Justine Olivia Marks
Bio
Brand Partnerships & Content @ Vocal. Yogi, bibliophile, cinephile, Feminist. Passionate about popular culture past and present. New York with tropical roots. Good at lists.
Stories (4)
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College Street
It's been twelve years, but I'll never forget my first time on College Street. I was in the passenger's seat of Betsy, my mother's white 3-Series sport wagon that was a complete lemon. The fact that she had made the trip made the day seem slightly miraculous before anything had happened. We couldn't have been doing less than 45 (knowing my mother). Still, the sight of the morning sun filtering in through the canopy of trees, set amongst the late-19th century reddish brownstone and brick buildings of the campus, plays out mentally in slow motion. As my mother's manual transmission filled the quiet Massachusetts town with a sound reminiscent of the Grand Prix, I knew in my gut that I would go to the women's college on College Street.
By Justine Olivia Marks5 years ago in Confessions
Craig and the DVDs. Top Story - June 2021.
I was raised in Rockland County, a suburb of New York. Everyone who lives or has lived in Rockland will tell you that nothing ever happens in Rockland. Perhaps one of the only peculiar things about Rockland County is the county's multitude of high ranch houses. The high ranches were built in Rockland en masse in the mid-twentieth century to accommodate the growth of the suburbs, and if you don't live in one yourself, you know someone who does. The high ranches vary in size and decorative architecture, but their layout is generally the same. The upper level has the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, a bathroom, and three bedrooms. The bottom level is usually a den of some sort, and there is another bathroom, one more "bonus room," and the garage. You've probably guessed that I've spent some time in high ranch houses, and I have. Many of my childhood friends grew up in what I call the "Rockland special" including my best friend, Craig.
By Justine Olivia Marks5 years ago in Humans
7 Underrated Audrey Hepburn Movies. Top Story - June 2021.
Audrey Hepburn's name is synonymous with her 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's. Breakfast at Tiffany's is a classic, (even though some elements of it really don't hold up), and Audrey Hepburn manages to both look great in Givenchy couture, and display her range as an actress. Audrey Hepburn was a European with aristocratic origins, but she disappears into the character of Holly Golightly, a very American girl with dubious origins and a dubious profession who lives on the edge of New York Cafe society. But I am not here to recommend the movie that made Audrey Hepburn a cultural touchstone and style icon who transcends classical cinema. Instead, I am here to recommend seven of her films that live in the shadow of Breakfast at Tiffany's.
By Justine Olivia Marks5 years ago in Geeks
Feeding Wanderlust During COVID-19. Top Story - July 2020.
Some of my earliest memories are of airplanes and airports. As a child of immigrant parents, my arrival meant taking baby me from our home in New York to see family members in their native Caribbean for my first Christmas, and nearly every year following. The airplane safety card was my favorite reading material as a toddler. When I learned how to read actual words, I thought the signs out by JFK Airport that read “Jamaica” indicated our final tropical destination, not the neighborhood in Queens.
By Justine Olivia Marks5 years ago in Wander
