Who is Courtney Bird in the Angry Birds franchise. What are Courtney’s characteristics and appearances. How has Courtney been featured in Angry Birds media and games. What makes Courtney a unique character in the Angry Birds universe.
Introducing Courtney Bird: Leonard’s New Piggy Assistant
Courtney Bird is a relatively new addition to the colorful cast of characters in the Angry Birds franchise. First appearing in The Angry Birds Movie 2, Courtney quickly became a fan favorite due to her unique personality and distinctive appearance. Let’s dive deeper into who Courtney is and what makes her stand out in the world of Angry Birds.
Courtney’s Personality: A Tech-Savvy Pig with Attitude
Despite her role as Leonard’s assistant, Courtney’s personality is far from subservient. She’s known for her laid-back attitude and preoccupation with technology. How does Courtney balance her duties as an assistant with her love for texting and music? While she may not always appear to be the most attentive worker, Courtney’s competence shines through when it matters most.
Courtney’s quick wit is another defining trait. She’s not afraid to dish out clever retorts when Leonard underestimates her abilities. This combination of skill and sass makes Courtney a refreshing character in the Angry Birds universe.
Key Personality Traits:
- Tech-savvy and constantly on her smartphone
- Laid-back attitude towards work
- Surprisingly competent despite appearances
- Quick-witted and not afraid to stand up for herself
Courtney’s Distinctive Appearance: Standing Out in the Pig World
Courtney’s visual design sets her apart from other pig characters in the Angry Birds franchise. What makes Courtney’s appearance so unique? Let’s break down her key physical characteristics:
- Brown hair
- Cyan eyes
- Freckles
- Buck teeth with blue braces
- Hot pink headphones
- Cyan jacket
- Always carries a hot pink smartphone
This combination of features gives Courtney a youthful, trendy appearance that resonates with modern audiences. Her look perfectly complements her tech-obsessed personality, making her instantly recognizable among the Angry Birds cast.
Courtney in Angry Birds Media: From Movies to Social Media
While Courtney may be a relatively new character, she’s already made appearances across various Angry Birds media. How has Courtney been integrated into the Angry Birds universe beyond her movie debut?
The Angry Birds Movie 2
Courtney’s primary appearance is in The Angry Birds Movie 2, where she serves as Leonard’s new assistant. While her role in the film is relatively small, her memorable personality and design left a lasting impression on viewers.
Angry Birds Social Media
Courtney has also appeared in Angry Birds social media content. For example, she was featured in a promotional image for the 2021 Chinese Lunar New Year, dressed in a cow outfit alongside Red, Leonard, and The Hatchlings. This shows that Rovio is continuing to use Courtney as part of their character roster for special events and promotions.
Courtney in Angry Birds Games: A Growing Presence
As Courtney gains popularity, she’s starting to appear in Angry Birds games as well. How is Courtney being incorporated into the interactive side of the Angry Birds franchise?
Angry Birds Tennis (Canceled)
Courtney was set to make her gaming debut in Angry Birds Tennis, a now-canceled title. She would have been an opponent character, featuring a new 3D model. Unfortunately, with the game’s cancellation, players didn’t get to see Courtney’s special power in action.
Angry Birds Reloaded
Courtney does appear as a playable character in Angry Birds Reloaded, specifically in the “Enter The Volcano” and “The Frozen Heart” episodes. Her ability in this game is a creative twist on Matilda’s egg bomb. Courtney is launched from the bottom of Harvey (presumably another character or device) and can explode on impact while still rolling around like a “corpse bird.”
Courtney’s Unique Role in the Angry Birds Universe
What makes Courtney stand out among the many characters in the Angry Birds franchise? There are several factors that contribute to her uniqueness:
- One of the few named female pigs in the franchise
- A more modern, tech-savvy character design
- Balances competence with a laid-back attitude
- Brings a fresh dynamic to Leonard’s character as his new assistant
These elements combine to make Courtney a character that appeals to contemporary audiences while still fitting into the established Angry Birds world.
The Future of Courtney in the Angry Birds Franchise
As a relatively new character, Courtney’s future in the Angry Birds franchise is still unfolding. Will we see more of Courtney in upcoming Angry Birds media and games? While it’s impossible to predict with certainty, her popularity and unique characteristics make her a strong candidate for continued appearances.
Potential areas for Courtney’s future development could include:
- More prominent roles in future Angry Birds movies or animated series
- Expanded presence in Angry Birds games, possibly with more defined special abilities
- Featured character in Angry Birds merchandise and promotional materials
- Development of Courtney’s backstory and relationships with other characters
Courtney Bird: Trivia and Fun Facts
To round out our comprehensive look at Courtney Bird, let’s explore some interesting trivia and fun facts about the character:
- Courtney is voiced by Awkwafina (Nora Lum) in The Angry Birds Movie 2
- She is the second known named female pig in the Angry Birds franchise, after Zam Wessel
- Courtney seems to have replaced Ross as Leonard’s assistant, though the reason for this change is unknown
- Her voice actress, Awkwafina, also appeared in the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” – a fact referenced in The Angry Birds Movie 2 when Carl is seen reading a book called “Crazy Rich Avians”
These tidbits add depth to Courtney’s character and showcase how she’s connected to the broader Angry Birds narrative and even real-world pop culture.
The Impact of Courtney on the Angry Birds Franchise
As we’ve explored Courtney’s character in depth, it’s worth considering her overall impact on the Angry Birds franchise. How has the introduction of Courtney affected the Angry Birds universe?
Courtney represents a modernization of the Angry Birds cast. Her tech-savvy nature and contemporary design help the franchise stay relevant to younger audiences. Additionally, her role as a competent female character adds diversity to the predominantly male cast of pigs.
Courtney’s relationship with Leonard also brings new dynamics to the pig side of the Angry Birds story. Her laid-back attitude and occasional sass provide an interesting contrast to Leonard’s more bombastic personality, potentially opening up new avenues for character interaction and development in future Angry Birds stories.
Courtney’s Influence on Character Design
Courtney’s unique design may also influence future character creations in the Angry Birds franchise. Her more detailed appearance, complete with accessories like headphones and a smartphone, could pave the way for more visually complex and modernized characters in upcoming Angry Birds media.
Expanding the Angry Birds Universe
The introduction of Courtney also demonstrates Rovio’s commitment to expanding the Angry Birds universe beyond the original core cast. By adding new, well-developed characters like Courtney, the franchise can continue to grow and evolve, providing fresh experiences for long-time fans and attracting new audiences.
Courtney Bird: A Character Analysis
To fully appreciate Courtney’s role in the Angry Birds franchise, let’s delve into a more detailed character analysis. What makes Courtney tick, and how does she fit into the larger themes of the Angry Birds stories?
The Juxtaposition of Competence and Nonchalance
One of the most interesting aspects of Courtney’s character is the contrast between her competence and her seemingly disinterested attitude. This juxtaposition raises intriguing questions about work ethic and effectiveness in the modern world. Is Courtney a commentary on the changing nature of work in the digital age? Does her character suggest that constant visible effort isn’t always indicative of competence or results?
Representation in Animation
As one of the few named female pigs in the Angry Birds franchise, Courtney’s presence is significant from a representation standpoint. How does Courtney’s character contribute to diversity in animated films and games? While she may not be a main character, her distinct personality and role as Leonard’s capable assistant provide a positive example of female representation in a traditionally male-dominated cast.
Technology and Youth Culture
Courtney’s constant use of her smartphone and headphones is more than just a character quirk – it’s a reflection of modern youth culture. How does Courtney’s tech-savvy nature resonate with younger audiences? Her character serves as a bridge between the fantastical world of Angry Birds and the real-world experiences of many viewers and players.
Courtney’s Potential for Character Development
As a relatively new character, Courtney has significant potential for further development in future Angry Birds media. What directions could Courtney’s character arc take?
- Exploration of her background and how she came to work for Leonard
- Development of relationships with other characters beyond Leonard
- Showcasing more of her skills and competencies in challenging situations
- Potential conflict between her laid-back nature and increasing responsibilities
These potential storylines could add depth to Courtney’s character and further integrate her into the core Angry Birds narrative.
Courtney Bird: Fan Reception and Impact
Since her debut in The Angry Birds Movie 2, Courtney has garnered attention from Angry Birds fans. How has the fan community received Courtney, and what impact has she had on the franchise’s fandom?
While specific data on fan reception is limited, Courtney’s inclusion in subsequent Angry Birds media and games suggests a positive response. Her unique design and personality traits make her a popular subject for fan art and discussions in Angry Birds community forums.
Courtney in Fan Creations
Fans have embraced Courtney in various creative ways:
- Fan art depicting Courtney in different scenarios or outfits
- Fan fiction exploring Courtney’s backstory or relationships with other characters
- Cosplay of Courtney at gaming and animation conventions
- Fan-made animations featuring Courtney
This creative engagement demonstrates Courtney’s appeal and the connection fans have formed with her character.
Impact on Franchise Discussions
Courtney’s introduction has also sparked discussions among fans about the evolution of the Angry Birds franchise. Topics of debate might include:
- The inclusion of more diverse characters in the Angry Birds universe
- The modernization of character designs and personalities
- The potential for spin-off content focusing on pig characters like Courtney
These discussions show how new characters like Courtney can invigorate fan engagement and keep the franchise feeling fresh and relevant.
Courtney Bird: A Bridge Between Angry Birds and Pop Culture
Courtney’s character serves as an interesting bridge between the Angry Birds universe and broader pop culture. How does Courtney help to connect Angry Birds with contemporary trends and issues?
Representation of Digital Natives
Courtney’s constant connection to her smartphone reflects the reality of many young people today. Her character provides a point of relatability for digital natives who see their own habits mirrored in her behavior. This connection to real-world technology use helps to ground the fantastical Angry Birds world in a recognizable context.
Commentary on Work-Life Balance
Courtney’s ability to be competent at her job while appearing disinterested could be seen as a commentary on changing attitudes towards work, especially among younger generations. Her character might spark discussions about work-life balance, productivity, and the evolving nature of the workplace.
Fashion and Trend Awareness
Courtney’s distinctive appearance, with her headphones, smartphone, and stylish jacket, positions her as a trend-aware character. This attention to current fashion and technology trends helps to keep the Angry Birds franchise feeling current and in touch with its audience.
The Future of Courtney Bird: Predictions and Possibilities
As we look to the future of the Angry Birds franchise, what might be in store for Courtney Bird? While we can’t know for certain, we can make some educated guesses based on her character and the franchise’s trajectory.
Potential Character Development
- Courtney could take on more responsibilities, challenging her laid-back attitude
- We might see more of her life outside of work, exploring her hobbies and relationships
- Her tech skills could become crucial in future storylines, showcasing her hidden talents
Possible Media Appearances
Given her popularity, Courtney might feature more prominently in future Angry Birds media:
- A larger role in any upcoming Angry Birds movies
- Appearance in Angry Birds animated series or shorts
- Starring role in pig-centric spin-off content
Gaming Presence
Courtney’s presence in Angry Birds games could also expand:
- Becoming a playable character in more Angry Birds game titles
- Getting her own unique gameplay mechanics or special abilities
- Featuring in pig-focused game modes or levels
As the Angry Birds franchise continues to evolve, characters like Courtney play a crucial role in keeping the series fresh and engaging for fans. Her unique blend of modern sensibilities and classic Angry Birds charm positions her as a character with significant potential for future development and prominence within the franchise.
Courtney | Angry Birds Wiki
Courtney
Actor(s)
Awkwafina (The Angry Birds Movie 2)
Power(s)
Shoots Out Of The Bottom Of Harvey
Courtney is a pig who appeared in The Angry Birds Movie 2. She was voiced by Awkwafina (Nora Lum), and is the second known named female pig in the Angry Birds franchise after Zam Wessel.
Personality
Courtney is Leonard’s new piggy assistant. Even though she spends more time texting and listening to music than actually working, Courtney is probably the most competent and skilled assistant Leonard has ever had, which isn’t saying much. And when Leonard barks out orders, like asking her to actually work, Courtney takes it all in stride, but she occasionally dishes out some wicked retorts to combat Leonard’s underestimation.
Courtney is a quiet pig that enjoys texting and listening to music on her phone.
Even though she is said to be competent and skilled in the description, she really doesn’t do anything other than using her smartphone.
Appearance
Courtney is a pig with brown hair, cyan eyes, freckles, and buck teeth with blue braces. She has hot pink headphones and wears a cyan jacket. She seems to always bring a hot pink smartphone with her.
Media Appearances
The Angry Birds Movie 2
Courtney’s only multimedia appearance thus far has been The Angry Birds Movie 2. She seemingly replaces Ross as Leonard’s helper. Her role in the film is fairly small.
Angry Birds social media
Courtney appears in a cow outfit to celebrate the 2021 Chinese Lunar New Year along with Red, Leonard and The Hatchlings.
Game Appearances
Angry Birds Tennis (Canceled)
Courtney’s first game appearance was in the cancelled Angry Birds Tennis where she was an opponent. Like all the characters, she used a new 3D model.
She played tennis in the same way as the other characters, but her special power is unknown as she was unplayable.
Angry Birds Reloaded
Courtney appears in the “Enter The Volcano” and “The Frozen Heart” episodes in this game. Her ability is a reskin Matilda’s, where she is inside Harvey and, when the screen is tapped, will fly out from the bottom of Harvey, like Matilda’s egg bomb, but when she explodes, she will still roll around like a corpse bird.
Gallery
Trivia
- She is the second female pig in the movies. The first are the Cheerleader Pigs, and later would be Isla, Sophie and Oliver’s Mother
- It is unknown what happened with Ross for Courtney to become Leonard’s new assistant.
- Awkwafina, who voices Courtney, makes an appearance in the movie Crazy Rich Asians. Carl is seen in the movie reading a book called Crazy Rich Avians, which is a nod to the Crazy Rich Asians book and the movie based on it.
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Courtney Bird
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The Diamond Girl – Lightspeed Magazine
Published in June 2018 (Issue 97) | 6390 words
© 2016 by Courtney Bird.
Originally published in The Fairy Tale Review. Reprinted by permission of the author.
In your version of the story, the girl is a junkie. She is seventeen, standing on the side of the road with a garbage bag at her feet, and in the bag, she has a teddy bear and a box of Girl Scout cookies she stole from her niece. Her arm is outstretched, palm facing the sky. She’s hitchhiking but not with her thumb. It looks like she’s asking the sky for rain.
When a car pulls alongside her, it’s the mother’s boyfriend and he says, Hey, sugar. She begins to run. Wheatgrass is scratching her calves and the dryness of it sears her. She is aware of every blade. There is a feeling, spreading from the place just beneath her ribs, that she’s having a heart attack. It’s sharp and contained, blooming. It will eat her. She watches her feet as she runs. She wills them to fly. The veins between her toes look like they came from the soil.
He lies on top of her in the grass. He tangles his hands in her black hair and pulls.
In another version, the girl wants it. She has a gap between her front teeth, but people say it’s striking. When her mother’s in the bathroom, she bites the man’s ear. Crawls under the table and kisses him. If he doesn’t want her back, her heart will break. She can feel it breaking even then, with her head in his lap and his hands in her hair. And later, when he kisses her mother, he’s watching her over the mother’s shoulder. He has one green eye and one blue eye.
When the mother finds them in the shower, he calls the girl a witch and she tries to become one. She locks herself in the bedroom and wills the house to catch fire. The mother and boyfriend leave. They take the couch cushions and the pans. They take the shampoo and the toothpaste and the toilet paper. He’s closing the door behind them when the mother says wait. She takes the girl’s fish from his tank and puts him in the microwave. He pops like a balloon.
The mother’s boyfriend drives the first girl to a motel.
She doesn’t know where she is, only that the carpet feels like soggy cereal below her feet and the face in the mirror is not familiar to her. The overhead light is strange. Her cheeks are hollowed out and she looks old. The mother’s boyfriend locks the door. He puts a gun down by the television and turns it on to block out the sounds that the girl makes. Crying sounds. Breathing sounds.
At first the diamonds look like chicken pox. Small red pustules erupting on the girl’s belly. She’s lying on the bed and the man is watching the sores grow. He touches them carefully. He kisses them. They make constellations on her skin and he traces them with his finger. Orion’s Belt. Andromeda. Virgo. His hand is cold and her eyes try to open, but the lids are too heavy. He takes the needle from the pillow by her head and places it on the bedside table. Lays down next to her and says they’re going to be okay.
The gap-toothed girl is lying in the bathtub at home. The house is empty. It smells like burnt fish.
The diamonds are so sharp that all she needs to do is touch the skin and it breaks. She collects the stones in a soap dish. The bath water is pink with tiny cataclysms of blood.
Her body says there are a thousand ways to be crushed without dying. She thinks about putting clothes on for the first time in a month. She thinks about going down to the jewelers. She thinks that if her mother had known she could grow diamonds under her skin, she would have never left.
But in my story, the girl is only nine. Her name is Little Mina and her older sister’s name is Kate.
Kate picks up every worm on the road and throws it back into the wet grass. When the pond overflows, she collects the frogs and puts them in a box at the foot of her bed. Kate brushes her strawberry blonde hair every morning. Powders the freckles on her nose when a traveler stops for dinner. But Little Mina’s hair grows in mousy patches. It looks like it was glued on by a drunk. Their mother, who owns an inn, doesn’t like it when Little Mina interacts with the customers.
Little Mina tells Kate that she’s killing the worms, that the worms leave the grass because they’ll drown there. Kate laughs and calls her a know-it-all. She says that it must be hard for Little Mina, not knowing who her father is, and she means it. Kate’s father comes to see her every few weeks. He wears fur on his collar and his sword has a hilt that was dipped in gold.
He brings Kate chocolate. He gives the mother flour and wine and sugar. When he hunts, he brings them an entire deer.
He does not know about Little Mina. When he comes to the inn, the mother locks her in the cellar and tells her to hush. Little Mina draws faces on the walls. She draws maps and swans and a man with a single wing.
But after he leaves, Kate shares her chocolate with Little Mina. They take it to the river and watch fish jump from the water. They overturn rocks and look for salamanders. When Kate finds a turquoise one, she lets Little Mina name it. She wants Little Mina to have something of her own.
One day, when she sees Little Mina with the hand mirror, pulling at her strange hair, Kate cuts some of her own and says, look, now we’re like twins.
When Kate dies—let’s call it scarlet fever—everyone wishes it had been Little Mina. They build a statue for Kate by the duck pond. At the ceremony, a little boy talks about the time Kate defended him from bullies. Another boy says Kate was his soulmate, a hero, a lady. Little Mina wears a thin black cape tied around her neck. She does not talk. The mother does not stand with her. Nobody sees her. Black is an absence.
From the edge of the woods, the witch watches her cry.
When your girl wakes up, her skin sticks to the motel’s bedspread. She is naked and bleeding and she thinks he might have killed her, but the cuts aren’t deep. Too bad. There is an open cigarette pack on the bedside table, and small, rough stones are spilling out the top. She holds one to her eye. A sliver of light sneaks through the closed blinds and splinters in the center of the stone.
The face of it is an entire landscape. Blood curls in the canyons. She takes one and fits it into the empty sore between her breasts. My baby, she says. Her mouth is dry. Her swollen tongue sticks to the roof of it.
If only they were bigger. Long and sharp as a knife. The mother’s boyfriend is in the bathroom. She can hear the shower running. She can see steam coming from the open door. She wills her body to grow a diamond strong enough to kill him. She rolls onto her side and the sores hurt. Her right wrist is handcuffed to the bedpost. It wasn’t like that when she went to sleep.
She reaches for the man’s bag. There must be something left. Pills. Powder. Something sharp.
The statue of Kate is covered with snow. Snowdrifts grow from her shoulders. Little Mina rushes across the square without looking at it, she can’t look at it. She borrows a horse from one of her mother’s guests and rides to the witch’s house. The witch lives at the base of the mountain, where the forest starts in earnest.
Her walls are made of living trees. The gaps between the branches are full of birds. The roof is a piece of sky she cut down and hammered onto the topmost branches. It took months to climb high enough and then she had to wait for a sunny day. She used her scalpel, and once she was finished, she folded it into a square small enough to fit in her purse.
In your story, the witch doesn’t have a roof made of sky. In your story, the witch is the woman at the gas station who sees the girl in the front seat, the girl too young to be so thin, too young to have her hair falling out, to have bruises on her neck, to be a junkie. Your witch pays and drives away. She nods at the mother’s boyfriend.
I’m being consumed by sores, Little Mina says. My mother won’t call the doctor because there is no money to pay him.
Your mother still owes me, the witch says.
The witch had been called in for Kate, too, but by then Kate was already dead. The mother shrieked and pulled her hair.
Bring her back, she said. You’re the witch. Bring her back. But the witch said no one can bring back a dead girl.
I don’t want to die, Little Mina says.
She thinks of the way her sister’s room smelled at the end. The way Kate didn’t see any of them. Didn’t feel Little Mina’s hand in hers. Little Mina loved Kate. Kate was everything, and then she stopped breathing and everyone was alone.
We’ll figure something out, the witch says. Come in out of the cold.
Underneath the chilly blue sky roof, the witch takes her scalpel from the drawer and lays it next to the tweezers. Little Mina climbs onto the kitchen table and lays naked with her belly, her palms, to the sky. A few sprigs of dried lavender hang above her. The mother doesn’t know where Mina is. She doesn’t care. She is angry at Little Mina for wanting to live.
You’re younger than I expected, Little Mina said.
The witch warms her hands in the fireplace. Her skin is smooth and her hair is rich. Long looping braids wrap around her head like a dark and heavy halo.
She is even more beautiful than Kate was.
Not every part of me is young, the witch says. She holds up her hands. Raised and ropey veins under mottled, elephantine skin. Short and swollen nail beds. And then she touches the sore on Little Mina’s hip. She presses gently and spreads the skin. She takes her scalpel and cuts. Takes her tweezers and pries. The harder she pulls, the harder the flesh holds onto the diamond. The diamond is precious to the flesh. It will not let go.
The first one’s the hardest, the witch says. She drops the diamond into a ceramic bowl by Mina’s feet. She presses her hands over the open skin and it heals. It is luminescent, like someone’s draped a piece of moon over it.
The gap-toothed girl takes the microwave and throws it into the dumpster. She buys a new microwave and a new fish with the money the jeweler gave her. Rough diamonds aren’t as valuable as cut diamonds, he said. Think of all the work I’ll have to put in. Do you know how hard it is to cut a diamond? But still, there’s a bit of money.
Enough to buy a match and burn down the house. Enough to buy a truck and throw the microwave onto the floor of the passenger seat. Enough to get to New York City.
She changes her name so that her mother won’t find her. She calls herself Chloe. Sickle-shaped scars are littered across her skin, but she wears long sleeves and no one knows. She is giddy with the value of her body. She looks into the mirror in her new apartment and says, You are the most valuable girl in the entire fucking world.
The witch takes five diamonds as her fee. One is so small, it resembles a piece of fairy dust. She places it in a locket made of stellar ash, which she wears around her neck. She keeps other things in there, too, she says. A piece of hair from Joan of Arc. A fingernail from Merga Bien. An ear canal from a snake.
Who’s Merga Bien? Little Mina says.
The witch dabs lavender honey on the scars.
An old friend, she says.
The witch wraps a cheesecloth around a clear blue diamond with two stars inside.
She places the diamond and the cheesecloth in a basket and gives them to her garden gnome. The gnome glares at Little Mina.
He mutters to himself, calls Mina the daughter of the devil.
I can give you a better life, the witch says. If you trust me.
And that sounds okay to Little Mina because she has wanted a better life for nine years. She wants to be loved. She wants a father. She wants a mother. She wants someone to be proud of her. She wants to be somebody like Kate.
Nothing in her says stop. Nothing in her says, This woman might want something from you in return.
So the witch sends her garden gnome to the castle with a letter and a basket. Standing at the window, they watch him walk into the woods, his footsteps small and deep in the snow.
When the prince arrives at the inn, Little Mina’s mother lays her only tablecloth on his table. She feeds him pancakes with blueberry butter and lemon zest and she asks if he is lost. The prince is handsome in the traditional way of princes.
His hair makes an S across his forehead. He has thick eyebrows, the measure of a strong person, and a nose that’s already been broken by the hilt of a sword. He is engaged to marry a princess from the north, but he doesn’t much care for northerners and the king has said that whichever prince—and there are twelve—finds a solution to the kingdom’s debt will be the next king. I’m not saying that his intentions are impure. It is noble to save an unloved diamond girl from a life of sadness and it is noble to save a kingdom from bankruptcy.
If only Kate were still alive, the mother thinks. She was so beautiful! She could woo a prince.
Does Little Mina live here? the prince says.
The mother stares at him.
What do you want with her?
I want to marry her, he says.
But she’s only nine. She’s an ugly little child. She hasn’t even a last name.
I’ll wait. In five years, she’ll be fourteen. But in the meantime, I’ll bring her back to the castle. Let her stay with me and in time we’ll know each other.
The mother continues to stare.
I’m only sixteen, the prince says.
The mother goes to fetch her in a daze. She doesn’t know about the diamonds. Not yet. By the time Little Mina comes downstairs, there are two more princes in the dining room. One has a mustache with flecks of silver in it. He refuses to sit with his brothers. He paces in front of the fireplace. The band across his chest is decorated with twenty-seven engraved buttons. As the eldest, he shouldn’t have to fight for the crown. It should simply be his.
Little Mina underestimated the stature of princes. She stands in the doorway, holding on to the wall. She has brushed her mousy hair and pinched her cheeks. Her dress is made of milkweeds that the witch plucked and sewed together for just this occasion. It is so light. She thinks it might blow away if someone opens the door. It feels like wearing clouds.
You don’t have to choose now, the eldest says.
Of course not, says the first. You’ll want to pick well.
No need to rush.
But do come with us, the youngest says. We’ve always wanted a sister.
He smiles shyly at her. A boy of eight. If he weren’t wearing a crown, he could be a baker’s son. Round, pleasant cheeks. Soft brown eyes.
On the way to the castle, Little Mina shows the youngest boy her scars. The diamonds rattle in a basket at her feet.
Is there such a thing faster than this carriage? she says. She is feverish with happiness. She’s never moved so fast in her life. She’s never left her village, except to wander the woods by the witch’s house. Through the window, she sees a river laden with white water, beautiful brick houses on either side. Someone in a fishing boat waves to them and she waves back.
Of course! he says. There’s such a thing as a galloping horse! There’s such a thing as a cheetah!
The other princes ride their own horses outside of the carriage. They don’t talk to Little Mina for the whole trip. But the youngest one won’t stop talking.
He’s been waiting his whole life for someone who will listen to him. He tells her about the time he put red food coloring into the moat and everyone thought it was blood. She tells him about the time she put honey into her mother’s clogs.
As they’re entering the capital, she gives him a yellow diamond to keep.
Chloe sells her diamonds on 47th Street. For fun, she works as a waitress. She is pretty and her memory is good. The chef flirts with her. One night he tells her a secret. He says that he was born with webbed arms, but that the webs were cut right away. He says that he still has webbed toes. He slips off his shoe and runs the webs along her Achilles tendon.
I have a secret, too, she says. She pulls back her sleeve and shows him the half-moon scars on her forearm. Shows him the scars on her lower back. Shows him the new sores forming on her thigh. Chloe is consistent. Her diamonds don’t fail. They don’t refuse to grow. Because in this version of the story, science doesn’t matter.
In this version, there is no such thing as truth.
How often does this happen? he says.
Regularly, she says. Whenever I see a homeless person sleeping on a grate. Whenever I see a girl crying on the subway. I take their sadness and I make it my own.
What about you? he says.
Ha! I grow diamonds! I bought my own apartment! I don’t have sadness.
In that version it might be true. In that version, gap-toothed Chloe might fuck the chef and steal his heartbreak—the chef had been divorced, the chef had lost his father. She might use him to wash away the stench of the mother’s boyfriend. She might become the international CEO of a company. Be on the cover of Vogue. Be celebrated by the entire country for her mutation. She might buy a brownstone and a white tiger and only wear spider silk. And one day, in a windowless hotel room in Reno, her mother will see her on TV and say to the boyfriend, don’t you wish you picked her.
The king treats Little Mina like a princess.
She has everything she could want. To look at her, you’d never know the kingdom is nearly bankrupt. You’d never know two men lost their lives to bring her the baby unicorn. You’d never know how little the gardener is paid to bring her fresh flowers every morning. And it’s not necessarily the things that make Little Mina happy. Every day, people want to see her. When she walks onto her balcony, the townspeople wave and shout, Good afternoon, Diamond Girl! The princes ask what her favorite dessert is and then they make the chefs prepare it. At first, she doesn’t know how to respond. She says syrup and they laugh. Syrup is not a dessert. Chocolate soufflé is a dessert. Crème brûlée is a dessert. Lemon meringue is a dessert.
The mother comes to live in the capital and they treat her like an aunt. They support her, because she’s the mother of the diamond maker. She visits Little Mina every day. Dotes on her. She says, You are the most valuable little girl in the entire world. She brushes Little Mina’s hair like she used to brush Kate’s.
Months go by and Little Mina learns how to order white truffle cheesecake and blood orange fondue. The princes travel for weeks to get the truffles. There are trolls who guard the truffle fields and the princes pay them in gold. They order blood oranges from the other side of the world. Little Mina smiles to think of how much they love her. How they will do anything for her. They don’t complain. They say she is the best thing that’s ever happened to them.
For her twelfth birthday, she’s given a mirror made of silver and in it she looks beautiful. But as she carries it from the feast, everyone watches her go and they are all thinking the same thing: It’s been over two years and she hasn’t produced a single diamond.
The king turns the diamond ring on his finger. It came from her collarbone, years ago. It is the diamond that the witch sent.
Do you know how diamonds are made? he says to his wife.
They come from the earth, she says. She is not a stupid woman.
Bury coal deep within the earth. Heat it until it’s its own small sun. Squeeze it until there’s not a single breath left and then freeze it, he says.
The youngest son is listening. He has sewn the rough yellow stone that Mina gave him into the collar of his shirt. He touches the fabric and thinks of how she’s changed. Her skin is smoother now. Her jawline plumper. Just last night she asked him for a dress made of the sea. He shook his head sadly and said it was impossible.
In your version, the girl is dying. The man carries her over the threshold of their new house. He bought the house with money from her diamonds. He says he bought it for her, so that they can build a life together, but she can barely walk and the house is situated on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The driveway winds back and forth. She pushes against his chest. Her wrists are willow thin. She feels his arms around her like vines. They are choking her. She imagines herself in the jungle, wrapped in the arms of a tree, with a boa constrictor watching, waiting for her to wake up.
He goes out and comes back. He wakes her up at night, or he doesn’t. There are the twin pricks of the needle in her arms, her toes, the veins behind her knees, and of him pushing himself into her, breaking her sparrow hips. She feels them both like lightning. She stares at the cracks on the ceiling. Makes maps out of them. Finds a crack that leads all the way to the wall and follows it to the Arctic Circle, to anywhere she can be free. And every day he’s prying the stones from her skin, leaving her empty. She’s trapped inside her body and there’s no one there to tell. She tries to move her lips and the language that comes out isn’t hers.
She puts her hand in his hair and tries to pull back his head. He thinks it’s affectionate. He kisses the diamond below her belly button before he cuts. Outside, the sea makes sounds like a baby. In it, she hears someone drowning.
It doesn’t take long to realize that the diamonds have dried up, the same way ice cubes melt in warm water.
They move Little Mina to a cave above the sea—much like the house in your story. They call for the witch and her scalpel, so that she can cut the diamonds when they grow. They lock her away with Little Mina for the time being. Perhaps, years ago, the witch did something horrible. Perhaps the witch accidentally killed the princes’ baby sister when an experiment went wrong. When a single candle exploded with the life force of an army and blew apart the west wing of the castle, the wing where the nursery was. Perhaps that’s why she lived in a sky-roof house in the middle of nowhere with only a garden gnome for company when she could have been living in luxury. What I’m saying is, the witch had it coming.
They send the mother, too, because why should they continue to pay for her rent? And what use is the mother without the daughter? The girl is young. She needs a mother. They’re kind enough, at least, to know that.
There are two windows through which Little Mina can hear the swollen water and smell the salt.
On the first day, she stands at the window and watches the water move. It puts her in mind of something haunted, as if the sea were a great basin containing everything that was already dead and everything still living. She is wearing silk the color of lilacs and an ermine shawl. It is softer, even, than the milkweed dress. If you’d ever worn a dress that soft, you would miss it, too. You would think about it every night.
The princes promised they would bring desserts. The youngest one said he would visit. He said he was sorry and embarrassed that things turned out the way that they did. He said he would try to find her a dress made of the sea.
They think it’s something to do with sadness, the mother says. So be sad. Think of your sister. Think of that orphanage that was burnt to the ground last week. There are so many things to be sad about. Why can’t you be sad in a palace? Why can’t you be sad when you are loved? You are a selfish little girl.
A diamond needs desperation to grow, the witch says.
It needs to suffocate. In the castle, she could walk the grounds whenever she wanted. She had her choice of playmates. What more does a child need?
She would be more grieved without me, the mother says. If they want more diamonds, they should let me return to my business.
Your only business was being mother to the diamond maker.
The mother throws a stone from the floor of the cave into the water below. The splash is too small to see.
Little Mina turns to the witch. Why did you do it? Did you know it would turn out this way?
The witch rolls her eyes. People always think I know what will happen. You’re the diamond maker. I’m just the one with the scalpel.
When your girl dies—an overdose, a heart attack, a wish coming true—the man is beside himself. He pulls every diamond from the drawers and counts them. There are four hundred and seventy-six. But what will he do when the money runs out? What will he do now, with no one in the world to call his own? He is sweating, shaking, pacing the room from open window to open window.
He can smell her there on the bed. He can smell the sea and it smells like she does. Like the belly of a ship. He takes her shoulders and shakes her. Throws her head down on the pillows. He scratches her skin with his fingernails but nothing comes out.
At night, he mutters to himself. He opens the kitchen drawer and fits the blade into the electric knife. He will get the diamonds. He cuts into her thigh, but the only thing he finds is blood and damp tissue. He looks everywhere. Blood leaks as he draws the blade through her shoulder. Pieces of bone fly and at first, he sees the white and thinks diamonds! But no. They’re only the dry, sad underthings of a human.
I believe you when you say that’s the way it happened. But in my story, no one has an electric knife. No one could look at another body and butcher it.
It only takes three weeks for the sores to come back. The mother and the witch are bickering every day, and the door to the cave locks from the outside. No one can leave.
Well, the witch can leave. She can unbutton her skin and slither through the crack in the wall, but when she does, she looks bald and burnt, bare muscle and fat without skin to contain it. The skin puddles sadly on the floor of the cave until she comes back. Its eyes watch the mother.
The mother is going insane. She resents the other two. She can barely look at Little Mina. Tells Little Mina again and again that it should have been Kate who lived.
By the time Mina is fifteen, she’s a regular diamond mine. The youngest prince sends books, but he does not visit. Mina reads. She draws on the walls. She pretends to be Kate and that makes the mother happy. Most of the time, the mother believes her.
I had a daughter once, the witch says. I took branches from the ash near my house, a handful of snowberries, a calla lily—a couple of small things from around the living room, a clam shell, this old leather drum, a piece of rotten bread. A piece of coal. I buried the coal where her heart would be.
And then I had a daughter.
What’s coal? the mother says.
It is something like a diamond, but black.
What happened to her? Little Mina says.
I put her in a basket and fed her to some wolves. But I meant well.
One night when the witch is wandering along the beach below them, the mother steals her skin. She pulls it on over one foot and then the other. She buttons it up from her left heel to the nape of her neck. She wraps the braids around her head. She tries to become the witch. She wants to disappear. When the witch gets back, the mother refuses to return it.
I don’t want to kill you, the witch says. But I will.
You don’t need it, the mother wails. It’s beautiful and young and you don’t need it.
Little Mina wishes that her mother would keep the skin on. She wishes her mother would turn into the witch. But in the end the mother gives the skin back. No one is happy, but everyone is alive.
In one version of my story, the youngest prince is engaged to a beautiful girl from the east.
On the night before the wedding, he clasps a diamond necklace around her neck—a thin chain of diamonds with the big yellow diamond cut and polished at its center. They stand together in front of the silver mirror. She touches the diamond and sighs. He watches her eyelids flutter, the veins in them hungry and frail.
The next morning, he packs a bag. He pays the guard beside his door to keep quiet and then he flees. He takes a key with him and he rides all day until he reaches the sea. He climbs the long staircase, running two steps at a time. When he flings the door open, he sees Little Mina lying on her back with her breasts to the ceiling. She is naked and bleeding. The witch leans over her with a scalpel in her right hand. In her left, she holds tweezers. The girl is crying silently. In the corner, the mother babbles to herself. She says isn’t this always the way with children, they want and they want and when they get what they want, they’re bored. When they get the life they want, it’s just a façade.
Because didn’t Little Mina want the diamonds? Didn’t she keep them a secret from the mother for all those months before the princes came? Didn’t she want them and hoard them and love them?
I don’t have the dress made of water, the prince says.
Little Mina draws a sheet over herself. She’s horrified to be caught like this, so vulnerable, so liminal. Half the diamonds have already been removed. Half are still in their pockets of skin. It’s been so long since anyone has seen her as a girl. Has seen the skin as anything other than hard-packed earth and now it’s on display and not only the skin, but the blood beneath it.
Even now, even with the kingdom rolling in diamonds, no one ever visits.
There are places we could go, the prince says. I can make you happy. We’ll make a life together and you’ll never grow another diamond again. But everyone will know you stole me, Little Mina says.
He looks at the mother and at the witch. The witch shrugs. Do what you want, she says.
Just leave the door open so I’m not stuck here with that woman.
And Little Mina wants to believe him, so she says yes. He cuts the rest of the diamonds out himself. The sores heal immediately under the soft print of his fingers. She feels desire like a dragon in her belly. No one has ever touched her so softly. The witch looks away. She is ashamed of the hardness of her own hands. She is ashamed, maybe, of what she did to the girl.
In this version, the girl and the prince live happily ever after in a faraway place. Little Mina has a daughter and when the daughter cries, her tears hit the floor and become frogs. They hop all over the house. The prince laughs when a frog jumps into a bowl of soup. Little Mina laughs the hardest. She tells her daughter that she’s lucky and the daughter laughs, too, because the frogs are funny. No one will ever want a girl who cries frogs. Not for the frogs, at least. That’s not the way the world works.
Your endings are lonely. The thing about Chloe is that her skin never stops making diamonds. Her skin never stops being sharp. So when she curls her body into the crook of a man, she cuts him. Even a good man. Even a man who she loves. The thing about the other girl, the dead girl, is that she died. Heaven is the loneliest place on Earth, you say. Your stories are cruel. They exploit. They isolate. They make it impossible to be human.
You think I’m childish. You think I don’t understand them.
But I do.
Let’s say the prince marries the other girl. She is more beautiful than Little Mina. Her hair grows thick and blonde. She comes with an entire kingdom and three chests of gold. Let’s say the prince isn’t who we want him to be. He isn’t as strong as we want him to be.
But then, neither is Little Mina. No one is fighting hard enough.
One night when the mother is asleep, the witch takes Little Mina into her arms and rocks her. She apologizes. She says she wanted so badly to give her a good life, but she didn’t know how. She says that if she could remove the mother’s skin and step into that mortal body, she would.
But a mortal body won’t survive if you skin it, and the skin won’t survive either. There’s a way for the mother to become the witch, but not for the witch to become the mother.
It’s confusing, she says, but that’s just the way the world works. Maybe what she means is that she is the mother already, and Little Mina is the girl in the basket.
It’s too bad, Little Mina says, no one would miss my mother.
I can give you freedom, the witch says. I can, at least, give you that.
The girl is laden with heavy sores. She is fit to burst, so valuable in that exact moment that she could sink to the bottom of the sea and not be found until her ribs float to the surface. She squeezes one of the sores on her elbow. It’s almost ready.
If freedom is dying, she says, I don’t want it.
It isn’t dying, the witch says.
The witch digs into her purse and brings out the folded piece of sky that was her roof. It is a sunny day, the sky a frosted blue. It lights up the interior of the cave even though there is no sun and outside, it is night.
Little Mina runs her fingers along the edge of it.
Take it, the witch says. Wrap it around yourself.
And then what? Little Mina says. She is sick with the weight of the diamonds. She is like an old dog that has had too many litters. She is like a mine whose sides are worn with too many pick-axes. There are canaries inside of her, and they all say to run.
You’ll be too big for this room, the witch says. You’ll break the walls down and the sky will take you back into itself. I have a long ladder. I will visit you.
Little Mina drapes the sky over her shoulders. She wraps it around her naked waist and pulls it tight. Coolness descends over every inch of her. She feels like a child again. She feels like she did before her sister died, before she realized that her hair would never be pretty and her skin was scarred and that nobody loved her in the whole wide world. She is her father and her mother and her sister. She is the witch. She is you and she is me.
Little Mina says goodbye to the witch, and thank you.
Then she tugs the sky over her head and bursts from the cave. She flies to the edge of the Earth and pins herself back into place along the horizon, her body an absence, with stars in every imaginable color blinking roughly against the black night.
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Athlete: Courtney Bird | CrossFit Games
Athlete: Courtney Bird | CrossFit Games
Courtney
Bird
—
CFID
72013
Division
—
Age
37
Height
5’10”
Weight
200 lb
Affiliate
—
Stats
Open
| 2017 | Men | 1758th | 1045th United States |
| 2016 | Individual Men | 839th | 564th United States |
| 2015 | Individual Men | 569th | 420th United States |
| 2014 | Individual Men | — | — |
| 2012 | Individual Men | — | — |
2020-05-22 | Buys $225,000 2020-05-22 | Mortgage: $220,924 Howard Hanna Financial Services Inc | Mortgage: $220,924 Howard Hanna Financial Services Inc | $225,000 | |||||
2020-01-02 | Sells $265,000 2020-01-02 | $265,000 | |||||||
2019-06-17 | Buys $240,000 2019-06-17 | Mortgage: $216,000 Nationwide Mortgage Bankers Inc | Mortgage: $216,000 Nationwide Mortgage Bankers Inc | $240,000 | |||||
2016-09-19 | Buys $187,500 2016-09-19 | Mortgage: $150,000 Landmark Bank Na | Mortgage: $150,000 Landmark Bank Na | $187,500 | |||||
2013-12-06 | Sells $105,000 2013-12-06 | $105,000 | |||||||
2020-11-30 | Mortgage: $311,000 Amerisave Mortgage Corp | Mortgage: $311,000 Amerisave Mortgage Corp | N/A | ||||||
2020-06-19 | Buys $405,000 2020-06-19 | Mortgage: $344,250 Priority Home Lending LLC | Mortgage: $344,250 Priority Home Lending LLC | $405,000 | |||||
2019-11-26 | N/A | ||||||||
2018-08-10 | Sells $180,000 2018-08-10 | $180,000 | |||||||
2017-12-26 | Sells $260,000 2017-12-26 | $260,000 | |||||||
2019-02-19 | Buys $217,500 2019-02-19 | Mortgage: $163,125 Intercontinental Capital Group Inc | Mortgage: $163,125 Intercontinental Capital Group Inc | $217,500 | |||||
2019-09-12 | Buys $355,000 2019-09-12 | Mortgage: $348,570 Freedom Mortgage Corp | Mortgage: $348,570 Freedom Mortgage Corp | $355,000 | |||||
2018-07-05 | Sells $83,200 2018-07-05 | $83,200 | |||||||
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136106″ data-tie-score=”21″>Meet Courtney Bastian, ‘The Bird Dog Babe’
Syren USA is lucky to have Courtney Bastian as a Syren owner, mom who loves to be outside and woman helping to get more women hunting, shooting and in the field. I was thrilled to spend time with her at the clinic we hosted at Xcel Shooting Sports and only wish we could have hung out longer. I’m already planning on heading back to Montana to go and hunt with Courtney and her dogs and I was honored to talk to Courtney, aka “The Bird Dog Babe,” about gun cleaning, chokes and ammo recently. Give us a listen if you have some time and subscribe to her podcast for more episodes.
Sponsored by Syren USA
Please will you tell our readers what you want them to know about you?
I created and host “The Bird Dog Babe” Podcast to help inspire, educate, and connect women to hunt and get their bird dogs out in the field. I’ve been steadily adding new editions and have several more on tap.
Up until a year ago I lived in Wisconsin, and as a new resident to Montana, I dove deep into all the amenities the amazing state has to offer. I hunt both upland and waterfowl bird species, and turkey. I’m currently in the process of learning to fly fish and plan to try big game this fall.
Bird dog babe with family
I work as a consultant for Purina Pro Plan, traveling around the US attending dog events to discuss canine nutrition. I also help manage and assist my husband, who is a Professional Gun Dog Trainer at Claddagh Kennel. We breed, train, hunt and compete with our German Wirehaired Pointers and Bracco Italiani. We have 2 pretty cool toddlers that enjoy the outdoors as much as we do, and they love coming along with us while hiking, horseback riding, dog training and hunting. Sharing these experiences with them is incredibly rewarding.
Courtney Bastian
How did you discover hunting?
I was an adult-onset hunter. I started training and competing with my German Wirehaired Pointers in 2004 whilst I was still in college. During hunting season, I would carry a camera around the field taking photos of my dogs and husband working birds. It was the reoccurrence of one of my dogs retrieving the bird directly to me, that my husband had shot, that I decided that I wanted to join in on the sport that my dog enjoyed so much.
It was as though my dog was asking ‘me’ to hunt with ‘her.’
So, I switched out the camera and picked up a gun … a Syren Tempio Field Light 20 gauge and have since appreciated the strong bond that forms between dog and human when hunting together as a team.
“The Bird Dog Babe” with her Syren Tempio Field Light 20 gauge.
Can you tell us about your favorite cause or charity?
I support several habitat organizations and public land advocate groups such as Pheasants & Quail Forever, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. These are groups that are focused on conservation, preservation and education. Through their efforts, I’m hopeful my kids, and their children, will be able to enjoy hunting public lands, bird and game species in the future.
I also support the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation, which provides funding of health research focused solely on helping identify and address health issues in dogs. Through my Patreon program, my patrons contribute to donating 5% toward conservation and 5% towards canine health research.
Courtney Bastian working the booth at the Syren Clinic.
When women ask you why you shoot a Syren, what do you say?
My first shotgun buying experience was like so many others; I went into a sporting goods store, the guy at the counter handed me a few shotguns to shoulder, asked which one felt best, and I walked out the door with a new shotgun not knowing any different. After a very frustrating hunting season, I started shooting sporting clays to help improve my shot. The manager of the sports club noticed my shooting was off because I wasn’t shouldering my gun well, so I paid him several hundred dollars to shorten the stock for me. Fast forward several years to a few sessions with a shooting instructor who noticed I still wasn’t shouldering my gun well and suggested another stock modification. I went in search of a new shotgun. I knew there had to be a better option on the market, and that’s how I came across Syren Shotguns. I called Syren and was put in touch with Tracy Kienitz of Xcel Shooting Sports in Kalispell, Montana. Tracy invited me up to her demo range – where I was able to actually shoot the entire Syren line. I was surprised to note how well I was able to shoulder every single one of them. The stocks are tailored to fit the female anatomy, there’s customized length of pull and increased pitch and cast, in addition the pistol grips are smaller with adjustable trigger. As an avid grouse hunter, it was important for me to have a lightweight gun that I could carry all day in the woods, and I decided on the 20 gauge Tempio Light, weighing in at 5.5 pounds.
Courtney Bastian shooting her Syren Tempio Field Light 20 gauge.
What type of feedback are you getting from women who are experiencing this line of shotguns?
I recently co-hosted a women’s shooting clinic; it was great to hear how many of them were surprised and happy about the guns fitting them so well. In attendance were upland and waterfowl hunters, as well as skeet, trap and sporting clay competitors. The fact that there was a gun with good fit for a wide variety of shooting disciplines was quite awesome.
A great group of ladies at the Syren Clinic.
Why is it important that a woman have a shotgun that fits her?
Women deserve to feel comfortable and confident when shooting or hunting. We are no longer in the times of “this is a man’s sport,” and we shouldn’t have to compromise with a one-size-fits-all gun. In order to continue on with a sport, we don’t need to be the best at it, but we do need to enjoy it and have a reason to go back and do it again. As the number of hunters continues to decrease, it’s important to inspire and motivate women to get out there and do it. Having a shotgun that fits her means she will have a higher success rate when shooting, making the hunt more enjoyable, and making it more likely she will want to do it again.
Courtney Bastian
What’s the best way for a woman to start hunting?
Give it a try. Find a mentor and go out with them. Look for a women’s hunting event through PF&QF Women of the Wing, NWTF Women in the Outdoors, NWF Artemis, or Becoming an Outdoors Woman, to name a few, where you can try out the sport in an environment where a lot of the focus is to teach you and be in a setting that is controlled and comfortable. Listen to my podcast, ‘The Bird Dog Babe’; it’s loaded with guests that are offering great advice to help you learn about hunting.
Courtney Bastian
Visit Syren USA to check out its fine line of shotguns for shooting and hunting.
About Lynne Green
Lynne is on to her next adventure after over four years in Maryland with Caesar Guerini and Fabarm as the Brand Manager for Syren (a line of shotguns made for the ladies). She has attended dozens of demos and events and has been honored to get to meet and introduce hundreds of ladies and young girls (and lots of boys and men too) to all 3 brands and to shotgun shooting! Lynne has learned so much about shotguns – gun fit, eye dominance and mechanics – that shows her just how much more there is to learn. She now is doing marketing and branding consulting and also plans to stay active in the outdoor industry, do more hunting and sporting clays, shooting lessons and add some fly fishing to her repertoire. She’ll be based in the Dallas Fort Worth area.
View all posts by Lynne Green →
still life with mummies by courtney bird
This week, we’re continuing our quest for the best stories to use in a creative writing course, with pieces about breakups: Courtney Bird, “Still Life, With Mummies” and “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian. You might remember the latter as “that story that went viral and briefly broke the internet,” spurring hot takes from a bunch of people who seemingly hadn’t read a short story in a very long time.
We talk about how students write about breakups, and what kinds of models these stories might provide for them. We also discuss strategies for discussing both of these stories in class, including how to approach some of the more uncomfortable sex writing in “Cat Person,” and how the online discourse around that story could be interesting–or frustrating–to get into with a creative writing class.
As always, you can stream the show right here on our site, or download the mp3 file to listen to later. Or check us out in Apple podcasts, where you can subscribe (for free!) and catch up on older episodes. We’re also available on Spotify, Stitcher, or just about any other podcast app. If for some reason you can’t find us in your favorite app, please reach out and let us know!
If you like the show and would like more Book Fight in your life, consider subscribing to our Patreon. For $5/month, you’ll get access to regular bonus episodes, including monthly episodes of Book Fight After Dark, where we read some of the world’s weirdest–and steamiest!–novels. We’ve also recently begun a new series of Patreon-only mini-episodes called Reading the Room, in which we offer advice on how to navigate awkward, writing-related social situations.
Thanks for listening!
Stream Episode 298:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/bookfightpod/Ep298_BreakupStories.mp3
Download Episode 298
Categories: creative writing canon, Episodes | Tags: America’s favorite literary podcast, Barrelhouse magazine, best stories to teach in a creative writing class, cat person by kristen roupenian, creative writing canon, how to build a creative writing syllabus, Iowa Writers Workshop, literary podcast, short stories about breakups, still life with mummies by courtney bird, stories for undergraduates, stories to teach about breakups, teaching creative writing, why did cat person go viral | Permalink.
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90,000 7 reasons to adore the incomparable Monica Geller – Popcorn
On June 15, American actress, director and producer Courtney Cox celebrates her 57th birthday.
She is charming, unpredictable and intelligent, has a brown belt in karate, plays the piano and drums well, and for 10 years she also played the role of the inimitable Monica Geller in the TV series Friends, with whom the actress, by the way, has quite a lot in common.
Bright / Kauffman / Crane Productions
In honor of Courtney’s birthday, the editors recall several obvious reasons for adoring her popular heroine.
1. Her apartment is always cozy, clean and tidy.
2. She is not afraid of change and is open to everything new.
3. She is reckless and ready to go all the way.
4. Always ready to help a friend deal with a problem.
5. Not afraid to be funny.
6. She knows how to be sincere and romantic.
7.She loves to have fun and dance!
And now a few other cool roles of the incomparable Courteney Cox:
Jewel Jagger, “Mister Destiny”
Mr. Destiny, 1990
Touchstone Pictures
Melissa Robinson, Ace Ventura: Pet Tracking
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, 1994
Warner Bros.Pictures
Taylor Maddox, The Clinic
Scrubs, 2007-2010
NBC
Jules Cobb, City of Predators
Cougar Town, 2009-2014
Doozer
Found a mistake? Select the fragment and press Ctrl + Enter.
City of Predators: Cast and Story
Many writers and directors have tried to replicate the success of Sex and the City. The topic of a single woman and the search for a new love is incredibly popular among viewers, so the show “City of Predators” showed good results. Actors Courteney Cox, Dan Bird, Busy Phillips, Brian Van Holt, Christa Miller and others made a great team.
The series premiered on ABC in 2009. However, after two seasons, the management decided to close the project.Fortunately, “City of Predators” did not remain without sponsors – the filming and broadcasting of new episodes was continued by the cable channel TBS. The story of the lonely beauty Jules has been of interest to viewers for six seasons. The final episode was released on May 31, 2015.
Plot
Interested in “City of Predators”? Actors and roles, sparkling humor and female friendship – such a “explosive” mixture promises you watching the series.
At the center of the action is Jules Cobb, 40, a charming woman who lives with her teenage son.After the divorce, the main character comes to a disappointing conclusion – it is no longer so easy to build a personal life at her age. On the way Jules comes across exclusively young gentlemen, and meetings with them remind of the old days.
Miss Cobb’s best friends, Laurie and Ellie, are complete opposites. Ellie is happily married and has a little son, and Laurie disappears at noisy parties, having affairs with handsome men. In addition, the girlfriends sincerely hate each other and do not miss the opportunity to show it.A banal, at first glance, plot “City of Predators” the actors were able to “revive” with their talent.
The story would be incomplete without another character. Across from Jules lives not the friendliest neighbor Grayson. Age, divorce and loneliness – the two characters really have a lot in common, but Grayson is not allowed to get bored by young girls who often stay overnight. From the very beginning, the relationship between Jules and Grayson does not go beyond the neighbors, and later the main character begins to notice other feelings behind herself, gradually developing into attraction and even passion.
Courtney Cox
The movie City of Predators promises a lot of positive emotions to the audience. The actors did their best – the show is not loaded with serious topics and looks very easy.
The role of Jules Cobb is played by the incomparable Courteney Cox, who needs no introduction. But unlike her co-star Jennifer Aniston, Courtney isn’t often seen on the big screen. After a ten-year television show, Cox took part in the projects Scream, All or Nothing, Bedtime Stories and others, and also appeared as a guest star on the popular show Clinic.
Courtney Cox, along with her ex-husband David Arquette, joined the production team of the series “City of Predators”, whose actors made a brilliant company to the star of the legendary “Friends”. In 2010, Courteney Cox was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Christa Miller
Some viewers saw the similarities between the TV shows Clinic and City of Predators. Actors and director Bill Lawrence smoothly transitioned from one series to another. For example, Christa Miller and her character Ellie Torres desperately resemble the tough and sarcastic Jordan Sullivan.
Christa’s father was against a career in art, but her daughter decided otherwise. Miller began to work as a model in European and Japanese magazines quite early, and after moving to Los Angeles, she began to actively appear on television and in films.
The actress is married to Bill Lawrence. Together they worked in the comedy series Clinic. The couple have three children, and the last two pregnancies smoothly entered the script of the show.
Busy Phillips
If a married Ellie can be called an “angel” at a stretch, the windy Laurie acts as a “devil”.She provokes Jules to adventure, hang out and meet young handsome men. Laurie is funny and a little silly, incapable of serious actions and decision-making.
Busy Phillips’ career began in 1999 with a role in Freaks and Geeks. A year later, she made her debut in the movie Bad Girls. In 2001, Busy landed the role of Audrey Liddell in the teenage TV series Dawson’s Creek.
One of Busy Phillips’ last works was the Predator City project, the actors of which worked together with guest stars.Viewers were thrilled to see Sherrill Crow, Jennifer Aniston, Zach Braff, Lisa Kudrow, Sam Lloyd and Matthew Perry.
IN AUSTIN – Our Texas – Russian Newspaper in Houston, Dallas, San-Antonio, Austin, Texas
BAD FORECASTS
Austin’s Public Health Administration warns that Halloween celebrations could keep the city from battling the coronavirus outbreak for a long time – right up to Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Dr. Mark Escott said that “Thanksgiving forecasts are bleak, but it is not too late to change the situation – and the latest figures confirm this.”At a briefing for authorized Travis County employees, it was announced that the number of new cases of coronavirus had dropped. However, the situation in Austin remains volatile.
In June, the city went through the same stage as it is now, and three weeks later a crisis erupted. This could happen again. Moreover, today Dallas, part of San Antonio and especially El Paso are going through the crisis.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin combined the latest hospitalization data with data on mobility, that is, the number of people going out and interacting with others to predict what might happen.
90,046 The COVID-19 Modeling Consortium’s median forecast shows that by the third week of November, coronavirus patients could require up to 700 hospital beds unless people start taking extra precautions.
BARS WILL STAY CLOSED
Two weeks after the Governor’s permission to reopen bars at 50% occupancy, with the approval of the District Judge, Travis County’s drinking establishments remain closed.
Judge Sam Biscoe has promised to reconsider his decision in two weeks, but so far his position remains firm.He referred to “an increase in hospitalizations with COVID-19 and an increase in the number of beds in the intensive care unit, preparing school districts for additional face-to-face training and upcoming holidays that will increase social interaction.”
Austin Mayor Steve Adler fully supported Biscoe’s decision. However, not everyone agrees with the authorities’ decision. According to Austin Tully, operations manager of the popular Whiskey Tango Foxtrot at West 6 th , the closure cost $ 100,000 in taxes and fees.Like many bars struggling to survive the pandemic, the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot has filed an application to reclassify the bar as a restaurant under TABC. The costly changes that had to be made to keep the doors open also fall on the customer, who now goes to the restaurant instead of the bar. Tully called the government’s decision “another abuse of power, which prevents business owners from controlling their own destiny and consumers deciding what to do with their lives.”
MEGA-RENT TO WORK
In preparation for the holiday season, Amazon is hosting a mega-recruiting event that includes jobs in Austin, San Marcos and other locations in Texas.The company is reportedly adding 100,000 new seasonal, full-time and part-time jobs in the US and Canada.
In the Austin area, Amazon is hiring warehouse and customer staff. The company offers a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour, and full-time employees will receive comprehensive benefits from day one, including health, dental and vision insurance, as well as opportunities to incentivize wages and benefits.There is an opportunity for a long-term career if the employee is interested in it.
In addition, this job may simply be an additional income during the holiday season – up to $ 652 per week. Jobs are listed on the company’s website. New employees will be trained. All institutions are committed to adhering to strict safety and health protocols.
“CALLING DEFENDANT” AUSTIN
Gov. Abbott is touring the state to collect signatures for his appeal to encourage lawmakers to take action that can affect the preservation and increase, rather than cuts, of funds for Texas city police departments.
Abbott said he has already called on the state legislature to pass laws that “would prevent money from leaking law enforcement” and “would mandatorily support men and women who risk their lives to protect Texans.”
In Houston, during a protest in defense of police funding, Abbott said he was considering whether “the state should take over law enforcement in certain parts of Austin” after the City cut the Police Department’s budget by a third.
The governor intends to “prevent the basic function of the police from being undermined by cities that seek to dismantle law enforcement agencies that have taken an oath to protect and defend their communities.” Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called Austin “one of the most dangerous cities in America” and “the most defiantly rebellious in Texas.”
RAPID TESTS
The flu and cedar fever season, combined with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, makes this fall particularly challenging.To help Texans, the Rhode Island medical company announced the launch of rapid test sites at 21 CVS stores across the state, including three in the Greater Austin area at 10550 W. Parmer Ln., 2306 RR 620 South in Lakeway, and 2013 Kelly Ln. in Pflugerville.
By the end of the year, according to plans, this service will be offered in a thousand clinics in the country. The tests are provided free of charge to patients who meet certain criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those with private insurance, or those insured by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Patients must register with CVS.com in advance. Children under 15 years old must be accompanied by an adult to the testing site. Once in place, patients should remain in their vehicle and proceed to their designated parking lot. Test results are available within half an hour.
GET RID OF STUNTING
UT Austin announced that a new Stuttering Research Center is being created at the university. The Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Research and Education is funded by a 10-year $ 20 million grant from Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, who also owns the NFL Atlanta Falcons and MLS Atlanta United clubs, and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where both teams play.
The Center will be chaired by Dr. Courtney Bird, Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing at the University of Texas. She is already the founder of other university stuttering clinics. The center will study and understand the nature of stuttering and its effective treatment; will scale up evidence-based programs for the treatment of children, adolescents and adults around the world; will create a dedicated network of experienced doctors and researchers to make quality care available to everyone.
Genetic stuttering has been a problem for part of the Blanca family for generations. He himself also stutters and has previously tried medical treatment to improve his fluency.
CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN NEW
To the tombstones that appeared on the front lawns at Payne Av. in the center of Austin, just before Halloween, bags of candy and sweets were added, scattered on the ground and hidden behind stones. This gave the children the opportunity to collect food in a “socially distant way”.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many residents of this neighborhood, like the rest of Austin, have abandoned the traditional method of treating children while visiting houses. However, people wanted to give children a chance to play and treat them in a new way, especially considering that during the upcoming holidays, kids will not be able to have their typical little joys and familiar entertainment at school or in the family, which, according to experts, is important for mental and emotional health of “collectors of holiday sweets”.Therefore, this year the city has opened “candy cemeteries”, “candy zip lines” and “candy stations” with individually sealed bags.
Paris, Courtney – Athlete – sport.wikisort.org
Paris, Courtney – Athlete – sport.wikisort.org
sport.wikisort.org – Athlete
Courtney Lynne Paris (born September 21, 1987 in San Jose, California, USA ) Is an American professional basketball player who played for the Women’s National Basketball Association.She was selected in the 2009 WNBA Draft in the first round under the overall seventh overall pick by the Sacramento Monarchs. Played as a center.
| Courtney Paris | ||
|---|---|---|
| Courtney Paris | ||
| Paris in Seattle Storm v Minnesota Lynx (12 Aug 2018) | ||
| Position | Center | |
| Height | 193 cm | |
| Weight | 113 kg | |
| Nationality | USA | |
| Date of birth | September 21, 1987 (1987-09-21) (age 33) | |
| Place of birth | San Jose, California, USA | |
| School | Millennium (Piedmont) | |
| College | Oklahoma (2005-2009) | |
| Draft VNBA | 7th, 2009, Sacramento Monarchs | |
| ||
Early years
Courtney Paris was born on September 21, 1987 in San Jose, California to William Paris and Lynn Harris, she has four brothers, Wayne, David, Austin and Brandon, as well as a sister twin, Ashley.She studied a little further north at Millennium High School, which is located in the small town of Piedmont, where she played for the local basketball team.
Student career
Professional career
Notes
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