POPE JOAN to premiere in the US on Reelz!

We've just heard exciting news that the film POPE JOAN, based on Donna Woolfolk Cross's novel of the same name (Crown, 1996, 2009), will premiere in the US on Reelz Channel as a two-night miniseries!  The film will appear on December 18th and 19th.

POPE JOAN takes place in the 9th century and tells the fascinating story of a controversial figure of historical record: a woman who disguised herself as a man and eventually became Pope.  Sonke Wortmann directed POPE JOAN, which stars Johanna Wokalek, David Wenham, and John Goodman.  It was first released in October 2009 and premiered worldwide in Berlin, Germany, where it was the #1 film.  It also appeared in theaters in the UK, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium, among other countries.  View the stunning German movie poster below:

Be sure to tune into Reelz on December 18th and 19th!  Learn more on Reelz's website here, or Donna Woolfolk Cross's website here.  And find out even more by reading the book!

 Crown, 1996, 2009

Who really was "The Bard"?

Mark Anderson's acclaimed "SHAKESPEARE" BY ANOTHER NAME is out this week for the first time digitally from Untreed Reeds!  "SHAKESPEARE" BY ANOTHER NAME is the biography of the man who exhaustive research suggests is the true author of the complete Shakespeare oeuvre: Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford.  First published by the Penguin imprint Gotham Books in 2005, the book has received incredible praise across the US: "Deserves serious attention" (The New York Times); "Quite a compelling argument" (The Chicago Sun-Times); "Especially impressive" (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

You may recognize similarities between Anderson's book and the new movie ANONYMOUS currently out in theaters.  The movie is a fictionalized version of many of the arguments Anderson has put forth.

In fact, Anderson is a veritable powerhouse of information in the debate about who Shakespeare really was, as his website can attest (view it here!).  In the below Studio 360 audio interview and an article for MinnPost.com (viewable here), Anderson compiles the most compelling pieces of evidence.  Be sure to check them out, but learn even more about Edward de Vere and the controversy by reading "SHAKESPEARE" BY ANOTHER NAME!

Studio 360 audio interview:

Untreed Reads, November 2011

Re-released classic picture books

The coming of November brings with it the re-release of two beloved picture books! 

Beautifully worded and vividly illustrated,  A STARLIT SNOWFALL was born out of the collaboration of Newbery Medalist Nancy Willard and Caldecott Medalist Jerry Pinkney.  Originally published as A STARLIT SOMERSAULT DOWNHILL by Little, Brown in 1993, this gorgeous repackaging invites a new generation of children to experience the wonder of winter.  In a starred review, Kirkus praised the previous edition for its "gossamer lyric verse, delicate as early snow."  Booklist noted that, "graceful in both picture and word, this [book] creates a mood that transcends the intricacies of the text." The repackaged edition will appear in stores this Monday! 

 Little, Brown, November 2011

Another re-release appearing at the end of the month is LAPIN PLAYS POSSUM: Trickster Tales from the Louisiana Bayou written by Sharon Arms Doucet and illustrated by Scott Cook.  The book compiles three lively trickster tales of Cajun Louisiana's version of Brer Rabbit.  It first appeared from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux in June 2002.  Reviewers hailed the "colorful vocabulary and peppery idioms [that] season each page" (Publishers Weekly) and the "sly, hilarious regionalisms...spiced with bayou phrases...[that make it] a fine addition to folklore collections" (Booklist). 

Pelican Publishing, November 2011

Be sure to pick up these classics this month!