Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net To introduce today’s offering of necessary and recommended reading, here’s a description of a trend in academia that represents one of the most ironic of all ironies (as described by the excerpt), and also one of the most welcome and revealing developments of the present age: It’s odd…
Category: Psychology & Consciousness
Myth, transmedia, and the alchemy of the self
Teeming Brain columnist David Metcalfe attended DragonCon in Atlanta this past weekend to cover the well-established paranormal wing of the world’s biggest genre convention. He will be publishing a full report here in the near future. In the meantime, Disinfo.com has published a partial transcript of a panel that David moderated at the convention. The…
The muse, the brain, and Behaviorists vs. Daemonicists: On inspiration and creative writing
Two recent articles focusing on the question of the creative muse and its real or imaginary nature crossed my radar recently. Oddly, they appeared within two days of each other The first appears at Pacific Standard and comes from the pen of independent journalist Brandon Sneed. Its title gets right to the point: “The Muse:…
Teeming Links – August 30, 2013
Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Today’s opening word is actually double: two opening words. The first is from John Michael Greer, writing with his typically casual and powerful lucidity. The second is from international studies expert Charles Hill, who writes with equal power. They’re lengthy, so please feel free to skip on down…
‘A Course in Demonic Creativity: A Writer’s Guide to the Inner Genius’ (Free ebook)
A COURSE IN DEMONIC CREATIVITY is a writer’s guide to working with the muse, daimon, or genius — the inner “other” that feels like a separate, autonomous intelligence.
Richard Gavin on the numinous power of “Nightmare Horror”
Teem member Richard Gavin has contributed a brand new and powerful entry for “The H Word,” the rotating column at Nightmare magazine, editor John Joseph Adam’s excellent online pro ‘zine devoted to horror and dark fantasy. Richard’s theme and thesis will be of pointed interest to Teeming Brain readers: [What I call] Nightmare Horror is…
Lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, and altered states: Ryan Hurd interviewed
Teem member Ryan Hurd was interviewed yesterday on the Internet radio program Paranormal Review in connection with his new book, Dream Like a Boss (which will soon be available for pre-order): Have you ever wondered if you can control your dreams? Do you want to know how to take more control over them? Is there…
Cannabis and Cthulhu: Dr. Sanjay Gupta wakes the Old Ones with his marijuana metanoia
Okay, please pardon the ludicrously sensationalistic title. But seriously, is there anybody who hasn’t heard about this yet? On the slim chance that there is, here you go. This is Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaking, who, as we all surely recall, is not just a media personality but someone whose medical opinion carries political clout, as…
Teeming Links – August 13, 2013
Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net I invite you to peruse today’s installment of recommended and necessary reading in light of this recent reflection from Walter Kirn, who says his former personal and current authorial involvement with a certain high-profile murderer and impostor has combined synergistically with the rash of apocalyptic awfulness currently infesting…
Short Film: ‘The Final Moments of Karl Brant’ – Dystopian SF starring Paul Reubens
In a word: wow. This new short film, released on July 30 and currently receiving enthusiastic praise all over the place, is a beautifully realized piece of short-form dystopian science fiction. It tells the story of a near future in which, to quote the official press release, “a neurologist and two homicide detectives use experimental…