By Sharon Geltner Very few people have a movie made about their life, let alone one starring Bruce Willis, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rebecca Hall. Wellington High School grad Beth Raymer (played by Hall) had sold the book and film rights to Lay the Favorite: A Memoir of Gambling by the time she was in her late 20s. Raymer, author of the new novel Fireworks … [Read more...]
‘Fireworks Every Night’: A vivid, gritty fiction set in Palm Beach County
By Sharon Geltner She had me at Palm Beach Mall. Fireworks Every Night is a vivid, authentic story set in Palm Beach County. Author Beth Raymer labels the book as “fiction,” but she writes from her own lived experience. And what an experience that was. Similar to her protagonist, C.C. Borkoski (named for her father’s favorite Canadian Club whiskey), Raymer grew up … [Read more...]
Palm Beach Poetry Festival to return, but in North Carolina
The Palm Beach Poetry Festival will return in two years — but not in Delray Beach. Or Palm Beach County. Or Florida. With the passing of the festival founder and director Miles Coon in May 2022 at the age of 84, and the coincidental loss of its long-term venue in Old School Square, the future of the festival was in doubt. “I want to see the festival continue to … [Read more...]
‘Maps and Legends’: Author chronicles life of seminal indie band R.E.M.
In a storied irony, the band that achieved its highest-charting single with “Losing My Religion” would begin its wobbly launch toward rock superstardom in a church in Athens, Georgia. It was April 5, 1980, at a private birthday party in the city’s former St. Mary’s Episcopal, where 50 people were expected to turn out. Five hundred showed up, standing shoulder to shoulder in … [Read more...]
Marren finds better Palm Beach groove in ‘Maribelle’s Shadow’
By Sharon Geltner Maribelle is the eldest of three rich and beautiful sisters, from a family that started poor east of Panama City and made a fortune with a nationwide chain of convenience stores. Then they moved to the Island. Maribelle is also editorial director of Palm Beach Confidential magazine and gets invited to a lot of charity balls, fashion shows and lunches. … [Read more...]
Kravis exec’s beach read explores scandalous side of fundraising
By Sharon Geltner Royal Coconut Beach Lunch Club, the debut novel by a powerhouse Kravis fundraiser, is sold as a gossipy, scandalous, island tell-all. But in one respect it resembles the Brad Pitt movie Fight Club. “The first rule of Fight Club is, you don’t talk about Fight Club.” Although the publicity mentions “Palm Beach” four times, the novel doesn’t mention … [Read more...]
‘Designing Broadway’ an intriguing look at theater’s starring sets
To create theater, it is said, all you really need is “two planks and a passion.” While that is true, it negates the creative art of scenic design. That three-dimensional, architectural, historical and occasionally fanciful journey is explored in a gorgeous coffee-table book, Designing Broadway, subtitled How Derek McLane and Other Acclaimed Set Designers Create the Visual … [Read more...]
Gallery owner’s book reveals untold story of Florida sculptors
What started as something to keep busy during the COVID-19 quarantine turned into a labor of love for Palm Beach gallery owner Deborah C. Pollack when she decided to research and write Florida Sculptors and Their Work: 1880-2020. Bored with watching YouTube videos and cutting her husband’s hair, Pollack spent two years researching, writing and contacting the artists’ estates … [Read more...]
Poet Harjo: Reimagine the indigenous, away from stereotypes
By Kelly Wolfe MIAMI — One week after the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII, three-time United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo spoke about combating indigenous stereotypes. “We do not exist as human beings, we exist predominantly in the form of stereotypes as sports mascots … Super Bowl, case in point,” Harjo said. For more than an hour, Harjo stood on the second … [Read more...]
Spies, lies and a big art prize: Silva’s newest a thrilling romp through the art world
By Sharon Geltner Gabriel Allon, legendary Israeli spy, has retired. “He was no longer Israel’s avenging angel.” No more violence. Total serenity. A do-over. He settles on in Venice with his beautiful wife and two kids where he paints, enjoys classical music, gourmet home-cooked meals, happy times and a canal view. Soon he looks 30 years younger. But no one reads … [Read more...]