deerstalker
Nonprofit arts and cultural intermediary BIG We Foundation (BWF) has selected its second cohort of six SheStories grantees. This program assists Black, Indigenous, Latino/a, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Multiracial and femme-identifying womxn to create projects rooted in lasting and meaningful change through storytelling and narrative development. SheStories is an innovative program that has received funding from Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company. The award was slated for four storytellers, but due to an overwhelming response of close to 400 applicants wanting to share their stories, BWF expanded its support and awarded two additional grants of $15,000.
Following an open call for applications this past September, a panel of community members selected the awardees based on the following criteria: personal exploration, aligned values, unheard stories and a clear call to action. Founder Anasa Troutman said, “As we think about the future and the ways the world is changing, storytelling is an incredibly transformative tool. As a foundation that is thinking about building beloved community, we must invest in the creators who bravely share their vision of the world where everyone is seen, loved, and cared for.”
The completion of SheStories projects is expected by early 2025. The third and final round of grants will open late this spring. For more information, visit thebigwe.com/grantmaking.
$30,000 Grantees
- Rakhee Jain Desai (Texas): Rakhee is a multidisciplinary artist using textile/fiber, painting, installation, public art and moving images to tell personal stories within her community. Project: “Beyond The Sari,” is a compilation of intergenerational stories dedicated to capturing, preserving and sharing the lived experiences of South Asian women who migrated to Texas during the 1960s-1980s.
- Shequeta Smith (California): Shequeta is a writer, director and graphic novelist whose work features powerful women. Project: A five-part docuseries exploring the history of Black women in comics and how it intersects with the film and gaming industry.
- Anahi Nanjaro Jara (Washington): Anahi is an environmental justice advocate and oral historian. Project: “Pachamama Oral History Project: Las Mujeres del Terreno (The Women of the Land)” documents the impacts of climate change and machismo on the physical and cultural landscapes of agrarian women in Andean regions of South America curated via a multimedia gallery.
- LeeAnn Morrissette (South Carolina): LeeAnn is a photographer, writer and filmmaker who is committed to documenting and amplifying the stories of Black people reclaiming what it means to live well and free from the wounds of generational land-based trauma. Project: “Revolutionary Nature of Making” is a documentary short that profiles an intergenerational collective of Black fiber artists based in Georgia who are reimagining and redefining their relationship with the ritual of making.
$15,000 Grantees:
- Annette Hollowell (Louisiana): Annette is an entrepreneur, facilitator and lawyer specializing in community building, land stewardship and Black liberation. Project: “We Are the Promised Land” podcast depicts Black land legacies in the Mississippi Hill Country that centers on the Hollowell family and their land in Waterford, Mississippi. The story delves into how the family retained ownership of the land for over a century, exploring the compromises, sacrifices and risks involved.
- Toni Blackman (New York): Toni is a rapper, writer and the first Hip-Hop Ambassador for the U.S. State Department. Project: “Sacred Cypher: Why I Rhyme” highlights gifted women MCs from the Rhyme Like a Girl program. Despite diverse backgrounds, they share stories of dedication to music and culture while navigating responsibilities like caregiving, education, health issues and financial struggles.
Mysteries, murders, detectives, and amazing reveals–the manga version! Here’s a short sampling of a few manga series for the lover of detective stories that aren’t the long running, beloved Great Detective Conan aka Case Closed series. Included here on this mini list is Shojo, Seinen, sci-fiction, and even historical offerings! Note: all manga series mentioned here have age ratings ranging from Teen to Older Teen 16 and up.
Don’t Call it Mystery
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Creator: Yumi Tamura
Translation: Caroline Winzenried
Lettering: Aila Nagamine
Availability: Print and Digital
Adapted to Anime: No
Ongoing or Completed: Ongoing (Vol. 5-6 Omnibus volumes now available)
I have to start this list off with this underrated recommendation: Don’t Call it Mystery, also known as Do Not Say Mystery. Created by shojo manga creator Yumi Tamura (mangaka of my beloved Basara, and 7SEEDS) this is a super delightful, thought-provoking mystery manga series centering Kunou Totonou: a twenty year old college student who stands out—both for his curly hairdo and his finely-honed abilities of observation and deduction. The first chapter jumps right into a case where Totonou is accused of murder! When he puts his skills to work to find the real killer, he ends up with a local police department upheaval, and he emerges as a character to watch by different parties who need a critical eye. While some of the artwork and character designs lean a little rough, the story more than makes up for it in a well-paced feat of sleuthing and emotional intelligence on display.
Don’t Call it Mystery is intriguing as Totonou isn’t a detective, crime scene investigator, lawyer, psychic, or reporter yet, but he can’t avoid getting caught up in one mystery after another. He’s an introverted fellow who just wants to get home to his curry or go to the museum in peace yet, his keen insight keeps getting him involved in strange happenings where looking at the smallest of details makes him a star in getting to the truth of the matter.
Seven Seas Entertainment is publishing this series in omnibus volumes meaning readers will get to read a whole chunk of this series (two volumes) at a time to see coded messages, interrogations, family connections, surprise reveals, and more drama to come! Totonou with his (not an afro but also not a perm?) trademark hairstyle slowly endears himself to the readers and characters on the page alike with his blunt, but gentle, way of trying to make sense of the world, who has to use fast thinking to often get himself and others out of dangerous situations. Fun fact: if you love J-dramas, there was a 2022 live action adaptation of the manga series!
Recommended for fans of: Crime & Mystery, Drama, a really funny and interesting protagonist, and great plays on several mystery tropes
Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka
Publisher: Viz
Creators: Naoki Urasawa & Osamu Tezuka (Co-Authored with Takashi Nagasaki with the cooperation of Tezuka Productions, Supervised by Macoto Tezuka)
Translator: Jared Cook & Frederik L. Schodt
Letterer: James Gaubatz
Availability: Print and Digital
Adapted to Anime: Yes, 1 season on Netflix.
Ongoing or Completed: Complete (8 volumes)
Pluto has long been on my list of manga to read and it shot up to the top last year when I heard word of an anime adaptation set to air some fourteen years after the manga came to a close. I picked up the first volume to find an ideal world where man and robots coexist in the near future. I quickly found out that in this world full of order where robots are seemingly unable to kill humans–someone or something has destroyed the powerful Swiss robot Mont Blanc. Investigator Gesicht takes the case to find the perpetrator who has demolished a robot loved by all the world over. Elsewhere, a key advocate for robot rights, a human is murdered…no traces of a human can be found at the crime scene. Gesicht continues to uncover gruesome crime scenes after the next and soon starts on a trail of true terror the world has never faced before. Pluto as a manga series starts off deceptively simple and evolves into a masterclass of a story of purpose, grief, power, and heartbreak.
Gesicht, with ties to the robot community, is assigned to this most strange and complex case – and he eventually discovers that not only are the seven great robots of the world in danger, but he is too. The best takeaway I have as someone who has been slowly making my way through the manga (and even paused watching the anime adaptation) is that Pluto perhaps best asks the fascinating and terrifying question: what if robots and humans were more alike than we’d like to admit or acknowledge?
As our investigator travels to warn the potential targets, readers are treated to robots and their lives, their families, their life’s work, and the humanizing ways they come to live in the world. This daring reinvention of “The Greatest Robot on Earth” story arc from Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy series, Pluto is both darkly harrowing and a series I haven’t been able to put down for its stunning narrative hold on the sacred of life, both human and not, and the killer who strives to wreck a world that held up the importance of both.
Recommended for fans of: The original Astro Boy series, science fiction, robots galore, and a dark noir type of storytelling
Lost Lad London
Publisher: Yen Press
Creator: Shima Shinya
Translator: Eleanor Summers
Letterer: Abigail Blackman
Availability: Print and Digital
Adapted to Anime: No
Ongoing or Completed: Complete (3 volumes)
“Because…it seems like the right thing to do” is what Detective Lenny Ellis tells Al, a university student after they first meet, creating a turning point in both their lives. The whole city of London is shocked when the mayor is found dead on an underground train, but perhaps none more than university student Al Adley. He remembers that he took the Tube that night, at the time of the mayor’s fatal stabbing, but he doesn’t remember seeing anything unusual—certainly nothing to explain how a bloody knife found its way into his pocket. The veteran detective, who has seen better days and is currently on the mend from a few injuries, pops up at Al’s flat to ask a few questions. Haunted by an older case gone wrong, the good detective believes Al, in spite of this damning evidence and decides to work with him to conceal his involvement at the scene for now and eventually help clear his name. Lost Lad London works as a compelling mystery-driven story set with lots of twists and emotional links that took me by surprise and kept me hooked in reading.
Part of the charm of mangaka Shima Shinya’s work here is their artwork: it flows on the page in an almost abstract fashion with most of the set pieces, backgrounds, and locations standing out or concealing information on the page. This works tremendously with the black and white scheme of the manga format. Paired with intentional placement of certain characters in panels and spreads, Shinya makes the most of creating physical and emotional distance between them in a really effective way. (Also, there are some really humorous faces that Al and Ellis that shouldn’t be missed) Detective Ellis and Al pair up to clear Al’s name and find a mysterious network of shadowy forces working together against them.
The detective and student discover surprising family connections, disguised murders, and the repeated emphasis on how a single event can change one’s life. Lost Lad London is full of suspense set in a place we often see in manga: London featuring two main characters of color: Black and South Asian leads that again, we don’t always see in manga. As much as I wish I could have read this series earlier, I am equally wishing for an adaptation of some kind: animated or live action. While only a short three volumes, I love the thoughtful themes of Lost Lad London that include the dangers of “othering” people, bias, and how racism plays a part in policing–a reminder of just how easily a life can be condemned or saved in today’s world.
Recommended for fans of: Unique artwork, shorter manga series, and crime dramas heavy on the suspense
My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files
Publisher: Azuki
Creator: Natsumi Ito
Translator: Samuel R Messner
Letterer: Barri Shrager
Availability: Digital
Ongoing or Completed: Ongoing (3 volumes collected so far)
Adapted to Anime: No.
If you’ve been following my writing on manga on this site, you’d know that I am no stranger to My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files. It is a newer series on the Azuki app that I’ve come to write about and spotlight for several reasons: its historical setting, its commentary on the world around us and in the past, and now the way it features detectives in its narrative. With an intriguing premise: the fictional adventures and misadventures of Mitsuko, Japan’s first fictional woman detective in the turbulent 1930s, Natsumi Ito’s ongoing manga series continues to bring readers new and old into the fold. Previously I’ve written about what best comes across in these pages detailing Mitsuko’s case is heart. When she and her assistant Saku, a younger male university student, start investigating, the person involved brings so much to the table: childhood memories, traumas, failures and forgotten dreams.
Readers will read stories of people who need help changing their lives for the better in the Showa period (1930s) of Japan where ideals, technology, and different world views are starting to change society. From the first chapter in, I could tell that this was a deeply researched manga from the detailed set pieces and locations often explained in translation notes after each chapter. Later chapters slowly give way to more and more glimpses of who both Mitsuko and Saku were before they ever consider detective work. (The way I nearly dropped my phone when I realized we readers were finally getting a chapter about Mitsuko’s mother!!)
More recent chapters have alluded to how a more recently disabled person in this time period might have a literary career and how a survivor of the Great Kanto Earthquake (1923) might attempt to salvage a family heirloom previously thought lost. My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files makes this list as it continues to be a stellar ongoing series with cases with terrific emotional payoffs as well as clever writing with a cast of interesting characters with connections that matter. As a longtime reader of the series, I have come to love that this series in its historical setting is teaching me about a time period of Japan that I’ve come to love with each and every new chapter–being far more illustrative than a textbook could ever be.
Recommended for: Fans of historical settings, folks who love odd ball duos in manga, lovers of DRAMA
The Apothecary Diaries
Publisher: Square Enix Manga & Books
Creator: Natsu Hyuuga and Nekokurage; Story Developed by Itsuki Nanao; Character Designed by Touco Shino
Translator: Julie Goniwich
Letterer: Lys Blakeslee
Availability: Digital & Print
Adapted to Anime: Yes on Crunchyroll
Ongoing or Completed: Ongoing (10 volumes collected so far)
Does The Apothecary Diaries along with the previous title mentioned above, My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files, mark an entry on this list in my attempt to include more women led manga series? Yes. Are both manga series I’ve covered before on this site? Yes. Lastly, are they both series that I truly enjoy and find worthy to recommend and write more and more? Yes. So, with that out of the way, this series is one that will catch readers of manga who enjoy the historical, romance, and mystery genres in a delightful, adored series that recently aired what I hope is just the first season of its anime adaptation.
The premise is simple: Maomao, a young woman trained in the art of herbal medicine, is forced to work as a lowly servant in the inner palace. After breaking a “curse” on the imperial heirs, she is thanked and is promoted up the ranks from food taster to maidservant just as the palace produces more mysterious happenings. As I elaborated here, Maomao is a refreshing protagonist to see moving around and out the inner palace. She is a disrupter, making waves as she goes. The Apothecary Diaries features enough political intrigue that runs hand in hand with lots of little surprises and conspiracies that boil to the top and make it perfect for fans of thrillers and crime. Maomao comes across mysteries waiting to be solved involving alleged ghosts, family heirlooms, those with failing health, missing corpses, and so much more.
The more that I read of the The Apothecary Diaries manga (adapted from a light novel series) the more the plot grew legs and kept me coming back for more. Jinshi, the good looking, and quite popular eunuch who takes a liking to Maomao and sees beyond the facade she places up in the palace–becomes more than her employer. He becomes her partner in crime so to speak. Their destinies are more entwined at this point, and as later volumes hint at and slowly reveal of their origins and circumstances that make them stand out as polar opposite sides of society. More recent volumes of the manga introduce scandals and adventures that take them both outside of the palace: long-awaited merchant caravan, foreign envoys, and more! And yet Maomao continually is drawn back to the palace and curses and dangers of the Inner Court that must be dealt with. The Apothecary Diaries hasn’t lost its touch and continues to be a captivating series to read that has only gained more popularity with its anime adaptation.
Recommended for fans of: Light Novel tie-in, mystery & thriller reads, historical settings, and some romance thrown in
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The post Manga Series to Check Out if You Like Detective Stories appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Justin Casterline/Getty Images By Joyce Onuorah ·Updated February 19, 2024
This past few days marked the 73rd annual All-Star Game Weekend for the NBA. The annual break during the season brings together the best basketball players in the league for a weekend full of festivities and of course basketball. This year’s game took place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Met with three to four inches of snow Friday night and freezing temperatures throughout the weekend Indianapolis held its own the best it could.
As many NBA fans love to discuss the level of play on the court and argue over the winners of the MVP award, some of the most exciting moments during the weekend are the fashion moments that happen off the court. Players across the league including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton have become very aware of how important their image can be. This season they are taking great pride in their tunnel outfits or “pre-game attire.” With All-Star Weekend bringing the greatest players and most loyal fans to one place, this weekend served as a large stage for the league’s most fashionable athletes to step out in some of their best looks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander In Chrome Hearts
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 18: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Western Conference All-Stars arrives prior to the 2024 NBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on February 18, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s taste and style is consistent. He is one of the few NBA players whose Instagram isn’t studded with jersey photos and highlight reels, but instead, one carefully curated outfit photo after another. Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder is often spotted in some of the hottest brands from Louis Vuitton to Thom Browne. Yesterday evening he wore a custom all-white Gruppo Vava jacket honoring the late Virgil Abloh, a simple T-shirt, custom white Chrome Hearts pants, and Balenciaga shoes.
Tyrese Haliburton In Prada
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 18: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers and Eastern Conference All-Stars arrives prior to the 2024 NBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on February 18, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) Tyrese Haliburton is known to enjoy a more classic look, but as of late, he’s been quite experimental. The Indiana Pacers point guard has been testing the boundaries with outerwear in various lengths and experimenting with different textures. On Sunday night, he confidently rocked a double-breasted Fall/Winter 2022 Prada coat and what we believe is a Hermès Togo HAC Birkin 40 bag. He keeps it classic with subtle denim, and classic shoes but the coat adds some serious dimension and personality.
Jalen Hurts In Vanson Leathers
Arria Woolcook Jalen Brown of the Boston Celtics has been recognized not only for signing the largest contract in the NBA but also for his often pared-down but tasteful ability to dress up seemingly casual pieces. He has a skill for finding a balance between streetwear and a more refined feel. Two days ago, Brown wore his own 7uice x Vanson Leather jacket collaboration, Jil Sander pants, his own 7uice x Bape sneakers, a Louis Vuitton briefcase, and Oakley glasses.
Karl-Anthony Towns In Rick Owens & Hermès
Arria Woolcook Karl Anthony Towns who had an incredible 50 points in this year’s All-Star Game doesn’t let his 7’0″ stature detour him away from making big statements with his looks. He also doesn’t shy away from playing with proportions. On Saturday, the Minnesota Timberwolves player wore Rick Owens head to toe. With the vest exhibiting a strong shoulders look and his wide-leg pants flaring out, you get a lovely hourglass shape topped off with a black Hermès Birkin.
Steph Curry In Miu Miu & Prada
Arria Woolcook Steph Curry, considered one of the best shooters in the NBA, arrived at the 3-point contest on Saturday night in a red and navy striped Miu Miu jacket and black platform Prada shoes. Curry is typically known for a more casual back look, so it was refreshing to see him in something a bit more dressed up this time around.
Victor Wembanyama In Louis Vuitton
Arria Woolcook Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is considered one of the best prospects of his time and also the tallest, as he is 7’4”. Despite the extra inches he still makes sure to keep fans guessing when it comes to his fashion choices. Heading into Saturday night’s Skills Challenge he wore a compelling look. He was spotted in a Louis Vuitton FW24 pixelated camouflage coat and a kelly green monogram Speedy handbag by the previously mentioned French brand.
Jayson Tatum In Custom Suit
Arria Woolcook Jayson Tatum who is also the former MVP of last year’s All-Star game arrived this year in a seafoam green suit. This look worn on Saturday stood out not only for re-imagining the men’s suit in regards to material and cut, but for also pushing the boundaries of Tatum’s personal style. Overall, the Boston Celtics’ small forward nailed his tunnel outfit.
Donovan Mitchell In Gallery Department
Arria Woolcook Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers arrived at Lucas Oil Stadium to compete in Saturday night’s Skills Challenge wearing a barbed wire set from Funeral Apparel and the Gallery Department X UGG shoe collab. The all-black look with both the white details of the set and the iridescent studs in the shoes made for a standout moment.
Giannis Antetokounmpo In Nike
Arria Woolcook Giannis Antetokounmpo, a power forward for the Milwaukee Bucks was the captain of the East, the winning team of Sunday’s All-Star Game. He isn’t usually concerned much with expressing himself through his >Nike Repel Basketball co-ord set served him well as a clean look that felt casual yet stylish.
TOPICS: Steph Curry Tunnel LooksThe post The Most Stylish Tunnel Outfits At The NBA’s 2024 All-Star Game Weekend appeared first on Essence.