Columns

Have You a Tamerlane? Down the Rabbit Hole of U.S. Literature’s Black Tulip

June 16th, 2021

“It has been my happiness to start many earnest searchers on the endless trail, and it is my boast that I have disrupted more homes than all the divorce courts in the land,” Vincent Starrett wrote in a 1925 Saturday Evening Post article titled, "Have You a Tamerlane in Your Attic?” 

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What Is Identity Marketing?

June 15th, 2021

A column about identity is a dangerous thing to write. But identity marketing is something that affects your life, and you need to know about it. If you’re a writer or bookseller, you might do it intentionally, you might do it unintentionally, or you might have it done for you with no regard for your opinion on it. If you’re a reader, you’re being sold books (and other stuff) through identity marketing.

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Mary SanGiovanni Makes the Best Monsters

June 14th, 2021

Mary SanGiovanni is by far one of the most talented authors working in horror today. She is a singular creative voice in modern cosmic horror, and her depth of knowledge about the subgenre is incredible. I suspected as much from reading her work, but listening to her Cosmic Shenanigans podcast opened my eyes to the vast library of knowledge she possesses about the many instances of cosmic horror in books, comics, movies, visual art, and more.

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Comics vs. Television: "Invincible" Animates Well

June 11th, 2021

Superhero cartoons have always been a real mixed bag. For every truly timeless classic, there are dozens of glorified toy commercials. You always hope for another Batman: The Animated Series, but usually we just get cheaper, uglier versions of our beloved characters having laboriously tame, child-friendly confrontations, while ignoring all of the great storytelling that made the comic book a property worth adapting in the first place.

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A Year Expanding the Canon: Reading Non-WASP Stories

June 8th, 2021

I had what's considered a traditional education when it comes to literature: The standard curriculum for an English major during my undergrad, further exploration of the literary canon in my MFA program, and independent reading guided by the "classics." What this means is that I am fairly fluent when it comes to the traditional, English-language "canon."

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The Swartzwelder Method: Because Writing Should Be Fun

June 7th, 2021

For the first time in...maybe ever, John Swartzwelder gave an interview.

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Tiny Book Battle: Publishing Under a Microscope

June 4th, 2021

Header image via Pixabay In case you were wondering (but you probably weren’t), it’s possible to purchase a Bible that is one nanometer (nm) large—that is one billionth, or 10 to the ninth power, of a meter, the comparative size of a marble to Earth. This Bible can only be read with an electron microscope.

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I Wrote A Story Every Day for a Month on Live Stream

June 3rd, 2021

In a desperate attempt to keep myself relevant and draw undeserved attention to my writing, I keep coming up with gimmicks to try. This time I decided to write a story a day for the entire month of May while livestreaming on Twitch. When I tell this story to other people, I frame it to make me look like an innovator, a thought leader, and worthy of admiration.

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Alan Wake: A Look Back At Video Gaming's Best Writer Character

June 2nd, 2021

Alan Wake turned 10 last year. You’re excused for not marking the occasion. I hear there was some other shit going on. But it’s 2021, I’m juiced up on vaccine, and one of the side effects is catching up with everything we missed during the pandemic. And so: Alan Wake. A Brief Re-Introduction This is just a little bit for those of you who are unfamiliar with Alan Wake and for those of you who forgot. I mean, it’s been a minute.

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LURID: May Gray — In A Lonely Place

May 28th, 2021

Image via Markus Spiske Fear was the fog, creeping about you, winding its tendrils about you, seeping into your pores and flesh and bone. Fear was a girl whispering a word over and over again, a small word you refused to hear although the whisper was a scream in your ears, a dreadful scream you could never forget. You heard it over and over and again and the fog was a ripe red veil you could not tear away from your eyes.

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