I’ve been swamped with my day-job assignments but I am eager to pitch some weird features for Q4 and revive Italian Disco Stories. tips?

What does it mean for a character to evolve without losing what made them beloved? Proud to have shared my perspective on Mario in "It’s Nice That" for his 40-year anniversary! Thanks to @angelicafrey.bsky.social for having me. Read: www.itsnicethat.com/features/nin...

"A witches’ sabbath." Today's article pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to writer @angelicafrey.bsky.social! Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe daily.jstor.org/the-literary...

Given the news cycle, do what Hector Berlioz did and start imagining yourself as an artist indulging in an opium-fueled reverie, which culminates into his imagining his own death and being the centerpiece of a witches' sabbath! @jstordaily.bsky.social daily.jstor.org/the-literary...

Explore a Digitized Edition of the Voynich Manuscript, “the World’s Most Mysterious Book”

How do you write about things that touch on RW culture without making it seem like you're dogwhistling? I think one ought to document its main tenets, but based on what I read in the wild, people seem to get a kick out of it. I've been there, trust me : www.fastcompany.com/91249481/202...

I co-write one of the best music newsletters which repeatedly gets endorsed....and copied). Our latest instalment is on the 1986 Italo concept album "The Legend," a bizarre work mixing synths, 4/4 and Arthurian legends. www.italiandiscostories.com/p/valerie-do...

Should I get into ACOTAR? Wrong Answers Only

Who are you trying to mog/one-up when you say you want to "define taste"? There's dozens, no, thousands of these publications

I am on @jstordaily.bsky.social again with a sweet little featurette on why video games just love inserting operatic interludes here and there. It uses Tim Summers's "Opera Scenes in Video Games: Hitmen, Divas and Wagner’s Werewolves" as a basis. daily.jstor.org/why-are-vide...

I can't believe David Lynch is dead! The way he used music in his movies is something nobody could ever achieve, let alone replicate. Tangentially related, my profile of Rebekah del Rio for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/music/2022/j...

I'm on @jstordaily.bsky.social w/a feature on Henry Cowell. "I had never deliberately concerned myself with developing a distinctive personal style but only with the excitement and pleasure of writing music as beautifully, as warmly, and as interestingly as I can." daily.jstor.org/henry-cowell...

Hand-Drawn Game Guides: Mega Man goes live in a few minutes. I really hope you like what we're doing here. I'm grateful to be able to give this another honest shot and see this project through. Thanks so much for the support. (KS link on the next post)

Also, if you're an editor and like this type of stories, which are, actually, about Europop and pop culture but not from the usual trite POV, please do reach out. I am always eager to write more!

When @mattleone.bsky.social announced @polygon.com was putting together a localization package, I jumped right in! I interviewed Giorgio Vanni and Max Longhi about the way they combined the four-to-the-floor beat (cassa in quattro in Italian) and anime whimsy. www.polygon.com/pokemon/4926...

Day two stories! www.polygon.com/pokemon/4926...

Credit for these to @angelicafrey.bsky.social, @lewisgordon.bsky.social, and @kelslewin.bsky.social

Think the "Chad" meme is a relic of internet history? Think again. Brands brought the Megachad to life in 2024—and Fast Company is here to tell you how and why www.fastcompany.com/91249481/202...

Christmas pop songs outside the Anglosphere? Yes please! Here are the ones we chose for The Guardian (alas the limit was 14 entries!) www.theguardian.com/music/2024/d...

Wicked; Megalopolis; Poor Things WELCOME BACK STEAMPUNK <3

It's the Year of the Lord 1978, and anime series are being pitched to Italian network TV. How do you make them more palatable? Well, you write a bespoke opening theme because the original was, back then, deemed too "weird" for the Italian auditory palate. www.italiandiscostories.com/p/italian-an...

Are you following my newsletter with Giuseppe "Disco Bambino" Savoni? We're the only editorial project on Italian and Italo Disco; 2,200 followers strong. www.italiandiscostories.com

So where do journalists and writers gather on here? Are there good calls for pitches/gigs?

Hi! After an extremely busy six-month stretch, I now have some openings in my content business and for editorial work. I write about design, tech, fashion, and art, and I am also eager to do some gift guides

It's Mental Health Awareness Month. For the sake of transparency, here is how this crumbling industry impacted my own well being. I don't think my reputation can recover from this, but I owe it to my loved ones to finally move on.

🪩Most Italian Disco hits came out following the outsized popularity Saturday Night Fever in Italy but the earliest proto-disco hits came out as early as 1974. @disco_bambino and I try to trace the origin stories of Italian disco italiandiscostories.substack.com/p/the-genesi...

Italian Disco Stories is Live! Read the mission statement, the WHY NOW (stupid question, but needs answering) and an overview of what's to come! open.substack.com/pub/italiand...

I am really proud to announce a project helmed by me and Beppe Savoni of Disco Bambino Fame. Italian Disco Stories (italiandiscostories.substack.com) will shed light on the unique path Italian disco music took and its outsized influence across the arts.

I am about to embark on a book-length project with a coauthor, something I've been dreaming of my entire sentient life. We have to fund it ourselves until we find a publisher, so please hit me up for any writing opportunities that you see fit for me, and let me be my own patron!!!

European fantasy movies just hit differently: Check out the ultra-camp atmospheres of Peau d'Âne Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel, and of course the multi-national masterpiece Fantaghirò, aka The Cave of the Golden Rose

Baffled by the MELODIC similarities between Citypop and late 70s-early 80s Italopop. My friend and music scholar Beppe Savoni agrees that it's not just in my head.

Here im Himmelblau, I will solely speak via beautiful art.

Let's make this platform a space that does not make you want to burrow in a tight crawlspace to self soothe.