Columns

The Holocaust: In Remembrance, We're Less Alone

April 25th, 2014

Image by TheCarmiBug I was only ten years old when neighborhood kids tried to destroy my local synagogue. They smashed to bits all the windows and glass doors within their reach. They defiled the rough exterior bricks and smooth, interior walls with blood-red, crudely spray painted Swastikas. I wasn't supposed to be at the synagogue that day; my mother tried to protect me from the sight of it. But I saw it anyway.

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Guilty Pleasures: 6 Pulp Treasures You Shouldn’t Be Ashamed of Reading On Your Daily Commute

April 24th, 2014

If, like me, you occasionally walk into book stores and libraries just to inhale the scent of print and paper and you endure electronic reading as a necessary evil, you still have to admit that the eBook revolution has brought some benefits trailing in its wake. Primary amongst these is that Kindles don’t have covers: you can read what you like on your daily commute and no one will be able to tell that instead of immersing yourself in the invigorating depths of Proust, you are taking a warm if shallow bath in Dan Brown.

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LURID: Bardic Birthday Bloodfeast

April 23rd, 2014

LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading.

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Prose & Conversation: 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' by Ray Bradbury

April 23rd, 2014

Sometimes a book can be wickedly beautiful. It can blow through you like a storm, cleansing and refreshing, while being scary and intense. Ray Bradbury's classic, Something Wicked This Way Comes, is one of those books. I read it as a child; Richard Thomas read it for the first time this month. Read on for our take on this gorgeously devilish little book, and the terrifying cast of characters within.

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The Archetypes of Hayao Miyazaki

April 22nd, 2014

Revered Japanese storyteller and director, Hayao Miyazaki, recently announced that he is retiring. His last feature film, The Wind Rises, debuted in American theaters in February to critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination.

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9 Poems That Will Change Your Mind About Poetry

April 22nd, 2014

There are a great many people who say they hate poetry—and I can't blame them. After all, I had the same educational experience you had. When we were young, they taught us that poetry was "stuff that rhymes." Then, during some high school English class, a teacher decided it was time we learned "classic poetry," and we spent months counting off iambs in Shakespearean sonnets and trudging through T.S.

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Product Review: nimblstand

April 21st, 2014

image courtesy nimblstand.com I've written extensively on the wonders of using your tablet in combination with a Bluetooth keyboard for an optimal away-from-home (and at-home) writing experience. But what about accessories that marry the two devices together, bringing the tablet just a little closer to the realm of the laptop?

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Path to Publication 2.2: On Being A Writer And Having Poor Impulse Control

April 21st, 2014

My debut novel, New Yorked, will be published by Exhibit A Books in January 2015. Until then, I'll be writing about the path to getting that book published...

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It's Made Of SCIENCE: Love And Attraction

April 18th, 2014

Ah, love. I wonder if there was ever a topic about which so much has been written, yet so little actually understood. In the English language, the word "love" is incredibly vague. See, while Romeo loved Juliet, you may love reading Shakespeare, and I love eating buffalo wings. We're using the same word for three different feelings with three different intensities (though the intensity of my love for buffalo wings may surprise you).

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10 Unconventional Comics You Must Read

April 18th, 2014

There is an impossibly long list of great “must read” comics out there. But I thought, for a change, I’d take some time to highlight not only some unconventional comics, but also some that might have been overlooked. There are a few stars on here — Hyperbole & A Half for example is a crazy breakout best seller (Yes! Mission accomplished!) — but many on this list have not had the same success. Let’s give them a second look, yes?

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