, Jessica Lundy, Joel McHale, Jenny Wade, Ed Brigadier, Field Cate, Samantha Hanratty, Sy Richardson.