"IT" LIST BOOK PICK: BOMBSHELL BOHEMIA

Bombshell Bohemia Escorts Us Into A “Graveyard of Buried Hearts”

Poet Taylor Roberts Slays Us With Her First Poetry Collection

Oh, Maria Tallchief, Ballet Russe
You could not fit a tiny pirouette
within this one small plot of earth unpaved.
California,
I am lonely for every other decade but my own.

[from “The City Rhythm” ©2012]

Roberts’ first collection of poems is a short book that really packs a punch. From “Algonquian Labrodorite” to the “milk in the azure light” the imagery is all at once immediate and out of the past.

“Bombshell Bohemia began years ago in a journal in my back-pocket as I wandered the streets of New York City, a wide-eyed girl from Texas and North Carolina. My exposure to poetry grew from studying Shakespeare at theatre conservatory. Soon I had T.S. Eliot quotes stuck all over my walls. I would read Pablo Neruda on the subway on the way to audition for sitcoms.”

You might recognize Roberts from her acting work on films like Mona Lisa Smile and indie drama, Admissions . “I was always drawn to things theatrical. As a ballet dancer I would picture myself as Juliet or Giselle, these tragic sylphlike beauties. You hear a lot of the Romance Era in my work.”

Indeed the dancer is a theme waltzing through the book. The actress is evident as well, especially in poems like, “Mnemosyne,” whose title is the name of the Greek Goddess of Memory and mother of the nine muses. “Mnemosyne is about a girl looking for her voice in a quiet space. I refer to the ‘unused muse’ as a kind of hell. I think that comes from the need to be chosen as worthy. The subject of the muse as a human person instead of a work of art is a thread that runs through my work.”

Fans of Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickenson are sure to revel in this read, but Roberts references Pablo Neruda’s Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair as a major inspiration. “I recognize that my poems on there own are very dark and even tortured at times. This book is sort of like my Twelve Poems of Despair and a Song of Love.” She laughs.

The poetry is indeed dark and Taylor’s bubbly personality is surprisingly blithe and joyful. Her multi-dimensional persona is evidenced in her acting work as well, considering her upcoming comedy debut on Adult Swim’s Loiter Squad.

With a new book and upcoming tv appearance, Taylor Roberts is showing the world how an Indie Artist can knock the socks off of the mainstream. Bombshell Bohemia, Poetry from the Underground will be available worldwide on April 21st.


Find out where to buy Bombshell Bohemia at www.bombshellbohemia.com

Watch Loiter Squad Sunday nights at 11:30 EST on Adult Swim.

By Laura Curtis Harding, Indie It List

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SPOTLIGHT ON INDIE FASHION: THE TRENDSETTERS

No one can deny the huge impact of indie fashion especially in this 21st Century. This kind of evident influence began to surface in the early seventies and eighties, when music bands tried to differentiate themselves from others, through a stylish and trendy image. Today Indie fashion is about having the freedom to express, to be comfortable in your own style and to have an individual touch. A lot of styles and other fashion trends have gone into making Indie fashion what it is today. This article intends to give you an insight into Indie culture particularly more on the fashion paradigm. Let us have a closer look at what Indies culture is all about and what its influences entail.

What does it take for one to be considered an Indie? What are the important ingredients that set a person apart from the mainstream crowd? What are the personality traits of those who succumb to this popular subculture?

Non-mainstream mentality: Indie souls love uniqueness and do not conform to the beliefs of the mass majority. They value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, and intelligence. Often well-educated, their intellectual minds and non-judgmental attitude mean their viewpoints are habitually multidimensional, preferring to skim around the subject rather than standing their grounds with eyes closed.

Occupations: Indie people tend to be well educated and often have liberal arts degrees, or degrees in maths and sciences, which also require certain creative analytical thinking abilities. Consequently, many indie people tend to have jobs in the music, art, and fashion industries. In some rare cases, indie people are also capable of assuming careers in traditionally bureaucratic organizations or even government agencies while living a double life of an indie.

The Look: Known for their rejection of the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, indie people have, some might say, an unhealthy appetite for differentiation. Their appearance is profoundly influenced by art, music, fashion and film, an infusion of which gives rise to an eclectic mix of highly styled individuals. This breed of fashion pioneers is often seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick-rimmed glasses.

Gender-neutral look is also popular among the indie crowd. Both indie men and women sport similar androgynous hairstyles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Such styles are often associated with the work of creative stylists at urban salons, and are usually too "edgy" for the culturally-sheltered mainstream consumers.

Yet, quite arguably, indie style rests in the very epicenter of fashion trend whether is it made known to the wearers or not. Trickle down effect? Styles made popular by a subculture are not unheard of and indie clothing is no exception.


Aesthetics: Regular, if not obsessive, intake of art and music is a major part of an indie lifestyle. Anything underground, alternative and non-mainstream, but NEVER billboard climbers or Top of the Pop chart-toppers. Indie people are the leaders of the latest cultural trends and ideals. This applies to music as well, as many bands have become successful and known to mainstream audiences only because indie people first found and listened to them as early-adopters of new culture. Once certain concepts of fashion and music have reached mainstream audiences, indie people move on to something new and improved.

Unquestionably, it is the very essence of indie culture that continues to inspire the world and most of the fashion trends in today's market. Gradually and calculatedly, indie people become the key actor in foreseeing changes in fashion and trends--ultimately making them the true fashion influencers.

© 2012 by Ralph Kelvin
Photo credit:  Michèle K. www.theurbanapparel.com

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"IT" LIST SHORT FILM PICK - A FINGER TWO DOTS THEN ME

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"IT" LIST SHORT FILM PICK: "A Finger, Two Dots, Then Me"

Our writers were lucky enough to attend the Derrick Brown book launch party in Los Angeles this weekend, and what we witnessed there was a radical merging of film and poetry. Duality Filmworks brothers David and Daniel Holechek screened their award winning short film, "A Finger, Two Dots, Then Me" to a rapt audience and we were all blown away.

Described as a spoken word piece based on a poem by Derrick C. Brown, the film takes a dramatic look at life, love and death in what Poetry Slam founder Marc Smith calls, “One of the five greatest love poems ever written."

Watch a preview of the film here and find out why it has won thirteen festival awards and counting...

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"IT" LIST BAND PICK - OTHER LIVES

photo by Carl Warren, otherlives.com

"IT" LIST BAND PICK: Other Lives

Currently on tour with Radiohead, this indie band has seemingly come from nowhere and dropped in like a dream. With a juicey ratio of spacey atmosphere and americana folk-rock, these guys have style for the bohemian and substance for the skeptic.

Take a listen to our "It" List pick for March:

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