As a professional writer and English teacher for the past decade, I’ve been prone to think frequently about the role of language in life. One of the recurring themes in my thoughts — occasioned at least in part by some of my grad school studies in philosophy, anthropology, and sociolinguistics, and also by my being…
Month: July 2010
The value of good books and films to human souls and societies
I want to versify the following words, set them to music, and print them in hymnals to be sung in churches. Either that, or have them accompany the national anthem at school assemblies and baseball games. [W]here does one go, exactly, to cultivate âthe capacity of imaginationâ and âthe exercise of imaginationâ? Where, in other…
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos actually *gets* books and their value
I’ve been quite enthusiastic about the Kindle and the e-reading revolution ever since buying a Kindle DX last year. I’ve also been pleased at the way Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos continues to say things that demonstrate his authentic commitment to positioning the Kindle as a device that doesn’t destroy the reading experience but instead preserves…
The zombie as “a remnant of an imperialistic and racist era”
Here’s a bold and interesting reading of the zombie as a monster that is at root “a remnant of an imperialistic and racist era”: UA doctoral student Kyle W. Bishop argues that while the zombie has become a hugely popular cinematic device, the creature is a remnant of an imperialistic and racist era. ….Bishop, who…
BP Spills Coffee
I’ll present this without comment, since it speaks for itself. But I will mention that I almost broke a rib laughing.
New interview at Dystopia Press
Just published: “Meet the Author: Matt Cardin” This is an interview with me at the blog for Dystopia Press, a new publisher of apocalyptic and dystopian fiction (founded in late 2009). Dystopia Press is run by Mark Long, who also created and runs TSTC Publishing, the official press of the Texas State Technical College system….