Whitney Museum of America Art, July 2015
Not-so-random stuff by and about me.
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THE JENNY MCCARTHY SHOW "Good book alert! Good book alert!" So says Jenny McCarthy. And who am I to argue? I can't thank her enough for her enthusiasm for Sacred Landscapes and for having me on her Sirius XM radio show. "This is totally up my alley," she said before our interview began. "Let's go sell some books!" She even featured me on her Instagram story. Guess who she talks to while out for walks? G.O.D.!
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WOMEN 4 WOMEN SUMMIT So thrilled to be participating in this gathering of inspired women hosted by Allison Carmen and Joan Herrmann. Join us on December 1 so that you can "Reset, Restart, and Get Ready for 2021!" Purchase tickets here.
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FIRE IT UP WITH CJ CJ Liu and I share how we authentically express (no spiritual bypassing!) and align back to center during crazy times. I also reveal how I communicate directly with God. In other words, wherever you are, you, too, can align with the Divine—the subtitle of my book, Sacred Landscapes.
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THE HOLY SPIRIT'S CURRICULUM OF JOY It quickly became clear when I spoke with Austria-based Wanako Oberhuber that though we may speak different languages (Wanako teaches A Course in Miracles), we're saying the same thing: There is only the One. We are one. I loved this conversation!
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THE AWARE SHOW Finding Calm in the Midst of the Chaos This year has proven to be unpredictable and even chaotic. How can we navigate the rocky storms? I was delighted to share my "calming wisdom and tips for staying grounded" with Lisa Garr, whom I've listened to since forever on KPFK radio.
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PEOPLE.COM We Shall Overcome I wrote a very personal essay for People ’s Voices From the Fight Against Racism series. I riff on my family, the 70s, the South Bronx, South Carolina, Kojak, seeing the pope, AOC’s power and strength, Nixon, Bella Abzug, the ghosts on The Hunger Games set, singing at the 2008 DNC, the MLK Memorial, meeting President Jimmy Carter & Rep. John Lewis and more.
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WCBS NEWSRADIO 880 What a thrill for this native New Yorker! And this station was my father’s favorite. We discuss Sacred Landscapes; my favorite book blurb; thriving in the throes of a global pandemic—and I demonstrate how to blow off a little steam, too. My interview was broadcast in segments the week of August 10 but you can listen to it in its entirety here.
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CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE, CHANGE YOUR LIFE Conversations with Joan My talk with Joan Herrmann first aired Oct 4 @ 10 p.m. ET on New York's AM 970 The Answer and iHeartRadio. Among the topics covered: How being a journalist prepared me for my life as a spiritual guide. How I define God. Click the link to listen on demand on Spotify, Apple Music, Stitcher and Google Play.
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ELLE Spread the Word In recent interviews for Sacred Landscapes of the Soul, I've discussed how writing a profile is akin to holding space in a spiritual session. Which leads me to reflect on some of my celebrity profiles. For the release of Poetic Justice, John Singleton's sophomore film, I interviewed the genius director for a second time (I first talked with him for ELLE for a round-up story highlighting movies set in the 'hood). I thought about our interviews upon hearing news of his untimely death in 2019. He was always so excited to be doing what he loved! I also chatted with Janet Jackson, via telephone, for the story: "I expected [her] to be quite withdrawn, but she was actually very open and sweet," I said for the issue's contributors' page. And when her Poetic Justice co-star Tupac Shakur was tragically killed, I had to fly to Vegas to cover the story for People.
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INTERVIEW Jada Pinkett The Sass of '94 I was new to Los Angeles when I met Jada Pinkett in her trailer on the set of the horror film Demon Knight. At the time, she had three movies in the offing and was three years away from marrying Will Smith. (I just watched The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion show, which reminds me—I also profiled the actress who played the sister on the show, Karyn Parsons.) So what did Jada and I first talk about? Her new look —she'd dyed her hair blonde. Who knew that years later we'd both have children in the business, or that her son would escort my daughter to prom?
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ELLE Mitch Longley Acts Up I've rarely maintained contact with story subjects—except in this instance. Mitch, an actor, model and advocate (he was confined to a wheelchair) attended my art exhibits after we both moved to Los Angeles from New York and we'd occasionally get together for lunch. Our first outing (in New York) was to attend a March of Dimes event after the Elle magazine story won an award. Such a lovely soul and, as you can see from the Ralph Lauren ad, a beautiful face.
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SPIRIT MATTERS TALK I share with podcast co-hosts Phil Goldberg and Dennis Raimondi that time I had a holy experience on an acupuncturist's table and how I've always been afraid of rollercoasters—until now.
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MYSTICAL MATCHMAKER Listen in as Marla Martenson, a fellow inhabitant of the City of Angels, and I discuss how to find calm in the chaos (breathing is key); whether we living out the End of Days or the Great Awakening; and how important it is to create—I'm painting again and writing lots! Marla recites a beautiful affirmation of self-love at the top. (I intuitively placed my hand over my heart as I took in her deeply felt words.)
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PATHEOS Is God "Closer Than Your Own Breath"? The very morning the world awoke to news of Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis, I learned that this lovely piece had been published. Writes Tom Rapsas in his "Wake Up Call" column, "What I found most compelling in Sacred Landscapes of the Soul were the first-person essays that appear in italics every few pages in the book. They have been channeled or as Brailsford explains: The words flowed through me as if they were being communicated directly by God, speaking directly to me. And thereby, to you."
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INNER VISIONS Life and Liberty Read my message about these times, published in Agape International Spiritual Center's inspirational guide. It opens with epigraphs from two of the greatest Americans to have ever lived. A preview: Freedom is a glorious thing, for we can think. It’s within our thinking, after all, where we really get to expand and soar. We catch ahold of and then latch onto a vision. One caveat—do not cling. Our grasp must be loose so as to allow other possibilities to flow.
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SIDEWALK TALK Spiritual Sustenance Thrilled to see these words from "Shadow and Light," one of the 111 pieces in Sacred Landscapes, in this promo for my conversation with Traci Ruble, founder of the phenomenal nonprofit Sidewalk Talk, which has been "listening on sidewalks to end loneliness and hear the unheard" since 2015. The passage appears in the Forest landscape and is meant to offer inspiration "when we are in the thick of it."
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FOX NEWS 11 LA Agape Choir at the DNC In 2008 I headed with Agape's choir to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO, to sing with John Legend. Watch to hear how excited I was to board the Love Train. And here's the video of the pinch-me Rocky Mountain High experience. I blog about it all here.
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BRIDGES & BLESSINGS The deeply authentic soul known as Rev. Julie and I talk frankly about helpful spiritual practices (breathing and dancing!), my former life as a momager and all kinds of good stuff. Thanks to my cousin, brother, dear Atlanta friend and the ex-beau who popped in. At the end I read "The Fire This Time," a selection from Sacred Landscapes. Watch to get all fired up—and for some comfort, too.
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INSTAGRAM STORIES Love this IG story from my cousin Grace. Sacred Landscapes As Beach Read! And she's not the only one to report that she toted my book to the sand. A new landscape!
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NJ ADVANCE MEDIA Karens would like to speak to the media about this whole "Karen" thing As I told the writer of this article, Amy Kuperinsky, "Some of my best friends are white Karens and they hardly fit the stereotype." Case in point: Karen Springen, whom I first met at Newsweek, is one of the kindest beings on the planet. Back in the day, as evidenced by this photo, we didn't just twin with our names.
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WRITE VOLUMES I discuss life, death, grief, mothers, secrets, inspiration, Harriet Tubman, writing and more with Genea Tafesse, editor of the Shades anthologies, in their first author video interview. The latest edition, Shades of Transition and Transformation, is dedicated to our mothers, Leah and Leola.
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FRIENDSOME AND THENSOME
I hung out with the bubbly trio of Mindy Stearns, JD Cargill and Michelle Orrego to discuss Sacred Landscapes of the Soul and what else...my name. They claim I'm "the coolest Karen out there!" Who am I to disagree? |
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PEOPLE Pain and Glory Things got tense when I arrived at Gladys Knight's Vegas home for a story pegged to her memoir and she announced there was to be no mention of ex-husband Les Brown in the article. (He'd ridden her coattails long enough, she said.) A flurry of calls to my editors ensued, and after that initial hiccup, we had a good heart-to-heart.
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TEEN VOGUE 21 Mother's Day Tributes from Your Favorite Celebrities The shortest, most flattering article about me: "They got it from their mamas. Amandla's caption of their gorgeous mom says it all: 'my mom the legend.' " They'll get no argument from me. Posting here now because I just came across this story online. Plus I love this coat.
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INSIDE TV What Simon Says Is Usually Right While West Coast editor of this short-lived magazine produced by TV Guide and focused on television stars, I wrote a column defended American Idol's Simon Cowell and shared my guilty pleasure--Gastineau Girls. Today I don't even remember who that show was about!
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ESSENCE The Superhero: Karen Brailsford "After being cast as Rue in The Hunger Games, rising star Amandla Stenberg is on everyone’s radar. With so much attention, the 13-year old says her mom is key." My mom reminds me that all things are possible. I can't say how honored and how grateful I was to be featured with Amandla in this Mother's Day tribute story. A highlight: heading to Venice Beach for the photo shoot.
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PEOPLE Hollywood Blackout I was a member of the fastidious team behind this special report from 1996 that garnered lots of attention and headlines (I appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the subject with Charlie Gibson.) We called some 130 sources to discuss the lack of representation in Hollywood. Five years later, little had changed. One could argue the same is true a quarter-century later.
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INTERVIEW Malcolm X That's my mug on the contributors' page, featured with Elvis Costello, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper and Donna Tartt. I talked to Spike Lee about his then upcoming film. A silly moment: Spike teased me about my key chain, a statuette I'd bought as a souvenir in Africa. "That's a fertility symbol. You'd better be careful!" he warned. "That stuff works."
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PEOPLE Shock Waves
Seven years before Alice Sebold's much-heralded debut novel The Lovely Bones became a movie starring Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Stanley Tucci, I sat down with the author at her Long Beach, CA, home. |
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW The Wainscott Weasel by Tor Seidler "It's just possible that not since a spider named Charlotte saved a pig named Wilbur from the slaughterhouse has there been a more tender tale of interspecies love and devotion." I loved the illustrations, too.
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FLY MOMMIE Blog by @quinkenzo
Tell us a little about yourself? My Instagram (@iamkarenbrailsford) bio at the time of this interview pretty much sums me up: Delighting in all things synchronistic, magical and miraculous. I also share my favorite things, inspirations and what makes my soul happyl |
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YOUR ISSUE HERE: WORKING WITH HOLLYWOOD TO DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE TO MILLIONS I spent six months researching, reporting and writing this guide targeting non-profits desirous of promoting their causes in film and television storylines and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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PEOPLE Baby Who Have Babies
This image will forever be etched in my mind: The teen mother I was assigned to cover is sitting cross-legged on her living room floor. Propped up by a colorful Boppy pillow and nursing on each breast is a baby. Twin girls. |
PEOPLE Babies Having Babies
How's this for perspective? When I visited my teen mom five years later, my daughter was a year old and I was in my my mid-thirties. A 16-year old Jamie Lynn Spears would give birth eight years later. The reality series Teen Mom was a decade away. |
NEWSWEEK Black & White
Recently I felt compelled to order a copy of this 1988 issue of Newsweek, which I reported. It arrived the day of George Floyd's memorial service in Minneapolis. As I turned the pages, memories began to flood my awareness. The subtitle for the lead story reads "Twenty years after the murder of Martin Luther King, blacks have gained a fragile new middle class and a troubled 'underclass,' while the civil-rights movement itself has fallen into a neglect that hurts everyone". Sidebars included stories on IBM, an affirmative action "success story," and a closing piece written by Jonathan Alter and reported by Karen Springen and yours truly entitled "Why We Can't Wait Any Longer: Arguments heat up about how best to confront the despair of the underclass."
Recently I felt compelled to order a copy of this 1988 issue of Newsweek, which I reported. It arrived the day of George Floyd's memorial service in Minneapolis. As I turned the pages, memories began to flood my awareness. The subtitle for the lead story reads "Twenty years after the murder of Martin Luther King, blacks have gained a fragile new middle class and a troubled 'underclass,' while the civil-rights movement itself has fallen into a neglect that hurts everyone". Sidebars included stories on IBM, an affirmative action "success story," and a closing piece written by Jonathan Alter and reported by Karen Springen and yours truly entitled "Why We Can't Wait Any Longer: Arguments heat up about how best to confront the despair of the underclass."
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THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW Last Summer With Maizon At the end of my review, I enthused, “Let’s hope Jacqueline Woodson’s pen writes steadily on.” Thirty-three books later, Woodson won The Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest in children’s literature.
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PEOPLE Author, Author I spent the day in Berkeley, CA, with the literary world's dynamic duo of Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, arriving in time to watch her whip up pancakes for their children. At the end of a very long day, he signed and presented a copy of Summerland, his new novel, to Amandla.
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PEOPLE In His Father's House Spending time with the legendary gospel singer Andraé Crouch, whose songs I sang as a child on the Sunbeam Choir at Fort Motte Baptist Church, was a revelation.
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PEOPLE Open Book The author of Bird by Bird and Operating Instructions is a wizard at showing us how to observe, write and live fully. What I gained from my extraordinary afternoon with the writher? A deep appreciation for her engaged, engaging soul—and for Wheat Thins, which she nibbled on throughout our interview.
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PEOPLE Make a Joyful Noise
Rev. Matthew Fox, not to be confused with the actor from Party of Five and Lost , is a very generous and gracious soul. How do I know this? Twenty-three years after I profiled him for People, he agreed to read Sacred Landscapes of the Soul and write a blurb for it. Talk about divine orchestration. |
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Hungry for More About The Hunger Games? A Q&A With Amandla Stenberg (AKA Rue) My former Newsweek colleague Karen Springen wrote this piece and I shot the photo, later published in a communications textbook.
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SECRETS TO DATE BY by Jula Jane
I edited this book. It was fun. And the cover really popped. I have nothing more to say, except for this: My favorite chapter title is "Match.con." |
BETTER WAY MOMS So Not Lindsay Lohan: How to Raise A Child Star I'd forgotten that I can be seen hovering nearby in this photo of Amandla with French director Olivier Megaton on the Chicago set of her very first film, Colombiana.. I wrote about the experience for this mommy blog. P.S. Zoe Saldana was amazingly sweet and cool.
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NPR Tell Me More With Michele Martin
Should Kids See The Hunger Games?
The violent theme of The Hunger Games incited lots of controversy. As Rue’s mom, I had lots to say on the matter.
Should Kids See The Hunger Games?
The violent theme of The Hunger Games incited lots of controversy. As Rue’s mom, I had lots to say on the matter.
