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…
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 “the capacity of imagination” and “the exercise of imagination”? 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….
Funniest thing I’ve ever seen: Funny or Die’s “The Ralph Macchio Story”
Oh. My. God. Words can’t capture the wondrous awesomeness of this thing. Especially for somebody like me, who came of age in the 1980s, watched Eight Is Enough, was weaned on the likes of The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire, and flipped over the original The Karate Kid. Ralph Macchio playing himself at 48,…
Published: DARK AWAKENINGS
The wait is over. The stars are right. Some rough beast slouches toward Bethlehem to be born, and my long-awaited Dark Awakenings collection is now loosed upon the world. Publisher: Mythos Books Date: May 2010 Length: 319 pages Table of Contents: Available at MattCardin.com Click here to purchase the book directly from the publisher and…
Shadow Visitors: Sleep paralysis and discarnate “dark ones”
A week or so ago I finished reading Louis Proud’s fascinating book Dark Intrusions: An Investigation into the Paranormal Nature of Sleep Paralysis Experiences. Published just last year, it argues that sleep paralysis is actually a cousin to spirit mediumship, in that the experience represents an actual visitation by paranormal entities that live constantly among…
Can Hollywood help us envision a post-apocalyptic world that’s not so bad?
Everything indeed appears to be lining up in favor of producing a post-petroleum, and therefore post-how-we-live-now, world of the near future. You and I will see and experience the transition within our own lifetimes, if we live what’s now considered a normal span. So here’s hoping. As in, hoping not for Star Trek, and definitely not for Mad Max, but for Mayberry.