~ How to create a vintage swing wedding on a budget ~ When David and I got married we wanted to have a vintage wedding. I mistakenly picked up bride magazines, but found them filled with articles and […more…]
Apr 282014
Apr 062014
~ Meet Jimmy Valentine the Extraordinary One-Legged Lindy Hopper ~ by Peter Loggins edited by Tam Francis About Peter Loggins Peter is a dancer and dance historian who I had the very great pleasure of working with for my magazine Swivel: Vintage Living, and also the good fortune to take many lessons from. He’s collected […more…]
Apr 022014
~ Everyone’s a Critic: How to be the one Everyone Wants ~ by Tam Francis As writers, it’s in our best interest to have our works critiqued, and we need to learn to take it on the chin, and how to improve our writing with the criticisms we receive. If you want to be treated like […more…]
Mar 312014
~ How do you handle Dancing Fools: Read this Q & A ~ by Tam Francis Over the years I’ve taught dance, jitterbugged, collected vintage and published my (out of print) magazine, Swivel:Vintage Living, and have been asked many questions about these subjects. Below are some of the most interesting and funny of the bunch. Let […more…]
Mar 232014
~ Fred Kelly: Tony Winner, World Class Choreographer and Story Teller ~ Written by Steve Conrad with edits by Tam Francis The multi-talented dance legend spoke about the history of the Lindy Hop, the creation of the Big Apple to the invention of the Cha Cha Cha and performing with his brother Gene. A few […more…]
Mar 192014
~ Don’t be a Fool: Query, Rewrite and Ninja Edit ~ The Torture of Querying It struck me that most of the blogs out there for writers are pushing self-publishing. Heck, I’m going to jump in with a short story collection, but am still on the fence about self-publishing the novel. Especially when gurus like […more…]
Mar 162014
~ How to get Dealer Deals at the Auction: Home Vintage ~ by Tam Francis You got the dance lessons, you’re a great jitterbug. You’ve got the duds, the hair, the accessories, now you need to surround yourself at home with your favorite era antiques. On […more…]
Mar 102014
~ Meet Django Reinhardt: The Gypsy Jazz Man ~ by the late Jacob Faust edited by Tam Francis Django Reinhardt, an in-depth biography on the late jazz guitarist virtuoso, written by his good friend and colleague Charles Delanunay, (published by Da Capo Press, London 1982). If ever there was a worthy account of this fascinating […more…]