Steve Ammidown

@stegan

Vivant (sans bon). Archivist-for-hire, romance novel historian, freelance writer about romance history. Every story deserves to be heard. He/Him. Blog: romancehistory.com Podcast: blackromancehistory.com

1.072 Folgt6.479 Follower4.788 Posts

YouTube YouTube YouTube YouTube Bluesky

Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir stegan.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Jul 2

Starting #JenkinsJuly with Garrett and Spring! Too damn hot outside, this is the only heat I want… Which sounds weird when I say it out loud, but you know what I mean!

Cover of “Wild Rain” by Beverly Jenkins. A Black man and woman embrace in a field as a dazzling sunset happens behind them. She is in a white button down shirt that is falling off her shoulder, and tan riding pants. He is also in a white button down shirt falling off his shoulder, with black pants. She has a long dark braid down her back, he is bald.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Jun 27

Friends of @toledolibrary.bsky.social book sale was pretty well picked out, but I found a couple of gems! A first paperback printing of Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers (an OG modern romance) and first printing of Brenda Jackson’s Harlequin/Silhouette debut Delaney’s Desert Sheikh.

Two paperbacks on a green corduroy fabric.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Jun 21

From the Toledo Museum of Art. This stops me in my tracks every time I see it. (Full descriptive text in alt)

Titus Kaphar
WATCHING TIDES RISE
Oil and tar on canvas, 2012
The 2019 TMA Board of Directors recognizes this work in honor of Director Brian Kennedy and his efforts to both develop strengths and expand directions in the permanent collection. Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 2018.25
Titus Kaphar's art challenges established art history and who it represents. Kaphar begins his works by either copying or recreating a painting in the style of 17th- to 19th-century American and European masters. He then stages interventions directly on the canvas by tarring, slashing, silhouetting, whitewashing, or erasing parts of his paintings to introduce new and hidden narratives, exposing the racial exclusions and inequities in our constructed stories of the past.
In this epic seascape in the tradition of early 19th-century American and 17th-century Dutch marine painting (see Willem van de Velde's Ships on a Stormy Sea in this galley), the wind propels a six-sailed ship toward the viewer. The painted illusion, however, is literally folding in on itself. The canvas has been removed from the stretcher in the upper left corner, exposing the blank wall.
Kaphar has also coated the lower portion of his painting in tar, an evocative material he has used in a variety of ways in his works, including to conceal and to emphasize. These interventions disrupt the illusion both in Kaphar's seascape and in the telling of history itself from a primarily white, male, Eurocentric perspective.
What connections between song and painting do you find?

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Jun 13

An actual book she wrote, filled with essays about religion and Sherlock fandom. Legend.

Plain tan book cover with text “Unpopular Opinions- Twenty-one Essays- by Dorothy L. Sayers”

Steve Ammidown@stegan· May 30

Speaking of football, I was thinking about this photo today and made a little meme.

Black and white photo by Monte Fresco of footballer Vinnie Jones reaching back and grabbing Paul Gascoine by the crotch. Jones looks furious. Gaza looks um, surprised?

Added text next to Jones that reads “What we want from Democrats” and text next to Gascoine that reads “What we keep getting”.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· May 27

Well this sucks. America’s Test Kitchen laid off 10% of its workers. From the ATK United insta:

Screenshot reads: “Last Monday, America's Test Kitchen decimated its staff, laying off at least 10% of employees— both union and non-union.
More than 20 people from nearly every department and level of seniority were let go. Some had served the company for decades; with them went irreplaceable institutional knowledge, honed skill, and heart that can never be regained.
We are devastated at the loss of our brilliant, talented colleagues, and we will channel that grief and anger into our next contract. The union is here to support one another in good times and bad.
Get involved.”

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Apr 21

Must have ADHD kitchen tool! Especially if you have any level of time blindness. If your leftovers or pre-prepped stuff has a piece of tape with the date on it, you don’t have to remember how old it is! And the roller dispenser removes that extra layer of friction. You gotta get one.

A black masking tape dispenser, similar to a regular tape dispenser, with a cup in the back to hold two sharpie pens.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Apr 10

It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t also point out that Applegate and her husband wrote two Harlequin Temptations as Katherine Kendall. Including one of the more intense contemporary covers I’ve ever seen:

Cover of The Midas Touch by Katherine Kendall. The couple is on a boat in a tight embrace. The blonde woman in a yellow one piece has one hand wrapped around the back of his head and the other around his back. The mustachioed dark haired man is shirtless and has one hand around her back and the other gripping her right shoulder hard, for some reason? It’s a lot.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Apr 10

A great middle grade book can be universally magical. Wishtree by Katherine Applegate has that magic. Go read it if you haven’t. Go. It is brilliant. us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

Cover of Wishtree by Katherine Applegate. We are looking at the lower trunk of a red oak tree in pale moonlight. Bits of cloth are tied around many of its branches. A crow, owl and possum can be seen in its branches.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Feb 1

February is often the month that #romancelandia wonders if Black authors still exist. But they’ve been here all along, friends.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Jan 29

Somewhere, Elvis Costello just began humming “Less Than Zero” and he doesn’t know why.

Image from digital weather station where the temperature reads -0.6 degrees.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Jan 17

And then when it was published in March 1994. Page 1: romantictimesindex.weebly.com/uploads/4/5/...

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Jan 17

Page 2 of that article: romantictimesindex.weebly.com/uploads/4/5/...

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Jan 17

There were at least two articles in RT about it. This one from the photo shoot in Dec 93: romantictimesindex.weebly.com/uploads/4/5/...

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Dec 23

In more pleasant memories, 45 years ago this month brought us Candlelight Ecstasy and one of the wackiest (complimentary?) books I’ve ever read.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Dec 5

That was the name he used to, among other things, write the ONLY authorized merch for Spaceballs- the Scholastic novelization.

Cover of the Spaceballs novelization, with a flying RV zooming across the cover. Text reads:

“SPACEBALLS: THE BOOK
A novelization by Jovial Bob Stine.
Based on the screeplay written by
Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan & Ronny Graham”

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Nov 30

Sometimes you fall into the void, and sometimes the void jumps onto your legs and pins you down.

A black cat stretched luxuriously out on my legs.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Nov 28

“It’s pronounced Boo-kay”

Kier Starmer standing at a podium. Closed caption reads “there's a famous slogan in the United
Kingdom”

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Nov 25

In honor of the first thanksgiving without Susan Stamberg, I’ll share a different weird cranberry recipe I found years ago in a 1940 PET Milk cookbook. I give you Cranberry Slaw.

Image of recipe from an old PET Milk cookbook. It reads:

Cranberry Slaw —

1. Put into bowl and mash 1/3 cup white cream cheese (3 ounces), 1 teaspoon salt, a few grains pepper.
2. Stir in gradually 1/3 cup PET Milk.
3. Add one tablespoon vinegar.
4. Beat until smooth. Chill.
5. At serving time, wash, then dry on towel 1/2 cup fresh cranberries.
6. Chop, or run through medium knife of food chopper.
7. Fold into mixture of 2 cups chilled, shredded cabbage and 1/2 cup chilled, diced celery.
8. Mix thoroughly with chilled dressing. Serve at once. Serves four.
*Diced fresh apple can replace the celery.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Nov 24

I have so many questions. I’ve tried to do the cover justice in the alt text, but there’s just SO much going on here. Paging @smartbitches.bsky.social !

The book is called
FAFO WOLVES
WHISPERING PINES MEMORIAL GROVE
PARANORMAL FATED ROMANCE
By KC WILDE

But that’s only part of the story. The cover has an American flag background with photographs of four humans and three wolves. The wolves are furthest back and are, from left to right: black, white/grey, and brownish. There is then a tanned white man with dark hair and blue shirt unbuttoned. A woman in a black and white suit is in front of him. She has dark hair and slightly darker skin. To her left/our right is a blonde white woman in what might be a firefighter jacket. On the far right of the cover is another tanned white man who might be a sheriff, judging by his short sleeve khaki shirt with a radio pinned to the front.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Nov 23

In spite of ourselves We'll end up a sittin' on a rainbow Against all odds Honey, we're the big door prize We're gonna spite our noses Right off of our faces There won't be nothin' but big old hearts Dancin' in our eyes. There won't be nothin' but big old hearts Dancin' in our eyes.

Pope Leo holding a mic like he’s singing a breakup song three drinks in at karaoke.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Nov 11

The only name that’s close in the 1990 edition of The Romantic Spirit is Michalann Perry, which is probably a good guess since no one’s going to spell that first name without a struggle, so shorten it to “Micki” I guess?

Entry from The Romantic Spirit:
PERRY, Michalann <hr> (Megan Blythe)

Defiant Splendor Fortune's Choice
Lakota Trilogy:
Untamed Surrender Captive Surrender
Savage Rogue
Love's Windswept Embrace
Rapture's Deception

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Nov 1

When you sneak in to see @authormsbev.bsky.social work the crowd because you’re in town!

Beverly Jenkins standing at the front of a room of readers.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Oct 27

When you accidentally pause a Try Guys video at the best spot.

Still image of Keith from Try Guys looking thoughtfully into the camera, with subtitles that read

“- He's got a nice big butt.
- He's got a juicy big butt?”

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Oct 19

Luna in full repose. Or a gash has opened in the space-time continuum. It’s hard to tell.

A black cat half rolled onto her back while sleeping. Her chin is poking out at the top of frame. She is reposed on a light green corduroy fabric ottoman.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Oct 14

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of “Inequalities Of Platform Publishing” by @claireparnell.bsky.social, which comes out on the 28th. It’s a must for romance scholars and contemporary book history folks: www.umasspress.com/978162534906...

Book cover featuring an image of an ereader with a badly cracked screen. Text reads “INEQUALITIES OF PLATFORM PUBLISHING
THE
PROMISE AND PERIL OF SELF-PUBLISHING
IN THE
DIGITAL BOOK ERA
CLAIRE PARNELL”

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Oct 10

Tried playing around with Procreate. I call it “Federal Records, 2025”.

Sketch of a grey Hollinger records box with orange and yellow flames coming out of the top.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Oct 3

Hellllooooo nurse! I call it nurse because it will heal me. That seems healthy.

A square metal pan sitting on tin foil, filled with caramely gooiness and covered with a golden brown crumble.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Sep 23

It’s Vivian Stephens’ birthday! One of the most important romance editors of the 80s along with Kate Duffy and Carolyn Nichols, here are five books that she had a role in that you should know about.

Steve Ammidown@stegan· Sep 15

Captions for the Emmys are over the speaker’s faces, which seems… suboptimal?