Mar 7Censorship? Unfettered Expression? How About Neither?It is okay that some ideas are never shared. — “When a class discussion goes poorly for me,” writes University of Virginia senior Emma Camp in a recent New York Times article, “I can tell.” She relates the story of advancing a controversial opinion during a feminist theory class in her sophomore year. The idea didn’t go over well. The…Writing5 min read
Published in Fanfare·Feb 4In Michael Crichton’s World, Respect for Women Went the Way of T-RexJurassic Park creator would have some explaining to do nowadays — Who’s on your popular fiction Mount Rushmore? These aren’t your favorite authors, necessarily, but ones you think best represent the genre writer ethos (however you define that). Okay, I’ll start. First up: Stephen King. America’s bogeyman does it all–novels, short stories, movie scripts, comic books. I admit he’s my favorite…Fiction11 min read
Published in The Writing Cooperative·Nov 5, 2021On the Pleasures of Reviewing Self-Published BooksDoing it right can have a big impact — Q: What do John Grisham, Margaret Atwood, Andy Weir, and Stephen King have in common? A: Several things. All are bestselling authors. Award-winning authors. Authors who are written about and studied and among the finest authors working today. And all have, at one time or another, self-published their work. Grisham…Writing8 min read
Published in Fanfare·Oct 30, 2021Is It True That All ‘Final Girls’ Are Virgins?The data may surprise you — “There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie! For instance, Number 1: You can never have sex. Sex equals death, OK?” We know these words by Randy, geek hero of Wes Craven’s Scream, as well as we know “I am not…Sex5 min read
Aug 24, 2021I Am Engaged to My Fourth WifeWhat will it mean to re-enter the institution of marriage? — Last night, I dreamt I went to a wedding again. Mine. It seemed to me I stood by the altar, beneath an arch, my feet on petals, and afterward I could not move, for the reception was barred, and plated. There was a ball and chain upon my ankle. Well…Marriage7 min read
Published in Fanfare·Dec 16, 2020No, “The Crown” Doesn’t Need a Disclaimer That It’s FictionWho would believe it anyway? — God save our gracious Queen, Long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen; Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us . . . And please, God, please, make her look good on Netflix. Since 2016, the streaming service has been home to The Crown, a…Television5 min read
Published in Fanfare·Dec 3, 2020A Trump Presidential Memoir Would Be a Good ThingEven if it’s whiny, hammy, and full of lies — Ever seen the movie The Love God? Set in swinging 1969, Don Knotts — yes, Barney Fife! — plays Abner Peacock, publisher of a soon-to-be-insolvent birdwatching magazine. Desperate for funding, Abner is tricked into partnering with smut peddler Osborn Tremain, who turns The Peacock into a, uh, gentlemen’s magazine. This…Trump4 min read
Nov 6, 2020President Biden Should Pardon TrumpIt’s the kind — and strategic — thing to do. — Assuming Joe Biden becomes the next president, and assuming a lame-duck Donald Trump does not pardon himself — a dubious move — or resign and let Mike Pence pardon him — a weaselly move — Biden should do the deed himself. Biden should pardon Trump. He said before that he…Politics3 min read
Nov 6, 2020We Now Know How COVID Has Affected LibrariesA new report fills the information gap — We’ve read the stories. Heard the stats. Seen the woe. The food service industry losing over $120 billion Car sales declining 20 percent 100,000 businesses permanently closed Movie theaters down $3 billion in market value 65 million unemployment claims since March 2020 It has wrecked us to our bones, this…Libraries7 min read
Sep 15, 2020How Doing Stand-Up Comedy Can Help Your WritingOn structure, style, and writing with a purpose — I recently read an essay about how watching stand-up comics can improve one’s writing. The author emphasizes style and wordplay — puns, non-sequiturs, double entendre — as the tools most transferable from comedy to prose. These are good points. But what about joke writing? There is a process to this…Writing8 min read
