MARCH PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Movie Night at FACETS!
Presented by Ladies Who Lit, feat. The Art Idiot
Hi, LWL!
We’re having Movie Night in March! Presented by Ladies Who Lit and hosted in collaboration with Cortlyn Kelly & The Art Idiot.
Film is a medium we have yet to explore as a book club, and I’m so excited to enhance our shared reading of The Vanishing Half with a viewing of Passing (2021), a Netflix film directed by Rebecca Hall, based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen (who was born in Chicago, FYI!)
Passing explores the complex relationship between two Black women, Irene Redfield (played by Tessa Thompson) and Clare Kendry (played by Ruth Negga), who reconnect after years of separation. The two women were childhood friends but lead very different lives now. Irene lives in Harlem with her husband and children, fully embracing her Black identity. Clare, on the other hand, "passes" as white, living a life in a predominantly white society with her wealthy, racist husband, without revealing her Black heritage.
The Vanishing Half follows twin sisters, Desiree and Stella Vignes, who run away from their small southern Black community at sixteen. Years later, their lives have diverged completely—Desiree returns home with her dark-skinned daughter, while Stella has built a new life passing as a white woman. Whereas Passing is specific to 1920s Harlem, The Vanishing Half is a multi-generation novel that carries through to the 1990s.
We’ll cover the respective works’ portrayals of racial passing, as well as the broader theme of isolation passing engenders. How does reading a book by yourself or watching a film alone on your laptop or television differ from engaging in collectively shaped and driven conversation? Furthermore, in a society that’s obsessed with self-optimization, what are the hidden costs of total reinvention?
Cortlyn and I have been discussing a collaborative, film-inspired event for at least a year, and I’m so excited to finally be hosting this ~movie night~ with her partnership.
More from Cortlyn:
“Viewing the film adaptation of a book before reading the book is a common habit of mine, and this collaborative programming with Ladies Who Lit creates an opportunity for a collective, deepened engagement with one story delivered in two mediums. I am so excited to explore how each method succeeds and falters individually and as a pair. Curating connections not only between direct adaptations but also between other films and books of similar genres and plotlines will ideally enhance and broaden the ability for new audiences to connect and understand the themes and complexities.”
Here’s what to do:
RSVP on Pie for the Eventbrite ticketing page. LWL Members (Monthly, Annual, & Founding) can message LWL on Pie for a 25% discount code on the ticket price! Please do not share this code with anyone else. Download the Pie app for best user experience! (PS: I’m a Pie-backed creator!)
Purchase your ticket on Eventbrite (link is in the Pie event description).
Start reading, and please consider purchasing your copy of The Vanishing Half through Bookshop.org’s LWL affiliate link to support the club and independent bookstores everywhere!
See you at the cinema!
Xo, Kaylen & ck
About The Art Idiot
The Art Idiot is an independent criticism and programming publication. Originally created as a magazine for her master’s thesis, Cortlyn Kelly developed The Art Idiot as a means to create and contribute to more accessibility within the creative community. From art history and anthropology to sports and fashion to pop culture and politics, The Art Idiot explores a variety of topics but always stays true to the medium of film with an emphasis on works that elicit extraordinary emotions and keenly capture the human experience and condition. It’s always Art if it makes you feel something.
About Cortlyn Kelly
Cortlyn Kelly is a film and culture critic, art appreciator, avid baseball fan, and forever student. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a Master of Arts in Humanities from the University of Chicago, where she created the first iteration of the publication, The Art Idiot. When she’s not watching, writing, or articulating about movies, she serves as a co-host of Kaveh & CK’s Screening Room, sits as the Co-Chair for the Black Harvest Film Festival Community Council, goes for walks around Chicago, and giggles with her friends and family. Since the first grade, her approach to all endeavors is: “There is so much to learn.” You can find Cortlyn Kelly on all platforms, most importantly Goodreads & Letterboxd, @coolkidcort.
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