Kim Allen

Celebrity, Aspiration and Contemporary Youth uses the lens of celebrity to explore how young people think about their futures under austerity. Based on an interdisciplinary study, the book offers fresh insights into contemporary youth aspirations and inequalities. It helps us to understand young people’s transitions into adulthood at a time of socio-economic 'crisis'. Drawing on original data, the authors examine what it means for young people to be forming their aspirations within the context of ‘austere meritocracy’. The book addresses three central questions: What kinds of futures do young people desire and imagine for themselves? What is required of young people in the process of achieving these futures? And how are inequalities embedded and reproduced within these? Using young people’s ‘celebrity talk’ to explore their aspirations, the authors challenge stereotypes of young people as a fame-hungry, get-rich-quick generation. Instead, they show how young people engage critically with celebrity and its discourses. Key chapters focus on how young people talk about youth, work, authenticity, success, happiness, money and fame in relation to their own lives and those of celebrities. Each of these chapters contains a case study of an international celebrity, including, Beyoncé, Will Smith, Bill Gates, Prince Harry and Kim Kardashian. The authors conclude with possibilities for social change. They show that celebrity offers an important way of working with young people to critically explore what futures are possible and for whom.

Celebrity, Aspiration and Contemporary Youth uses the lens of celebrity to explore how young people think about their futures under austerity. Based on an interdisciplinary study, the book offers fresh insights into contemporary youth aspirations and inequalities. It helps us to understand young people’s transitions into adulthood at a time of socio-economic 'crisis'. Drawing on original data, the authors examine what it means for young people to be forming their aspirations within the context of ‘austere meritocracy’. The book addresses three central questions: What kinds of futures do young people desire and imagine for themselves? What is required of young people in the process of achieving these futures? And how are inequalities embedded and reproduced within these? Using young people’s ‘celebrity talk’ to explore their aspirations, the authors challenge stereotypes of young people as a fame-hungry, get-rich-quick generation. Instead, they show how young people engage critically with celebrity and its discourses. Key chapters focus on how young people talk about youth, work, authenticity, success, happiness, money and fame in relation to their own lives and those of celebrities. Each of these chapters contains a case study of an international celebrity, including, Beyoncé, Will Smith, Bill Gates, Prince Harry and Kim Kardashian. The authors conclude with possibilities for social change. They show that celebrity offers an important way of working with young people to critically explore what futures are possible and for whom.

Asheville Bee Charmer, opened in 2014 by beekeepers Jillian Kelly and Kim Allen, has become a destination for both local foodies and tourists. This honey purveyor, located in one of the most pollinator-friendly parts of the United States, offers a range of bee-related products and more than 50 different artisanal honey varietals—each with its own unique color, texture, and taste. Inspired by the vast honey selection available behind the Honey Bar, chef Carrie Schloss has created The Asheville Bee Charmer Cookbook, a collection featuring 130 recipes, 20 honey varietals, and 8 special Bee Charmer blends. With a color, aroma, and tasting guide to honey varietals and dishes like Bee Pollen Nut Brittle, Chipotle Honey–Marinated Skirt Steak, and Milk and Honey Dinner Rolls, this cookbook proves that honey is the best way to season or sweeten your next meal. Schloss writes with the home cook in mind, packing complex, surprising flavors into recipes written in clear, accessible prose, and the recipes are accompanied by beautiful full-color photography throughout.