We Don’t Need No Education

We Don’t Need No Education

I've come across a number of articles by professional authors that deal in part with how much, if any, formal education is required to write professionally. (Specifically, should aspiring authors take creative writing classes, pursue English degrees, attend writers' workshops, etc.?) The consensus seems to be: "Get educated enough to…
December 1, 2014
Sci Phi Journal

Sci Phi Journal

When this age of instantaneous global information exchange began, it seemed inevitable that every fandom should have its needs served. For years science fiction and philosophy enthusiasts like myself were the sole exception. At long last, Sci Phi Journal has brought our intellectual famine to an end! Helmed by a…
November 24, 2014
Squirrel Chasing

Squirrel Chasing

This post marks a milestone. It's the first time I've blogged about a Twitter exchange. Trying to peddle logic where the medium ensures the participants will just end up talking over each other isn't my idea of time well spent. John C. Wright likens fruitless argument to chasing a squirrel. Yesterday…
November 13, 2014

The Tunnel of Indoctrination Indubitably

I recently had the displeasure of learning that Bradley University, my alma mater, will be hosting an "interactive event"/propagandistic carnival attraction called the Tunnel of Oppression. The production is staged by the campus Office of Multicultural Student Services, who claim that it "...highlights contemporary issues of oppression in a creative…
October 29, 2014
My Favorite Time of Year

My Favorite Time of Year

It's time once again for the Drunken Zombie International Film Festival. If you have the means, I recommend that you stop by Landmark Cinemas in Peoria, IL on Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8 for a worldwide selection of the finest independent horror films.
October 28, 2014
From Contemplation to Emotion: The Decline of the Novel

From Contemplation to Emotion: The Decline of the Novel

Let me preface this post by referring you to this outstanding essay by Mike Flynn. It covers the transitions in thought, art, culture, politics, and more that occurred between the Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Post-Modern ages. All six parts are worth your time, but Part 5, dealing with the rise…
September 30, 2014
Frank Discussion

Frank Discussion

I recently had the pleasure of watching Frank by quirky comedy director Lenny Abrahamson. The film follows an aspiring young musician named John whose yearning to escape his dreary workaday life is fulfilled when he's unexpectedly offered a keyboardist gig with avant-garde jam band Soronprfbs (no definitive pronunciation is every established).…
September 24, 2014

Songs of Relevance

Like five hundred million other iTunes subscribers, I was recently issued U2's latest studio album Songs of Innocence. Which is why you're reading this, since I probably wouldn't have bought the record on my own. It bears noting that I've been an avid fan of U2 since I was seven.…
September 15, 20144 Comments

Sandman Overture #3

I recently finished the third and most recent volume of Neil Gaiman's triumphant return to The Sandman. (For the sake of the sole reader who doesn't know what The Sandman is, it's the horror/fantasy comic book series that established Gaiman's place among the greatest storytellers currently working in any medium.) [Spoiler Alert] Issue 1 sets quite an intriguing plot hook with Dream…
September 1, 2014

Drunken Zombie at Gen Con

Proving again that late is better than never, my excellent colleagues at the Drunken Zombie Podcast have posted the recordings we made during our trip to Gen Con. Unlike last year, we didn't find the time to do much recording at the actual convention, but hopefully you'll find the conversations we recorded…
August 26, 2014